The Stuff: Pregnancy to Newborn

July 25th, 2009

As I tripped around our living room the other day I started thinking about the amount of STUFF we have acquired in the last year.   Many of the things for pregnant chicks and babies are all about the trial and error, there’s no way around it.  The same thing that made her back feel better, might not make your back feel better.  The same thing that put her baby to sleep every time, might only make your baby super angry.  It doesn’t help that when pregnant or living with a newborn there will come a point where you are so miserable that you will try anything and spend any amount, just to feel a tiny bit better.

I used to have a panic attack every time I entered a Babies R Us for baby shower shopping, and it didn’t get much better during pregnancy.  It was something about the WALL of  silicone nipples that got me.  All those exclamation points and blurbs on the packages, promising that use of any other product would result in your child being a complete failure in life.  Scary!

Someone asked me for baby shower gift recommendations so I started putting this list together and decided to finish and post it.  Here are the things that win “best in show” at our house.  Some of these things qualify as splurges and some are nice and cheap.  There are actually very few luxury items I purchased that I felt were worth it.

Pregnancy and Postpartum

Snoogle – The most wonderful pregnancy pillow EVER!!  I tried a simple body pillow and it just didn’t do the job.  This thing was the ONLY reason I got any sleep near the end of pregnancy.  Everyone should have one these!  Now, I use it as a breastfeeding pillow (the packaging shows how to do this) and it has a permanent place in our home.

Boppy Wedge - This thing really helped keep my belly supported and kept me from rolling onto my back.  Now I use it for sideline nursing to support my back.

Bella Band – I bought several of these at the beginning of pregnancy and used them throughout pregnancy and postpartum.  Maternity pants NEVER seem to fit right and even maternity shirts are often too short (esp. at the end).  I used these bands to hold up my pants in the beginning and cover up my lower belly in the end.  After June was here I used them to hold up the pregnancy pants since I didn’t fit into anything else I owned.

Dinners Ready – Ok, this qualifies as a splurge, but it was well worth it.  We went here a few weeks before my due date and stocked up on frozen meals (had the Dinners Ready people assemble them).  We didn’t use them all in the first few weeks but it was so awesome to not have to think about what was for dinner.  Gunnar really thought he would be ok cooking, but he was grateful to have these on hand when I ended up stranded on the couch for 2 full weeks.

Thick Maxi Pads & Witch Hazel - They sell fancy ice packs for your lady parts but this is an awesome cheap solution.  Soak a bunch of thick maxi pads with witch hazel and put them in the freezer for when you get home from the hospital.  I got this advice from several people.  HEAVEN!

Target Nursing Tanks – I bought a few of these because they were cheap $16.99.  They were great for the early days when I rarely left the house.  Now, I wear them pretty much all the time under my clothes because it allows for super secret breastfeeding.  I loved the nursing tank concept so I decided to see what all the fuss was about and splurge on a Glamourmom tank.  So not worth it.  It had some nice features, but the fabric didn’t feel as stretchy (esp important in something that has to be put on over your head) and the clasps were annoying.  The Target nursing tanks remained my favorite.  If you buy online they have a bunch more colors than in store.

For Baby

Zippered Diaper Bag – We ended up with this one because it was on sale and we had something to exchange.  When it comes to diaper bags, I learned to stay away from bags with flaps.  When you’re trying to maneuver in a car or on a tiny bathroom changing station the flap just gets in the way.  They also don’t seem to stay closed if you put too much stuff in.  Don’t rule out pricey stores for diaper bags.  They often have awesome sales for awesome bags.  I also didn’t worry about the look of the diaper bag too much since I rarely carry it around.  It usually gets left in the car in favor of the…

Diaper Pod - These are awesome if you’re just going for a walk or need to change a diaper quickly (AWESOME for airplanes and their tiny bathrooms).  Just enough space for the changing pad, a diaper or two, some wipes, and some hand sanitizer.  Lots of cute colors.

Planet Wise Wet Bags – Babies are messy.  Any time the clothes get wet or dirty you can throw them in this bag until you get home.  The bag keeps any smells in and washes very easily.  We have 5 of these in different sizes and we love them.  The small size works for a few items but the Medium or Large is best.

Boppy Changing pad liners – We bought the Boppy changing pad cove,r but you could use these with any cover.  We LOVE these because it means only having to wash a small liner instead of the whole changing pad cover (in most cases).  Saves money because you don’t need 2-3 covers on hand.

Burp Cloths and Swaddle Blankets – Do not spend money on fancy burp clothes or specialty swaddle blankets.  If you know someone who sews, pick up some flannel an ask them to stitch up the edges  for big swaddle blankets (40″ x 40″ +).  The specialty ones are just not worth the money especially when you consider how many of them you need to have.  For burp clothes we use those tiny (otherwise useless) receiving blankets and bulk towels/washcloths from Costco.

Hanna Andersson Socks - These are the best baby socks ever!  I never thought I would find so much joy in a sock, but this one STAYS ON.  I call them her little space boots. :-)

Trumpette Socks – The second best socks, but they are much cuter.  We have little Mary Janes for June and I recently ordered some others.  These stay on pretty well too.  Amazon sells them with Free Super Saver Shipping if you want a particular kind (there are LOTS).

Sleep Gowns – Who wants to undo a bunch of snaps in the middle of the night to change a diaper??  We got a lot of footed sleepers and we haven’t used many of them.  I resisted when my Mom suggested these, but now June doesn’t sleep in anything else.  If you happen to be IN a Babies R Us they have a brand called Miniwear (or something like that), which are some of our favorites (and the cheapest).  Carter’s makes some, but they run small unless you get the organic cotton variety (which is a better fit and way soft).

Hugamonkey - If you’re interested in a basic sling/carrier/wrap this is a good, inexpensive one to start with.  It’s pretty easy to get the kid in there and it worked great for a newborn.  She slept in it a lot of the time and I could even breastfeed her in it without anyone knowing what I was doing.  We also have a Moby Wrap and an Ergo carrier, but June wouldn’t tolerate the newborn positions for those.  We are just starting to use these carriers more and I think we’re favoring the Ergo.

Mesh Diswasher Basket - Again, something Mom suggested that I resisted.  :-)  Now I love this for tiny bottle/pump parts that just fall right through the regular dishwasher baskets.

Breastflow Bottle – If you’re breastfeeding I recommend this bottle.  It requires compression and sucking to get milk out so it’s more like breastfeeding.  This has been June’s favorite bottle and they aren’t too much of a pain for cleaning.  Also very affordable.

Bath Support – Here’s another thing my Mom recommended (hmmm… it’s almost like she knows what she’s talking about).  I’m not a fan of plastic tubs or fancy baby baths, they take up too much space and you don’t really use them that long.  When June was a wee little thing we just laid her on a folded up towel on the bathroom counter for a sponge bath.  After that we bought a bath seat thing that just didn’t work so well.   We moved on to the support/cushion and June LOVES it.  It’s cheap, usable for a long time, easy to store, and it makes her look like she should have a teeny tiny margarita in her hand while she floats.

Lullabies for Little Dreamers – Shameless plug for our friend Lori.  This is an awesome CD of lullabies.  I think we played it every night for the first month as we were getting ready for bed.

Rockabye Baby!  Lullaby Renditions of… -   These people do lullaby versions of popular songs, one artist per CD.  You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Nine Inch Nails, for babies.  We heard this version of Boy’s Don’t Cry on Gilmore Girls but never thought it was something you could buy.  Just search for Rockabye Baby on Amazon and you can buy CDs or MP3s.  Someone with a lot of time and a xylophone must be making a decent amount of money on these.

Lutron Maestro Dimmer Switch w/Remote - We didn’t actually buy this for baby but WOW is it helpful with a little one.  If you will have them in your room (which I highly recommended, at least in the beginning) it is so much better to turn on a dimmed light than a full-blast light.  It’s enough light to change a diaper or feed a baby without fully waking everyone.  This switch is extra awesome because it has a remote with a programmable button.  When I hear June stir I can just push the little silver button from the bed and see what’s going on.  It’s pricey (for a light switch), but I feel it’s well worth it.  We also have a basic dimmer switch in June’s room.

Things we skipped and don’t miss or would have skipped if we’d known better…

Wipe Warmer – I usually just pull a few wipes out before the diaper change or hold them in my hand for a second.  Some babies may need the warmer, but I would wait to buy it until you find out if your is one of them.

Bottle Warmer – When June drinks from a bottle she drinks *gasp* cold breast milk, straight from the fridge.  Oh, the humanity!!  I would also wait on this to see if your baby demands it.

Special changing table – Most changing pads have a clip on the back to secure them to any piece of furniture.  Most of our diaper changes are downstairs or in our bedroom so a separate piece of furniture wouldn’t help much anyway.  We just added the pad to an existing piece of furniture downstairs.

Disposable Diapers – We have a cloth diaper service for pre-folds.  Surprisingly, they aren’t much more effort and we love them.  The snappi means you don’t have to wield sharp pins and the covers are super cute.  June’s skin favors the cloth and using a service means no extra laundry in those diaper-plenty newborn days.  When we travel we use disposables and I don’t really care for them.  They smell more, leak more when things get messy, and put lots of  red indentations all over her delicate skin.  Even using a service is cheaper than disposables, so that’s a big plus.

Sterilizers – I boiled things like pacifiers, nipples, and pump parts before the first use.  After that, hand washing or a dishwasher is enough.  I’ve heard more sterilization is needed with preemies, but we’ve had no issues with our 42-weeker. :-)

That’s it for now, though I’m sure I’ll remember more as we go along.

Posted in childbirth, gear, junebug, parenting, pregnancy, shopping | Comments (3)

3 Responses to “The Stuff: Pregnancy to Newborn”

  1. Sherry Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    Hi,
    Great tips. If I was in the market, I would find all this extremely helpful.
    good for you.

  2. Beckie Says:
    July 28th, 2009 at 7:56 pm

    I must agree with the bella band. I bought some maternity pants, put them on, and I was so horrified at my reflection that I took them off immediately. The bella band has allowed me to wear my regular jeans, which I am so happy about!

  3. Kiersten Says:
    August 7th, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    I love this list! I have 2 kids and still found this list helpful!

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