When we had our daughter in November of 2010, we were at a place in our lives where we weren't able to afford everything under the sun for her. I wanted everything to be "new" as it was our first child so we tried to be careful with what we purchased. Looking back I am glad we weren't able to always go out and purchase the latest and greatest as I am sure I would have many more items to add to this list. Lately, I have been "browsing" Target, Babies-r-us, and the like as I have BABY fever. Here's a list of things I wish I would of hand and things I wish I would of never bought. Please feel free to COMMENT below and add your items. This is my personal experience and may be different then what you feel like you would need, want, or could live without.
Things I Wish I Would Of Bought:
1) The BIGGEST thing is a video monitor, especially now that my little one is a toddler. Being able to see what they are up to is a must. She stayed in our room either in her bassinet or crib until she was one but from one on we always "talked" about getting one but just either forgot when we were out and about or talked ourselves out of it. We recently invested in one that you can add another camera to so that we can see both her and our next baby (when the next one decides to come).
2) We bought a travel system stroller, I wish we would of saved our money and bought a stroller that we were able to place the car seat into. For one, If Ava was asleep we would end up waking up after we placed her in the stroller. Also, being that I had a car...it took up so much room in the trunk. We ended up not using it the majority of the time and it collected dust in the garage.
3) Hooter Hider- I used a blanket in the first few weeks of breastfeeding and it was so frustrating to try to get her to latch and have to worry about the blanket falling. The Hooter Hider made it easy to breastfeed and feel covered up. Plus it isn't as obvious as it looks more like clothing then a blanket.
4) A diaper bag that wasn't so heavy. I bought a Coach diaper bag, I loved the setup and it worked great but was VERY heavy. It was all leather and ended up hating it because of that. Next time I would like to try a Petuina Pickle Bottom Bag. I LOVE the fact you can wipe it down, its slim and sleek, and they have very cute designs with alot of storage.
5) Baby carrier- I LOVE the idea of being HANDS free with a baby, having the baby close to you, and plus having a toddler to run after makes it easier to hold on to a infant as well that is not yet able to support his/her head.
6) ItzBeen- I think I will purchase this with our next LO. Especially for the first few weeks and hospital stay. I like the idea with one push of a button you can keep track. This especially great if you are concerned with the amount your infant is feeding. I wouldn't see a whole lot of use after the first few weeks though. So it could potentially be something you could live without.
Things I LOVED:
1) Infant Swing- we used it ALL the time. However, next time I would like one that plugs into the wall. We bought a battery operated one and we were constantly running to the store for batteries.
2) Dr. Browns Bottles- I loved these, Ava seemed to spit up less and she was able to keep up with the flow of the bottle. There are several parts to the system so getting the dishwasher set is a must and just a few dollars. Also, we used the Playtex Drop Ins and I LOVED these as well. Hardly any clean up as you dispose of the inserts and place a new one after each use.
3) Boudrex's Butt Paste- AWESOME product. It doesn't leave your newborn's bottom sticky like Destin.
4) Diaper Genie- It was convient, pretty much kept the smell eliminated, and could hold several diapers. I never realized how good it was until we stopped using it since Ava had gotten older. Now, I wish we would of never gotten rid of it.
5) Shopping Cart Cover- Shopping carts are DISGUSTING especially for teething babies. I would just pop it in the wash once a week or so and I was always happy to have it. However, these can be bulky as well so I did stop carrying them once she was out of the teething stage and just wiped it down with a disinfectant wipe prior to placing her in it.
6) Mylicon Drops, Honey elixir for coughs that you can't give anything for (They even make Honey Pops when they get older and enjoy suckers) , and Saline spray for stuffy noses.
7) Bumpo- Ava often used this more then her high chair during snack time. It was great to put next to the bathtub while she was eating a snack. I knew she couldn't get out since we also used the bumpo tray and I didn't have to constantly move the high chair.
8) Boppy- I LOVED the boppy for breastfeeding, very comfortable. However, I would recommend buying at least one extra cover while the other one is in the wash.
9) Target UP and Ups- I had a few "blow outs" with pampers and huggies. We switched to Target up and ups and we absolutely love them. They are very inexpensive!
10) Bouncer- we used her bouncer until she was too heavy for it. She loved it so much and loved the vibrating seat and music.
11) Corner Changing Table- We purchased a corner changing table due to lack of space in our apartment. I loved how she was in front of me and not to the side. It made it so easy to change her.
12) Sleep Sacks- I LOVED putting her in a sleep sack. It was so easy to unzip, change her diaper, and place her back in her bassinet. The buttons can be a nightmare when your trying to do it with one eye open.
13) Mobile Changing Station- We kept one in our living room. It housed a changing pad, wipes, diapers, butt paste, and a toy of two to keep her occupied while changing.
14) A mirror for the car- When babies are rear facing it's important to see what they are doing. I loved having a mirror to be able to see her every move instead of having to bend my head back in order to see that she was actually perfectly content.
15) An Emergency Kit For The Car- Always keep extra diapers, wipes, clothes, socks etc. Instead of lugging it around. Purchase a tupperware container large enough to house these items and you will be grateful that you have it.
16) Disposable Changing Pads- We purchase the CVS brand, they are larger and I love the fact that you are not repacking the germs into your bag.
17) Extra Car Seat Bases- My mother-in-law kept our LO almost every day. It was so nice not having to switch the bases between cars. We purchased three....one for my husband, myself, and my mother-in-law. Eventually my Mom actually picked one up for 5.00 at a garage sale.
18) A Nice Baby Book- Baby's "first" are something you can NEVER get back. Having a place to keep these important memories is essential.
Things I Could Of Lived Without:
1) Sophia The Giraffe- I thought this little giraffe was SO cute and thought it would work well for Ava when she was teething but it ended up being a dog toy, sadly. She wouldn't have anything to do with it.
2) Bottle Warmer- We hardly ever used it as we would use half HOT water from the water dispenser and half Cold water and the bottles always came out perfect. We probably would of used it if we didn't have that feature.
3) Wipes Warmer- seemed like a hazard and I figured when we are out and about we wouldn't have a warmer so I didn't want her to be shocked when we weren't at home. We just got use to room temperature wipes early on.
4) Jumper- Ava HATED it. I have seen many babies who absolutely love it though.
5) Pacifiers- WAIT to buy these until AFTER baby is born. Try the hospital soothie first (the not so attractive HUGE green one) 9 times out of 10 your newborn will take the soothie if he/she is going to take a pacifier. Keep trying with the hospital one until you decided to run out and purchase 89273429834 pacifiers.
6) Fancy Bedding- We luckily had Ava's Great grandmother make hers and save quite a bit of money but, it was bulky, unsafe, and impossible to wash. Investing in a nice blanket, or nice sheets instead is much more worth the money then investing in a overpriced bumper.
Suggestions:
1) Have everyone bring a book to your baby shower instead of a card.
2) Buy a box of diapers or a box of wipes every time you go to the grocery store while you are pregnant.
3) Look for gently used items, especially outdoor items. These items will fade and get dirty if they are kept outside anyway. Craigslist or your local online yard sale site will often have these items for a fraction of the cost.
Again, this is my personal experience. There is nothing wrong with purchasing these items and seeing if they work for your little one. However, if you are able to save money and truly think about your purchases you will be better off in the long run. Babies go through temporary phases, the moment baby seems to "need" something give it at least a day or two and try to refrain from running out to the store just to please his/her needs. Babies are actually pleased by things that can be found around the home much more then store bought items. I am sure there are other things I LOVED but I want to hear the things you LOVED or HATED.
