Thursday, September 29, 2011

What's a Romper?

A friend of mine who is pregnant with her first sent me a message on Facebook asking for some advice on which items she should have on her gift registry. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed and oh, I remember that feeling! I remember walking into Babies 'R Us, pregnant with Cub, taking one look at their ten-page registry "suggestion" list, and promptly turning heel and leaving, barely averting a panic attack. Co-sleeping wipe warming jumperoo onesie Bumbo? What??

So, I dug into the reserves of my brain and made a list for my friend. I was amazed at how much I remembered and even though I don't know know how many times I've heard "the baby just needs a boob (or bottle) and a blanket!", I still found all of this stuff helpful. The needs change with each baby, but when it's your first go-round, a little extra help doesn't hurt. I included the brands I used, just for reference, and included why I liked certain things. It brought back so many memories of the early days with Cub and was actually quite fun! This is my list, copied and pasted from Facebook to here:

-Boppy
-Boppy cover
-Lansinoh or Medela Breast Pump (eek ... but you'll use it!!)
-Lansinoh milk storage bags
-Lansinoh nursing pads
-Baby Einstein Floor Gym (we used this FOREVER)
-Some sort of swing--we used a small travel swing rather than the huge swings, so we could take it with us wherever we went
-Fisher Price Bouncy Chair (my kids hated vibrating chairs ... and, I hate to say it, but typically the brighter and more obnoxious the bouncy chair, the more they like it ...)
-Dr. Brown's Bottles
-Bottle Drying Rack
-Sound machine/fan
-Pack 'n Play
-Eddie Bauer Pack 'n Play (I think they might call it "Play Yard") Quilted Mattress Cover---way softer than a sheet
-Eddie Bauer Car Seat Cover (to zip over the car seat during cold months)
-Changing Table Pad
-Changing Pad Cover
-Extra crib sheets (I don't know if you have your bedding picked out or not!)
-Have someone make you a swaddling blanket--I'm not even kidding--homemade is hands-down the best! Typically the packaged ones are too small.
-Either a notebook or an Itsbeen timer to help you record feeding times ... you will lose track of time sometimes!
-Stroller (I would recommend a jogger that is compatible with a car seat, like Baby Trend. We have a BOB jogger and I know you can buy a car seat adapter so your infant seat will click into it, and I think any Graco or Chicco car seat is compatible ... just Google it. :))
-Umbrella stroller (MacLaren is great)
-Vaseline (you will need this if you plan on having your little guy circumcised)
-Diaper rash ointment (Aquaphor is hands-down my favorite and can also be used if they get chaffed on their noses or lips)
-Skip-Hop diaper organizer (a little zipper thing that holds diapers, that you can toss in your purse or diaper bag)
-Baby Carrier (like a sling or Baby Bjorn--we love our Bjorn!)
-Baby Lotion, soap, shampoo, etc
-Burp cloths
-Baby Thermometer (we have one you just swipe across their heads--nice and non-evasive!!)
-Nasal aspirator (that thing that sucks snot)
-Baby bath cradle (we just used the kitchen sink, but some people like these!)
-Nursing cover ("hooter hider", ha ha--even if you don't plan on nursing, you might have to pump in the car ... yes, yes it's happened to me ... and a cover is great!)
-Bumbo seat
-High chair (we had one that just clipped onto our table ... I'm not a fan of huge plastic chairs!)

What do y'all think? What would you have listed?

Have a lovely day, friends!

9 comments:

  1. Bookmarking this for future reference! Question, I'm looking at the Bob jogger, and it looks like it has an umbrella on it- do you still need a separate umbrella stroller? Is there something I'm missing?

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  2. I'm 4 months pregnant with my first, so thank you for this!

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  3. Aiden and anais are THE best swaddled blankets. Lightweight and huge. Love them. A sound machine (target has one in the baby section for $19.99) sure is soothing for baby and G-Ma on those restless nights. Dreft baby detergent. I have an Uppababy G-Luxe umbrella stroller that only weighs 11 lbs. and opens with one hand. Love it. Desitin baby rash cream is my fave because it is such a good moisture barrier. Overnight diapers are great! Noodle & Boo baby lotion and baby bath smell so good, but they are pricey. Seat protector for your car. Those car seats can do damage to your car. Also helps to protect your car from any spills or blowouts. Oh, choose a car seat with a removable cover because they get so dirty.

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  4. SushiMama, an umbrella stroller is a lightweight stroller that typically opens and closes with one hand and folds up (like an umbrella? I guess?). If you don't want to take your heavier stroller, like a jogger or travel system, you can use the umbrella stroller. We use our jogger most of the time, but umbrella strollers are handy to have around to keep in the car, if you want to. Now that I think about it, "umbrella" is a really bizarre name for it! Maybe just "lightweight and little" is a better name! MacLaren is a popular brand and most of my friends have those, but we actually just bought a really cheap one at Toys 'R Us and I can't even remember the brand! Pam, I had sound machine on my original list, but I guess it didn't paste! And good call with the car seat with removable cover. Yes, there are actually car seats out there with covers that are not removable, obviously designed by people who never had a kid puke in the car.

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  5. Great list, Katie! My best advice for registering is to do most of it online! I found the store very overwhelming, so I ended up researching things online at Target/Babies R Us (which is handy since all the reviews are listed right there) and adding a few items at a time. I suppose some people might enjoy the rite of passage of registering in-store with a gun, but I felt a bit more confident doing things from the comfort of my computer! (Just keep an eye out for "online only" items that people might not buy for you since they can't get them in-store! A few online only things are ok, but you wouldn't want a whole registry of 'em!)

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  6. Great list! Wish I had it when I was preggers..

    I only have a four-month-old, and I live in Europe far away from the promised land of Wal-Mart and other glorious American goodies.. But I have one recommendation - from America, of course - the Patemm Pad (http://www.patemm.com/). It's a large, circular changing mat that folds into a "diaper bag" of sorts. It can hold a pack of wipes, a change of clothes and 2-3 diapers.

    I LOVE IT and use it every single day. For most of my trips out, I don't even take the diaper bag. I only take it when I'm going out for a day or more, but if I'm out for only a few hours, I just take the Patemm Pad. It's easy to handle, lightweight and not bulky and I just stick it in the storage basket of our stroller.

    One other thing that I loved when I first started nursing were these silver coppets. I have no idea if they exist in the US, but European midwives swear by them. They are like little silver castanets (pure silver, so not cheap - but you can re-use with future babes and give them away because they're pure silver and don't carry infections, clean only with baking soda daily). I didn't have a single crack, no wounds, etc.. You just put them on your nipples when you're not nursing and it works its magic ( awkward, saying that online, but whatever)

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  7. I would also add a video monitor to the list. Mine was purchased at Target and it's great at since my G-Ma nursery is upstairs and my bedroom is downstairs. I have never had any interference or heard another baby on my monitor. I like it because you can turn the video monitor on and off with the touch of a button, so no glaring monitor at night, unless you want to check on the baby. Fantastic! I think the brand is Summer Or Sumner Baby. It was around $200 and I use it every time e is at my house.

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  8. Yes! I have friends who love them! We decided not to get one because of the possibility of interference, but it's definitely a good option to consider!

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  9. Great list, Katie! If I could, I would add a smart phone app such as Baby ESP (Eat, Sleep, Poop) in place of a notebook or ItsBeen Timer. The app is so easy to use, relatively cheap, and multi functional! I was able to keep track of her sleep, her feedings, her medicines, her baths, her fussy times, her diapers, etc. Anything and everything you can think of, there's a timer for it and if there isn't, you can create one. This thing was a LIFESAVER. It made everything so much easier after using the ItsBeen and notebooks for the first 6 weeks.

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