[blparent] Suggestions about products helpful when baby arrives

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Thanks for the advice. I do not plan on buying any clothing or crib sets
until I know the sex, which we will find out in another six weeks,
according to my OB. I'm a huge planner, as this post shows, grin, so I
don't want to really purchase anything until I know that. We also plan
on using cloth diapers instead of disposable, though for trips and
things of that nature we will have disposable on hand. The only things
we are getting so far are a rocker and dresser, but this is because my
father-in-law owns a furniture store, and the last time we were in town,
he said to pick stuff out for the baby.

Though I'm the oldest sibling in my family, my younger sisters already
have kids, but have gotten rid of all their baby stuff, so in terms of
family, I won't have much hand-me-down stuff. I don't know many other
people my age who are pregnant, or who have kids either. Like you,
though, if I receive too much stuff, new or used, I would accept and
give to Good Will or something.

Though this is my first pregnancy, I'm well acquainted to the mommy
thing, at least more so than most people my age with no biological kids.
Not only have I been very close with my nephew and nieces, as the oldest
child, I was always expected to help. I was a part-time nanny for one of
my sisters for a couple of years, and at the time, my nephew was six,
one niece five and the other niece six months. Then there's Penny, my
little surrogate. We had temporary custody of her for the first four
months, as my sister had her during her senior year of high school, but
upon graduating, her and the father decided to marry and raise Penny. To
date, I think there has only been a handful of weekends in the past two
years when we did not have Penny for the entire weekend. It is Penny who
has taught us how to parent, and she feels like our own daughter, so she
will get a sibling/cousin out of this deal, smile.

So anyway, I'm losing track... I like the convenience of online
shopping, but now that I'm blind, it's nice to actually touch items. I
usually take my mom shopping for anything since I trust her opinion, and
as I once was a retail manager for a clothing store, I know what people
can be reduced too just to get a sale, LOL!

I know it really comes down to individual choice and preference, but I
always like to ask the advice of others so I feel well informed. I
appreciate your advice and wisdom in this, and I know I will continue to
turn to this list for help, advice and just plain old networking, grin.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 12
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:55:35 -0600
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Suggestions about products helpful when baby
	arrives
Message-ID: <SNT116-DS240310CBB4DD303E5F1675AC5E0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=response

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