I have already bought furniture for the nursery room. I bought a crib, dresser that can also be a changing table, night stand and a rocker chair. Besides furniture, what else do I need? If you are a recent mom, PLEASE give me some advice!
• What kind of bottles and formula are the best?
• What are the best diapers and brands? Cloth or not?
• Who has the cheapest prices on daily baby necessities?
• What other things do I need to buy for around the house?
• What are the best strollers and car seats?
• Any other advice?
Any advice you can give me is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks blog buddies! I appreciate you all so much!
8 comments:
YES! I need to know all the same things, considering I've NEVER had a baby and can count the number of times I've actually had to care for a baby on one hand! YIKES! Can't wait to hear what people say!
~ lisa
Ok, here's what I think:)
1. There really is no difference between similac and enfamil, those are the best. Bottles? it depends. I would just use something that is similar to what she is already using. So buy a couple of each and then buy a bunch more when she gets home of the one she likes. (same with pacifiers). Once a baby has been using a nipple for a while it's hard to change them to something else. If she is having a lot of problems with gas, use Dr. Browns bottles. They are not fun to clean but really work well.
2. Diapers. I like disposable but that's just me. I have a little boy and so diaper use is different. When he was born I could only use Pampers because Huggies would leak but now Pampers leak and we can only use Huggies. I don't think it matters much with little girls:)
3.Cheapest prices are normally found at walmart or Sam's but sometimes it's not that much cheaper than your grocery store.
4. Things around the house. I would say a bouncy seat is a necessity for a 0-6 month old. Play mat for tummy time is good too for younger babies that can't crawl. Crawlers need toys and things to push. (again, my little rambunctious boy is probably a lot different:)
5. I would wait on a stroller until you get your referral. It really helps to know how old the baby will be when she gets home to know if you will want to spend the extra money on a travel system. I would say probably not since she will not get enough use out of it to be worth the money. (I'm not sure it was worth the money for me since my son grew out of that car seat in his first 6 months!) I would get a car seat that converts forward facing and rear facing that just stays in the car. And get a nice stroller that is LIGHT and easy to fold up with a basket underneath. I have a Peg Perego and I am really happy with it. (kinda expensive though).
We can talk more when we get together with the ethiopia babies group this month. (do you know when that is by the way?) or just email me:)
Deedee,
Thanks for all the info. You are awesome. I will be there on the 28th and I look forward to meeting you!
Amber
Stroller: I LOVE my combi double stroller, and I also love my single maclaren... very light and easy... It's wonderful!
I'm looking into the beco baby carrier for the toddlers we are adopting... The great thing about it is that you can use it with a newborn, all the way up to a preschooler!
I really loved using a booster chair that fit into a regular chair instead of a highchair. It saved a ton of room, they were inexpensive and I'm still using them with my 4 and 5 year olds! :) I need to buy 2 more for our new kids (ages 3 and 2!)
I'm out with plastic, and into glass, so I would do the glass baby bottles, but that is just me. :) I love using Ball glass jars instead of tupperware, etc. So pretty and easy to clean, and SAFE to eat/drink from.
As far as formula and carseats, etc, go, they all have to meet the same standards for nutrition/safety, so I'd go with whatever is cheapest. :) Sometimes all you are paying for is the name brand.
Just my thoughts. :) Good luck! Woohoo!!
Angela
Formula and Bottles - My little ethio guy was fine with the Members Mark formula (same as Enfamil DHL-Lipids)and plain old gerber bottles which was the recommendation of a mom home with her baby who was the crib neighbor of our baby in the orphanage. Some ethiopian babies need soy or gentle tummy formula. For some reason they have trouble with milk-based. Our son was fine.
Daily Necessities - Sam's Club is awesome. BJ's is the same. You can get wipes, diaers, lotions, baby bath, etc in bulk for cheaper. I have preferred Luvs for diapers for all three of my kiddos.
Extra gear - I loved the Bumbo. Bouncy seat. Swing. My baby was a very small nine months old when he came home and we used all of those items. The exersaucer helped strengthen his weak little legs the most. I didn't have much else to begin with.
Car Seat - The BabyTrend seat is a highly rated seat by Consumers Reports. They are cute and safe, too.
I am a firm believer that expense doesn't always equal best.
Have fun shopping.
The link for the diapers that we were talking about on Friday is www.gdiapers.com.
I have never used cloth diapers because honestly the thought of having to de-poop them and get them clean scares me. You know I am married to the biggest germ freak ever so I now have that same phobia that we will not get them sanitary enough.
These G diapers look pretty neat, I know there are a ton more like them...they are becoming much more popular since everyone is trying to go green.
I would say your best bet is to get a membership to Sam's, Costco, or whatever type of wholesale club they have by you. They have some really great deals and you will save so much money if you stock up, they do have most of the top brands and upcoming products in bulk.
Granted it has been almost 6 years but the things that I used the most with Abby was the booster seat like Angela said above. They are fantastic and personally I thought they were much more practical than the big high chairs. If you know you are going to someone's house that doesn't have kids or out of town they are fantastic to take with you and don't take up too much room.
The other thing that I used constantly was a good quilt. My Grandma made me a fun, bright one that really caught her attention. She got so hooked on it, it went everywhere with us. She never slept with it but it came in handy for play time, it's easier to throw it in the washer than having to mop or clean carpets.
I am so excited for you and I have no doubt that you will do great!
Don't panic I will walk you through everything you need next weekend.
Did you get my email I returned last week?
Hi Amber;
I am a cloth diaper girl. We haven't had a baby in 16 years, so like you I am pretty clueless. We used a cloth diaper service for our 'homemade' daughter (who was the only one young enough to use diapers for), all the others came much older. It is easy, pretty cheap and so nice against the skin. Of course you could wash them yourself, which makes them even more affordable.
I have learned a few tricks from being a foster mom and a respite provider (babysitting for other foster care families). A thin tall thermos is great to put hot water in and carry in your diaper bag, or to put next to the bed to mix formula with. A little bag holder (for wet/soiled clothes) is also helpful for the diaper bag, for those unexpected surprised-here in babies are us, they carry them.
Honestly, we are so spoiled in America. We don't really NEED any item to care for a baby, just arms to hold and knees that bend in prayer.
Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted
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