I met a couple expecting their first child today (this always gets me so excited! And I have to work hard to not talk FOREVER!), and they were talking about how they weren't sure what they really needed to get for the nursery.
Can't blame them! There are a LOT of gadgets and gizmos out there... lots of furniture and books and toys and pacifiers... Even after working with children for many years, when I was pregnant with my first, I wondered the same thing: What will I really need? And what's just junk???
Below I'll put what has worked (or not!) for me, and I'd love to see comments from other people RE: What do you think is necessary?
1. Crib. I planned to co-sleep and did with both children for a certain amount of time (Willa stopped sleeping well with me around eight months, but Jonah never slept well with me, and I finally gave up after a few months). Whether you co-sleep or not, at SOME point, your child will be able to roll. And while for the first month or so, you'll be sleeping and nursing and cozying it up with your wonder-bundle, at some point, you'll want to do stuff while they're sleeping (and not be able to stop them from rolling or crawling off the bed--ouch!). For most families I know who co-sleep at night, they have different rituals for day time naps that involve a crib. If you want to invest in a book on sleep, I strongly recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child. Everyone I've ever recommended this book to has used it and loved it.
2. Diapers. If you're willing to do cloth diapers, my all-time favorite is FuzziBunz. The ones on the link, with the squarish tabs (not the triangle tabs of the old ones) are best (the triangle tabs leak with my son). I recommend getting the newborn size (and eventually the small, then medium, but rarely do people end up needing larges, I find). The kind of diapers that supposedly fit all sizes are waaaay to bulky for waaaay too long). If you're not sure if it's going to be for you, just get a few! Even 5 cloth diapers a day will save you money (and help the environment). If you want enough to do 100% cloth, I found that 15 is enough (if you do a load every day). I have found that my children both sleep longer at nighttime with a disposable diaper--it keeps the wetness off best. Also, I use Free and Clear detergents and sometimes add Bac-Out to loads when they've sat for awhile or are particularly nasty. Also, we mostly use just cloth wipes with water but have found that if an area gets sensitive, having disposable wipes is helpful.
3. Something to designate a changing area that can be in the bathroom. I used just those roll up changing pads (not this one specifically, but ones like it) on our large bathroom counter. But I found that having a changing area in the bathroom helps to start the process of toilet readiness--the routines
around doing toilet stuff and handwashing always happen in the bathroom. (Rituals, rituals, rituals!).
4. A chair or sofa that is super comfy for me for nursing. (RIE peps would recommend NOT having it rock because rocking will make your child sleepy, and healthy sleep habits will separate eating/nursing from sleeping.) I also loved this nursing pillow with my first (we had a really hard time latching well). Because of latching issues, I had very, very tender nipples with sores; I followed lactation consultant advice on letting them air dry and such but found lanolin to be the best relief. Also, I was super leaky (every let down involved both breasts) and found that disposable nursing pads were the only things that kept my shirts and bed dry (I'd even soak through rolled up socks!).
5. A carseat. Yes, I think it's worth it to get the infant carseat (I got a hand-me-down because they're used so little that used is still pretty new!) because newborns are TINY! and they benefit from the seats that can lay back. Then later a toddler seat: we love our Britax and know lots of people who do, but I haven't tried anything else, so I'm not sure if it's really worth the extra $.
6. A carrier. We didn't use a stroller with Willa (while we had two parents and one child) until someone gave us one when she was almost 2. Even then, we really didn't need it. Now that I have two children (and only one adult), I use my stroller a lot more. However, we still use our carriers more. I love the Moby (much easier to use than it seems and is extremely comfortable and versatile--front, side, back, nursing, facing towards you, facing out, etc.--and can be used for newborns and toddlers (even carried a four year old in one once!). My second favorite is the Ergo, which is much simpler and still very comfortable, but you can't wear children facing out.
That's REALLY all I think is necessary! Janet Landsbury has her own list here that goes over all the stuff that's not necessary (and even bad news, like anything that props a child like bumpos or
exersaucers and such).
What do you all think?
I used a futon on the floor with Seamus since he was 8 weeks old which made his bed more safe when he was able to roll, easy for me to lay with him to nurse during the night (even if I fell asleep sometimes), and made for an easier transition once he was more aware of nap-ness when he was older.
ReplyDeleteFor my second, I'm a huge fan of the Ergo or a pocket sling for baby carriers. When we were on the airplane, was able to keep Quinn in the sling the entire time, so he felt pretty natural.
If they go with disposable diapers, the diaper genie so you don't have to run outside to throw out the diaper after each change.
ReplyDeleteI love the BOB jogging stroller, but I also love the Ergo. We've done Moby, Bjorn, and Ergo - Moby when G was really small, then bjorn, then Ergo when he outgrew that. I might skip the Bjorn next time around and go Moby, Ergo.
And washcloths!