[blparent] Suggestions about products helpful when baby arrives

[Tay Laurie]

Brigit,
Personally, I would buy something in neutral colours, i.e greens, yellows, 
blues. But the occasional pink doesn't go amiss. I also thought of buying a 
small stereo with a cd changer for the nursery. My father always told me 
music was terrible for a baby to listen to, as it conditioned them to never 
sleep without it, and their ears need rest, too. Personally, as an adult, I 
can't sleep without some kind of music or noise in the background. But I 
think the convertible crib/toddler/big kid bed might be a good idea, to save 
money in the future.
It's too bad they don't make a dresser with a flip-over changing top, but 
then again, that's just me.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 10:16 PM
Subject: [blparent] Suggestions about products helpful when baby arrives


> 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
>
>
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