The world of stuff to buy for babies is unreal. It is so consumer driven. So much of it is just so cute. And so unnecessary. My husband and I tried to make this as minimal as possible. And the best way to really do this is to use hand-me-downs. Think of it this way--these items have already been tests and approved!:)
Here are the things we've felt have been useful to have, so far. I'll expand on this list as I think of things.
For pregnancy:
( All of my maternity clothes were on loan from my friend and it was awesome. I loved wearing them and thinking of her and she has great taste! Once my pregnancy was over, I promptly washed, boxed up and returned)
Good pair of maternity jeans
One cute dress
Maternity t-shirts
Comfy pants, I liked the baggy kind sort of like cargo pants
Maternity leggings, cute under dresses and long shirts
One jacket or long sleeves, unless you can get away wearing dad's
What not to buy:
-maternity underwear, not worth it as you don't really expand at your underwear line
For breastfeeding mamma:
-Sleep bras
-Nursing bras and nursing tank tops (I prefer the tank tops because you can then nurse in front of people and not have your stomach hang out)
-Nursing pads
-A breast pump (we didn't initially have one but our tough introduction into parenthood which included a hospital stay for our baby meant we needed to have one, know how you'd get one just in case--where to rent, etc)
TIP: DIY make a hands free pumping bra by taking an old bra and cutting a vertical line wear the cups on the breast pump will go
-nipple cream (bc it hurts at first but dont worry, it gets better-and I went through a hard time and saw 3 different lactation consultants)
-pjs that have buttons down the front for each access when you're fumbling in the night
-luxury: nursing pillow
-Bottles, we like Dr Browns (so mamma can get out once in awhile)
-Rocking chair with padded arms for nursing and/or rocking
-What to expect in the first year, a good resource
-White noise machine or an application on your smart phone
-Baby monitor (we got the audio one first and then bought the video one...get the video one, it'll help you rest better to be able to see your baby and they are so cheap now).
For baby 7-10 months old
-it's nice to have some toys that make noise and light up, they seem to keep my baby occupied longer
-bath toys are fun now
-we have a exersaucer that is also a jumper which we got at a garage sale and now that he can crawl, it's nice to have him play in this while you do something you need to do
For baby 0-6 months
*Go for hand-me-downs! Babies grow so fast that there is no reason to get new stuff and put more stuff into the world. Sure, you'll want a few new, sweet items for your little babe but hand-me-downs will come from expert parents and will have already been loved. If you don't know someone with older kids, check out consignment shops
-PJs that are not snaps! All snap clothing for kids has a different configuration that can drive you nuts. Go with zippie pjs
-Baby hat to keep their head warm
-Baby slipper shoes, like this, to help keep their feet warm
-Lots of baby blankets for swaddling, laying on their back, changing the quick diaper
-Lots of burp cloths
-Baby bath, although we showered with our little guy for the first few months, once he was older we liked this Fisher Price one
-Baby rings, awesome for keeping him occupied-he can hold and put in his mouth
-Baby chair, somewhere to put the little guy when you're cooking, cleaning, etc. We have a hand me down like this (ours is a bit bigger)
-Play mat-awesome for when they grab, kick, roll
-Baby carrier, what ever kind you prefer. We have a Becco and a Moby. We loved the Moby when he was 0-3 months old. Then upgraded to the Becco.
-Stroller, nice for long walks or runs once they are old enough
-Pack n play, can be used as a side car bed for sleeping and for sleeping while out and about
-Books that are high contrast black and white
-Fabric books that baby can stick into this mouth, especially ones that have a crinkle sound to them
-A rattle or something that the baby can grab easily and hold (not too heavy) that makes noise
-Something with sound near the changing table so you can distract the baby if he's crying
Luxury items for 0-3 months
-Baby swing that plugs in (while this is a luxury item, I have to stress that this has saved us during our baby's sleep regression at month 4)
-Towel with hood for baby after bath
-Large jacket to go around your baby in the carrier
-Mobile-I made a high contract black and white one with one of those picture mobiles that I happen to have (ha! they even use a baby mobile high contrast as an example) and printed high contrast images from this website
-changing pad-I first used a yoga mat folded up but as my baby moved more I wanted something more substantial and ended up buying a changing mat with the thought that I'll be changing many, many diapers on it. I read on some people's web posts that they just changed their baby on the floor. Sure, you can do this. But I have to say that I have some of my sweetest and most fun moments with my baby while he's on his changing mat. I have it on a dresser that is about waist high so we can look at each other in the face and giggle and coo. He loves to kick and gets pretty excited. I wouldn't trade those moments.
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