OK, first I want to say thanks for all of the comments I got about the Snugride. I think that will eventually be our first car seat and stroller.
Now....
Since there is a chance that we will have minimal time to prepare for the arrival of our child, I have decided to put the skeleton of a diaper bag together, so we do not have to do it at the last minute. So I am asking for advice on bags before I trekked across Harrisburg to the Babies R Us. I was also wondering if anyone might have advice on some more unusual things I might want to have in it that I might not have thought to add. Keep in mind we will probably spend the first couple of days with the baby in a hotel room. Here are the obvious items I plan on putting in there.....
newborn diapers (I have been told that Pampers Swaddlers are good.)
baby wipes (OK, I had a long car ride with Karen. She also suggested Huggies wipes as they are bigger.)
diaper cream
lotion (My AA adoption list serves say that Aveeno is best for newborn AA children.)
onesies
some warmer weather outfits and cooler weather outfits
bottles
formula (Too be purchased later)
blankets (I saw some on Babies R Us web site that were specifically for swaddling that looked neat. Anyone know anything about them?)
Karen also liked the sleeping sacks.
Lisa is a big fan of the sling. I know that this is one of those things that it seems parents either love or don't, but it will probably be a good thing for us in forming a bond with a baby that has not been listening to my heartbeat for nine months.
So I know parents love to share with parents-to-be, and I am actually asking!
Thanks in advance.
8 years ago
8 comments:
Boppy pillow! They are really good for helping hold the baby when she's little and floppy. (Not just for nursing/feeding.)
Swaddlers are definitly the best-I might suggest size 1 though in case the baby is not on the small size (and even if he/she is they should fit). I agree with the boppy it's a life saver(and back saver!). I would nix the blankets special "swaddle"blankets. We found them to be a pain and not as tight(they really like to be tightly wrapped) as swaddling with a regular blanket. You probably won't need the diaper cream in the begining so if you need room you can leave that out. As for the diaper bag I recommend something that zips closed and doesn't have too many pockets as it can get frustrating to remember where you put things. I think it's better to get the little bags that you can fill with stuff and then put it all in the main compartment (but that's just me) and you might want to just use a backpack in the begining until you decide what you really want (cause I now have like 4 diaper bags!). Get some bib's. If your baby is anything like Grayson they may be really messy and unless you want to change their outfit 8 times a day, use a bib. The hospital will prob pass on a few things to you, so even if your trapped in a hotel, I think all you really need is diapers,wipes,formula, bottles,blankets, onsies,hat and the two of you! If you get a sling, I have heard that Hotslings are good ones. I wound spend a little money on that item and not get the cheap ones as I have heard that they don't offer much back support and since you are so small. My best advise is to go bare minimum for now and get the basics then buy the other stuff later when you know better what you want. Oh, yah and I know your AA site said Aveeno which prob is pretty good (a little expensive) but I have found that the Johnson's body CREAM (not just lotion) is excellent for very dry skin(I even use it on myself now!).
Ok, so I'm not a parent, but I thought you might like to check in with my friend Jenni's blog: oscarelli.blogspot.com. She's done an awesome job of chronicling her first year of parenthood and may have some good advice.
If you have the baby in a hotel for a few days then you need a pack and play. And the kind that has the bassinet piece to it. You know, like the one we had for Grayson. So it has three levels in a way. it has the bassinet part which can be removed one he/she/chupacabra gets bigger then it also has a second level that covers the full width of the pack in play but only goes down about 2 feet. Then once he/she/chupacabra gets bigger still that part can be removed as well. That's what our chupacabra.. I mean Grayson uses for visits. Sort of like this one
http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=9883GRM&CategoryID=3
I'm not so sure about the need for a pack & play -- we'll have the baby in a hotel, but the baby is going to be days old - crawling and/or sitting up are out of the question (there will be eating, crying, and pooping -- I don't think there will be much more than that). A pack & play is certainly in the plans - just something that we'll be getting after we get back home.
Honey, the pack and play has a bassinet in it. It will be where the baby sleeps when we are in the hotel. It is an absolute necessity.
This is why the parenting stuff is best left to others for right now :-)
Agreed on not needing blankets specific to swaddling. We were good with receiving blankets. Agreed on the pack n play in the hotel unless you want to cosleep (images of John rolling onto baby!). Even though I rec'd a "diaper bag" at my shower, I didn't really end up using it; that is, any ol' bag (backpack or otherwise) will do. Currently, I go between two different bags that I can open WIDE, so as to see most of what's in there without having to dig to the bottom. Also, you will find that you need far less than you think on a daily basis. It will get to the point where you will throw one or two diapers, some wipes, a receiving blanket, a onesie, a bottle with formula powder, and a bottle of water into your purse and head out the door. That stuff actually takes up very little space! With respect to diaper cream, we are fans of Butt Paste (the lower zinc oxide content has worked well for our little guys). I am about to send you an email re: the end of July...
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