New Baby List

[vonfirmath]

I'm trying to figure out if I've missed anything.

What kinds of things do you want home when you bring your baby home?
How about within the first 6 weeks of life?

List:

way to get Baby home: Car Seat

SLEEPING:
Crib
Sheets

FEEDING (realizing first ended up on formula early)
breastfeeding pillow of some sort
Bottles cleaned just in case
Lanolin
burp cloths
mother's milk tea
fenugreek
gel heatable pads
-The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding- book

WEAR
clothes
are socks necessary in August in Texas?


DIAPERING
pkg newborn diapers
pkg size 1 diapers
wipes
Aquaphor
place to change baby

MISC
Diapering/Sleeping/Eating Log
pacifier
itzbeen timer

FIRST AID
gas drops
thermometer
baby tylenol

BATHING
place to bathe (Kitchen sink)
temperature gauge
wash cloth
baby shampoo
towel

[BabyDahl]

I would add nursing pads. I soaked through so many shirts the first day while I looked for my washable nursing pads in the piles of baby stuff. Nearly broke down in tears...

[mommylamb]

swaddling blankets
crib mattress
maybe a moby wrap or similar

[logan's mom]

What about...
*Swaddling blankets-love the Aden and Anais ones because they were big but thin. (http://www.amazon.com/anais-4-pk-Safari-Friends-Swaddles/dp/B002USE0Q0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310144717&sr=8-1)
*Nursing bra and pads-I was leaky
*Snacks/fresh fruit for you
*Feminine pads
*Bouncer seat-safe place to put the baby
*Little Noses saline

[misshollygolightly]

Some meals in the freezer
laundry detergent (for us, fragrance-free)
trash bags
good supply of (soft) toilet paper
Tuck's pads (for mom)
white noise machine/womb sounds cd
nightlight
batteries (for bouncy seat, swing, whatever)

[ashleybama24]

Nightlight! I totally didn't think about this the first time I went to go get DS1 up and couldn't see. Nearly blinded us both turning on the overhead light.

Yes you need socks in Texas...the house is still probably in the 70s and babies don't regulate their own body temps well for the first few weeks.

Everyone has given some great ideas. Don't forget to have some comfy clothes for yourself to lounge around in.

[BabbyO]

Nightlight! I totally didn't think about this the first time I went to go get DS1 up and couldn't see. Nearly blinded us both turning on the overhead light.

Yes you need socks in Texas...the house is still probably in the 70s and babies don't regulate their own body temps well for the first few weeks.

Everyone has given some great ideas. Don't forget to have some comfy clothes for yourself to lounge around in.

DH and I installed a dimmer switch in the baby's room....one of the best investments ever! I never woke DS up checking on him, and if HE woke up, I could nurse him in relative darkness, which meant we all slept better.

A night light is another option...but I'd STRONGLY recommend one or the other!

[vonfirmath]

The itzbeen timer is supposed to have a nightlight on it. Would that be sufficient you think?

[star04]

Mittens for baby (for sharp nails)
Waterproof crib mattress protecter

You may end up buying a swing or chair that sits more upright for sleeping. DD2 will not sleep laying flat.

[indigo99]

Baby fingernail clippers
breastfeeding stool

The only thing I ended up needing to go to the store for in the first weeks was more burp cloth/washcloth/towels. We went through a lot more than expected.

Are you not pumping at all? I did BF and still did a pump to build up my supply and store some for others to feed DS. I used Booby Tubes to help my milk let down (mainly for pumping but also some with DS), and I liked Motherlove herbal nipple cream instead of lanolin.

[ashleybama24]

The itzbeen timer is supposed to have a nightlight on it. Would that be sufficient you think?

No. Unless you carry it everywhere because you won't be able to see in the dark stumbling around in the middle of the night. You also might not like it...i hated ours. You can also get a lamp or tyke light.

[vonfirmath]

Are you not pumping at all? I did BF and still did a pump to build up my supply and store some for others to feed DS. I used Booby Tubes to help my milk let down (mainly for pumping but also some with DS), and I liked Motherlove herbal nipple cream instead of lanolin.

Not pumping. I pumped with DS and don't have the location to pump where I work now (that I would be comfortable with) I'll buy formula if breastfeeding does not work out.

[alirebco]

Skip the lanolin and get the Motherlove or Earth Mama nipple cream instead - it is spreadable and so much better.
Also, the Soothies gel nursing pads are awesome for the first week or so. Get 2 pairs and keep one in the fridge and switch them on and off after feedings.
Tucks pads and Dermaplast spray are a must for after vaginal birth.
Hand pump or electric pump to help with engorgement
Gripe water and/or baby probiotics - Biogaia is the best brand for the probiotics shown to reduce colic
White noise machine
Easy to grab snacks
Big water bottle

[AnnieW625]

I would have a Pack N Play, bassinet, or stroller bassinet ready to to go. Neither of my girls were comfortable in their crib for naps or night time sleeping until at least a month old. DD1 actually slept in the pack n play in our room at night until she was almost 4 months old.

Johnson & Johnson Nursing Pads; loved these. The Lansinoh ones were a close second, but the J&J ones rocked.

The Miracle Blanket Swaddler

Aden & Anais Swaddle blankets

cloth diapers for burp rags

Playtex Drop In bottles

can of formula at home for emergencies (I was almost hit in a car accident when DD2 was a week old and I had no formula at home, and very little breast milk so after that I never left the baby and DH or sitter at home without a can of formula)

Primo Bath tub or the Primo sink insert (really though the Primo tub is awesome!)

[MommytoEliana]

Thanks to the OP for starting this list! There are a bunch of things mentioned that I'd forgotten I should be picking up in the next week or two.

Did someone mention a good supply of basic onesies for layering and/or on their own (depending on how cool it is and how baby's body temp runs)?
Big water bottle for mama for the constant thirst that comes with nursing.
A couple of soft hats for baby to help regulate body temp.
Good book(s) or magazines to read during marathon nursing sessions.
A bottle of champagne for when you're finally ready to celebrate. :-)

[vonfirmath]

Thanks to the OP for starting this list! There are a bunch of things mentioned that I'd forgotten I should be picking up in the next week or two.

A couple of soft hats for baby to help regulate body temp.
Good book(s) or magazines to read during marathon nursing sessions.



You're welcome
I've got at least one book set aside. The next book in the David Weber Safehold series comes out in September and we've got it on order already!

[lovebebes]

a couple of baskets that are placed strategically throughout your place-this was so key for me, with our looooong hallway, it was just way annoying and unnecessary to go to the changing table every single time for every single thing.
In my baskets i always had:
diapers
wipes
a water bottle for me
earth mama angel baby baby bottom balm (THE best baby product in the universe :)
oh, and earth mama angel baby nipple balm (another favorite)
a Vulli teething ring
a pair of baby socks
a burp cloth
nursing pads

[BayGirl2]

As for the feminine pad thing, I read this on a midwives website before DS and it really helped:

Take a regular big pad and pour witch hazel on it. Coat with vaseline. Roll it up and freeze it. Do this before you have the baby so you have a few in the freezer when you return home. They were amazingly soothing during those first few days. Witch hazel is what's on Tucks, and I found having a bottle on hand and just adding it to pads was more comfy than wearing the tucks on the pads like they had me do at the hospital.

[sweet_pea]

I don't think anyone mentioned this, but I would have some pacifiers on hand just in case. I wasn't going to give one to DD until she was several weeks old, but she turned out to be a baby who constantly needed to suck, and basically used me as a human pacifier. I was so exhausted that one night when she kept crying and crying I gave in around midnight and we were both much happier. OTOH, you may have a baby who won't take a pacifier at all, but you never know in advance.

I agree with PPs that the Earth Mama Angel Baby was much easier to use than lanolin.

A few other things:

if you'll be breastfeeidng in bed – pillows for propping yourself up during nursing sessions

nursing-friendly pajamas

a bucket or dishpan (I kept one in our bathtub) for soaking soiled clothing immediately (without having to go to laundry room/basement each time there's a blowout)

camera, memory card with room on it, and extra batteries for taking photos of baby's first days