Today I started thinking of where my baby items were, and which ones I'd want to find the most.
That led me to start thinking of the products that I would be very sad to lose. Just like any new mother, I registered and bought many things. And like most mothers, I quickly figured out which things I didn't really need. Many of these are preferences.
Must-Haves for babies:
1. Boppy Pillow
This has many functions. Oh. My. Word.
A. It's great for nursing your newborn. I mean, AWESOME. Especially your first. It brings the baby up higher, and it makes it easier on your back. Trust me.
B. It's good for when you need to set the baby down. I used to put R down to nap next to me on the couch with one of these things. {Especially before they get too wiggly.} Of course, this is mostly only useful for newborns.
C. You can lay them on their bellies, supported up by the pillow for tummy time.
D. When your little one starts sitting, put this pillow around them so if they do fall over they don't bump their heads on the floor behind them.
E. Older kids, {At least my weird one} likes to lay on one, especially when his little brother does, too. That's why I have two.
You can get these at pretty much any store that carries baby supplies. I've seen them at Babies-R-Us and Target. I'm pretty sure Walmart even caries them. My nice looking one was a shower gift for my first son, and the other one was just a dollar at a garage sale. I just stuck it in the washer before I let my son use it. I have a feeling I should start looking for another one because my sons won't want to give theirs up yet. That's okay because I have a whole season of garage-sale-ing ahead of me.
2. A Playpen {play yard}
I guess it's called a play yard because you put animals like pigs in pens. Well guess what, my mom always called it a play pen, so that's what I call it. And you know what? Sometimes pigs are cleaner than my children. Anyways, we got this at a garage sale also. It came with a bassinet level, a diaper changing level, and a place for diapers and supplies. I guess they also come with mobiles and even carriers now. Anyways this has always come in handy. I didn't use the diaper-changer much, but I used the bassinet level quite a bit before my first son started crawling. It was a nice place to just be able to put the baby down and keep him in the living room.
Eventually he outgrew that part, and the main part of the playpen is an excellent place to let them play, but confined. My oldest didn't like it that much once he realized there's more to explore outside of it. After a while the only time he went in it was when I took my shower. I'd turn on a recorded episode of Mickey Mouse and set him in there. Actually that still works. He still has never tried to climb out. I know that is not true of all kids, but I'm lucky.
When I had my second baby, I never put the basinet part back in, because I still used it for my older son. I didn't put the younger one in there as much, especially unsupervised, due to the fear of my older son throwing something in at him. He knows better now. I just had to make sure before I trusted him. Still, at 2 1/2, I'd put him in there if I needed to be sure he was confined somewhere.
3. A Jumper
Once they can support their head and body enough, I put them in this wonderful product. Oh, it keeps them occupied and happy for so long. There's plenty to keep him entertained on it. I love it. Again, this could vary from child to child. My 12 month old still goes in there. After they start walking, they don't become as interested in it anymore. It's another place to put them that is safe.
4. Nosefrida
I didn't get one of these until my second baby. I only got one a few months ago, actually. With my first son, I only had to suck out his nose maybe once in his first two years. Seriously. My second son always had boogers in his nose. Always. We eventually found it was much better after I eliminated dairy. Still, he gets more boogers than my first. I was always sucking his nose so the poor guy could breathe. Sometimes I'd make him bleed. It made me so sad, but he needed to breathe. I don't even want to think of what the inside of that thing looks like. Ick. {shudder}
Then, I came across this. Oh, it is so nice. You actually use your own suction from one end, and put the other end right at the opening {not shoved in} of their nose. Suck away. Your suction brings the mucus from down deep, since they can't blow their own nose yet. I know it sounds really gross. Just the mention of it makes my husband gag. {It's actually funny to me watching him gag.} There's no way you'll end up with snot in your mouth if you use it right. There's a filter. Even if it somehow made it through the filter, there's a long hose. If you have a baby who frequently has a yucky nose, you'll love me after reading this. Trust me.
5. A Vibrating Seat
Wow. My son slept in this for like a month. Our basement floods, so I made sure this was way off the floor. There's no way I'm going without one of these.
This also was from a garage sale. The dangly-toy thing comes off so it's easier to put smaller babies in without bonking their head on it. They really don't care at first anyways. But this seat is like the baby whisperer of products. I didn't use one for my first son. {First-borns tend to get held and spoiled more.} My son used this until he was trying to sit up straight in it. That was a sad day.
6. A Rocking Cradle
I don't have a picture of mine because it has other baby things in it in storage. When they're newborn and can't move around, this is wonderful. Mine has a stopper in it so I can make it stationary if I want. I liked that if he woke up and wiggled a little, it'd rock, and sometimes it was just enough to rock him back to sleep.
7. Bumbo Seat
This is great for those who need support sitting. My oldest used it all the time. I would sit him in there with a few toys, and get some housework done.
8. Crock pot
I know it's not a "baby" product, but if you have a baby, seriously, get one. Oh, they are such a time saver! With my first, I held him a lot. It's nice until you have to put him down to start dinner. For months, the only way we could eat dinner was by starting it in the crockpot during his nap. I became a pro at converting meals to the crockpot. I don't make lasagna in the oven anymore. This is my best friend. I have three this size and two smaller ones. My medium sized one broke, and I really miss it.
Check out the Baby Products I didn't need.
Also, 10 Things No One Warned Me About as a First Time Mom.
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