Favorite Baby Things

Well I just found out recently my old college roommate is expecting! It seems like over night I went from knowing nobody with kids to everybody being pregnant. The problem is most of the people I know that have kids don't live anywhere near me. Oh well, it's still fun. I've decided to write a blog post about my favorite baby things. I don't claim to have any clue about what I'm doing. I know some people who are pregnant/expecting their first baby get so sick of people telling them what to do. When I was pregnant with Bean I was so nervous and really felt I had no clue what I was doing (even more so then now) I wanted to hear everybody's suggestions, stew them over, then make my decisions. So here are some things that I found helpful. . .

1. A dimmer switch in the baby's room - This is so nice for those middle of the night feedings and changings. The best part of it is you don't have to grope around in the dark for a small table lamp, the switch is right on the wall when you walk into the room.

2. Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper - Or at least some sort of bassinet. This one is really for breast feeding mommies. One of the advantages of breastfeeding is you don't have to get up to make bottles, so all you have to do is reach over, grab the baby and pop him/her on the boob. I think if I bottle fed I probably would have just kept the baby in the crib from the start. *cough* Then maybe I wouldn't be having such a hard time having him sleep in his own room. *cough* Ahem, excuse me. :-) Plus Jared would help with the night feedings then. Anyway, another nice thing about this particular brand is it folds up and it's portable.

3. Clothe diapers for burp clothes - A friend of mine told me to do this, but I didn't listen to her at first. When I felt the clothe diapers in the store they seemed so stiff and rough. If you have a baby that spit ups a ton those cute cotton burp rags won't cut it. Trust me. The clothe diapers soften after a few washes and they do a WAY better job at absorbing projectile vomit. Have clothes you don't want to get puke on? Clothe diapers are also bigger. Bigger = more shoulder protection.

That's a clothe diaper under his head.

4. Lots of Blankets - Not only are they cute a back drop for pictures, they are nice to have to spread on the floor to play on, throw in the stroller, or just to wrap the baby up in.

This quilt was hand made by my next door neighbor!

5. Take up Photography - Ha! I know this one is a stretch, but do you have any idea how much baby pictures cost? A LOT. If you want a photographer to come to your house, expect to spend between 200-500 dollars when it's all said and done. The first year of a babies life they change so much, and if you want to catch all those little changes, I think a nice camera is worth the investment. If you are interested, post a comment with your e-mail and I'll tell you how I got started.

6. Play mat, swing, bouncer, etc - I've heard mixed reviews when it comes to this stuff. Some say they are useless and take up too much space, some say they are life savers. I have all of the above, and honestly I use it all. I keep the bouncy seat in our bathroom for when I shower and the swing in our front room (he's still too small for the bouncer). Bean loves the swing best now, but when he was smaller he loved the bouncy seat best. So who knows, I think when it comes to buying this stuff it's a crap shoot. Consider this though, at some point you have to put the baby down to get certain things done. . .where are you going to put them? If I had to pick one, I'd go with a good swing that plugs into the wall so you don't have to constantly buy batteries.

7. Baby Carrier - Lets face it, most 1st born babies are spoiled from being held so much and they hate being put down. Many chores (cooking dinner, certain types of cleaning, laundry) can be done while wearing your baby in a carrier. Once again I think this is a crap shoot. You never know what kind of carrier the baby will like being held in. I have a ring sling, Moby wrap, a woven wrap, and an Ergo. My best advice? Find a friend that has them and try them out before you buy. Bean hates the ring sling, loves the Moby and woven, and he's too small for the Ergo right now. Wrap carriers take a little practice getting comfy with, but I think they look really cool on. If I had to pick one I would probably go with the Moby. It is a great one to start with because the material is a little stretchy so it's a bit easier to get the baby into it.

Doesn't he look so comfy in his Moby?

8. The Five 'S' Video - Rent this video, get it from Netflix, or watch it on YouTube before the baby is born. You will be AMAZED how awesome it works! I think there is a book too, but the video is only about 40 minutes and does a great job at demonstrating how the soothing technique works.

9. Boppy Pillow - Oh my goodness how I love this thing. It was the ONLY way I could get Bean to do tummy time for the past 4 months (Just a few days ago he finally started lifting his head from flat on the floor) and I love love love love it for breast feeding.

The Boppy is under the blanket

10. Baby Tub with a hammock - It's gotta have the hammock. Babies are so slippery when wet. If it wasn't for the hammock I don't think I would have been brave enough to bathe Bean by myself. It keeps him from tipping over for slipping to far into the tub.

Well I think that's enough for now! If I think of any more, maybe I will make a part 2 post.