Today, I would like to ask you - the readers - your opinion on something that is very near (in time and importance) to my heart. My husband and I will be adopting our first child - a newborn girl - due at the end of February. We are uber-excited and are starting all the preparations for her arrival.
Here's the dilemma: as we are looking to register, we are finding there are HUNDREDS of items that all seem to cry "necessity" and some that we've never heard of but that sound pretty impressive. Then we stop and remember that babies really only need very few things: clothing, a place to sleep, and food (including bottles to give food) - and of course, lots of love. Oh, and diapers and wipes!
In our day and age, there are also other "necessary" items, such as a car seat. But as parents out there in cyberspace, could you answer these two questions for us?
1. Other than the above mentioned, what would you say are the absolutely basic necessary items for a newborn baby?
2. What is the one item that you wouldn't call "basic necessity" but that you can't live without?
Please comment away! I look forward to what you have to say!
7 comments:
I always loved Weleda products for my babies, who all tended to have sensitive skin. To save money, and as a gentler alternative to paper diapers, we used cloth for much of the first year: http://www.babybunz.com/. A good lightweight sling is also very handy--this sort of thing: http://www.overstock.com/Baby/HugaMonkey-Kona-Crush-Organic-Baby-Sling/4073384/product.html
Michele
Thanks Michele! I'm 1/3 of the way there - I do have a sling and look forward to using it!
I've toyed with the idea of cloth diapers . . . and I will keep the Weleda products in mind. What great tips!!!
Two things we loved here:
1. JJ Cole Bundle me car seat cover - no winter coats needed and it keeps the baby warm and toasty. It also can slip into a stroller and zip around them. Our babies were around all winter though so it may not apply to a Feb. baby.
2. Sleep bags! LOVE, NEED . . . sleep bags - we used them winter and summer since littles aren't to have blankets until after 1 yr!
1. Receiving blankets. Babies loved to be swaddled and those are perfect for that. My hubby also liked to use them as burp clothes as they are much bigger then tiny little regular burp cloths that you can get in stores.
2. A bouncy seat!!! Most people will say that you don't need them but we loved having something to put our baby in other then in his/her bed or the car seat. You can find very simple ones (cheap) and that's really all you need. Ours was a simple one but it still vibrated (our kids loved that) and it played music and of course, it bounces when the baby moves. Also they are super light, so you can move them from room to room :)
So excited about your new little bundle arriving soon! Esther (Farrell) Zimmerman
I had to have the bouncy seat thingy for mine. They didn't take to the swing, but they loved the vibration and the ability to bounce. they can look around a bit and still be part of the family, but your arms get a break.
The baby bathtub was also an essential to me. Newborns are very slippery when wet, and the sink baths didn't work out so well when they had no head support.
PACIS if you intend to use them. Pick a brand and buy a bunch. Once they get used to the feel of one they only like that one.
Baby Monitor-we have a small house and I didn't think we needed one, but I was surprised how hard ti was to hear her in some areas of hte house, plus we had a finished basement.
For a newborn my FAVORITE things were the european onesies that open up flat and you don't have to slip it over their wobbly head. And even though they are boring I tend to like the white ones so that it matches whatever they are wearing. You know I'm a bit obsessive about that! :-)
Thank you ladies for all your good tips!
Post a Comment