What's a Item You Used for Your Baby That You Couldn't Live Without??

Hi J.-
The best things that helped me transfer into parenthood were not things, but people.
#1- Having my mom come to help out on Saturdays to help me with my twin babies while I did some chores. She also gave me adult conversation and it seemed like I got a lot less of that since I was no longer working as a teacher. (My husband also worked a lot of hours at the time.)

#2- Having my mother inlaw come and visit AND take all of my laundry to her house. She washed the babies clothes carefully and separately from my husband's and my clothes. She did this every Tuesday.

#3- My cousin was single at the time and she would come over 2 to 4 times a month to visit me and stay the night.(My husband owned a billiard room at the time and didn't get home until after 1:00 am.) Again... the adult conversation helped me and she also told me to run my errands while she watched the babies. She worked nearby so she slept in the extra bedroom.

Okay.... people from church stopped over with casseroles, etc... and that meant a lot to me, too.

But....let's see.... In case the above does not apply to your question, here are actual things that helped me a great deal:
*baby swing
*sling to hold a baby
*bouncy seat
*bassinet to have in the family room
*a glidder/rocker type chair
*a pillow that velcroed around the back of me.... great for breastfeeding
*a white noise device... helped my colicky daughter
I swaddled her too with a blanket because they didn't have the velcro kind 9 years ago.
And another great "gift" my mother inlaw and mom did was not to hover over me while I raised my babies. (They didn't constantly give me unsolicited advice... rather, they let me do things my way without constantly questioning me. I have heard from others that this stuff does happen with some new moms.)

Well good luck and enjoy your grandbaby!!
-J.

Edit- just an after thought.... the reason the visits by my mil, mom, and cousin were extra special were because I didn't get out of the house with 2 premature babies during the winter months.

3 moms found this helpful

I would have LOVED a baby video monitor, I couldn't afford one so she slept in her crib beside me and my ex's bed for a long time because I was paranoid (we lived in an apt).
I LOVED the rainforest theme fisherprice bouncer. It was SO cute with the lights and music and animals, so cute and my daughter loved it... (I am actually guilty of still having it haha).
A nice umbrella jogging stroller that you can take to the store or take jogging.
A nice car seat like Graco nautilus
A high chair
One thing I seriously LOVED was the baby carrier that I wore so she was against my chest when I went to the store. It didn't look like these backpack looking things these days, it molded to my body. It made me feel safe and not worried about her safety because she was right there with me.
I would've loved a glider.
I loved the waterproof crib sheets, they don't cover but a portion of the mattress so I bought two, I still use them... love them so much.

Wow Joy P has some good people in her life. I would've loved that, my parents lived 7 hours away (by car) at the time, in laws were 3 days away (by car)

Update Oh my goodness I wish I knew about Moby wraps, those are awesome (looked on the site just now).

3 moms found this helpful

One small but very hand item I have and love is the Mommy Hook. It is a large metal ring that opens and you can hang things on the stroller with it. I needed it not with a newborn but as soon as I wanted to get out and around with the baby. I'm sure she will choose a car seat and stroller she likes on her own.

3 moms found this helpful

A sound machine!!! White noise mode or waterfall mode both make a constant noise that blocks out the phone, dogs, etc....We used one for all three of my boys! I even sleep with one. Homedics makes the best one I have found because it turns up so much louder than the "baby" version. Its also great for travel!

http://www.amazon.com/HoMedics-SS-2000-Relaxation-Machine...

I also liked the "waffle" type blankets the best for swaddling once the baby gets a few months old. They wrap really tight! Don't be afraid to swaddle tightly. Babies love it!
Congratulations!

2 moms found this helpful

I loved my sling. My daughter always wanted to be held & the sling let me get things done and kept her happy. She also loved her jump-a-roo. I have a nice jogging stroller now, and I rarely use the older one with the carseat that attached. Congrats on the new grandbaby! Your daughter is lucky to have such a caring mom!!

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VIDEO MONITOR: It was great especially for a firs time nervous mom because if the baby was crying, I could see if he was in a weird position in the crib or just being fussy. My mom also loved it.

FISHER PRICE PAPASAN INFANT CHAIR: Best buy ever. It has music and vibrated. Both my son and daughter loved it. My daughter was having trouble sleeping flat in her bassinet so I would put the chair and she was able to sleep in that. I help me through many rough nights.

Congratulations and enjoy. They grow up so fast!

2 moms found this helpful

I was never one for "gadgets" but I sure loved the swing!! I could put my babies in there for 15-30min and get dinner done!!!

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My best piece of 'furniture' was a bouncy seat that also rocked. It was small enough to carry up and down stairs (NOT with the baby in it of course!) and kept my babies close by while I showered, cooked or whatever. Easier to move from room to room than a playpen and the one I have is convertable for toddlers too. When the baby's not in there, my 4 and 2 year olds fight over it :o)

2 moms found this helpful

A pack-n-play!!
http://www.target.com/Graco-Pack-n-Play-Morgan/dp/B004DN8...

A papsan bouncer.
http://www.target.com/Fisher-Price-Little-Lamb-Infant-Sea...

2 moms found this helpful

This is a silly one, but I received a thermometer for the bathtub when my first was born, and I still use it (my 3rd is 2). I like to know how hot the bath water is, because I can tolerate MUCH hotter water than tender baby skin.

My second recommendation is a REALLY REALLY fast and good thermometer for the forehead. I bought one for about $50 with my first, and wish I'd even bought a better one. When your tiny baby has a fever, the last thing you want to do is a rectal or other slow thermometer. Fast and accurate and easy is the way to go.

J.

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My son's godmother gave us a Mother Goose nightlight with a cassette tape recorder in it. I would put the tape in with the sleepy-time music, and when the tape turned off, the light turned off. I loved, loved, loved that with both my babies.

D.

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One thing I received and have since purchased for nearly every new mom I know is a sherpa cover for the infant car seat. Both my girls were born in the winter and I never once used a snow suit for them. I simply placed them in their seat and zipped the cover up. When it was extremely cold, I put a receiving blanket around them first. They are warm and cozy with no struggling. Plus, when they fell asleep on the ride home, all I had to do was unzip and lift them out.

2 moms found this helpful

2 things, actually:

Boppy pillow
Baby swing

Congrats!

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Pack-n-Play
Boudreax's Butt Paste
Angel Care Baby Monitor
Breathable Crib Bumpers

- Most important, love, support and an OFFER of help from family/friends (and their understanding when I turned down the help or gave specific instructions on how to do things with my baby)

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Pacifiers, night light and a good monitor with screen so I could see the baby if I need to go to the bathroom.

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Some type of cloth baby carrier like the Moby Wrap. Babies are happiest when "worn" close to Mom or Dad, and parents have two free hands! Also a good rocking chair.....I loved my La-Z-Boy recliner/rocker. It was large enough for me and the new baby and my toddler when my second child was born, too! Please research swaddling. There is some new information that swaddling may actually NOT be good for babies. Is the baby actually happier swaddled or so stressed that he/she is shut down? While swaddling may be helpful when used occasionally, routine swaddling during the first months is associated with greater risk of: respiratory illness, hip dysplasia, SIDS in prone sleeping positions, and overheating. Also swaddling during breastfeeding to restrict babies' hands may contribute to breastfeeding problems.

2 moms found this helpful

The Boppy pillow! And an inexpensive plastic bathtub from Target. And many cloth diapers that were used as spit rags (mine was a "spitter"). Along with the one-piece jammies and the blankets, that's all that was really needed.

1 mom found this helpful

* portable swing w/lights & music (still have mine from 7 yrs ago!)
* pack n play (it would be great if grandma got one for her house too, so mom doesn't have to lug her's there)
* Baby Bjourn
* quick change kit
* large receiving blankets (my friend made some for me by stitching around 1yd. of flannel fabric - its perfect as a light blanket, swaddling, shade, burp cloth, changing place, tummy play, towel - really just about anything, which is why its so great! Two of my three babies spit up a lot, ALL THE TIME and those have been a lifesaver for me!)
* baby powder - constant diaper rashes/yeast infections STOPPED when I started drying the area with a cloth and using powder
* shopping cart cover (I had a preemie in the winter and this ended his rounds of ear infections!)
*infant car seat/stroller combo (I too used my first stroller for FIVE YEARS, until the plane ride damaged it). I'm now using stroller #2 going on FOUR YEARS - definitely invest is a large, quality stroller with a large storage on bottom

a scheduled time of help in some way - a new mom wants to prove she can do it, so asking for help seems to go against that idea. If you say you'll be there every Mon to do some cleaning, etc, its not about her "needing" you, its about you being there no matter what!

some helpful ideas here are:
housecleaning
running errands
organizing or providing a variety of nutritious meals
holding the baby so mom can do something for herself

1 mom found this helpful

A good glider (rocking chair). I use it every single day before naps and bedtime and use it with my newborn now. It's really important that it's comfortable and well made if you're nursing. Mine is a Dutailier and they're expensive new, but I got mine in mint condition on Craigslist for a song.

1 mom found this helpful

My favorite things:

- Crib
- Changing table
- Lazy Boy relciner/rocker (big enough to fall asleep on)
- Boppy
- Get Out of the House Backpack (backpack with everything I needed; from baby gear to makeup to cash to spare clothes to medicine). Decide to leave. Put baby in carseat. Leave.
- Recieving Blankets (he was a spitter)
- Music/ Radio
- BOOKS. Kiddo was a marathon eater/burper (easy 45 min on each, so 1.5 hours total). Reading while burping kept me awake. I read the entire Nero Wolf series, Earths Children Series, and a few others).
- My mum. Who kept me sane, and taught me how to take 5 minutes, and let me sleep.

1 mom found this helpful

Medicated powder my girls never had a bad rash after we started using it.
You may need to purchase it on line. My daughter used it too and my granddaughter never got a rash.

1 mom found this helpful

Couldn't live without my hooter hider nursing cover

1 mom found this helpful

Ocean wonders baby swing, vapor plug-ins and humidifier, keepsake newborn-6 month hand/foot print kit gift from Pottery Barn Kids. Swaddle, Baby Einstein activity mat. Graco Travel System, Pack N' Play. Glider for the nursery....a life saver. I forget now but also we stopped getting the mobiles that went with the bedding and were give the Ocean Wonders remote control mobile...Love it. You can turn on the mobile again without baby seeing you.

1 mom found this helpful

One of my favorite things that has lasted through all the stages that my 10 month old has been through so far is my diaper kit... I hate hauling around a big diaper bag everywhere, and I got a little kit as a gift. It's got a changing pad, space for diapers and wipes, and a small pouch for a few essentials. Much easier to carry around, and it makes me feel better about using public restrooms when changing her while out and about.

1 mom found this helpful

First few months...boobs and a nursing cover. Blankies and jammies. Sling/wrap.
Lol. My two kids were really quite different from the very start so what worked for the first (and I prepared for the 2nd)...well...I didn't need.

One baby item I could not live w/o regardless of baby personality/temperment (though it is more for 6mths.+) is my shopping cart/highchair cover. (I have The Floppy Seat-wonderful invention!)
Really. I could not live w/o it. :)

1 mom found this helpful

Ibuprophen, boppy pillow, newmans ointment(prescription only)

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Swing, bouncy seat, when they get a little bigger a NICE umbrella stroller (not a cheapo). We also use a white noise machine and boy, did it save us when our boys were colicky. We still use it in their room at night and they are 7 and 3 now. Also if she is nursing a nursing stool will help her position better and what's called a "My Brest Friend" nursing pillow (these are 10 times better than a Boppy because it supports your back and actually wraps around you entirely). I took the nursing pillow with me even when I traveled to visit family, loved that thing.

Here's the stool: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2403243
And the pillow: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2609109

And a good pump if she is going to work, or money towards it so she can pick it out.

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bouncy seat
Bumbo
swing
mini dvd player --FOR ME while I nursed. It also plays music so that was nice at night.

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In no particular order:
*Gymini play mat. Kept baby busy while I showered, etc. Was awesome from a few weeks until she could crawl away.
*Snap-n-Go stroller
*This foam wedge from Babies R Us that baby slept on and made it really comfortable and better for digestion/snuffy noses. Velcro sides to keep her snug as she grew. Made transition from our bed to co-sleeper to crib to pack-n-play effortless - we just moved the wedge wherever she went!
*Beautiful blanket from Petunia Picklebottom. Loved it and used it so, so often.
*Video monitor. I didn't even want this - seemed over the top - but we ended up LOVING it. Baby TV. And so helpful too - one time she was crying and w/o the monitor I would have let it go a little longer but could see that she had flipped over on her stomach and couldn't get back to her back. Could check to see if she was in trouble, trying to climb out of the crib, etc. So, there is a real safety value, but also hugely entertaining to see what your older baby does during nap and bedtime!!
*Kit to make handprints/footprints. Seemed weird at the time, but LOVE having those tiny hand and footprints now.
*Books. We got a ton and we loved (again and again and again) them for years. Little board books to classics. Inscribe -- "One of your mommy's favorites when she was little," "From Grandma" etc. We read these inscriptions and the books over and over for years. Now they are keepsakes.
*Coupons for grandma to come babysit or bring dinner over!!
Congrats and enjoy your little one!

1 mom found this helpful

I have said to many people, many times, that the one thing I couldn't have lived without was a really great stroller. We got a travel system, which was convenient for the first 8 months or so, because you could just pop the car seat out of the car base and right onto the stroller. After she outgrew that, we used the stroller part of the set for FIVE YEARS! And I know we put a few thousand miles on it, too. I can't think of any other thing that you can use from infancy through five years of age...so, it's definitely worth the money to have a nice stroller (provided she will be going places, going to parks, going for walks, holidays, vacations...really, anything.) We had to buy a new one for daughter number two, because we wore the first one out!

Nursing or not, also make sure she has some really nice cushy pillows to prop herself up in a chair, in bed, wherever, while she's feeding the baby. My back was so sore from trying to use a "boppy" pillow...I don't recommend that. Ever since I bought just a really nice, large, cushy pillow (for about $4 at WalMart) and a nice sham to cover it with...something I thought was nice to look at, I am much more comfortable.

1 mom found this helpful

Swing - has been a lifesaver with all three
Pack n play with the bassinet/changing table insert - all three of mine sleep or slept in the pack n play. I have one in the bedroom and one in the living room.
Plain white cloth diapers - you can use them for everything
Bouncer
Window shades for car if the windows aren't tinted or if they aren't very dark.
Baby bathtub with a sling for newborns
Mylicon drops
Infant tylenol - must have for after the shots
Musical light up mobile
Zip front all in ones and zip front sleep sacks
Baby gowns - much easier to change their diapers
Temporal thermometer - love mine - use it constantly
The pampers diapers with the yellow strip on the front that turns blue when they are wet.
A pair of nail clippers with the balls on them are much easier to use.

My third child is currently two months old, so I am listing for you all of the things we currently use on a daily basis.

Congratulations on the new grandbaby to be!

1 mom found this helpful

I see many great things here. I loved my nursing pillow as well. The boopy was a god send the first 3 weeks.
Bumbo seat is great but that is a little later on.

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My ergo baby carrier with infant insert.
A good stroller system with a spot for coffee.
Bumbo chair (although that was useful right away, until baby can support head).
Baby swing and bouncy seat.
Pack n play (was our bassinet and changing table for first few weeks).

Okay those are the physical things for baby. But what helped my transition and sanity was my mother in law would come by and take my son for a short walk a few times a week; giving me the precious gift of some time. I could use it for shower, folding laundry, other tasks or simply to close my eyes for a few minutes. Every new mother NEEDS that.

Congrats Gramma!

1 mom found this helpful

Boppy pillow, cloth diapers for burp clothes, Mylicon gas drops, gowns for nighttime changes, waterproof pads for changing table are some of my favs!

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Good job on the swaddler! I really loved the Woombie swaddler. LOVE IT! A good rocker like a dutailier really is wonderful. I found with most rockers the pads squish down and so you then can feel all the wood and springs. dutailier is one of the best in my opinion.
I boppy is a great thing if she is breastfeeding. Nursing bra's and maybe a couple nursing shirts or shirts that you can easily pull down. Or wrap shirts/dresses. They work well.
I also love having more natural products on hand. Like air freshner for around the diaper pail, cleaners for areas that they baby play or hangs out a lot.
Unlike a previous poster, I HATED the sponge bath mats. It never dried in time for the next bath, even though I had it sitting where it could drain and had tons of air. I did wring it out too but it didn't matter. I also don't like sponges in general since they are bacterial breeding grounds. I like the plastic tubs with a natural slant to them.No need for a fancy one, just ones with slants are nice.
I really wanted a swing that was small and portable so that I didn't have to lug the giant swing all around the house.
A high chair that can recline was so helpful for when I was cooking and he couldn't sit up yet, but I could set him down but not close to the floor like his bouncy chair.

Updated

Good job on the swaddler! I really loved the Woombie swaddler. LOVE IT! A good rocker like a dutailier really is wonderful. I found with most rockers the pads squish down and so you then can feel all the wood and springs. dutailier is one of the best in my opinion.
I boppy is a great thing if she is breastfeeding. Nursing bra's and maybe a couple nursing shirts or shirts that you can easily pull down. Or wrap shirts/dresses. They work well.
I also love having more natural products on hand. Like air freshner for around the diaper pail, cleaners for areas that they baby play or hangs out a lot.
Unlike a previous poster, I HATED the sponge bath mats. It never dried in time for the next bath, even though I had it sitting where it could drain and had tons of air. I did wring it out too but it didn't matter. I also don't like sponges in general since they are bacterial breeding grounds. I like the plastic tubs with a natural slant to them.No need for a fancy one, just ones with slants are nice.
I really wanted a swing that was small and portable so that I didn't have to lug the giant swing all around the house.
A high chair that can recline was so helpful for when I was cooking and he couldn't sit up yet, but I could set him down but not close to the floor like his bouncy chair.

1 mom found this helpful

The swaddler wrap was one of the most important thing for me!!

I also love the lavender scented Johnson's. I very much believe in aromatherapy. It really helps calm the baby.

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Well if she is nursing then a nursing cover is great! I nurse my baby under it everywhere and when people come visit. Also I bought a bumbo seat and it was awesome. my son loved sitting in it.

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Well the swaddlers didn't work for us. My baby hated them. As soon as she was born all she wanted to do was stretch, and thats how she wanted it. She still, at 2 y/o, will stretch for 5 minutes before getting up...just like her daddy, lol.
The things I loved were...
The hospitals bulb syringe (not the store bought ones!)
Swing
Bouncey Seat
Sling
Tyke Light Jr (night light for late night diaper changes/feedings)
Quick read thermometer
I still use the night light, thermometer and the bulb syringe!
If you are thinking of buying her a sling maybe ask which one she likes. I got a second hand one from a friend and I loved it (still have it), but with the next one we have I want the one that wraps around and you can put the baby in a few different positions (not the back pack one).
Congrats! =)

1 mom found this helpful

my nursing pillow!!! A good one, like Boppy brand or My Breast Friend is great :D For a really little one I like the little sleep and play out fits so much. They look like jammies in that they have long sleeves and footies. But they are cute like outfits. You can get them in a thinner cotton for a summer baby or thick fleece for a winter baby. I really liked them so much bc I wanted to let my little baby have lots of floor time without worrying about a sock pulling off or him being too cool. That was like the first three months or so, then I just went to regular clothes, but when being warm enough is a big thing, I love those things!!

1 mom found this helpful

There's so much useless gear in the baby market these days in my opinion, but there have been a few inventions that I wouldn't have wanted to live without:

1) Bundle me (my 1st was an October baby so it was cold pretty much right away)...they make spring weather ones that aren't too warm too
2) Snuggle nest - great safe place to sit the baby down when you need 2 free hands
3) Snap & go stroller - BEST invention ever!!
4) Baby monitor
5) Swaddle blankets - brilliant! But get a couple more so that she can always have a clean one
6) Foam bath liner for baby tub...baby tubs are so slippery; and the ones with the cloth inserts are such a pain. If you hang them to dry, they never dry fully fast enough so they eventually start to mildew unless you wash them in hot water every time. Who has time for that?! You can buy the foam baby tub inserts at Target or Babies R Us and they are so cheap. Easy to wring all of the water out and they dry fast. Makes it so, so much easier to bathe the baby without them slipping around in their tub or the sink.

Congrats and great question!

1 mom found this helpful

a snap and go stroller.. they sell them at babies r us.. it is a stroller frame that is super light weight and you are able to just snap the infant car seat into it.. my mom bought me this :) and also I had a bouncy / vibrating chair at my house and my moms house. When I had my second child my parents surprised us and my Dad would visit and bring diapers once a month from Sams club for a year as well as formula.. They sell Pampers and enfamil at sams club.. Such a help since our youngest just started preschool and we had a lot of hospital bills.
Congrats!
L.

1 mom found this helpful

Snap and go-didn't have it for my first and did for my second, loved it!

The One Trip Tote (www.onetriptote.com). This is more than a tote! It is large, horizontal open carryall that you can pack up with everything you need for the day and make "one trip" out the door. Great for parents with one to many children. Can use it for MANY things...daily outings, trips to grandma's, toys, laundry, beach, pool, picnics, shopping bag, trunk organization, etc... fits into carryon luggage even, so can take on trips. I fill it with goodies and give it as baby shower gifts all the time!! It collapses too, when not in use (which is rare). Great price point too, at around $37. Perfect gift for any and every busty mom/woman. Congrats to you!

Ok, I have 3 ...
1. Miracle Blanket ... http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm
2. hangs in the door way bouncer/swing ... http://www.nextag.com/baby-door-bouncer/shop-html
3. Wrap/Sling ... http://www.google.com/search?q=mei+tai+wrap&hl=en&amp... .... and hot sling ... http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=hotsling&hl=...#

Boppy Pillow - even if she doesn't nurse
Snap and go Stroller
Video Monitor - had one for my second, and not first. Wish I had for first.
Ergo Carrier for older than 3 months.
Sling of some sort
Halo Sleep Sacks
A GOOD breast pump
Sheet Savers
Video - Happiest Baby on the Block.

Book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. Excellent. SOOOOOO helpful

A bouncy chair if she doesn't have one already. My daughter loved hers and I could take her from room to room in it really easily. I'd put her in it in the bathroom with me when I showered, and lots of nights, the only way I could eat my dinner was with her in it on the floor next to me, with one foot bouncing the chair. I got pretty good at it :) Congrats!

Both my daughter & I loved her little bouncy seat. It was so soft, vibrated, played music and had a cute toy bar across it! I also couldn't live without my Ju Ju Be mommy bag. A must for the organized Mom!

My top two are a nice linen large swaddling blanket where I would wrap my baby up really snug and cozy. He loved to be swaddled. Also, the baby bjorn carrier--I literally lived in that thing-- my baby had severe reflux and colic and so he was carried in a sling or wrap or the bjorn 24 hours a day. Those two items were lifesavers for me! Good luck!

m

Baby wipe warmer
Little Tikes push car
Safety 1st bath seat
Gyrobowl

My favorite item was my baby sling. It was so much more comfortable and easier to maneuver than the "backpack" style. It's made from a single piece of cloth, and the instructions show you different ways to "wear" your baby as they grow. My son is almost three, and still sits in it! I had mine custom made from a website called "Seven Slings" for a little over $20.00.
Congratulations on becoming a grandmother and wanting to be practical for your daughter! Good luck!