Saturday, July 11, 2015

What I bought for my Baby

This is a comprehensive list of everything I bought before giving birth to our newborn. It's not that long of a list, at least I don't think so. I tried to only buy what I really thought I needed and not give into the hype of purchasing All The Things. For example, we did not buy a crib or a bouncy seat or anything that rocks a baby. I plan on wearing this kid---my mom bought me a moby at my baby shower and that is just how it's going to be.

We spend $400 on everything. I don't know if this is the norm, or if it's more than most spend, but it's how much we spent. We also just bought everything all at once--no here or there buying. One day. One (or two) orders. Streamlined!


So what did I buy? Here we go... (links go to exact items)

1) For sleeping I bought a cosleeper. The exact one I purchased (after reading a ton of amazon reviews) was the Arm's Reach Concepts Co-Sleeper Bassinet. This contraption can be used as a bassinet or attach to your bed as a co-sleeper. It's also the most expensive item we purchased. We also bought (separately) the Arm's Reach Organic Fitted Bassinet Sheet for the Co-Sleeper. I wanted to buy the one made by the same company, for safety issues (so not to mix and match brands) and I also wanted an organic one. It was only a few dollars more than a non-organic cotton one, so it didn't break the bank.

2)  We found a used changing table at a thrift store (and my amazing mom bought it for me) but I had to buy a changing pad. I got the LA Baby Countour Changing Pad. I also bought a 2-pack of the Organic Waterproof Quilted Lap and Burp Pad Cover to lay on the changing pad under little man's bum so he doesn't ruin the pad if he happens to, uh, have a blow out in the middle of me trying to remove his diaper. The two pack was nice, because I can keep one of the covers upstairs to change him and the other downstairs, or have one to switch in and out if washing.


3) We are doing cloth diapers. This is the one of two thingsI did not buy from amazon, but instead from Green Mountain Diapers. I bought 24 prefolds in the small size, unbleached, and three Flip diaper covers and two Blueberry Capri Covers. We are very excited about cloth diapering! From amazon, I bought a cloth diaper Kanga Care Wet Bag to store things in before washing, and a Clip and Drip Hanger to hang dry our diapers. I'm sure I'll make more posts about cloth diapering.


4) I'll be honest, sids scares the living crap out of me. Thus, the second most expensive thing I bought was the LEVANA Portable Baby Movement Monitor. It had good reviews on amazon, and also did not require a smart phone ap like the other sids monitors I saw. Another thing my midwife said really helps with sids is swaddling. We bought the Summer Infant SwaddlePod in infant size (maxs out at 10 pounds) and also the Woombie Air Ventilated Baby Swaddle in the size "big baby" that is for roughly 3-12 months. I have no idea what size baby I am going to have and it was important for me to be prepared. (my husband was 10 pounds at birth...)


5) I bought two splurge items. The Roll Around Toy Hedgehog and also the Hape Walk-A-Long Puppy. They were just too adorable to pass up. I hope my son likes them! Another random item I bought was a ear thermometer. I wanted something that would easily take my son's temperature in case of sickness! (like a 1 Second Ear Thermometer).

6) The only clothes I bought were two nightgowns with "mitten" attachments to go over his hands. I bought 2 Pack Neutral Ducks Shoulder Gowns for my son to wear at birth. The gown part makes for really easy diaper changes and the mittens will help him not scratch himself. I also bought a pack of mittens for home use to go with his other outfits. (4 Pack Mittens) I got so many clothes at my baby shower--I think we are set for at least the first 6 months.

7)  Lastly, we bought the Infant To Toddler Tub with Sling for bath time and a Munchkin Dandy Dots Bath Mat to make sure the bottom of my bathtub isn't slippery if I happen to hold baby in the shower.

That is it. That is all we bought! To see what I got in my baby shower, check out this video! (we got a car seat at our shower!! Super money saver right there!)

What did you end up buying for your baby? The only thing I am thinking of buying is a wire drying rack... for drying diapers outside in the sun...but not sure about that yet!

9 comments:

Michelle said...

I saw you got a carseat (we have the same one! We're going to switch to it once she outgrows her infant seat), but did you get an infant carrier carseat? It's a lifesaver to be able to take it in and out of the car and put it in a cart or set it on the table when you go out to eat. I also highly recommend a stroller. Baby-wearing can kill your back after awhile. At least that's my experience. I'm just not a fan of it, and Gracie likes to have room to squirm around after awhile. Plus I love to go on evening walks with the stroller, and it works miracles for the rare nights she won't stop crying. Just something to think about!

No crib??? I can't imagine not having one, but then again I couldn't sleep at all with the baby in the room. She made so many noises that I could never fall asleep. Having her in the crib right next door is a lifesaver for us, and ours converts into a toddler bed, so we can use it for a long time.

All in all, I totally agree that you really don't need much for the baby. Blankets, pajamas, and a place to sleep and diapers are what you really need the first few months.

Carolynn said...

Hehe, I purposely didn't get an infant carrier carseat. I hate those things with a passion!! So bulky and take up so much space. I knew I would never want one. I'm sure they work well for many people, but I literally would hate carting that thing around. We will be getting a stroller. We don't know what kind yet, but probably when we start going places I'll buy one....I'm not sure. I really want to wear the baby. I know he may be picky about it and I may have to change depending on his preferences, but that is what we are going to try.

I did want a crib. Only we have NO WHERE to put it. We have a spare room that will be Reuben's room, and right now it is full of boxes. I want to throw all the boxes away, but they are husband's things and he refused. He built a shed out back to put all his boxes in (in my thoughts if we haven't used it in 3 years why store it but my husband is of the mindset he may use whatever is in these boxes one day) The cosleepr goes until 6 months of age---I told husband he needs to clean out Reuben's room or get used to permanent baby in our room. I'm sure he will clean it out super quickly and we will get a crib :) I even offered to give up my office and make that our bedroom and put the crib in our old bedroom, but the loft where my office/closet/my husband's computer is gets really hot in the summer and my husband hates being up there, and that is why it's not currently our bed room. If we have more kids it will be and the two downstairs rooms will be kid rooms :)

I am excited about cosleeping through. I think I will personally like it! And it will motivate my husband to clean up his boxes :)

Rachel G said...

$400 sure seems pretty good to me--carseats and strollers alone are so pricey, if people will gift those to you that makes for a sweet deal. :) Currently other people are storing a pack'n'play and a stroller in my apartment...my reasoning is that if they leave their stuff in my house, I can feel free to use it if the need arises...
Cloth diapers have changed a lot since back in the day when I was cloth-diapering little sibs in the 90s. I think they are way better now and more conveniently designed these days.

Brita Long said...

Your list looks good! I don't know what is "typical" for parents to spend, especially considering how much you can receive at baby showers. My husband and I went in with his parents and oldest brother on a baby video monitor for our new nephew (just born Thursday!). It was a slightly selfish present since my BIL & his wife can set up a password-protected video feed so Dan & I can check in on our nephew from Georgia. :)

Charlotte Wood said...

I bet your husband will clean out the stuff super fast when he gets tired of sharing your room. :)
SIDS is super scary! If you have a fan that moves air around the room, that is supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS. It doesn't have to blow right on the baby.
I think you will want to have three or four changing pad covers. Sometimes diapers are just messy and the mess doesn't stay inside the diaper when you change it.

You will find out more what works for you when Reuben is born. I couldn't wear my babies for more than a few minutes. I think being pregnant weakened my back. Your back is probably stronger. Most people don't seem to have problems like I did. I could wear my foster baby just fine since I hadn't been pregnant.

Sarah said...

Having an infant car seat or stroller to use were very helpful if I had a doctors appointment or a similar situation where I couldn't be holding/wearing the baby.

I know you're going to cloth diaper but having some disposables on hand to use at first might be helpful. You're probably going to be in pain and most definitely be tired so having them around could be good until you and the baby get into a good groove. Not to mention that babies go through many more than five diapers a day so you'll be unstuffing/restuffing all day long. I purchased Sun Baby diapers and while I didn't use them often, they're a good affordable brand if you're ever looking for others.

Carolynn said...

You actually don't stuff the kind of diapers I got! They go over a prefold so you can reuse the cover, no stuffing at all! The diapers we bought will be used after the three months mark, they aren't for a newborn. We got newborn diapers (target g diapers) from my mom at my baby shower! I have a ton of them and they work with an insert, but it goes on top not in a pocket. Hope this makes sense! There are so many kinds of diapers. My mom will be with me for the first 2 weeks so I can make her change baby if I need to. I'm really passionate about cloth diapers. I still don't know about the infant car seat or stroller but I will get one if I need one. Every parent is different and I know my baby may love or hate being worn but it's the plan, hehe.

katie terry said...

Speaking from recent experience...

You'll want a few more than five diaper covers. We're doing cloth (prefolds + covers) also, and I do diaper laundry every 2-3 days. Now at four months, Lumpen is going through about 5-6 prefolds per day, and 8ish covers per laundry cycle (I use covers until they're visibly soiled -- if a diaper is just wet, I let that cover air out and use a clean one or one that had been airing since the previous change). There were more diapers daily when she was younger. We have about 12 diaper covers, so that between what's currently dirty, what's drying from yesterday's laundry, and what's available for use now, there are always enough. Also, I second the recommendation to plan for disposables initially. Your hospital will probably send you home with what's left of a pack of them -- TAKE THEM. Don't try and mess with cloth diapers at the hospital, and honestly, give yourself at least a week once you get home, even if you have a giant baby. Average or small-sized kiddos won't fit most cloth diapers right away, anyway, you'll need some newborn sized.

Also -- even you're planning to wear baby all the time, a moby or similar stretchy wrap won't be sufficient. Stretchy is exactly right for a newborn, but after a month or two, you and baby both *need* the support from a non-stretchy woven or structured/semi-structured carrier. (This coming from a doctor with special training in skeletal alignment and development. Even better than baby-wearing is baby-carrying-in-arms, but even I can only do that so much each day.) We have an Ergobaby classic and LOVE it, but that may be beyond your budget, though they show up for resale on Craigslist and eBay frequently. Zulily has a decent selection of woven wraps and semistructred carriers right now: http://www.zulily.com/e/the-babywearing-collection-134246.html

bgarpke said...

Everything you bought looks great! I personally love baby-wearing and I do it often. However, I also really enjoy having a bouncy seat, etc. to put the baby down when I can't hold him. At times, baby-wearing for hours has caused back aches and sometimes I want to put my baby in the bathroom while I shower or in the kitchen while cooking without holding him. A bouncy seat is a life-saver for that!
All our boys have also LOVED a jumper when they have been 4 months+. It is such fun for them and for you too! http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Bumper-Jumper-Little-Jungle/dp/B000WJLKQM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436821499&sr=8-1&keywords=johnny+jump+up