How Best to Stock Baby Items?

I remember winter being cold last year. But I would wait on the buying clothes, because there is a good chance that a lot of items will be on clearance in December/January to make room for spring clothes so you can get great deals on winter stuff. As for formula, if it doesn't work out you can post it on craiglist. You won't get all your money back, but you will be able to get some of it back. Don't forget to sign up at Similac.com or Enfamil.com to get coupons sent to you in the mail. I get them all the time and they really help. Also, places like Sam's and Costco have the big containers of formula for a low price and they take your coupons. Buy Buy Baby in Plano takes Bed Bath and Beyond coupons and you can use them on diapers and formula. I know Babies R Us excludes diapers and formula from their coupons.

Hi there! Congrats on your baby!
I would really wait on the formula, because you just don't know how the baby will adjust to it.
I've found Pampers Swaddlers to work really well with all of my newborn children. We just use whatever wipes are on sale. You could always start with the gentlest ones to start off with. We like Huggies Naturals.
Clothes can be layered in the winter - all of mine were born when it was cold, and I had lots of sleeper footies covered with a zip up fleece suit. Thin layers added up are the best, because going in and out of heated buildings and cars can put the baby at risk of becoming overheated.

I do know that Walmart will take diapers in unopened packages. I had stocked up on diapers and pull ups a few years ago when my son suddenly decided he wanted to go potty. I didn't have the receipt, but they took them all back for store credit which I used on my groceries. As for brands, I always like the Pampers ones the best. It's been a while since I had a baby, but I do remember not using many newborn size. Those are only really needed until the belly button falls off, so one package should be enough, and even only one package of size 1. I got mostly size 2 since my babies were born on the larger end. The size 2 they wore for a LONG time! Same with clothes, my kids never fit in the newborn stuff but for a couple weeks. We had cute little booties and caps we got at a shower, and my babies both came out too large for them. I used the 3-6 months a whole lot more. They were a little baggie at first, but they grew into them quite quickly. I did have a December baby (he's 4 now), and I remember lots of layers. With a newborn, we didn't go outside much and we could cover him with a thick blanket to go from the car to inside somewhere. Most places inside are a comfortable temperature. I've always heard a good rule of thumb is dress the baby in one more layer than you'd wear.

I wouldn't stock up on formula though. It does have an expiration date. I like the idea of buying gift cards now though. Never thought of that. I do remember going on line and signing up for the formula clubs to get the coupons and free samples. Similac provided more coupons than Enfamil ever did. We also signed up both of our parents so we'd get even more samples and coupons. Plus, every time I went to the pedi or ob/gyn for check ups, they'd usually give me another can too. In the hospital, I remember getting some samples to take home. They provided me with enough so that we lasted a couple days before we had to go buy a can. I wouldn't stock up though in case your baby is insensitive to one or needs something special. There may be stricter guidelines to returning formula.

Good luck with your baby. Seems like just yesterday I was in your shoes looking forward to my December baby, and now he'll be 5 in December. :(

Congrats on the newest family member! As for stocking up, you could do several things. I agree that the swaddlers diapers are great. And wipes, well, maybe start with the sensitive ones..check for no alcohol and fragrance, and you should be fine. I agree that layering clothes are best. Get the long sleeved footed sleepers, then you can add a onsie underneath, or even long johns type things if its super cold. Remeber though, anytime you are out of the house, he will be in his car seat, which keeps them warm, so using blankets to cover them when outside is best. THis is the time parents actually over heat their kids the most. They may need one thin layer over what you would be comfortable in, but he wont need a big bunting type cover up for sure. The formula is tricky, but maybe you could just buy an extra $25 gift card everytime you hit the store and save them for whatever kind of formula you like. Obviously, you could just set aside the money, but we are not always that disciplined, so the gift card worked better for us. Enjoy these last months of pregnancy:) ~A.~

Congratulations! We're expecting our 2nd baby boy in December too! :)
A couple things re: stores-Babies R Us used to be very liberal with their return policies (I used to work there)but while in line I've seen that they've been kinda cracking down on the 90 day rule lately. They will take things back with a receipt during 90 days, but I THINK they'll only give store credit for what the current price is if you don't have a receipt. I don't mind that, but you may want to phone them and ask to be sure. When I was pregnant with my previous baby, I remember being very upset with Target because of their return policy. I can't remember the details, but I know it was harder there than anywhere I'd ever been in my life, so I won't shop there now. Some people from Jeremy's work had bought size 2 Target brand diapers and sippy cups or something, but my son was a preemie so size 2 was a very long way off, and we wanted Pampers swaddlers not Target brand, but the store gave us grief about returning it with no receipt. I was upset because OBVIOUSLY it came from there--it was their store brand! They copied my drivers license and said they would only allow a return 1 or 2 times in a year, something silly like that. Don't stock up from that store, lol. I only go there the day after Thanksgiving for a sale now, but nothing more.
You got good advice re: clothes. What I've done is buy 1 pack of onesies and 1 pack of footed pjs for both sizes N and 3-6mo (Until I see how big he is). You'll have to pay attention to your baby to see how he is: I'm warm natured but my first took after his dad and is cold natured. I LOVED the 2 sleepsacks I got at Babies R Us-they're sleeveless to prevent overheating, but much much safer than a blanket. I remember I swaddled him when he was new, and as he got a little bigger those sleepsacks were awesome. To take the baby out, I'd put him usually in pjs (sometimes a onesie underneath to protect his chest), his little cap, and wrap him in a light receiving blanket. Then I'd bundle him in a thicker blanket to shield him from the wind on the way to the car or into a store, but then remove the big blanket once inside.
For diapers, I have 1 box of size N and 1 box of size 1 until I know how he'll be growing. I love the idea of the giftcards and will incorporate that. For formula, I tried very hard to breastfeed but just wasn't producing enough to feel ok....my first was a preemie and I refused to let him lose any more weight. So I would pump, then supplement my breast milk with formula as the hospital showed me, for 6 weeks and then I just let him do formula. We did Enfamil for awhile, but he had terrible reflux. It stopped immediately when we switched to Good Start though. I will try breastfeeding again, but I did buy 2 canisters of Good Start "just in case"---a security blanket for mom, I suppose. They both expire June 2010 so I feel ok with that. But with that: this is weird, but with BOTH brands of formula, I noticed that no matter what the expiration date was, it just seemed fresher if bought at Babies R Us than Walmart. The powder wasn't as fine and it just didn't seem exactly the same from Walmart. I don't know why, and I know that sounds stupid---they were the same brand, sealed, with good expirations, but there was a little difference. So I only buy formula from Babies R Us now, though I wouldn't be adverse to trying Sams (thinking of getting a membership there). I thought I was stupid or imagining things re: the formula, but I showed my husband and a friend and they were surprised to see the same thing. I think giftcards for the diapers and formulas are great ideas, and really convenient. Just determine what the formula/diaper cost is that you're wanting to spend every week and purchase a card for that, once you have an initial stock that you're comfortable with (I want at least 1 of everything in case I can't get to the store or the weather is bad, ya know?). Again, congrats on the baby and thanks for asking the question because I liked the gift card suggestion I learned today.

Most stores will allow you to exchange diapers, just keep your receipt and be sure to ask them the exchange time period. I'd hold off on stocking up on formula--just set aside the money instead. Your pediatrician should have several different samples for you to try. My pediatrician's office was even nice enough to bring by a supply to my house.