Thursday, July 17, 2008

Questions!!!

I'm still trying to absorb the fact that I'm very likely going to be a mom again soon! We've felt a little numb and a lot overwhelmed...so many unknowns! We are cautious but we can worry all we want and it won't change anything so we are definitely choosing to rejoice and be very excited! I can't wait to meet our 3rd little man!

One of the very cool things for me is that I have two friends with adoption due dates in August - one is on the 30th also and I have another adoptive friend expecting a biological child in Aug. also. This is so new for me and thrilling to be "expecting" with others, to have a concrete "due" date and know that our children will be the same age. I'm so thankful for the awesome new friends (adoptive moms) God has brought into my life over the last couple of years (and even months!). It's such an encouragement!

So, does anyone have a list of essentials for a newborn? I'm feeling completely out of my league and completely overwhelmed to even know where to start. What do I take to the hospital? We are going to take a newborn care class in a week or two at a local hospital so perhaps that will help with some answers.

I'm also wondering if you could weigh in on baby carriers and baby wearing - what do you like? How did you decide? Do you have more than one style? Here are some factors for me: I'm planning to use it a lot, I have some back and neck problems, I think the baby will definitely be under 7 lbs. at birth, and I need to be able to put it on by myself (if possible). We had a baby Bjorn with the boys but we accidentally left it in Kaz so we are back to square one. :)

Another question - we will be bottle-feeding and I'm planning/hoping to use Playtex drop-ins for a number of reasons. Have any of you bottle-users bought the newborn kit that has several different nipples etc.? Was it helpful? It seems like a pretty good deal and perhaps really helpful in determining what is the best fit for the baby.

Cloth diapering - I have had several recommendations for bumgenius, any thoughts on quantity to get started? Any other brands worth checking out? I'm going to be reading a few blogs and talking to some of you more on this... :)

I think we have at least 3 weeks until the birth and maybe as much as 5 but probably not much more than that - thus the overwhelmed, need to gather, nesting feeling.

22 comments:

Alicia said...

I have no advice, but what an awesome time!

Paula said...

I remember last year we only had two weeks notice before Hannah was born. I went to K-mart and was strolling around the baby dept. There were these pregnant ladies there and I felt like they were thinking "What is SHE doing here", I'm sure they weren't, it was just that I felt odd being there. So, I know how you feel. I just bought the essentials at first because in the state where I live the birthparents have 30-days to sign off and I didn't want to buy big ticket items only to be let down. What did I buy:
Infant car seat
diapers, of course (disposable-Pampers) Balmex cream.
Baby bath tub (with sling), I loved it and used it all the way up until Hannah was about 10 months.
Bassinet was a gift from birthmom.
A few little outfits,
Avent bottles. I waited to buy the formula until I found out which type they started her on at the hospital.
Several sleepers, receiving blankets (learn how to swaddle)
Must have: baby swing! It was a lifesaver.
A good rocking chair.
My favorite baby carrier is the BABYHAWK. It was great, couldn't live without it.
We waited until after the parental rights were terminated to have a "shower", just so that I could really enjoy it.
You can always email me if you get stumped on anything.
I'm excited for BOTH of us.

Anonymous said...

I am so excited for you guys! Here's just some of my random thoughts about newborn essentials.

I completely agree with Paula and everything she recommended. To take your tyke anywhere you definitely need a car seat. The question there is whether you get a convertible car seat (infants + toddlers) or you buy a pure infant car seat that you can use as a baby carrier and upgrade later. Since Miley is our only child, we held her whenever we went somewhere, so we opted for the convertible car seat which has worked out really well.

I personally like the two shoulder carriers (I use a Bjorn) because it spreads out the weight.

Regardless of what diaper you guys choose, I would recommend a big jar of vaseline - this helps with the cleaning of sticky messes - but babies also tend to get rashes around their necks if they have too many fat folds. The vaseline will alleviate some of the pain/redness.

Our general approach when Miley was born was to buy whatever we needed as we realized we needed them :)

Deb said...

Check out Babies R Us website they have a list for new parents. That's what I used. But Paula gave you a good list.
Also get the gas drops, Mylicon, baby motrin, nail clippers.

We use the drop-ins and really like them. I buy generic drops-ins, Walmart is cheapest. (I'm very cheap!) I never used the variety of nipples since she took to the first one we used right away but we did have them incase. Definetely don't buy formula until you know what kind he will be on. We did and I had to return it.

I could never find a sling that fit me right. We do have one of the carriers similar to the Bjorn but when her neck was unstable I didn't like using it, her head would lean out the side.

Thad and Ann said...

How exciting! :) Let's see.. things I like(no newborn but..)
Diapers I tried:
Fuzi Bunz-they are good but they stank more quickly & seemed harder to get clean.
Mutts-these are expensive(I bought mine used) & you need a cover with it. They are great but bulky.
Peewells-awesome BUT you need a cover & they are also expensive(again mine were used)
The Bumgenius were my fav as they were the "trimest" :).
Covers- Imse Visme-these are awesome covers, I rarely had a leak with these.

Carriers-
I used a Mei Tei(off ebay) at first but it made my back sore when Gunnar started putting on weight. I personally want to get a Babyhawk next time as they seem to have more structure. The Mei Tai I had was too floppy. But I did like it for front carry. I think the Hotslings look nice too, I never tried those though. I went on the babywearer.com & read the pro/cons on carriers.

I have a Beco & I love it. I tried a Ergo & it was too bulky for me. I got the Beco when Gunnar was a little over 1 & I still use it depending where we go or what mood he is in. I used it at Kazapalooza. :) If you want to borrow it to see what you think you can(seriouslly). I love it for back carry, I never liked the Beco or the Ergo for front carry. I was never cordinated enough to clip it behind my back. LOL

We used the drop-ins for Gunnar & really liked them. For the next one I want to try glass bottles.

Alyssa said...

I use Kooshie and Bumkin cloth diaper.I love them and they work great... but that's just what was given to me, I'm not really an expert on the best kind out there.

I made myself a baby sling... (www.rockinbabysling.com) he loves it and to me it's more convienient that Baby Bjorn (I have one of those too) it just seems to snuggle him closer and keep him from flopping around. But it does stress my shoulder a little if I wear it for too long, so I don't know it might bother your neck and back.

I'm praying for you... when I was pregnant I rememeber thinking that adoption might be an easier way... but I don't know if I could handle a six week notice!

Smith Family Blog said...

The important thing is not to get overwhelmed. A newborn needs relatively few things. :)

On the bottles: don't spend too much until you KNOW they are working. Every baby is different, and there is no bottle that is right for every baby. I would suggest buying 3 of one kind and seeing how it goes. We really liked Playtex Vent-aire.

Just start with the basics for home: diapers & wipes, baby lotion and baby wash, a couple of soft baby towels, some sleepers/layettes/onesies, a few blankets, some desitin, and a few burp cloths. You will also need a pack-n-play or a bassinette (I guess you could use a crib, but Moses just looked too small in it!).

For the hospital: carseat, diaper bag, diapers & wipes, an outfit "to go home" and a couple others for the way home in case you have an accident, a blanket, and a burp cloth. Also bring a bottle with formula (or 2 or 3--I don't know how long the trip is home...). You don't need clothes for the hospital unless you want them-- the hospital will will provide clothing/blankets while he is there.

Since you will be bottle feeding, I would also suggest a couple of soft bibs. Babies drool. :)

CityStreams said...

Yay! I can answer a lot of these questions. :o)

For the hospital:
*baby book (you'll want foot prints and mom info)
*camera
*newborn outfits for pictures
*newborn outfit for coming home
*infant carrier/ car seat
*bottles and liners
Everything else will be supplied by the hospital (diapers, formula, etc.)

At home:
*baby bath tub
*baby shampoo and wash cloths
*we used our play yard in place of the bassinet, it had attachments at the top for newborns
*newborn diapers
*baby swing
*bouncer
*stroller (make sure it's compatible with your infant carrier)

Things Not to Buy:
*avent bottles have high BPA levels
*infantino baby carriers just don't work with newborns (big disappointment)

I never tried cloth diapering. We went through 8-10 diapers a day during the first six weeks.

I remember coming home from the hospital and thinking that I had way more stuff than I needed. Of course, I've used it all by now. But the first few weeks, all you need is a way to feed the baby. Eating, sleeping and pooping will fill the days!

You're going to do awesome! God has obviously placed this baby in your lives, so He will provide exactly what you need. And you've done it before. No worries :o)

Anonymous said...

I think I still have the Baby Bargains book we used when we had newborns... it has lots of advice about what to get and not to get.
I recommend a trip around Babies R Us with a not-that-long-ago mom of a newborn to say "Yes, I used that" and "No, I never touched that". I had a friend do that and it was absolutely a life-saver.

I loved my Baby Bjorn and didn't like an older model Snugli, but there are lots of newer models based more on the Bjorn; my comment on these stands.

My mom made me a bunch of actual SQUARE flannel blankets for swaddling; receiving blankets are rectangular and only work when they're TEENSY tiny. Buy yourself (or have the sewing person in your life) square pieces of cute baby flannel and hem the edges, and you have very easy, inexpensive baby blankets that work for a lot longer.

Micah said...

I have no experience with bottles, but I'll answer the baby wearing question =)... I have a Hotsling and L-O-V-E it!!! I would highly recommend it. If I were going to buy another one, I would get a Slingling mostly for pattern choices (lame, I know) and price. I like the unpadded ones best - even for newborns.

If I could only recommend one book to a Mom, it would be Baby Wise. I know there is so much controversy over this book, but we are firm believers in their concepts. All three of our children have slept through the night by 8 weeks, and Maggie (now 12 weeks) sleeps 10-12 hours at night, wakes up at 7, feeds, goes right back down, and I wake her again between 9-9:30. With two toddlers, working on a schedule was a must for us! Of course, we fashioned it to fit our lives, but used most of his basic concepts.

You are going to do great with a newborn. You just won't believe how little bitty he is!!! I know you've seen tons and tons of newborns, but it's different when it's your own for some reason. They seem so much more fragile... and precious =). YEAH!!!!

Micah said...

Sorry my link didn't work. It's slinglings =)

Barbie said...

Oh my goodness it has been too many years since I have had a baby everything has changed so much! I go into Babies R Us and am in awe over all the fancy stuff these days. What fun!

Af for the hospital, you don't need very much. Take a couple of diapers and wetwipes. Other than that pick out a coming home outfit for him. I always made sure that was something special.

Baby carrier? I LOVED the Ergo. It is expensive but holds its value so you can sell it on Craigslist or Ebay. I haven't used it on a baby but it was awesome for Ryan.

I am sooooo excited for you!! Oh, did you see April's blog today??? There are pictures!!!!!!!!!!!

Loraena Tuttle said...

You're probably getting overwhelmed with everybody's opinions, but I have to pitch in with my 2 cents. =)

Babywearing - I LOVED our Moby wrap in the beginning. It was recommended at our adoption parenting class and I never regreted it. Only $30. From placement day, I could wrap her in it so that she was in a womb-like position. It was REALLY great for bonding. I wore her all around all the time so we could get used to each other. As she got bigger, I could switch it up so she could sit up and she can still ride in it. It is long and not incredibly fast to put on, but once you get the hang of it, it's not difficult and was definitely worth it for me. I thought I wanted an ergo, but never got one until a friend loaned me one recently. Unfortunatly, I was disappointed and end up going back to the wrap any time I want a carrier. It's an old-generation ergo, so she can't face away from me and she doesn't like that now that she's bigger.

carseats - we got the baby trend galaxy (available from target.com). It's one of the least expensive, least bulky to carry around (and you end up carrying these everywhere in the beginning!) and has high safety ratings. We didn't get the matching stroller, but it ended up fitting in our bob revolution stroller.

Clothes make sure you get a good number of baby onsies and footie pj's and hats. We had tons of adorable outfits, but the pj's are what she ended up wearing most of the time until she was 3 or 4 months. It was cold here, though.

Diapers - I thought about cloth, but never went this route. I've heard good things about the biodegradable gdiaper. We used pampers swaddlers until she outgrew size 2 and they don't sell them in the larger sizes. Now we use kirkland brand.

I'm happy to answer any other questions! Let me know if i can help in any way!

Loraena Tuttle said...

ps, the moby is very gentle on the back, too. It's a very natural feeling. As she got bigger, my shoulders would get tired after several hours, but I have a lot of back issues, too - that's another reason I went with the moby.

Unknown said...

So I don't have my own kids, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, so to speak. But spending countless hours with 12 neices and nephews (always having at least one baby around for the last 10 years) I can say this: you can never have too many spit rags. And honestly it doesn't matter what kind. But always have them handy - for drooling, dripping, spitting, big brothers spilling stuff, and whatever other mess there might be, have lots. I personally really prefer the ones that are much larger but thinner - they don't get that "wet-all-over" feeling as fast, and you can just fold them over more. And when one gets too yucky, you don't want to have to wait till the laundry's done for more - you will want to be able to just grab another.

Extra onesies and little tiny bibs are great too. My sister just got this awesome little bib for her baby at Children's Hospital - double layer flannel, stitching around the edge, small velcro attachment on the back. Easy to make; even I could do it. And it'll catch the drool & spit before it hits the clothes.

Hope I get to meet him this Fall (not to mention the older boys!)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I ran across your blog when I did a quick search for bumGenius. I'm a cloth diaper retailer, so I thought I could offer some advice.

BumGenius are a great choice. The one size are really nice because they do grow with the baby, but I also LOVE the AIO's for the super tiny phase of life. If you've never cloth diapered before, don't worry - it is very easy! I suggest starting out with some all-in-ones (AIO's) since they are the closest to disposables. There are some GREAT diapers out there and they can make common issues like diaper rash close to non-existant. If you have any questions about cloth diaper, please let me know - I'm happy to help. You can view my site at: http://www.simplewondersdiapers.com

Sultana

The Cook said...

I am so happy that our boys will be close in age. Go to pampers.com and huggies.com and simulac.com ect. I have been getting FREE cans of formula and diapers and wipes in the mail. I have a Kangaroo carrier we used for Sophie and love that but am thinking of the Babyhawk too. You definately need one of those vibrating bouncy seats. I got most of my stuff from friends and Craig's list. I am just as clueless with newborns as you are so that is all the advice I have.

Meg Fisher said...

First, I have to say that reading about the arrival of number three has been very exciting.

I can't give a lot of buying advice since I'm in Oz but I will say you should check out the website etsy.com

Its a website that sells all homemade things by various people. You may be able to find cloth nappie (umm diaper) stuff fairly cheap there. Some of it is organic, some of it new, some of it from recycled materials, etc.

Seems like most of the other comments have done a good job summing up things to buy.

Once thing I found helpful when using a bottle was a microwave sterilizer. Avent makes one and I'm sure the other bottle brands do as well. It was a lot faster sterilizing in the microwave than boiling water every time (saves water too). When we flew back to the States last year I used microwave steam bags (for steaming veggies in the microwave) for sterilizing because they packed so well. A handy thing to have in a nappie bag when traveling. Whether or not that is the best thing to do I don't know, I just didn't have room in the suitcase for the other gadget.

Another item that would be useful for the remaining summer days is a muslin wrap/blanket. Everyone uses them here due to the warmer weather. They breath really well but keep the bub wrapped. They are great to throw over the pram as well for shade.

Have fun shopping :-)

CityStreams said...

Just remembered an important point! I only use the silicon nipples with our Playtex drop-ins. Because they are dishwasher safe. And BPA free.

Mama10EE said...

Most definitely gas drops! And just a word on that...the store brand is just as good as Mylicon, and way cheaper. That was a lifesaver for us during the first six months. I also agree on the baby swing. It will give you the opportunity to do something without having to hold the baby constantly. We had a swing and a bouncer, and the swing was something Morgan preferred. Baby bath tub is a must...newborns are VERY slippery. We also had one with a sling and used it for about 10 months. Receiving blankets for swaddling were invaluable for us and I always recommend them to other new mommies.

The woman who suggested registering at all the baby sites (pampers, huggies, etc) is exactly right! I got a TON of FREE formula in the mail. We didn't need it since Morgan breastfed (which wasn't easy at first, thus the reason I stockpiled formula, but it was all free) and I ended up donating it. But getting so much free was great. I will look and see if I still have the info on free baby stuff sites that I have given to a few others.

Finally, if you plan to use a pacifier, I suggest getting 1-2 of each type of pacifier tip (some are the same on either side, some are tapered) to see which your son will like. It turned out that our daughter only liked the silicon ones until she was over 1 year old!

Oh my gosh, I am thinking I have a free sample of playtex drop ins I just got in the mail. I'll mail them to you when I get your address. We used the Dr. Brown's bottles and LOVED them, so if the drop-ins don't work out, that's a good option.

I am so excited for you....I LOVE baby shopping and researching.

Oh and before I go...I suggest when you are looking for items the best thing I found was to look at it on babiesrus and amazon dot com to read the parent reviews. Those reviews were completely invaluable and saved us from buying some things I thought were cool until I read the parent reviews.

Gretchen said...

Just be sure your bottles do not contain BPA. I don't think the drop ins do but I would check to be sure. We used glass Born Free bottles with Serik but plan on breastfeeding Asa and supplementing with the Born Free and a SNS.
We use BumGenius diapers and LOVE them.
The Ergo is great, it's definitely my favorite but you will want a sling for the baby at first. They can move to the ergo after they can hold their head up.

I'm so excited for you! I will try to let you know what works for us in between our due dates. :)

Gretchen said...

One more thing. :) The Baby Book by Dr Sears has everything you could possibly need to know about taking care of babies. One of my friends gave it to me for Serik and I have read it multiple times.