Earlier this week, I decided I absolutely must sit down and figure out what we need for Baby Davis. I was actually feeling pretty proactive until I started down this road.
A few weeks ago my friend April, one of my closest "mom" friends out here, gave me a whole armload of things that I've been meaning to sift through. One is an awesome book that walks you through everything you need and everything you don't (ie: a changing table = huge waste of money) when it comes to getting ready for a baby.
Problem is, this book is 600 pages long. (And the first 70-some pages are all about cribs. I am not exaggerating.) Now, I never perfected the art of just reading the important stuff that so many of my peers learned in college. Nooo...when I was tasked with a reading assignment, I read every single page. That theory is coming back to bite me in a big way. But, man, after this week I am quite an expert on cribs.
The other problem is that these books do nothing but overwhelm the fragile mindset of the mother-to-be. Not only did my 70 pages of crib reading leave me feeling totally unprepared (and stupid, in many cases), I was also feeling very behind. Chad came home to find me curled up on the living room couch about 65 pages into the book and simply beside myself: "CHAD! We only have two more weeks to pick out a crib before it's too late!" (They say you should order your crib by 20 weeks or it might not make it to you in time for the baby's arrival.) Fortunately, Chad is the sane one of the two of us and talked me off my ledge. But we're still going shopping next weekend.
So, mom friends, if I decide to abandon my remaining 530 pages of reading, can you just tell me please...what should we register for or buy and what's a gigantic waste of cash?
5 comments:
Baby Bargains is the best! of course mine is a much older version, but it will help. We went to a special kids furniture store in Ohio that had a good deal on the crib, mattress, dresser, and changing pad - all the furniture you need. Register for onesies, bottles, a Boppy, soem baby Tylenol and Butt paste since that is essential, a bathtub, high chair, swing, infant car seat, stroller with snap-in for the car seat, pack n play and bedding. Oh and a good humidifer and baby play gym. I never used a wipes warmer, bottle warmer, or anything that warmed - got TONS of clothes that we hardly even used, and of course you'll need tons of diapers. Think that is it - good luck! It is overwhelming!
Oh,my - the ledge already! Take a deep breath - it's been a long time since I bought baby things and the list of "necessities" has changed. However, I can assure you that the ridiculous 20-week window to order a crib is what is stupid, not you. And Buster won't sleep in that crib for many, many weeks after coming home - he/she will be parked right next to you & Chad in a bassinet or basket or whatever. I'll tell you what you'll need the most - a sense of humor, patience, & your mother's phone number on speed dial!
One of the best things I did was go to the baby supply store (we did Babies R Us, but Buy Buy Baby is also great) with a mom. We openned the registry together and started zapping together. As we walked through the store, she told me all of the things I needed and what I could forget. I bought WAY less than my other friends who followed those books. I agree with April - skip the changing table. Also skip the wipe warmers. No need for video or heart beat monitors on your baby monitor. And don't worry about the crib - many can be picked up same day. If you are comfortable with the idea, some things are great second hand. Bathtub (optional really since a sink or bath tub with a couple of inches of water works fine), baby swing, pack and play, and exersaucer are great as hand-me-downs. You have to compromise on the coordinated look but can save hundreds of dollars. You can raid our baby stuff. We are done (at least for a while and maybe for good).
I was overwhelmed by the Baby Bargain book at first too. Then I just started using it like a reference manual, which is really what it is intended as. As I saw things at stores that I thought I would like I went and looked up what the book said. That way I wasn't totally overwhelmed! I really wish you guys lived closer because I would just loan you a bunch of the stuff you only use when the baby is really little (bed side bassinet, bath seat, travel system, etc). Some of them are compact enough that I should have thought and sent them back with you after Janice's wedding, oh well! BTW...we did use our bottle warmer for Miriam, but not Abby...you could borrow that too! Brad used it for night time feedings!
Two thoughts from the guys perspective -
a) sometimes less is more when it comes to reading. After I had a near anxiety attack while reading everything I needed to know, I stopped reading. Unsurprisingly, I felt much better, and it didn't affect things.
There are an amazing number of well meaning people who will desire to be helpful after the baby comes. Should you not having everything you need, it's like having your own continual shopping service - people will be delighted to bring over just about anything you can think of.
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