what to buy for baby

As you know, I have two coworkers who have babies due this summer. I was perusing one's registry and noticed they had registered for Pampers Sensitive diapers, my absolute favorite. I told him so, and returned to my desk to find an email reading: "If you have any suggestions of things you found helpful let me know." Now, I'm one of a handful of parents in my group - we are the minority. And only one of two mothers, out of about twenty people. Not to mention that I love to hear myself talk, and of course like to believe that all we went through becoming first-time parents would be of help to others who are now in the same position.

I think to-be parents are in a different position these days. With the internet, and thus chat rooms, baby blogs, and celebrity baby sites, the message has become glaringly obnoxious - if you don't buy everything, top of the line and meant to address every nuance of a baby's life, then you aren't a good parent. Add in that you are usually exhausted and at the end of your rope when you're standing in the store aisle searching for the cure to the problem. I've been known to buy whatever I can reach. There's too much out there, and reason (for some reason) tells the new parent that the $60 swaddler is better than the $10 swaddler because it costs more money. But us seasoned parents know - buy the one that works, the one you won't mind throwing away when its covered in spit-up stains, the one that will soothe that baby and get you an extra five minutes of sleep.

So here was my response, in its entirety:

"Major piece of advice I wish someone had told me – try to get an extra nose-sucker aspirator at the hospital. The ones at the hospital are the BEST and they don’t sell them in stores and the ones they do sell are too hard and won’t do the job.

The things I found the MOST useful were:

1. White noise machine – I used my iPod and 20 months later, I still haven’t gotten it back. Yes, we use the white noise every night to block out street noise and so we can watch tv without muting it.

2. Boppy pillow (nursing pillow) – great for propping up the kid in the middle too, but seriously I would have broken my back breastfeeding if I hadn’t had it. Get an extra cover so that when the kid spits up all over it, you have a back-up.

3. I saw you registered for the Chicco travel system – my sister has the same one and LOVES it. I have the Graco and liked it.

4. “Baby 411” book – incredible reference for when you don’t know but don’t want to call the doctor at 2 AM or rely on the internet (which, when it comes to babies, will only be full of worse-case scenarios and anecdote as fact).

5. “Happiest Baby on the Block” – I swear by this book. Read it NOW so you’ll have the info when you need it. You won’t be pulling it off the shelf at 3 AM when the kid has been screaming for 4 hours straight.

6. Mylicon – gas drops. Don’t actually affect gas in the stomach, but add it to bottles and it gets rid of bubbles which cause the gas.

7. Boogie wipes – also on your registry. We would buy these by the caseload if we could.

8. Bumbo seat – also on your registry. Works great as a highchair in that in-between time when the kid is too small for a big highchair.

9. Whatever lovey/security blanket you give the kid, make sure you have a back-up of an identical one. We have tried to find Britton a second Winnie (Pooh head on a little blanket) as a back-up and they stopped making them. If she ever loses it, we’ll have to pay for counseling no doubt.

10. The Pampers Sensitive diapers and wipes are the BEST BY FAR. I actually threw a fit when Britton got too big for them (they only go up to size 4) and I had to put her in Cruisers.

11. Little Lamb Fisher Price swing – sucks because it runs on batteries, so you’ll spend a fortune on D batteries at Sam’s Club, but it adjusts in how far it leans back and which direction it swings. Whatever swing you get make sure it has different positions.

12. Those swaddle blankets with the Velcro – godsend, especially since I was using duct tape to secure swaddle blankets on Britton. True story. And swaddle TIGHTLY.

13. We used Halo Sleep Sacks with Britton with a onesie underneath after she was out of the swaddle (about 5 months old). I love these because they get the comfort of a blanket without the safety issues.

14. Don’t bother with mittens – they stretch out and fall off. We used baby socks for mittens because they have more elastic.

15. Fisher Price “Whale of a Tub” bathtub is really good, only $20, and we used it until Britton was hanging out of it. Big to store, but they all are.

16. If you like the all-natural bath products, California Baby is great but pricey (but also at Target so it’s easy to find). Love their Calendula cream – which is for cradle cap, but we used it on baby acne, chapped lips, chapped butt, any cuts from her fingernails – it is fantastic. I cannot stress this enough – Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. We used it preventively every time we changed Britton’s diaper and she didn’t get her first diaper rash until she was 13 months old, and that’s because we were on a cruise and I had forgotten to pack the Butt Paste – it is that good.

17. Video monitor – yes, very pricey. We still use ours every night to this day. The reason I love the video is because you don’t want to go into the room to check and see if the kid is sleeping or playing or what is going on and you won’t wake the kid up by constantly checking on her. I would actually pan in to check on Britton’s breathing.

18. Don’t underestimate the rocker. I spent so much time in it feeding her, rocking her, etc. It has to be comfortable beyond belief. Make sure it has padded arms so you can prop your arms up to support the baby, an ottoman is great so you can fall asleep in it. We got one from Best Chair Storytime Series – looks like an armchair and rocks and swivels and glides. Again, we still use it every night when I give Britton her bottle before bed. Cost more than the crib and dresser combined, but I would gladly save it in a fire.

19. If you don’t have one – the Flip video camera. So easy to use, easy to carry with you, and I use mine all the time. I then download the videos and make movies, or you can email them to family (especially grandparents who will eat it up).

WATCH OUT FOR:

Don’t buy 20 of one type of bottle because your baby may not like it – pick up 3 different bottles to try out. Britton loved Avent but hated Dr. Brown’s, and my sister’s baby would only use Gerber Nuk. Same with pacifiers – try out a couple different brands."