Chapter 3 - The Must Have Gear!

There is so much baby gear out there that its hard to tell what you need and don't need. This chapter will be all of the gear that I think is a Must for newborns! In no particular order....

We'll start with the obvious..

A Crib

A bassinet is a good thing if you plan on having baby sleep with you in your room for a few months but its not really a must have because not all parents have baby room in with them. Some start baby out in there crib from the beginning. and obviously if you have a crib you need a crib mattress.

Crib Bedding

It doesn't have to be anything fancy even just a sheet and blanket will be fine but as the doctors will tell you, you shouldn't use a blanket in the crib anyways so as long as you have a sheet over your mattress your good. Oh and don't forget bumper pads are a no-no! But since most bedding sets come with a bumper pad instead of just storing it you can use it as decoration in the room/nursery. We used our bumper pad as wall border in the baby's room.

Baby Swing

Totally a must have some type of baby swing, They are great for when baby wants to be rocked but you are just to tired to rock baby because your sleep deprived. Kara slept in a swing for like 2 months because she refused to sleep in her crib. Bouncers can work just as well but don't have the swinging motion. Devin slept in a bouncer for 3 months when she was born because she didn't want to sleep in her crib (to make it worse I had to bounce her with my foot while I slept!)

Swaddling Blanket (wrap)

My personal favorite is Aden + Anais they have muslin swaddle wraps that are thin but still keep baby warm, with cute designs. The only downside I found is that you can only purchase them online (at least in my area I can't find them in stores). Carly LOVED to be swaddled especially for the first 2 months.

Car Seat

well this is obvious because you can't leave the hospital without one.

Burp Cloth's

If you have a baby that spits up a lot these are essential. Speaking from experience since Carly literally just projectile vomited all over me! Now some people opt for the small thin pretty little burp cloth's that don't hold anything and are soaked as soon as you touch the spit up. But your best bet is to go for the tri-fold cloth diapers they are thicker and absorb more. Some websites are selling fancy ones too (as shown above from Bellebags.com)

Gripe Water

This is a Miracle item I would have to say! Does your baby have hiccup's? Then this is the cure for you! Carly has hiccup's A LOT! But just one dose of this and her hiccup's disappear! I guess this stuff is also for stomach problems, teething and colic, I don't know how it works for all of that but hiccup? It defiantly works! I know its not gear but it is a MUST!

Moby Wrap

If you like to be hands free, then this is a must for you! I was never a big baby wearer before then when I found out I was preggo again I decided to give it a go waited till I got farther along in my pregnancy and bought a Moby wrap, then when Carly was just 4-5 days old I needed to take my 4 children grocery shopping with me and well when you have a 7, 4 1 1/2 year old and a newborn you need room in your cart. So I put my 1 year old in the cart and wore my baby girl and fell in love with the Moby wrap! It works great when you don't want to drag around a car seat or push around a heavy stroller.

Other gear is important but for me these are a MUST, So make sure when you bring baby home you have this stuff ready!

Have a Great Day!

Catrina

All Images on this page are courtesy of Google Images (well except the very last image is me :)