If I Had to Do it Over Again - Products

If I was going through pregnancy and childbirth again, these are things I would definitely buy, or do without.

During pregnancy:

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting
• Two fatherhood books
• The Snoogle body pillow
• Baby Bargains book
• Almond oil – I used this to avoid stretch marks on the recommendation of a Spanish friend. Don’t know if this is what prevented them, but I made it into the 10% or so of women who avoid stretch marks.
  
  Things I’d do without:
  · Breast pads and lanolin cream. Wait to see if you need them before buying.

Months 0+:

• Swaddle Mes (we used through 7 months)
• A good swing – we loved the Fisher Price Papasan
• Onesies
• What to Expect the First Year
• Sleepsacks
• My Breast Friend (I’d borrow one or buy it used)
• A baby carrier, but I’d purchase it AFTER the child is born to see which one is comfortable and which one the baby likes
• Lots of burp cloths
• For travel, a stroller frame (such as the Graco SnugRide) that accepts a pop-in carseat is the lightest way to go.
• Fenugreek, alfalfa or other milk-producing herb
• A breastpump
• A baby bathtub
• Household help
• Car-I-Oke music CD
• Easy Expressions hands free pumping bra (if breastfeeding and pumping)
  
  Things I’d do without:
  · A boppy
  · A crib or bassinet or playpen – if you think you need one, it’s still a good idea to wait until after the birth to see what the baby will accept. Many babies only want the closeness of another human for the first weeks or months.
  · Lots of fancy clothes – onesies and sleepsacks are the mainstay
  · A fancy stroller
  · Fancy nursery décor – the baby isn’t going to take any notice; it’s only worth it if it makes the parents happy.

Months 3+:

• An Ergo carrier – this is most useful at 6 months+, but it’s the best carrier I’ve come across and good for long-term use. It’s expensive though, so it would be a better deal to find one used.
• A jumper – if your baby isn’t eager to stand, this could wait, but if s/he is, they will love this. We liked the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumper.
• The swing remains very useful
• Some type of bed. If you want to make life easier, probably a crib that you’ll use for the long term would be best.
• BumGenius all-in-one cloth diapers – so easy even the dad accepts them.
  
  Things I’d do without:
  · An exersaucer – unless you can pick one up for free, as you often can on freecycle
  · Any type of travel crib or pen. Unless baby can roll over, a bed or carseat works just fine
  · Any but a few basic toys – the whole world is a toy.
  · Toys, accessories for car or stroller. We just didn’t find them necessary.
  · The chairs that help baby sit – those are useful for about two weeks, if you’re lucky.
  · Rice paper liners for cloth diapers – they irritated Soren’s behind and are only useful until the poops become more solid.
  · Any of the breastpump cleaning supplies – microwave sterilizing kit, wipes, etc. Never used them.
  · A fancy bedtime routine. Maybe some kids need it, but others don’t. No need for parents to stress themselves out with thinking that baby needs a bath every day before bed or other rituals if a bottle and a bedtime song are enough.

Months 6+

• A crib, if you don’t have one already
• Motherease cloth diapers (for home use – you can tell right away when baby is wet. This is useful if you don’t want baby to get used to sitting in wetness)
• Baby Bjorn little potty
• A professional portrait – surprisingly worth it. Sears did a great job
• Silicone ice cube trays and muffin pans for making baby food
• A decent food processor or blender
• An upright seat for the bathtub that keeps baby upright and contained, but allows to interact with water
• Pedometer and The Step Diet book – time to make sure mom is moving enough and beginning to shed that weight
  
  Things I’d do without:
  · Foam for the floor while learning to crawl – the usefulness is also very limited and baby will learn to crawl in any case
• Onesies - once the potty training begins, onesies are a pain to take off and get the baby on the pot. A few would be useful for special occasions. But for home, normal shirts work much better.
  · Shoes – we didn’t see any use for them before he could walk