BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

Hi Moms,

How about sharing your top 10 baby necessities. Also what to stay clear of.

Strollers, High Chairs, Bouncy Seats, etc.

Thanks.
Denise

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

My top 10's are probably different from everyone else's but here we go...

1.) Bottle drying rack - Huge spacesaver/frustration saver for my husband. Keeps bottle parts and components all in one place.

2.) Wipe warmer (thanks MichelleW ). Those wipes can be frosty and thanks to the wipe warmer, Amber's bottom doesn't get chilly in the morning

3.) Graco Kenbrooke Stroller/Carseat/Carrier. This stroller is the Cadillac of all strollers! It's lightweight, has plenty of storage, easy to use. Cleans up well, very excellent manueverability. Matching diaper bag is awesome. Plenty of storage space.

4.) Graco Pack n' Play bassinet/playpen w/music box side attachment. The bassinet is a basic but the music box is a lifesaver!! Some nights it helps me to fall asleep! It just clips on to the side and plays continual music/nature sounds (your choice) consecutively for 20 minutes.

5.) Yellow ducky baby bath w/teddy bear bath buddy. The tub was from Baby Depot but the bath buddy is just this foam cutout of a teddy bear that goes on the bottom of the tub (BRU). It retains the heat from the hot water, it keeps the baby in place (no slipping down, or slopping over) and the tub comes w/neat accessories like a water temperature reading rubber ducky and a easy pour pitcher for rinsing the baby.

6.) The all in one changing table/dresser. I feel so much more secure changing her on a solid piece of furniture vs. the chaging tables. It's versitile (she can use it as a regular piece as she grows) and there are plenty of drawers for easy access to whatever she needs.

7.) Graco Swing. Very handy for keeping them entertained. Any swing will do I guess but she particularly loves the swing. Also the high chair.

8.) Diaper Genie. Nothing like a stinky pail of doo-doo diapers filling the room. Keeps the smell contained and is very easy to use.

9.) Binkies. She loves them, keeps her happy. Nuff said!!

10.) Burp rags/cloth diapers. I use these bad boys for everything. Handy for saving clothes. Do you know how many shirts she's nailed? Every shirt I own (the shoulder that is) looks like I went walking through a field of migrating seagulls

Stuff I really didn't use/care for:

Bouncy seat. I know alot of people that swear by them but I haven't seen the big appeal for this yet. Maybe because she's too little or something??

Mobiles. Unless you buy the mechanical ones that play consecutively, your hand can get mighty tired from winding the darn things over and over until she falls asleep.

Monitors - I know they are a necessity but alot of them get interference from other sources or sound like an alien is landing on the lawn. Half of the time I can't deal w/it so I shut it off. Of course Amber is never left alone in a room by herself.

Oh yeah, add to my favorites - car mirror. Awesome, awesome must have. Gives me endless piece of mind to see her/know she's okay, being able to see her, etc.

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

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Posted by ambersmom

My top 10's are probably different from everyone else's but here we go...

1.) Bottle drying rack - Huge spacesaver/frustration saver for my husband. Keeps bottle parts and components all in one place.

2.) Wipe warmer (thanks MichelleW ). Those wipes can be frosty and thanks to the wipe warmer, Amber's bottom doesn't get chilly in the morning

3.) Graco Kenbrooke Stroller/Carseat/Carrier. This stroller is the Cadillac of all strollers! It's lightweight, has plenty of storage, easy to use. Cleans up well, very excellent manueverability. Matching diaper bag is awesome. Plenty of storage space.

4.) Graco Pack n' Play bassinet/playpen w/music box side attachment. The bassinet is a basic but the music box is a lifesaver!! Some nights it helps me to fall asleep! It just clips on to the side and plays continual music/nature sounds (your choice) consecutively for 20 minutes.

5.) Yellow ducky baby bath w/teddy bear bath buddy. The tub was from Baby Depot but the bath buddy is just this foam cutout of a teddy bear that goes on the bottom of the tub (BRU). It retains the heat from the hot water, it keeps the baby in place (no slipping down, or slopping over) and the tub comes w/neat accessories like a water temperature reading rubber ducky and a easy pour pitcher for rinsing the baby.

6.) The all in one changing table/dresser. I feel so much more secure changing her on a solid piece of furniture vs. the chaging tables. It's versitile (she can use it as a regular piece as she grows) and there are plenty of drawers for easy access to whatever she needs.

7.) Graco Swing. Very handy for keeping them entertained. Any swing will do I guess but she particularly loves the swing. Also the high chair.

8.) Diaper Genie. Nothing like a stinky pail of doo-doo diapers filling the room. Keeps the smell contained and is very easy to use.

9.) Binkies. She loves them, keeps her happy. Nuff said!!

10.) Burp rags/cloth diapers. I use these bad boys for everything. Handy for saving clothes. Do you know how many shirts she's nailed? Every shirt I own (the shoulder that is) looks like I went walking through a field of migrating seagulls

Stuff I really didn't use/care for:

Bouncy seat. I know alot of people that swear by them but I haven't seen the big appeal for this yet. Maybe because she's too little or something??

Mobiles. Unless you buy the mechanical ones that play consecutively, your hand can get mighty tired from winding the darn things over and over until she falls asleep.

Monitors - I know they are a necessity but alot of them get interference from other sources or sound like an alien is landing on the lawn. Half of the time I can't deal w/it so I shut it off. Of course Amber is never left alone in a room by herself.

Oh yeah, add to my favorites - car mirror. Awesome, awesome must have. Gives me endless piece of mind to see her/know she's okay, being able to see her, etc.

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I agree with everything except 6 and 7 .. I love my changing table i feel very secure with jillian on it. I had not one swing but two.. and they went back.. everybaby is different.. Jillian LOVEs her bouncey seat.. it is a total lifesaver.. Also a BOPPY I tis on our bed and it is good when wse feed her so much easier than holding her to give her a bottle. ALso geta boppy cover makes it easier to clean it...Also a Playmat... i jave two one upstairs and one downstairs. And i love my i love my monitor .. it has a remote so i never have to go inot her room to turn it back on again.. i think it is the stars and lights mobile.. it goes on a dresser when she gets to old to need it...Also a positioner.. it keeps the baby in place when you put them into sleep

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

My 10 top must-haves (again, this is for Molly. I am sure another baby might be different)

Bouncy Seat (Kick & Play by Fischer Price). Even at 11 months old Molly still sits in it while I shower in the mornings.

Swing (Ocean Aquriam by Fischer Price)
Molly was in this early on and just the other day took another nap in it. This was one of the only places Molly would nap for months!

Bassinet- We loved ours and Molly slept in it until she was 5 months old...next to our bed.

Mobile- Molly LOVED her mobile. It was not continous and I normally only wound it up once per night, sometimes twice. But she loved to stare at it.

The Ocean Aqurium crib thing- LOVE this and Molly loves this even now. Worth the $25 100%

Medela Pump in Style Advance breastpump- this should be #1 on my list since I used it to pump for Molly full-time. Molly was given breastmilk only from 3 weeks on and without a breast pump that would not have been possible.

Bundle Me- I will miss this thing come winter. This is great and 100% worth the money. No need to bundle the baby up for a car ride. Just put her in the car seat, zip this up and go to the car. Perfect!

Sleep Saks- these are great. I highly rec'd them for all new moms of Fall/Winter babies. No worries about blankets over the baby's head or SIDS.

Monitor- must have, even in a small home. Keeping your nursery door shut is very important (fire protection) and therefore a monitor is a must have.

Pack&Play with a bassinet and changing table- I use this a lot since my MIL lives in MA. We could easily visit.

And of course a car seat is a top 10.

Things I never needed:
Wipe Warmer
Travel bottle heater
Changing table (other than for traveling). I use my bed with a changing pad under Molly.

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

My top ten would be

1) Colby pack n play w/ bassinett
has a changing table so she can nap and be changed w/ out me running upstairs

2) Fisher price take a long aquariam swing, she loves, loves this, and stares at the lights forever

3) Kick and play bouncer, she sits in this for an hour and kicks away
4) especially for babies burp/changing pads, they are like 2.49 for six and are great and avoid a lot of messes!!

5) PRince lionhearts bottle drying station and the cases for the dishwasher , saves me a lot of time and paper towels to let things dry on

6) big diaper bag! I have an eddie bauer navy one and still run out of room, no matter how big it looks, you will fill it up!

7) Huggies Newborn wipes, she neve had a reaction to them and they work really well

8) Onesies and those gowns,

9) Get a lot of wash cloths, disposible and regular, we go thru a lot a day! especially for baths

10) Extra blankets are good to have too

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

My top 10's:

1.) Medela Pump in style breast pump. I nurse Andrew exclusively, am a SAHM, but this pump is a savior. It helps me get a supply frozen so when I am away, DH can still feed Andrew.

2.) Ocean Wonders Aquarium cradle swing. I don't know what I will do now that he's just about too big for it!

3.) Peg Perego infant car seat and Venezia Stroller. Easy mobility and love its sturdiness.

4.) Graco Pack n' Play with bassinet and changing station. Was great for our vacation and he'll start to use it as a playpen soon.

5.) Baby Bjorn baby carrier. I love carrying Andew in this, especially in stores where maneuvering the stroller was a hassle. Now he faces out and loves it.

6.) Changing table/dresser. Having a boy, diaper changes can get very wet, so I would never change him on my bed... Plus, its hard on my back bending over that low, so the changing table/dresser is a key item.

7.) Recling Glider with ottoman. Great for all those feedings. Plus I love that mine reclines, so I could snooze if I wanted to.

8.) Burp rags/cloth diapers. I gave birth to the spit up king, so these ae very necessary in our house!

9.) Ultrasaucer/Jumperoo. He started using these when he was about 3-4 months. Excellent entertainment and gives mommy time to cook and eat dinner while he's occupied.

10.) Sleep positioner. Andrew was a side sleeper and this was great for getting him to sleep the night through.

Honorable mention:
1.) Car mirror. It's great because he's rear facing and I can keep my eye on him!
2.) Bouncy seat - I still sit him in it to watch his Baby Einstein videos.
3.) Monitor - we can hear his every sound, its very comforting.
4.) crib CD player
5.) Aquarium music box for crib

Stuff I really didn't use/care for:

1.) Diaper Genie. Not for me to have a collection of dirty diapers in the nursery. We bag all dirty diapers in the blue Sassy diaper bags and they go out in the trash outside each night.
2.) Wipe wamer.
3.) Avent bottle warmer.
4.) Bassinet. We could have used the crib from the beginning. We are blessed with a sleeper and he was so big he outgrew his bassinet in no time.

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

Baby Einstein! Baby Bach Andrew LOVES it!
Exersaucer (Andrew loves playing with the toys).
Chicco Tuscany lightweight umbrella stroller great for mall shopping fits in the aisles and doesn't take up much space in the trunk.

Not to crazy about our high chair Fisher Price Link-a-Doos. Spend the extra money get a sturdy one.

Re: BTDT Moms, your Top 10!

1. Aquarium Bouncy seat- he LOVES this
2. Swaddle blanket-he's 2 months old now and still needs to be swaddled in his crib to sleep/nap.
3. Bottle drying rack
4. Dr Brown's bottles- I love these bottles because they don't leak and don't produce lots of air bubbles
5. Fisher Price aquarium take along swing
6. Symphony mobile
7. Car seat-he loves to sleep/nap in it
8. Snap and Go stroller
9. Leather recliner/glider-sooo comfy, can be used as furniture in den/living room, and so easy to wipe clean.
10. LOTS of bibs and burp cloths
I have yet to use my Pac n play but I am sure the playpen will be used soon enough. He has slept in his car seat on vacations so far (he's 2 months).

The boppy is great for nursing.