and being a first time mom. im REALLY lost.. and confused on what items i need to have prepared for the baby?

Question

so.. what are the absolutely needed stuff.. cribs.. diapers.. bottles.. what about all the other fancy stuff they sell? do i really* need them all? whats the most essensial? and what should i have prepared for the birth .. im due on september [and im so excited! :D]

Answer 1

It completely depends on how you're planning to handle things after the birth.
Congratulations by the way. My first baby is 7 months old now.

1. Will you breast or bottle feed or some of each? (PLEASE PLEASE consider breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months. Not only is it MUCH MUCH better for your kid's health for the rest of its life, it is also much easier on you. You will sleep better. You don't have to sanitize bottles. You just whip out the boob whenever the kid needs it. Breast feeding for most women is not hard at all and there is lots of support for it. And it's FREE:) Formula starts to get expensive.

2. Are you going to sleep with the baby in your bed, near you, or put it in a crib at night? (We have the kid in bed with us, and it has worked like a charm to get her to sleep through the night, but this is your personal choice. Everyone has to decide what is best for them)

3. Are you planning to use cloth or paper diapers?

4. What kind of climate do you live in?

5. Are you going to the hospital or do you have a midwife? (I'm guessing you don't have a midwife or doula, or they would have told you this stuff already:))

6. How often will you do laundry?

7. What is your family culture and personal preference? Do you want to keep it simple or are you really into all the cute little accessories? What you want is the key.

Here are what I think are the most important things:

1) Make sure you get your house cleaned well before the kid arrives. This is crucial, because after the baby comes and for the next 6 months you will have NO FREE TIME and VERY LITTLE ENERGY for anything but the baby. Your habits will completely change. This is especially true if you don't have a good support network of friends and parents etc to help out.
We forgot this one and have been living in a total mess since the baby came. I can tell you that you will have no time and energy, but nothing can really prepare you for the change. You just have to believe it.

2. 10-15 onesies, diapers, 5-6 light blankets, and maybe wipes (you can also use a paper towel and water or a washcloth) and a CARSEAT are what you need now. Those Snugli baby carriers are also useful. You will be able to tell right away what kind of things you need as you go and what you don't. Remember that the retail marketing machine for new parents is INSANE and completely tries to guilt you or scare you into buying things you don't need. As you see you really need things, start a list. Then when your friends and family ask "What can I do to help?", you can hand it to them and ask them to shop for these things. People love to do this for you. And remember that the kid will grow very fast, and you will go through the clothes fast. Have some people buy onesies the next size up.

All the cute baby clothes that are like adult clothes we found to be completely useless and really hard to put on the kid. It caused a lot of stress to us and the kid. Look for clothing that opens at the front only. Buttons and snaps on the backs are awkward. Pull up pants with no buttons are hard. Tights, right out. Look for the onsies that snap up the front and at the crotch, rather than just have snaps at the crotch. Go for comfort and ease.

Answer 2

The few things that I found that was absolutely needed is a cradle or bassinet for them to sleep by your bed the first month and a half. A bouncy seat as she spent most of her time in and still does. A changing table so you don't break your back changing diapers. If you plan to bottle feed then buy lots of 4 oz bottles to start of with, say like 15 or 20 as they eat so frequently you don't want to have to wash them constantly. Later you can use them for water and juice once they start drinking 5 and 6 oz bottles. One other thing is stock up on diapers, diapers, diapers...you can't have enough of those. That should get you by for the first 3 months.

Answer 3

Congragulations!
I'd go with baby soaps and shampoos for the first couple months
after that they can use what you use
I won't give up disposable wipes but if you can handle it washcloths are the cheapest and you have less chance of diaper rash or allergies
I guess I don't know what you're really asking about but a baby doesn't need designer anything or twenty dollar lotions. Save your money for diapers. Get as many used clothes as you can since they're perfectly fine for the first six months, after that the clothes may be a little worn but I don't think your baby will care.
Just make sure you bring a cute outfit for bringing baby home. The hospital provides everything else the baby needs

Answer 4

You dont need any thing more then what you really have. Lots of diapers, clothes, wipes, and all the stuff they are going to use. I would get about 6 bottles just so you know you have one. Birth, get ready for being poked, and they do things to you like you would not believe, they act like you dont have an upperbody. But its not bad. Good luck, it all comes natural. Love is the most essensial thing that baby needs ever.

Answer 5

Other than some clothing I would say that there are only one thing that you really must have for a baby and that is a good car seat. Unless of course you don't have a car and then you already have everything you need. A baby can sleep with you; or as my mother told me with my first, a dresser drawer can make a fine bassinet. Your breasts provide the perfect food. There are diapers of course, but hey if need be you can wrap the kid up in a clean tee shirt. I'm sure that you will manage to get a hold of some better baby gear than a drawer and a tee shirt, but my point is that the only thing your baby really needs is you.

Answer 6

Carseat, blankets, burp clothes, bibs, diapers, crib, stroller or sling, crib sheets, a few toys, swing, bottles(I'd get at least 6, 10 would be better, so you can mix up a few bottles in advance, it's much easier to have a bottle ready at 3 am), onsies, sleepers, a cute outfit to come home in(newborn size), a couple of little outfits to go out in. Also, buying a couple of bottles of the head to toe baby wash would be good. If you're going to stock up on diapers, I suggest pampers sensitive wipes, and swaddlers diapers. There's no dye in either one, so you don't have to worry about alleries. My son was allergic to the green dye in the Pampers Baby Dry diapers.

My son hates his bouncy seat. But he's addicted to anything fleece. He loves all his fleece blankets.

Also, I wouldn't bother with baby sized towels and wash cloths. My son uses a normal sized towel and wash cloth and they work just as well. The baby towels don't soak up too much water, and the big ones are warmer when you get him out of the water anyways.

Answer 7

Well being a first time mom i know that you need a lot of things, lots of diapers i went through a lot of them so you need to save up on diapers, since you going to need a lot i would put money aside just for those. Another thing is yes you need bottles you might buy extra of bottles just in case you need to use one and the others are not clean.
Because you may not have time to wash them because you so tried. I would like to say to you about the crib the one i got can also turned in to a bed for her when she is older its saved me a lot of money if you need some one to talk to abut this stuff then you can email me at [e-mail] any time is fine.Another
thing is i would advise you to choose whatever you think might be good for your baby because after all moms knows whats best and good luck and have fun learning with your baby as he or she goes.

Answer 8

Congratulations! Stock up on bottles, diapers (unless baby is premature, you'll probably only need one pack of the newborn size) and wipes. you'll need formula if you're not going to breast feed. if you are going to breastfeed, get a breast pump if you're going to have to go to work after you have the baby. you'll need maybe 3 blankets and about 7-10 outfits (onesies are nice). if you breastfeed, get a Boppy pillow. You need a monitor if you have a big house or want to sit outside when baby's napping. Get a changing pad that you can use on top of a dresser. A Diaper Genie is nice to have, too. Of course you will need a car seat;' one that converts from backweard to forward facing is best. Pick one with a wide weight range. You'll need a stroller, too. We never used our Snugli or Baby Safe Feeder. A swing is nice to have as is an Exersaucer. Basically just keep the baby fed, warm and loved. Good luck!

Answer 9

Well here is the stuff I found useful
Baby Room
Crib
Changing Table
Diapers
Wipes
Anti Stench bag (dollar store they are only a dollar for 100)
Cloths (Hand me downs are great)
Baby swing (helps both of you sleep)
Feeding
Formula(even if you are breastfeeding just in case of frustrating late night feedings)
I had 12 bottles so you only have to wash every day not after every feeding
Bibs(for feeding and drooling)
Burp cloth(cloth diapers are great for this)
Car
Car Seat (talk to your police station to see if they will put it in)

Answer 10

where to start?......... at first you won't necessarily need a crib (my daughter just moved to hers and she is 5 mos), you will need a carseat (hospital won't let you leave without one) i reccomend a graco, we have an evenflo and I hate it, you have to have the base to use it and the graco carseats have a place where you can us only a seatbelt. lots of onesies, sleepers, socks, mittens (so they don't scratch), a little cap, receiving blankets, cloth diaper make great burp cloths, gas medicine, diaper rash cream, bottles, pacifier (optional), take newborn diaper with you, the hospital does provide them but my hospital had size 1 and my daughter needed preemie, also take wipes my hospitals wipes were like papertowels that you had get wet, a good bouncer is nice to have, you need a bassinett, make sure you have baby detergent- I did a load everyday for my daughter

that is probably all you really need at first

you don't need:
diaper geanie (the smell of the diaper geanie, to me, is worse than the diaper)
bottle warmer
bottle sterilizer (just boil, its much cheaper)
I know there is more but i can't think right now

Things I could not live without:
Bouncer
Porta crib, we set it up in the living room and used it to change her diaper on and to take naps in
Jumperoo- she will jump for hours
Baby Einstein- mesmorizing


Hope this helps