Baby List "essentials""-JFF

I tell yah, my kid just didn't go for most baby stuff. The swing? Screamed in it. The boppy? I used it under my buns! The crib? Slept in exactly 0 times. The changing station? A changing pad on the bed was far more convenient. The breast pump? Kid never excepted a bottle. Never. Stroller? Too short for mama's long legs.

I tell yah, the only essentials were:
My tits
My bed
Diapers
Wipes
Clean clothes (too many = total pain to wash)
Baby bjorn and then an ergo - godsends
A sense of humor
Good books, netflix

:-)

- Kindle: I got through many novels when I was nursing and she was teething
- Exercise Ball: Both of mine liked to "bounce", not rock/swing. Bouncing up and down the hallways is freaking tiring, so my husband brought the exercise ball into the living room and I could "bounce" them back to sleep without touring the house every two hours.
- Mini fridge: Yup, we put one in the baby's room when I was nursing my second child. Why? To keep my water bottles cold, of course! I nursed for a good 45 minutes every 2-3 hours... needed to stay hydrated and the fridge light tended to wake up the baby.

Must haves (these things made my life easier):
-baby swing
-baby walker (when he was old enough, you'd put him in it & he'd scoot
around the living room)
-baby jumper (you'd secure it in a door frame & he would jump (laughing)
forever. Great entertainment.
-portable bottle warmer (for when my breast milk dried up & baby liked
his stuff warm)
-baby carrier (the kind you wear....used for a short time but LOVED it)
-wipe warmer
-baby orajel (for teething), Mylocon drops for gas, infant Tylenol, Infant
Motrin (for later in teething)

When he's older:
-night lights
-dream pillow (the one w/the light that shines on the ceiling)
-iPod for games (great for in the car or for the waiting room at the doctor)

Stuff for mom:
-offer to help :)
-a basket to keep everything close at hand when nursing (because you're
kind of stuck in one position/place
-digital ear thermometer for baby (eases mom's mind)
-subscription to her fave magazine (to read when breastfeeding)

Crossword puzzles, paper form. (I know you love your iPad, but I dislike the 'hunt and peck' with touchpads; I can touch-type and you simply can't do that on a pad.)

Books. I know, I'm old-school. I love paper. So let's add my big stack of yellow legal ledgers to that list as well-- that's what I do all of my planning on.:)

As time passes and new technologies come to the fore, it's always interesting for me to see what some people cannot 'do without'. I love my laptop... I think that's as small and modern as I want to go. Part of it is that I'm not a tech person, so it actually takes me much less time to do things on paper than to ask my husband "how do I?"....

Non-essential essential: a nice hoppy beer for milk production/ease in letdown. Oatmeal cookies, friends to visit and hold baby for a bit. Oh, and my Beco carrier (similar to Ergo).... I loved being able to have Kiddo on me instead of in a car seat or stroller when he was wee little and we were out and about.

Wipe warmer - never had one and my kids did fine.
Bottle warmer - just used warm water.
Diaper pail - just put them in plastic (recycled) bags from the store and took it directly outside (no poop smell in the baby's room!)
Moby/Sling
Mirror for back seat (if you have other kids who will be sitting by baby)
Receiving blanekets (prefer the larger ones or cloth diapers for burp cloths)
'Diaper' bag - I used a backpack

I would say ESSENTIAL for my first two was:
Swing (but I bought a Rock N Play for this one because I have heard great things).
Ergo
Button sleepers (I call them potato sacks) for when they are very small
Cloth diapers (for burp cloths)
Pump/Nursing Pads/Cover

Many people consider a changing table to be a nonessential, but for me, at 5'10", a changing table is a back-saver.

My kids all sleep in a cradle swing from about 1 mos-6 mos. My first 2 babies had colic, and that, along with swaddling, was the only way they'd sleep. For baby #3 I didn't even chance not swaddling and using the swing. He was, and still is, my best sleeper, by far.

I don't think an infant carrier is an essential for the 1st baby, but as soon as you have 2 kids it is.

Nonessentials: wipes and bottle warmers. My kids didn't mind cold wipes, and I've never given them warm bottles.

'Essentials' I NEVER used"
-baby swing
-baby walker
-baby jumper
-portable bottle warmer - nothing wrong with room temp
-baby carrier - used it once, hated it
-baby orajel ,Infant
Motrin
-dream pillow (the one w/the light that shines on the ceiling)
-iPod for games

What I found essential (and DH still buys even though we never use them for DS now that he is 7) - baby wipes.