baby things

D, a very good friend, is expecting her first baby in June. We were talking about necessary things, and I promised to write a list for her of things I thought were necessary. I have to admit, the list got much longer than I anticipated!

This is the email I sent - any more ideas of things to add?

I know you have a bunch of lists already – but here’s another one -- These are things that I think new parents need, and a few things that would be nice, but not necessary.

After baby’s birth:

• Bassinette / crib


• Receiving blankets (lots & big ones)


• Diapers & wipes


• Diaper pail


• Baby clothes (I liked the nightgowns that were open at the bottom with some elastic, but I have friends who didn’t like them at all. I also preferred snaps over zippers on sleepers – but B never could get the snaps lined up right, so he preferred zippers. These are things that you won’t know what you prefer until you start dressing your baby. Oh, I also preferred one piece outfits when they were tiny – but that was me)


• Baby towels with hoods (lots – I STILL use the hooded towels with the boys today, so you can never have too many. The bigger ones are better, IMO, Carter’s are great)


• Baby washcloths (lots – the best ones are the cheap, thin ones, (in my opinion))


• Burp cloths


• Baby nail clippers (pack in your hospital bag bc some babies are born with long nails. I ended up biting C’s nails in the hospital so he wouldn’t scratch his face)


• Baby nose syringe


• Baby thermometer


• Baby Tylenol


• Baby motrin (important to have both acetempatphin (sp!) and Ibuprofren because they work a little bit differently and for fevers Motrin sometimes works better)


• Mylicon gas drops ( I know there are different brands out there, but for C, this brand worked best )


• Baby tub


• Sling


• Stroller


• baby monitor


• diaper bag


• Car seat


• Bibs


• Laundry hamper


• Crib sheets


• crib mattress cover (at least 2 to make your life easier)


• baby wash (sniff the bottles in the store. Seriously. I found that I disliked Johnson & Johnson, but loved Baby Magic . . . who knew?)


• baby detergent (for example: Dreft – may not be necessary, but if your baby has sensitive skin, may as well start out with some in the house and wash the first couple months with it)

Not necessary, but nice to have --

• Baby swing (I never used one with N, but C liked it. Get one with batteries – I don’t know if they even sell the wind up ones anymore?)


• Infant to toddler rocker (do you remember C's? Fisher Price makes one and it was awesome. We used for both boys till it literally fell apart last year. Here’s a link to the current one -- http://tinyurl.com/74uzg)


• Moses basket (didn’t have one with C, had one with N and it was WONDERFUL. (http://tinyurl.com/d2vtw) good for only a couple months, and may have been nicer bc Nate was the 2nd and it made it easier to carry him around the house while caring for C, too. I found mine used on ebay)

After 6 months

• High chair


• Bibs (more)


• Baby spoons


• Baby bowls


• Baby proofing things (outlet covers most important! Cupboard locks. Solid door stoppers)


• Baby books


• Teething toys

Not necessary, but nice to have --

• Portable booster chair (I had one like this and loved it – (http://tinyurl.com/7d4c7) but mine also had the ability to tilt which was nice)