Now that I have been through labor and home with a new baby, here are some thoughts on products I absolutely love and others I haven't needed thus far.
1) Since I ended up needing a c-section, I didn't benefit from this advice but have been told by two friends Dermaplast is a lifesaver. I bought 2 bottles in prep for labor. Basically, after a normal delivery it really burns (because of stitches) to pee. So spray the Dermaplast, then squirt warm water with a water bottle, and then spray again with the Dermaplast. The product numbs you. I bought it at Target.
2) If you have a c-section and are in a lot of pain when coughing, sneezing, laughing, ask the nurse for an ab binder. It looks like an athlete's version of a girdle. It holds you in tight. I wasn't given one with my fibroid surgery when I could have used it. They gave me one on my last day in the hospital, it felt good, but for no good reason, I never wore it again. If you aren't given one, hold a pillow into your stomach when you have to cough/sneeze to help brace muscles.
3) Breastfeeding: Bring the Boppy pillow to the hospital. I did, but didn't use it. So I should say, bring it and use it. It is really hard to figure out how to position the baby that is flailing desperately to find your boob. Also, realize they are supposed to latch on with a wide latch. I didn't know this and got so bruised the first two days, I wanted to cry the following 5 days while feeding.
4) Bottles: I was doing both breastfeeding and bottles. Breastfeeding isn't going well so I think I am going to start transitioning to formula only. I have been using Dr. Brown's bottles. People say there are too many parts. It takes about 5 seconds to put it together, I don't see the big deal. I think they are good, they are supposed to reduce spit up. Evan doesn't spit up much, so I am going to assume the bottles do the job. Dr. Brown's also makes a microwave sanitizer. I sanitized everything pre-baby. The night nurse we had when I got home said just take a big bowl with hot soapy water to clean the bottles each day (I do about twice a day). Once a week, I put them all in the microwave sanitizer.
5) Swaddle Designs receiving blankets: I love these. They are very cute and nice material. They are much more expensive than Carter receiving blankets but the quality difference explains the price discrepancy. At the beginning we always swaddled him in these blankets. Now he kicks out of a swaddle but we use these still most of the day. They have a normal blanket material and muslin one. I use the muslin one in the stroller because it is 90 degrees out and I want him covered from sun and germs but want the material to be breathable. I have about 4 of each material, which seems like a lot, but spit up and pee happens, more than you'd like.
6) Multi-use pads: I got a pack of multi-use pads at Buy Buy Baby. It is a water proof sheet. I have on the changing table. This has saved us many, many times, especially having a boy. Also, I have two kinds, one are fabric on both sides and the other has fabric on one side and plastic on the other. I don't like the plastic sided one as much.
7) Bouncy Seat: I try to make his crib a night time experience, so when he naps in the day, it is in his bouncy seat. I have the Fisher Price Zen seat, but it might have been discontinued. I don't use the music or vibration modes, I am saving those for fussy emergencies. I also use this when he is being calm and I need to get things done, because I can strap him in.
8) 2 Strollers: We have a nice, expensive stroller (the Uppa Baby) which is fantastic because it handles so well and corners tightly. It also has good shocks which is great because the sidewalks here are really uneven. It has a bassinet for newborns. It also has a sun shade to protect his face and most of his body. I also have a snap n' go that my car seat snaps into. I keep it in the trunk and it is good if I drive somewhere and don't want to deal with taking the big stroller. It doesn't however maneuver nearly as well as the Uppa Baby.
9) Cloth diapers: I had bought a ton of cute ones from Swaddle Designs, but I find I just use tons and tons of the cheap generic ones that I got in a ten pack from Buy Buy Baby. I use about 3 a day.
10) Baby detergent: I started off using Dreft for everything but it is a waste of money. I bought a huge thing of the Costco free and clear detergent.
11) Formula: Speaking of Costco, the pediatrician told me to use the Kirkland (Costco brand) formula. It is made by Similiac and significantly cheaper. We have had no issues. He isn't too gassy, sleeps well, and has put on weight.
12) Video Monitor: We got the Summer Best View Handheld Video Monitor. Our sound didn't work but I called and they are sending a replacement. I am so glad I didn't get just a sound monitor. It really comes in handy because sometimes in the middle of the night I put him down and he is fine, but not asleep. And then I get back in bed and I hear a little fussing. If I didn't have the monitor I would get up and check him, which honestly is so hard when you are very tired. And this dance can go on and on. But I just watch the monitor to determine if I need to get up. Plus sometimes I see him flailing when he isn't crying. So I know to get a bottle ready before he blows.
13) Big Sponge: For the first week or two, you can't submerge the baby in a bath because of the belly button or circumcision. You have to give a sponge bath to a slippery baby. They sell at Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby this oversized sponge that you can lay the baby on. They have one that looks like a frog and one that is tan. I got the tan one because it was bigger. Just makes the process easier.
14) Books: I have a lot of books for a kid starting to read, with one or two words on a page. But I found when Evan is fussy, he likes to hear the sound of my voice, so I read to him. I have gone through all of our longer books and I am getting bored. I just went out and bought more today. I suppose I could read him US Weekly or my book club book too, but at least this way I am growing his library.
15) Bottle Drying Rack: Bottles don't dry in my dishwasher and also I don't want to wash bottles with soiled plates. So I hand wash everything and then put it on the dryer. I bought a Dr. Brown's one, but I don't know if it matters what you use.
16) Soothie Pacifiers: These are the only ones he seems to like and keep in his mouth. I have heard this from other friends too. We make a conscious effort not to give him the pacifier when putting him in his crib to sleep. I have heard from friends this kills you for 2 years because they cry every time it falls out and won't sleep well. I use it a lot when changing him and it is true, every time it falls out (happens several times a diaper change) he screams.
17) Footed PJs: I should have bought more of these. I have a ton of sleep sacks and sleep gowns. The sleep gowns make it easy to change him at night (I am awful at all the snaps on the footed outfits) but Evan is a squirmer and within two seconds his legs are out and I don't want him getting too cold.
18) Gauze: If your son is being circumcised the doctor will tell you to dress the penis with Vaseline and gauze. The Vaseline should be in the tube not the jar and the gauze should be 3x3 squares. I bought all the supplies pre-baby so had no idea how much to buy. First off, gauze is kind of pricey. It is between $7.50 and $9.00 a box of 25. I started off with 2 boxes of 25. Well it wasn't nearly enough because he goes through at least 10 diapers a day and you switch it with each diaper change. I think I ended up buying 5 boxes of 25 and 2 boxes of 10, so a total of 145. I did have to continue using it for 5 extra days because he had some extra bleeding. So assume you need 100. I also used 2.5 tubes of Vaseline.
19) Pampers Thick and Sensitive Wipes: I thought all wipes were created equal until we ran out and my delivery of the next batch wasn't in. I sent my husband to CVS to get some. I told him I wanted Pampers thick and sensitive, if they didn't have it, get Huggies thick and sensitive. He couldn't find these two words on either Pampers or Huggies, so he bought a CVS wipes. They were horrible. I would need 4 to clean up after a diaper, versus typically one, maybe two of the Pampers. Plus I had to work hard to clean him with the CVS.
Things I am yet to use:
1) A Swing: Luckily we borrowed this. I am sure he would like it but I am saving it as a last resort when he gets really fussy
2) A Pack n Play: Everyone told me I would have the baby sleep in my room. I didn't think I would since his room is next to mine, we have a video monitor, and he would keep my husband up who had to work. But I listened to my friends. Before the baby arrived, we set it up in our room. Now it is like a dumping ground for laundry I haven't had a chance to put away. From his first night home we put him in his crib. If I didn't have a video monitor, I would have had him in my room. Some people do it because you are getting up so much to feed the baby, especially if you are breast feeding. I found it was easier to sit on the recliner in his room with a Boppy then feed him in bed. Also, until I got the hang of it, he would fall off all the time and cry and no doubt that would have made for a very grumpy hubby.
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