Baby Items-Your Must Haves & What Was a Waste of Money?

[wimbly11]

Hi everyone,

As some of you know DH and I are expecting our first little one together this December. We are very excited and are starting the buying process. We are a little overwhelmed by the amount of gadgets and items out there for baby. We know the big things we need (crib, stroller, car seat, high chair, playpin...etc...) however, it's everything else that's available that we are unsure about.

What I'm wondering is...what items are your must haves, could no live without?

And what was a complete waste of money?

Any thoughts will help

[francine1985]

for the crib I would suggest one of those 3 or 4 in 1 (crib, toddler bed, day bed, headboard/footboard for an big bed) I used the same crib for both kids and its spent more time as a toddler bed than it did as a crib.

stroller/carseat I would suggest a travel system or at least buy them separately that work together (we bought a basic travel system at Walmart when I was pregnant with ds1.)... if you plan to have more kids and can afford it I would suggest a stroller that can have a 2nd seat added later... I have the britax bready (bought last june when I got the 2nd seat free because of a sale.) but there are other companies that make strollers that can have a 2nd seat added (all seem to be sold separately from what I can tell.) we also have a sit and stand stroller that is nice if I have more kids with my (like my nephew.) ds2 would sit in the front seat, other kid would sit on the small bench seat in the back, ds1 would stand on the standing board. I am currently planning to get a quality lightweight single stroller. I was planning on the peg perego pliko four but they don't make that model anymore and its sold out everywhere other than ebay and amazon that are all way too much. i'm now considering the summer infant fuze. (I want it for when ds1 starts school this fall. with just me and ds2 home I want something I can take on/off the bus myself. the britax is too big/heavy to take in/out myself even with the 2nd seat removed. its great when dh is there to help or the occasional trip with both kids alone but twice a day 5 days a week alone it too much with it.) *the reason I put so much importance and am willing to invest in them is because we walk 95% of the time, take a bus 4% of the time, and take a cab/get driven by family less than 1% of the time. if you are like most people who drive more get a stroller that fits your needs and invest more in the carseat. we bought the 2 cheapest carseats we could find new at a store and they've only been used a handful of times.

high chair- waste of money in my opinion. with ds1 we used the swing as a high chair until my dad bought us a booster seat that has a buckle belt for the kid and buckles in 2 places on the chair. around the back of the chair and around the bottom of the chair. this also worked great for travelling. it had the tray like a high chair and a tray of toys that snapped into the food tray. im not sure how much it cost but I know it was a lot less than a highchair.

playpen- get one that also works as a bassinet and maybe a change table. (a change table on its own is a waste of money) neither of my kids liked the basinet or the playpen. but sometimes you just have to put the baby down in a safe place while you cook, clean, or go to the bathroom alone.

baby swing- ds1 loved it and would sometimes nap in it ds2 hated it and would scream/cry and throw himself front to back/side to side trying to get out of it. he was safer in the playpen if I had to put him down for any reason.

diaper genie- love this. I won one to test out and it really helps especially with a new baby and a toddler that wasn't potty trained at that time. they are expensive and I never would have bought it before I won it but now I would recommend putting it on a gift registry or looking for a sale.

[francine1985]

nursing pads (even if you don't breastfeed)- you will leak for a while even if you don't breastfeed

breast pump- I bought one to use when I was pregnant with ds1, I wasn't able to pump much and it was rarely ever used. but I was able to be a stay at home mom and nursed him until he was 2.5 years old (he self weened). I sold it to someone and then never bothered to get a new one with ds2. it was a waste of money for me. I would suggest borrowing one or renting one from the hospital to see if its worth investing in one. some women (like me) can have plenty of milk and nurse successfully without being able to pump. (thankfully I didn't need to pump or I wouldn't have been able to nurse successfully or would have had to supplement longer.)

formula- I would suggest getting some even if you plan to nurse. I got all mine by signing up for baby programs like nestle (love the free diaper bag and still using it today, never needed to buy one.), similac, infamil. my oldest had to supplement for a few weeks until I was able to have my milk come in and get a bit of help from a lactation consultant. I was able to exclusively nurse him after that. my youngest was able to exclusively breastfeed right away and I donated the formula I got for him just in case.

[wimbly11]

Great hints, keep them coming. I had a Nestle account a while back, not for the baby items. So it makes me sign in with that account and I can't see anywhere to get my baby freebies?

[Springbreeze]

High Chair- I just use the same booster type chair that fastens to your regular dining chair. It does have a tray for food. They are not that expensive usually around 50.00 But you don't need this right away.

Playpen-I have one but honestly never used it that much, but could be because my daughter received it as a gift after she had turned one. Now that I am expecting number two I think it will get more use.

Diaper Genie- Love it. It is expensive especially the refills but I think worth it. The refills often come on sale.

Changing Table-I have one and I love it. Its not just a regular change table, its a dresser with a spot on the top for changing. When baby no longer needs a change table just remove the top and its just a dresser. we bought a diaper station that fastens to the side to hold diapers/wipes/creams etc.. everything needed for changing right there.

Wipe warmer- I thought it was unnecessary but we received one as a shower gift and it turned out to be useful. Warm wipes in the middle of the night just seemed to work better then cold ones.

Formula-I too did have a small stash of formula ( and will again) I planned to breastfeed DD but didn't work out for us so was nice having formula on hand rather then having to run out and get some.

Baby Swing- Loved it some days/nights it was the only way to get DD to sleep.

Diapers-A stash of diapers is always good but wouldn't go to crazy as some don't work out as well as other brands. DD turned out to be allergic to Huggies.

Clothes/Shoes-As tempting as it is to buy up all those adorably cute little outfits most will not be worn. I bought and received a few outfits but barely wore some and others not at all. Shoes for a newborn nope.

When in Dec. are you due, I am due on the 16th

[annedougherty]

I also use the free Nestle diaper bag. I have two so I always have one ready to go. I can't comprehend spending money on diaper bag when you don't have to.

[wimbly11]

Maybe I should email Nestle? I would love to get this freebie!

We are getting a crib and change table for DH's sister for free. Beautiful set and in great condition so we are set there.

My parents are gifting us the stroller, the travel system type. Do you normally have to purcahse the base seperate for these? Have my eye on a graco one...

We have also been given a bassinet that was handed down in my family.

What kind of baby moniter did everyone find best?

[wimbly11]

I'm due December 20

[francine1985]

https://www.nestle-baby.ca/en/register/begin

there are also more link for formula from the other companies in the baby freebie section.

[Darth Penguin]

My sister bought me a back-pack style diaper bag. I used it for several years as a back-pack after lilPenguin didn't need it anymore. I'll sedond, third having some formula on hand as there's nothing worse than a crying baby , you haveing no milk and your beloved despreatly trying to find an open store late at night.

[wimbly11]

Good tip for the formula!

[Angela273]

Maybe I should email Nestle? I would love to get this freebie!

We are getting a crib and change table for DH's sister for free. Beautiful set and in great condition so we are set there.

My parents are gifting us the stroller, the travel system type. Do you normally have to purcahse the base seperate for these? Have my eye on a graco one...

We have also been given a bassinet that was handed down in my family.

What kind of baby moniter did everyone find best?

The base comes with the travel set. We have two vehicles, so we purchased an additional base. It made it easy for us to take either vehicle without having to move a carseat base first.

[wimbly11]

Thanks Angela

[bargain_hunter_lola]

Must haves (in my opinion):

Formula - others have already covered this but I planned to breastfeed DD but it just didn't work. We had to supplement from the get go. Luckily the hospital had formula on hand for the first week or so. Finally after MANY sleepless/stressful weeks, I decided to give up and go exclusively to formula. Best decision for me and DD. I finally got to enjoy my new little bundle of joy, instead of walking around like a zombie. lol

Infant Tylenol - You're having a winter baby and with winter comes colds, etc. Hopefully you'll never need it but you'll be so thankful to have a bottle on hand at 3am if it's needed. Pick a bottle with a long expiry and you'll be set for awhile.

Swing - This is definitely worth the splurge in my opinion. Both my kids LOVED it! The swing I bought has been used for 6 years straight and is still going (my 2 used it and then my nephew and now my newborn neice). Look for ones you can take the cloth part off and wash it. Also handy if the swing can go left to right AND front to back (some babies prefer a certain movement).

Infant Carrier Cuddle Bag - If you're getting a travel system and you're having a winter baby then it's super handy to have one of these. It's a blanket/cover that goes right into the carrier so little one stays warm. Saves fighting to get a heavy snowsuit on and off. I didn't use one with DS (May baby) but I loved it with DD (December baby).




Extra crib sheets - SO SO SO handy when little one has an accident or has spit up. You don't want to (and probably can't) be washing the same sheet all the time. It's so handy to have 3-4. It's a bit of a splurge (usually $7-$9 each on sale) but well worth the money and sanity when you have a sick baby in the middle of the night. lol

Sleepers with ZIPPERS! - I grew to hate those ridiculous snaps. lol. So time consuming when you're in a hurry.



Waste of Money (in my opinion):

Newborn diapers - I bought 3 packs and both my kids were too big when they were born! I think they go up to 8lbs so if your baby is 8lbs+ they are already too small. Better to grab size 1 (but not too many) and use those right off the bat (even if you have a 7lb, the size 1 will still fit fine).

Baby shoes - they're super cute but totally useless. Babies don't walk. lol.

Burp cloths - I just used swaddling/receiving blankets. They're much bigger and catch much more. lol. Much easier when you can use things for multiple purposes. lol. Try and get BIG swaddling blankets!

[wimbly11]

Great tip about the crib sheets!! Will keep that in mind. Love the idea of the Cuddle Bag, I didn't know these existed