[blparent] Suggestions about products helpful when baby arrives

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

You know, Bridgit, everybody is so different in what they find useful, and 
what they find extra.  You might consider going to BabiesRUs.com and 
clicking on Baby Registry.  You'll find Checklist and Quickstart options 
that add a lot of the basics you'll need from each category onto your 
registry automatically.  If you create a registry, you can add and delete 
items from your list right on the site, even if you don't publicize your 
list to anybody for a baby shower or the like.  The online descriptions are 
very helpful.

As far as diapers and clothes, I wouldn't recommend getting too many things 
till you know what the sex of your baby is, and how big he or she is likely 
to be.  The teeny tiny newborn outfits won't work for more than a few weeks, 
unless you have an exceptionally small baby, and you'll find you like some 
diaper brands better than others.

For me, I found that the sheer amount of stuff became overwhelming in 
itself.  Well-meaning moms with older kids gave me literally mountains of 
clothes and handed-down gear, and I didn't know what to do with a lot of it 
or even where to put it.  If I were going to do it all over again, which I'm 
not, I would probably politely turn down a lot of non-essential items, or 
quietly accept them and then give them away myself.  A few things I found 
particularly helpful were a bottle warmer, since I was pumping breastmilk as 
often as I was nursing to get my supply up, and then supplementing when my 
supply didn't go up, and a changing pad that could make an ordinary counter 
into a dressing table without adding an extra piece of furniture.  I found a 
baby swing to be a lifesaver, but that might have been because my baby was 
in a hip brace for the first few months and got used to sleeping in a 
sitting position.  Oh, and I still use the baby monitor in the evenings when 
Sarah has gone to bed, but there's probably no real need for it anymore.  My 
stepson rolls his eyes and calls it my electrical umbillical, but it's still 
comforting to hear her talk herself to sleep at night.  Some things I 
wouldn't buy again because they cost more than they were worth to me were a 
portable swing and a jumper, which each only fit for a few months before 
they were outgrown.

Again, the preferences are so personal, and there's such a mind-blowing 
array of stuff out there, that the best thing would be for you to go online 
and check things out, or if you have someone you trust to help you, go to a 
store and get your hands on things, which might be even better.  I only say 
to think about going with someone you trust, like a mom who's raised kids 
before, because that some store employees might convince you that you need a 
whole lot more than you really do.  Good luck!

Jo Elizabeth

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of 
the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of 
these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Jodie Riker" <xandir at samobile.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 12:29 PM
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Suggestions about products helpful when baby arrives

> Hi Bridget. If you're going to breast feed, I highly recommend a boppy. If 
> you don't know what that is, it goes around your belly and you rest the 
> baby on it to make it easier for you to support him or her and for him or 
> her to more easily reach your breast.
>
> I also recommend a soother. Kahlan loves hers!
>
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