So to all you out there who are already parents, and especially the recent ones, I would like to ask for you help. If you’re reading this on Facebook, go ahead and click to original post to read this & comment =)
There is tons and tons of baby “stuff” out there, some of which I know is not a necessity but helpful, some things are a total waste, and others are must have possessions to survive being a new parent. I would like to hear from you about which items were great and horrible. Here is my list of what I think we need, so if there are things I am missing or don’t need or specific brands/styles/etc that I should know about PLEASE let me know! For some things I have included links to the item I am liking so far (which can on be found on the baby’s Amazon wish list, there is link to the right)
Car Seat – getting an infant one or a convertible one is still unclear to me
Stroller
Crib – not sure of the color yet
Closet Organizer
Changing table/pad
Dresser
Crib Mattress
Crib Sheets
Receiving Blankets
Clothing including socks/booties, cap, mittens
Diapers (cloth) & Inserts
Liners
Trash can/Diaper pail
Wipes (disposable and some cloth)
Wipe warmer – supposedly work great with cloth wipes
Ointment (has to be cloth diaper friendly)
Wet Bag for diaper bag
Diaper Sprayer
Bibs
Breastpump
Nursing Pillow/Boppy
Burp clothes
Bottles (BPA free or glass) & Nipples
Cleaner/Sterilizer
Nursing bras
Breast shields
Baby cubes food storage
High Chair
Bowls, sippy cups (BPA free or stainless steel, baby spoons
Pacifiers
Bumbo Seat
Bathtub
Inflatable tub – because our only bathroom only has a large shower, so we need a place to give baths after the infant stage
Washclothes
Soap
Lotions
Towels
Baby monitor
Thermometer
First Aid Kit
Nail Cliippers
Nasal aspirator
Laundry Detergent
Sling/Carrier & Infant insert – I’m pretty attached to this (have a picture of it hanging in baby’s room, so probably not much point in trying to talk me out it 
Diaper Bag - already have this in a different color & for much cheaper
Swing – already have this too
Toys
Outlet covers
Cabinet latches
Bumpers/Corner covers (for furniture)
Sleep positioner (inclined wedge) – I’ve read reviews that these are horrible & go flat after a few weeks so if anybody knows differently please speak up
Ok, let me hear it!
Ok- looks like a good list. The Boppy you will use to death whether you breast feed or not for about a million different things. They also make slip covers for it which I recommend so that when gBaby spits up you don’t have to wash the actual boppy a million times. Bumbo seat is awesome. Something you don’t have and I recommend cause its eco friendly and rocks is a Frog Pod- made by Boon. Also comes in Lady Bug. Suctions to the shower and holds a million toys, plus you can use the fingers to hang washcloths and has a shelf for soaps, etc. I got a wipe warmer and never used it once. I was too afraid to leave it plugged in and then didn’t have the time to wait for it to warm up. Sleep positioner very important . The one I got was terry cloth with a foam insert. I used it with Sophia and Ella both and have not had any problems with it. Nursing pads- I found that the Johnson and Johnson brand were the only ones you couldn’t really see through my clothes, just FYI. The Sling- I got one and loved the idea of it. I used it for the first month and then got a backache from it. Its hard when they start getting bigger, just my experience.
get a bouncy chair, that thing is great the first year. Yea, i had Caleb 10 years ago, but that is the thing I remember the most. And when they get a little older a bath seat that suctions to the tub.
In my opinion as far as car seats go, get a “portable” one as you have listed till gbaby gets a little bigger, then get one that converts into a booster later when the baby is around a year old. When they’re small, if your an on the go mom (as I’m sure you will be) you wont want to get them in and out of their seat a billion times while their sleeping/content – but you dont need one that holds “extra weight” like some companies like to charge more for cause seriously, who wants to pack a 25 lb kid around in a car seat they have to carry?
As far as the stroller frame, Chris and Katherine have the one you have listed (and maybe the seat too!) and there are ups and downs about it that you can talk more to them about like having to get a new stroller when she grows out of the car seat and such…
there are also these things – not sure what they’re called – but they’re like a shammie for the bed (about 3×3 square)- they’re heavy enough not to move when the baby does, but they absorb everything so when they leak out in the middle of the night, you dont have to change the whole crib sheet (which is a PAIN even if you have a waterproof mattress pad, thats UNDER the sheets that are still wet) – with these things you just pick it up and lay down another – they’re awesome – ive had some trouble finding them in stores around here but I’ve not really checked online -
the changing table and wipe warmer are great if you’re going to be determined to always take the baby to the changing table when he/she needs changed – if you think you’ll be more likely to change her in the room you’re already in (like if her room is upstairs and your haning in the room downstairs) then they arent so great cause they’re not portable – a diaper caddy is portable and a wonderful thing – I might even suggest having one in your “common room” even if you do have the other things so you always have something on hand
one thing you dont have on there that I did was keep a tote in the bottom of the closet – every time Jack grew out of something I would wash it and put it in the tote (changing it out every three months or so) so his things were always packed away when he didnt need them anymore and I didnt have to do a “spring cleaning” everytime he went up a size …
I was told at the WIC office that a simple ice tray was the best way to feeze milk – each compartment is an ounce
Josh and myself and Chris and Kathrine all went for the Columbia brand back pack diaper bag – Ive used it for over two years and it still holds up great! plus its daddy fashionable as well – we all love it cause it frees up your hands to carry baby around and do things – dont have to worry about it falling off your shoulder when you reach over to get baby out of the car or drop something, etc….its awesome…i mean..really awesome….
as far as thermometers – anytime i ever called the doctors office the only temp they would consider was a rectal one – might wanna keep that in mind…
I LOVED my boppy for breastfeeding – it made it so much more comfy –
Kathrine bought the cheap black nursing cover and it SUCKED – if you’ll be feeding out where you’ll need one, pay for a good one
Jack LOVED the exersaucer you all got him and we also got him a stand alone jumpy thing that he spent a LOT of time in
even though we live in a smaller place, we always used our pack and play in the living room when one of us needed to go to the bathroom or do some work around the house or something – safe, close confinement made me feel better
vibrating boucy chairs are a necessity too I think – I would put jack in his when I was getting ready for work – its small so it would fit in the bathroom where I could see him since I was in there for a while – he had fun in it
Jack didnt chill in his swing all that much – he didnt like it – kind of depends on the baby
if you need a gate for any reason get a GOOD one that has a swinging door that closes and locks behind you – less things to juggle and worry about – we wound up getting the tallest one they had so we didnt have to worry about jack climbing over it
well – there are my random baby thoughts – hope they help!
Sounds like a good list. Spring for the good breastpump, I use mine everyday and I dont even work. It doesn’t tear my nips off. Infant carrier is nice but get a small one cause mine is too big and its hard to lug around. The infant carrier is way to go because sometimes you might want to drive around with her to get her to calm down and you wont want to take her out of it once she’s calm. I didn’t get the travel system and got just the car seat frame stoller and I like it real well. It doesn’t take up much room in the car or in aisles. Didn’t use the Boppy, regualr pillow worked better for me. Breast shields can cause infection with prolonged use and I didn’t think they worked at all, its just going to hurt for a little while regardless. I just let my nipples toughen on their own and didn’t use creams either, babies dont like the taste anyway so they wont want to nurse. I used a pacifier and even with a NICU baby she didn’t get nipple confusion, without the pacie you will be a human pacifier. I like my pack-n-play. I set it up in the living room or you could use it as a bassinet and you will need it for travel. Didn’t use the wipe warmer. You can have my sling if you want it cause Maddie is too big for it now. Oh get a diaper bag that Dan wont mind lugging around as well, a “man bag.” THen I have another diaper bag that I use for packing for overnight trips its nice to have both cause one will be packed for all the time use and the other just for special occasions.
Wow Natalie! You are so organized and right on the ball! In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m one of those flaky moms, that just goes with the flow!
Your list was great. I noticed a few things that I wanted to share that I loved. On the bathtub, the inflatable is a great idea. I also had this type of sling with Chloe (we called it the bathtub hammock). It was kind of made like a bouncy seat, but was a cheesecloth like mesh material. You just lay the bambino on it and bath–everything gets rinsed clean and they are stabilized and out of the water. They are really cheap, too (like $7), so when they do get that musty smell eventually, you can easily replace it. I also now use GreenWorks cleaner on EVERYTHING–including bathtub toys, bathtub, etc. It works awesome and is totally safe, so you could spray the “hammock” down each time and it would probably last a lot longer. Wipe warmers are also great–I just had the run of the mill one from Baby’s R Us. I would also have to say that investing in the infant car seat is definitely worth it. They are so conveniant for going out, to dinner, etc. Most babies are very happy to sit in their carrier. Hope this little bit helps! 
Looks like you’ve got it all covered.
We got a travel system, love it. If baby is asleep you don’t have to take them out to anywhere or to use the stroller. And you have cup holders and storage underneath. I have a breast pump, it’s great and only like $60. I haven’t used an expensive one but based on talking to others as long as it’s not cheaply made it works just the same. I’d save your money. We have a convertible crib, it turns into a toddler bed, daybed, and a full size bed. No drop down side and really easy to change-drop the mattress and convert. We have a monitor that has a sensor pad so you don’t have to worry about sids or choking as much b/c it has an alarm that lets you know if there is any pause in breathing and will slightly wake the baby so they remember to breathe. Really nice in the beginning, we slept alittle better knowing that we had that. We used the bpa free Dr. Browns bottles, love them. But now that we use them more(strictly nursed for the first5 months except when someone would babysit) the drop-ins are sooo convenient especially on the go, they are bpa free also. Johnson’s products are too harsh for Connor’s skin we usr Aveano baby fragrance free everything. Johnson’s would make his break out in a rash. Get a gum & tooth finger brush, used one from day 1. Connor loves to have his teeth brushed. We have a mommy and a daddy diaper bag. We use the daddy one more. I love mine, It’s coach but the daddy bag is so much more convenient. Would have died with out the boppy, so good for nursing especially when really tired, but he used to lay in it in the floor to watch him video or play etc.. good to sit on after delivery too! A swaddling blanket w/ velcro was a must needed to be swaddled to sleep but would get out of a regular blanket. Used a wipe warmer in the beginning a cold wipe would get some loud crying, warm was very quiet. Doesn’t care now. Bumbo was great but my little spaz figured out how to get out of it so after about 6 months in didn’t work out well b/c he was always trying to get out. We just use it now for traveling, great for that now. Never used breast shields, after about a week your skin toughens up(that sounds gross, it doesn’t look different just takes the abuse better)
Just my opinions:)
Any ?s about anything just ask.
You seem like you’re doing just fine, trust your instincts!
Thanks Kat…and Kristina, Kelly & Becca for their very detailed & helpful emails. I am a bit sad because the infant car seat I thought was nice weighs 18lbs. I have no upper body strength, so add a baby and that will be really heavy. We’ve looked at the Graco SnugRide seats because they fit in the car seat frame stroller, which I’m glad to hear that someone else went with that option. I don’t know anyone else who used one but it looked liked a good idea to us. My preference is to use my carrier way more than most people I know, so I don’t see the need to invest in a big car seat system. Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts & tips
Matt and I got a baby carrier (I know you said not to try to talk you out of it) but I never ended up using it much. It did get used though and I’m still glad we got it. Matt and my dad got the most use out of it though.
For carrying Aubree, I couldn’t live without my ring sling. It’s like a Maya wrap if you’ve ever heard of them. (mayawrap.com)
I have two and I made them myself. The Maya Wrap website even provides a diy pattern (http://www.mayawrap.com/n_sewsling.php) and instructional videos on how to use them.
I definately recommend them to any new mom. They are especially handy with breastfeeding and doing it inconspicuosly in public.
I used mine to help carry her around until she was well after one year.
I only saw one comment on here because only Katherine had already been approved before. I totally forgot to check if there were others waiting to be approved (the email address has to be approved once by me before you can leave comments on here). Sorry ladies and thanks to all of you. I really appreciate the time everyone has taken to share their ideas