Needs vs. wants for baby (aka maybe helpful advice for the overwhelming task that is registering)

I've been meaning to do this for a while as a way to keep track of which items on or off my registry are (so far) most useful for when the baby actually comes. I know there are lists like this everywhere, and of course everyone is different, but here are my two cents about useful and non-useful things. This will be broken down into three categories: What I had on my list that was indeed useful; What I didn't have on my list that I should have; What I had on my list that I have not used yet. I'm just listing five or six things for each category, otherwise this could go on forever. So obviously this isn't an exhaustive list.

What I had on my list that was useful:

1. Carseat/stroller combo
This one is pretty obvious, as you must have a carseat (if you have a car), and chances are you will want a stroller as well, unless you plan to exclusively babywear, but I would think you would get very tired of that quickly.  We opted for the Safety First because it was light weight and durable, but probably mostly anything would do.

2. Pack & play
If you travel anywhere with a baby, it's useful to have a crib-type-thing for him/her to sleep in since not all babies sleep well in a carrier. We selected the Graco pack & play with reversible napper & changer, and have not yet used the changer but it has been useful nonetheless. We used it the first time in our own house -- we had exterminators come and since the baby's room was too hot to sleep in the night after, we set him up in the living room with the pack and play. It worked like a charm.

3. Highchair
Again, this one seems obvious. Baby will need a place to eat when he gets older, and even though you won't use it right away, it helps to have it handy for when baby starts solids (which, for us, happened sooner than we thought, so it was a good thing to have handy.) Again we went with Graco SwiftFold since it was foldable and could serve the baby for a while. I don't care for how difficult the straps are, but other than that I like it.

4. Play mat (aka activity gym)
This was soooo great when baby starting doing more than eating and sleeping. I could leave him on the mat (within my view, of course) and prepare coffee/breakfast without constantly holding him. It helped him practice tummy time, gave him things to grab, and kept him entertained and me sane. We went with the Skip Hop activity gym, which was nice because the things to grab had different textures and sounds to keep baby interested.

5. Swaddle Blankets
I was so confused while doing research what the hell the difference was between receiving blankets and swaddle blankets. I wasn't sure which one to register for. Answer: swaddle blankets are much bigger. Go with these. I highly recommend (as does everyone else) Anais & Aden blankets, which are more expensive than any other blankets I've seen, but so worth it. They are quite large, super soft, and you will use them all the time.

6. Tub
I was going back and forth about whether to register for a tub. Baby can take a bath in the sink, right? But having a tub was extremely useful, especially when we had a bunch of dirty dishes we didn't have time to clean. Originally we had the Fisher Price tub, but then the sling broke (user error), so we opted for the First Years tub. Both were fine.


What I didn't have on my list that I should have:

1. Extra car seat base
We had two cars but didn't register for an extra car seat base. I forget why now; it made sense at the time. I ended up buying one later, because duh. Of course, make sure the base you buy is compatible with the car seat you have. It's so much easier to have a base already installed than move it from car to car.

2. Bumpo seat
Just like the activity gym, this has proved useful for entertaining baby while keeping hands free. We bought the one with the removable booster, which comes with a tray, so hopefully it will fit him for a while. And the tray is nice because it can serve as a chair to eat from when we can't bring his highchair with us.

3. Wubba nub
I saw these online and thought they were kind of dumb. Why does a baby need a stuffed animal attached to his pacifier? But they're actually pretty useful, because it keeps baby's hands busy at the same time.

4. Chewbeads
Likewise for chewbeads. I couldn't see the point, but now that baby chews ON EVERYTHING, they come in super useful when he is in my arms and I can wear it, or I can just and him the beads and they go straight into his mouth. Sometimes for almost an hour. It's great.

5. Rectal thermometer
Didn't think I would need one because we have a thermometer that can go under his arm, and I thought a rectal thermometer would be uncomfortable. But we purchased Vicks and it was a good decision. It's so much faster to take a temperature with and it doesn't seem to bother him.


What I had on the list that I didn't need

1. Red hot bath ducky
This thing was dumb. It didn't work; it just always said hot. I suppose he can use it as a bath toy; but it's useless as a thermometer.

2. Cheater swaddle blanket
I registered for this because I was apprehensive about getting the swaddling right. These supposedly make it fool-proof, but I found them more difficult to use. Plus, they are one size and he grew out of them pretty quickly.

3. Nursing cover
Never used it. I tried not to nurse him in public if at all possible (I'm not counting friends'/family's houses), but when I did, a blanket would suffice. Don't waste your money.

4. Receiving blankets
See swaddle blankets above. These are not as big as swaddle blankets; we ended up using them as burpcloths. So not completely useless, but they were way to small for much of anything else.

5. Newborn size clothing
Technically I didn't register for clothing, but people give you baby clothes anyway. These lasted about a day. He wasn't even big when he was born -- less than 6 pounds -- and we didn't go through all of the newborn clothing we had.

P.S. We got some things as hand me downs (or bought ourselves) that were also incredibly useful. Namely:

1. Swing
When he was teeny tiny, this was a great sleep aid. Now that he's bigger, he still likes hanging out in it, but it doesn't lull him to sleep. Still a lifesaver for the first three to four months though; sometimes it's the only thing that worked to keep him asleep (and keep me sane).

2. Baby carrier
I was given a Moby wrap, which didn't work for me since I found it way too complicated. But I exchanged it for the ErgoBaby, which gave me much more back support and which I found easier to use. This was great for when baby was fussy and wanted to be held, but I wanted to do stuff. Also useful for quick trips outside when you don't want to lug the stroller.

3. Changing pad
We were not planning to buy a changing table because we didn't have space for it. Instead, we got a hand me down dresser and bought a changing pad to go on top of it. Very useful and necessary.  Of course, you need covers to go on top of it, but that's not really a problem.

4. Crib
Obvi. We bought a cheap one at Ikea that transitions into a toddler bed, but to each their own.

5. Rocker
My mom wanted to get us a big ticket item for the nursery, so we asked for a rocker with ottoman. This was great for rocking baby to sleep and nursing. I found the ottoman necessary for comfort as it was strange to not put my feet up while I was rocking/nursing him, especially as he got bigger and holding him securely got a little more difficult.

Ok, phew, that took a while. Registering for baby items can be overwhelming. Obviously, I wish I knew a lot of this before we registered, but experimenting as you go is actually great practice for raising the baby!

Wow I'm actually writing

I have done a terrible job of keeping up this blog, but that's not really a surprise, as my priorities right now are:
1. Baby
2. Husband
3. Keeping my job
4. Keeping my sanity
5. Dog
6. Keeping the house clean so we don't die of dysentery












.....somewhere down here: Keep this blog updated.

So yeah, there won't be a lot of updates. But I will try.


Oh and P.S.: LO had hand-foot-and-mouth so of course now I have it too. Ah motherhood.