Help For The Expecting Family

A child is a wonderful gift, and any family is truly blessed when it welcomes a new bundle of joy! We have several friends who are expecting…and I thought I would share our “baby knowledge” in the chance that it might help. Anyone and everyone by now has likely given them all advice. I remember when I was pregnant EVERYONE put their 2 cents in—I got so bad I worried needlessly about their advice/omens/wives tales. I won’t offer any child rearing advice…just a few hints that I wished I had known like: what you need and what you don’t.

Things we couldn’t have lived without:
*Baby swing. Those are wonderful!!! It relaxes them and stops the fussing. I definitely suggest one. Ours was battery operated so we didn’t have to disturb her by re-cranking it.
*Baby Einstein videos. They are wonderful. Babies & Toddlers are mesmerized by them and they really help their cognitive development. We have: Baby Neptune, Baby Mozart (Gracie’s Favorite) & Baby Noah if you want to know more about them. And, Gracie still loves to watch them, not to mention they help calm her down before bedtime when she is really wound up.
*Bouncer. Gracie was always happiest in her bouncer (3months and up). And I could put her on the table/counter while I did dishes, fixed dinner –and I could keep a constant eye on her.
*Huggies/Johnson & Johnson bath wipes. These people are geniuses. It is a little more expensive than buying bath wash and shampoo, but for those first few baths when you are so nervous and they are crying because they don’t want to be wet: getting done faster and easier is worth a million bucks. The boxes of them have 10 or more. You just get it wet and lather—you can use it to wash their hair too.
*Fingernail clippers. You have no idea how fast little fingernails grow and how much they hurt when the scratch you!! I have Safety First clippers and they have a better grip. When babies get older (Like Gracie) they hate to have it done and they squirm, you want to have as much control as possible. I read somewhere that it easier to do it while they are asleep (I wish I had thought of that!)
*Stain Stick. It will become your best friend. And, unlike other spray removers you can treat the stain and then drop it in the hamper and worry about washing it later.
*Cloth Diapers. Not for diapering, but for “spit rags.” We ended up with 2 bags (total:24) of these and they are the best!!!! They absorb spit up/puke/etc. We still use them at dinner time for Gracie’s “napkin.” They clean easy—and I always keep 4-5 in the diaper bag. You will use them for everything.
*3-in-one stroller. I definitely suggest getting one. You have the baby carrier, a car seat and a stroller all in one. And, it probably costs less that getting them separate.

Stuff we didn’t have (or need)/stuff we wasted money on:
*Bottle Warmer, there went $40 down the drain. With formula these days, you add water and nuke it (without the nipple) for 30 seconds and shake. It takes twice as long to use that warmer.
*Wipes warmer. We didn’t get one, but I don’t recommend it. Just ball up the wipe in your hand for a few seconds to warm it, that is if a cold wipe makes your baby tinkle. Others have suggested heating pads…but for me that was too much time I didn’t have!
*When it comes to bottles, think simple. I registered for these Playtex Vent Air bottles where you had to assemble this extra layer on the bottom….it was a mess that took forever to clean and prepare. I didn’t go for the baggies for the bottles. We found the easiest thing to do was to put the dry formula in several (6+) bottles and put the lids on to keep it fresh, and keep them on the counter, add water and microwave as the day goes on. They take 6+ bottles a day!!!
*Dreft. Babies need their stuff washed in baby detergent, but Dreft is insanely expensive. We get “Baby Care All” for a fraction of the price with the same outcome. Gracie has sensitive skin too, and she does fine with it.
*Hooded Towels. These are a cute idea but are so thin. You end up wet, the baby is still wet and you have to go and get another bath towel to absorb water. I had tons of these and after the first 2 baths I packed them away. I was easier to use our big thick family bath towels.

These are just a few things-- I hope it helped. Feel free to ask Garren or I any questions if you want. Maybe our lists will save your some money & time. We have also tried several different kinds of diapers and wipes (name brand and off brand) if you want to know our thoughts on any of them. For the record Gracie uses Pampers Cruisers diapers (mostly because she is allergic to the tape on other diapers and needs the Velcro tabs) and Huggies or Food Lion brand wipes.

*****The picture above is of Gracie's first home bath****

Share this post