I'm almost 6 months pregnant now and people keep asking me if I've started shopping for baby stuff. And I always answer "no" in a scared and somewhat ashamed voice. The reason is, I have NO CLUE what I'm doing! I have no clue what I need, and how to choose it.
I went on the Babies-R-Us website tonight and became instantly overwhelmed and a little freaked out by the incredible variety and volume of baby paraphernalia that exists out there. Honestly, it's terrifying.
I don't even know what a "receiving blanket" is!
Probably the only thing I know about baby stuff is that every baby I've encountered in the last few years owns and adores this Sophie the Giraffe thingy. For some weird reason, all babies apparently love it. Babies puzzle me!
So for those of you out there who have children, or those of you who just know about this kind of thing, any suggestions on what the bare essentials are for a first-time mom?
7 comments:
Honestly you don't need a lot of those "extra parts" at those baby stores. All you need is love and your natural instincts - corny? Well, not all babies are the same and whatever works for me may not for you.
But I will say what saved me with my last one was the baby wrap (known as Moby or Sleepy wrap) She loved being in there. I could cook, do things in the house. She loved to smell me and feel my warmth. If you breastfeed nipple cream will be your best friend.
I did have Sophie giraffe that was a gift. She was not that interested, but I hear it is best to introduce it when teething.. its like crack.
Mom to 11 year old boy and 3year old girl.
I had both one natural and one C-section.
Let me know if I can help.
I've been enjoying your blog for a few months now and thought I'd give you my 2cents on this topic. I'm the mom of 5 and have learned that simple is best. Don't get sucked in by all the advertising! You need some nice sleepers, diaper shirts, receiving blankets, crib/bassinette, and diapers. You'll also want a good stoller and a bouncy chair or swing - eventually a good playpen and highchair. An exersaucer or jolly jumper is great for when they're a bit older. A lot of things you can buy later as you go along too. You don't need much to start. I follow this blog (also a mom of 5 expecting her 6th) and she just wrote a post about getting ready for baby. And she put her list on there as well (you might have to scroll down a bit to find it) http://www.memoriesoncloverlane.com/
that giraffe is cute! my best advice is to not listen to anyone's advice - hahaha! every baby is different, and i'm sure if you bundled it up in a drawer on your dresser - it wouldn't care one bit.
but actually joanna of cup of jo has a good list - what to register for when you're having a baby - (which is a pretty good guide) - http://joannagoddard.blogspot.ca/2011/08/motherhood-mondays-what-to-register-for.html
Thank you all for the helpful tips!
I'm sure Bri has you covered for the first time mom stuff, but tell your husband he needs beer. Lots of beer and ear plugs
I feel your pain, while I am not a mom myself, the idea of having a baby and all the baby paraphernalia frightens me when I shop for friends! Our society has made every blessed event into a money making industry.
my daughter in law and son had a baby registry at baby on the hip in toronto. They will ship things to you and they have a very good selection of high quality, non toxic, healthy baby products. The most important thing for this new family was the stroller. They don't have a car and walk or use public transit to get everywhere. They looked upon it as an investment and decided after mush research to buy a STokke Xplory stroller with the infant bed attachment. It has strolled its way through one canadian winter and is looking and working like new.
http://www.stokke.com/en-ca/stroller/stokke-xplory-concept.aspx
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