What we use, what we don't

With a first baby you need to shop for all of the baby items you will need, and you also tend to think you need every baby item out there - or at least you think you need a lot more baby items than you do.  As is the case with all new parents we have baby items that we use all of the time, then we have baby items that we rarely or never use, and could have done without.  I just wanted to talk about what some of those items are (those used, and those never used) in our household.

A Bedding Set:
This is the item that initially gave me the idea for this post.  We purchased a nice, 3-piece bedding set that included a sheet, quilt, and bumper, from Target.  It was relatively inexpensive as far as baby bedding goes at $60.  The only piece we have ever used is the sheet.  The bumper and the quilt sit in Addisyn's closet, completely unused for safety reasons.  I knew that we wouldn't be using the bumper until she was at least a year old (I believe that is the current recommended age to use a regular bumper if you're going to use one), and putting any kind of blankets, pillows, etc in an infants crib also poses suffocation risk.  If I had it to do over again, we would have just bought a few sheets and skipped the set.

Blankets:
Blankets are extremely useful, but you typically only use one, maybe two, at a time.  From my experience they also tend to be one of the most popular baby gifts, and are often made by crafty family members and friends.  If I had it to do again, I don't think I would have registered for, or bought any blankets myself, at least not until after the baby was born.  We do love our blankets though!  We received 4 beautifully hand-made blankets, and more store-bought blankets than I can count.  We even got a really nice baby blanket from our bank when we opened a savings account for Addisyn!  Receiving blankets are, of course, the exception to this as they can be used for just about anything: blankets, burp clothes, flat diapers (if you're cloth diapering), and can be cut up to use as cloth wipes.  They're like duct tape, 1001 uses! :)


A Good Baby Carrier:
We initially registered for an inexpensive sling-style baby carrier, and received it as a baby shower gift.  That sling ended up being recalled, so we returned it.  We then bought a Moby Wrap carrier.  The Moby was wonderful for the first couple of months - Addisyn would sleep for hours at a time while I did things around the house, ate dinner, watched movies, you name it.  When she got a little older she didn't want to have her head tucked in (to support her head and neck), so we switched to an ERGObaby carrier.  We absolutely LOVE our ERGO!  It is made to hold babies in front, back, and side carrying positions.  Purchasing a baby carrier that meets your needs may require some research as there are so many different styles and types available.  If it is an item that you anticipate using frequently it's definitely worth investing in a high quality carrier (you may have to look in a specialty shop or online) that will be comfortable to wear for several hours.




Cloth Diapers:

We use these all day, every day!  I knew when I was pregnant that I had wanted to cloth diaper, and I didn't realize that there were so many modern options available.  Then I saw the prices... Although we will be saving thousands over using disposables there was definitely some initial sticker shock.  A good, quality cloth diaper generally costs between $15 and $25 depending on the type of diaper, and since I didn't want to be washing diapers every single day we were going to need enough to get us through a few days between washings.  I did quite a bit of research about cloth diapers online, but a lot of it just didn't make any sense to me, and I wanted something I could get my hands on so get a better idea of how they really worked.  We bought our first two cloth diapers from a local boutique just a few weeks before Addisyn was born, and over the next couple of months added more and more to our stash.  If I had it to do again I would have started talking to some people who used cloth diapers earlier in my pregnancy, I would have started stocking up sooner, and I would have found a place where I could register for them.

Crib Entertainment:
We received a very nice crib mobile as a gift.  I loved that it came with a little remote control so that we could turn it off and on without being in the room.  But it's use was pretty short lived.  For the first couple of months Addisyn slept in a bassinet in our room at night and for naps, and we probably got about 3 months of use out of the mobile after that.  It ate through batteries like nobody's business.  Addisyn loved to look at the little animals hanging from it, but when the lights were off the projection feature just wasn't bright enough to keep her attention.  The other issue with a mobile is that it has to come down before a baby can start pulling themselves up, otherwise they may pull it down on themselves.  Just before Addisyn turned 6 months old we invested in a soother that attaches to the side of her crib.  We had been going through a period where she just wasn't sleeping well (teething I expect) and the mobile wasn't cutting it.  We were also preparing to leave for vacation for 2 weeks and the soother was something we could easily take with us.  The Fisher Price Rainforest Soother that we bought plays music and nature sounds, has moving animals and a "moving" waterfall, and there are so many options for which features we want to activate.  Best of all it's still being used because there is not the risk of it being pulled down.  Addisyn also loves that she can press the button to make it play.  The mobile was great, and of course it's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of something in the crib for baby's amusement.  But, if I had it to do again I'd go with just the soother.

Nursing Garments:

Clothing that works well for nursing is very important to a breastfeeding mother, and initially I thought that that meant I had to have clothing that was specifically designed for that purpose.  I have several nursing tops from Motherhood Maternity, a few nursing tank tops, and a few nursing bras.  I have used none of these recently.  In the past couple of months I have discovered that I can nurse more as discreetly and comfortably without a nursing cover and just a tank top underneath of another shirt.  I have found that nursing with clothing that separates up and down (like layered shirts) is far less revealing than most typical nursing tops that separate side to side because my top shirt easily covers and stays where I want it (unless Addisyn moves it).  It is more difficult for me to get the coverage I want with a shirt that opens to the sides.  As soon as I realized that I preferred this I wanted to get more nursing tank tops, but they are pretty expensive - $16 even at Walmart.  But, I have found that regular spaghetti strap tank tops work just as well.  All I have to do is pull down up the shirt I'm wearing, and pull down the top of the tank top.  Far less expensive, and no clasps to deal with as there are on tank tops made for nursing.


I'm sure that there are a few more things that went unused, and many more things that we couldn't, or wouldn't want to live without.  Feel free to add any of your own items and thoughts! :)