Boobs, diapers, and a blanket....

I got pregnant. I got advice. Doesn't everyone? And because I listened to so many advices, I feel it's my God given right to dish it out now that I am a pro;-)
I try to restrain myself when I see a round mother to be in the store, or on the sidewalk. I don't want to be "THAT MOTHER".
But I am THAT MOTHER inside and I am so thankful that Kelly is hosting a show us your favorite baby things day, so that I can just get it out of my system:-)

So here it goes...
When I got pregnant, I was convinced that our house would not be littered with toys, or crowded with stupid baby things. I wanted to keep things simple and classic. Babies don't need all that stuff right?
Boy how I changed my tune after just 1 week! I found myself, literally, with no where to put the baby when I:
a.wanted to shower
b.wanted to use the bathroom
c.did anything else.

Here is a list of 20 things I think every mother should have:

1.Bouncer.
Yes. The thing that a bought at full price at target a week after the birth of my son, because I needed a place for him to just be, while I did other things. This was a little expensive...there are a lot more affordable ones, BUT it is a little piece of baby heaven. Seriously? Do they make this for my sized people? It was soft, perfectly curved and it vibrated. Plus it had those adorable lamb ears which made for beautiful pictures.
Barclay slept in it for months. Like, it was his bed. LOVE it and can't wait to use it for my other children.

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2.Exersaucer.
My baby liked to be entertained from the get go, at around 4 months, I realized that he wanted to stand up and play. So I looked for an exersaucer everywhere and ended up buying one from craigslist. Big mistake in letting the hubby go pick it up, there was NOTHING to play with on it! Weird. So my sweet friend Emily lent me hers and it has been WONDERFUL! I have to give it back since she's having baby #2 soon, but I will be on the lookout for my own when I have another baby. This particular one was so nice because you could unclip the toys on it and run them in the dishwasher.

3.Bumbo.
Soooo many people told me not to buy this. That it was a waste of money etc. Although they are a bit steep for plastic, they are worth every penny. I found mine on craigslist for $15. They are the best. When Barclay started wanting to sit up, I took it and set it in the bottom of shopping carts and he would just sit and look around. We used it at home so he could play sitting up (before he could actually sit up), we take it to restaurants and place it on the booth tables. It's wonderful because babies go through a time where they want to be engaged and sit up, but they aren't able to do it yet. This saves frustration and it is so light and easy to carry.
I also used it at the beach, pool, bath. It is awesome.
I actually bought a Bebepod chair (basically the same thing) at goodwill because we used one in the car for when we were out and one at home. Didn't like the bebepod too much. It's not as safe. Barclay can get out of it and it's less wide which prevents tipping.

4.Johnson's Vapor Bath.
This stuff rocks. If there is any kind of congestion going on, or even if the baby is fussy. Just put them in a bath with a capful of this stuff. It's amazing! I actually use it in my own baths now and it's so affordable. Like $3.

5.Reliados.
Barclay had A LOT of tummy problems and was on all kinds of medicine. I hated giving him medicine mostly because of the mess it made. It just got everywhere and I was worried he didn't get enough, but was too scared to give more...
I found this right at the tail end of all the medicine giving but it is the best ever ever ever. It's a little expensive (I bought mine at a grocery store), but it is truly a time saver and a money saver.

6.Udder Cover.
How silly! I thought when I was pregnant. Just use a blanket and save some money!
WRONG! Babies move, it gets hot, or maybe you have to see to nurse like me. I got one sent to me by a sweet friend several months after giving birth and I wish I had it for all those awkward times before where I was in a restaurant sweating like a pig, with my head under a blanket trying to do it right and discreetly.
This has a little pop out in it so you can see down, but people can't see you.


7.Colorful Mobile.
I made the mistake of going simple, classic and BORING. My poor baby didn't want to watch white sailboats for hours on end. Even if it did match the nursery...
Colorful is stimulating and that is what mobiles are for!
My mom got me a great one from craigslist, and although I did have to get over it not matching, it provided hours of entertainment for Barclay...and hours of time I could get something done for me.

8.Coolababy Cloth Diapers.
If you would have told me I would cloth diaper a year ago, I would have said you were crazy! But I had a good friend who did it and told me how easy and cheap it was! I love it!
I originally bought 6 Bum Genious diapers ($18 each! Yikes!) and I did not like them. My friend used this brand called cool a baby from China and they are fantastic and about $6 per diaper. I now own 18 of those...making 24 diapers in all. It's perfect. It saves so much money and it's one size fits all. You can make them smaller or larger using snaps. And although for a few minutes while washing them, it's pretty gross, it's not any worse than changing a blow out, or getting carrots spit up on you...you get the idea.
Seriously, these are the best and they are so affordable!

9.Boppy
A must have. Take it to the hospital with you! I didn't and I wish they had! Makes nursing so much easier and the perfect thing to prop your newborn in.

10.Swing.
As I said before, I never thought about purchasing a swing. So when I realized I needed one, I returned some things and purchased THIS


I was a zombie mom and the words, "My 6 week old slept through the night the first night we bought this, made me click the buy it now button before I even knew what was going on. I didn't even have a coupon! Which is very unlike me. It arrived, did not magically make my crying child stop, but was very pretty. (I would definitely say if you want something in place of a bassinet, this would be beautiful, but it was not a miracle worker.)
It is now sitting in my closet, waiting for me to get a chance to put it up for sale on craigslist. Because that same zombie mother that made the purchase, didn't return it in time to get my money back. I still hear about it every so often from my husband. But seriously? How was I supposed to carry that huge box into a post office with my newborn?
A friend ended up giving me a swing that actually moved back and forth and it was wonderful.
11.Combi Stroller
It's durable, lightweight, really easy to carry, really easy to fold, and it's so cute!

12.GRIPE WATER
This stuff saved my life! We used it instead of mylicon. I found it to work a whole lot better. It helps fussy tummies so much. I remember the first time I gave it to Barclay, he farted so loud less than a minute later and went straight to sleep.

13.Ergo Baby Carrier
My mother gave this to me and I love it! Unlike a baby bjorn or front carrier, this can be used for years and years. Front, back, or side. Infant to 6 year old. It is amazing and doesn't hurt my back. It also has a little cover that you can use and nurse while you walk, shop, cook, etc. I love mine and will be using it to trek through Italy in a week!


And here are the things that I did wrong.

I knew right away that I did not want a stroller combo. I knew that I didn't want to be stuck with a huge stroller just to carry around that tiny car seat. I actually purchased a graco base (and returned it to get that stupid swing). I wish wish wish I had kept it for those first few months. It's so easy to snap in and go.
I did get talked into buying the Snug Ride car seat by a Babies R US employee. Should have known a teenager wasn't the best person to take advice from.
I was all set up to get a cute, less expensive, lightweight car seat. She convinced me that I should buy one that held up to 33 lbs. More pounds for your money. Made sense to me.
ummmm....Do you know how big 33 pounds is?!?! It's so big, way to big to be carting around in a car seat! My son is 19 lbs now and I would never carry him in that thing. He's been in a rear facing upright for 2 months now. When they get to a certain age, they just want to sit up.
If I could do it all over again, I would have purchased the cheaper, lighter one that fit up to 20 lbs...because that's plenty.



There are other things I don't use very much:
-Hooded baby towels...usually I forget and end up using regular ones.
-Wipe warmer. I was given three, and I highly don't recommend them. I stopped using one after about 3 weeks. Not only did it use electricity, but it dried out the wipes big time!
-Monitor. Barclay slept in our room for 3 months, and after that his room was far across the house. I was petrified that I wouldn't hear him if he needed me so I kept that monitor on for two nights. Let me tell you, I didn't get any sleep from that stupid thing turning on and off with every sigh and murmur. I turned it off and even though he was far away, I heard him as soon as he would start to fuss. Mamas are just like that.


In the end, as someone once told me...
"You only need a boobs, diapers, and a blanket..."