What do you Really Need When you Have a Baby?
We’re going to go a different direction in today’s post. For those of you reading this that already have children, you already know the struggle I’m going to talk about. For those new or expecting parents, I’m talking about what exactly do you need for a baby? When Bea and I found out we were pregnant, we started down the deep rabbit hole of navigating all things baby-related. And with Covid-19 just starting and everyone uncertain of how to handle the virus, all baby classes on the base were canceled. So we went to the next best thing, google. And trust me when I say, there is no shortage of opinions out there on what you need to buy and what you don’t. But this post will be a little different than all of those, I’m going to tell you what we found the most useful and what we didn’t use at all. I will also throw in a few useful tips to get yourself lots of free samples.
When we were first starting we stumbled upon Buy Buy Baby and we decided we should register there since we could schedule a visit and see and talk to “experts”. While we were waiting for our appointment date, Bea and I were still searching online and watching a ton of YouTube videos on what we should look at and what other parents found they couldn’t live without. One of the good things that came from all of the online searches was Bea discovered you could register at a few places and they would send you a welcome/congratulations box. Inside these boxes/bags were a ton of samples and coupons for all things baby. So I would highly recommend signing up at such places as Target, Walmart, and Amazon for a registry and start collecting those samples. We got a few diapers, baby soap, and a few diaper rash creams. Now that we had all these bags on their way, it was time to register with Buy Buy Baby and believe me when I tell you it was one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life.
When we arrived at the store after checking in and getting our scanner, we were given a suggestion list of well over 100 items that are all “needed” according to Buy Buy Baby. I can tell you right now that most of those things you can live without because you don’t really know what your baby is going to like and what they aren’t. I suggest at first you go very minimal, then as you learn what your baby likes and doesn’t like you can start to buy those extra things. Start with the things you know you will need, like a good stroller and car seat. After testing pretty much every stroller in Buy Buy Baby, and watching a ton of YouTube videos, we decided to buy the UppaBaby Vista stroller with the Mesa car seat. At the time we bought it it was the safest rated car seat and the functionality and ease of use did not compare to anything else we tested out. This Stroller can be extended to fit two car seats or a regular seat and a car seat, it also can easily be taken off the stroller with one hand as well. Ours also came with a bassinet and I bought a stand for the bassinet so Jameson could sleep in the living room with us when he was firstborn. You can click on the image below for more information, or to get one for your new baby.
The second thing I would recommend is a good pack-n-play. The baby can sleep in the room with you during the first couple of weeks, and it will grow with them. Ours had a changing table and organization hanger for the diapers and various creams and such you will have. The pack-n-plays are also great when you travel or want to work around the house but need a safe place to have your kiddo.
Third I would recommend some sleep sacks. They are basically blankets you can zip the baby into. You will hear a lot of about swaddling your baby and how they will love it. Jameson only loved it for about his first week of life, after that he would just rip his arms out of it and then wiggle his way completely out of it. But with the sleep sack you just zip them in and put them to bed, no wrapping and rewrapping and trying to get it as tight as possible.
A good brand of diapers is also essential. Our choice was Pampers, this is what most hospitals use, and from what we found was the gentlest for Jameson and it held in all the pee and poop the best. We tried a few other cheaper brands, but they would either leak or give Jameson a rash. We also decided we were going to use cloth diapers as well, which have come a long way since the days of our parents. The new style now has inserts that can be taken out and washed, and there are no more pins needed. I would suggest getting extra inserts, as some are not as absorbent as others. We also used reusable cloth wipes, and when the pandemic hit, these really came in handy, since wipes and diapers were hard to come by.
The fifth suggestion is a glider or a nice rocking chair. Babies love to be rocked, and it’s a great place for mom to relax while feeding the little one. These can be pricey and hard to buy online since you don’t really know if it’ll be comfortable or not. We got ours from FaceBook marketplace because all of the store’s prices were just too much. Buy Buy Baby has a great selection of gliders and chairs, but again these can be quite pricey.
The sixth suggestion is a boppy lounger. This is an awesome pillow made to have the baby lie in while you are on the couch, bed, or the floor. It has several different positions you can use, and it also makes a fantastic nursing pillow.
My last suggestion is a good baby bathtub. There are several different kinds you can choose from, and the kind you choose is completely up to you. Some go in the sink, while others are their own tub that you can use on the counter. They even make some that divide your tub into smaller or larger sections as the baby grows. We have the counter type, but Jameson is quickly out growing it and soon will have to be bathed in the tub.
Now, bear in mind these are just my suggestions and these are what worked best with Jameson. And these suggestions are just on top of the absolute essentials, like lots of burp cloths and spit rags. You can never have enough of those, we leave them all over the house because you never know when/where the baby is going to throw up. Remember that all babies are different and they all like different things. Make sure to do your own research and choose what is comfortable for you and for the baby. There are a ton of lists, articles, and YouTube videos of suggestions and some of them are great. But at the end of the day, you may spend $200 dollars on a motion bassinet that just makes your baby cry.