There’s a lot of gear that goes along with a baby, oooh, boy. A few things are somewhat critical to have, a lot of it is nice but not necessary, some of it is just luxurious, some of it is crap. We’ve really lucked out on that last category; we really seem to be using most of what we got. Part of that is because I did a lot of research ahead of time, but mostly it reflects highly on those who gave us stuff. Thanks again to everyone! So in the next few days, I will be posting my opinions of What You Might Want To Get When A Baby Is Coming To Your House Soon, based on what has been our experience.
Clothes
Notes: For the first days, you don’t want anything too tight rubbing near the cord, like pant tops or zippers on sleepers. We used little wrap shirts, that snap on the sides, and/or “baby bags” with the drawstrings or elastic at the bottom, or jumpsuits with snaps. Later, soft zippered sleepers or jumpsuits are great for easy diaper changes (with feet or without) at night, and we’ve needed a lot of them because every morning they end up smelling like sour milk. For day clothes, pants without snaps or easy diaper access can be annoying, unless they pull on and off easily. Regular, non-stretchy pants, jumpers or full body outfits without snaps/diaper access = very annoying! Also, remember that whenever you need to go in the car, make sure the kid is wearing something that can handle the crotch strap (not a baby bag, for example)
3-4 “wrap-style” undershirts (or maybe some Kimono-style shirts)
2-3 baby bag sleepers
4-5 footed/nonfooted sleepers
1-3 sleep sacks, light or heavy depending on time of year
8-10 onesies
2-5 long sleeve onesies and/or shirts, depending on season
3-4 soft pull-on cotton pants
2-4 full body jumpers for daytime
5-10 pairs of socks (if you are like us you will lose a ton of these so stock up)
2 or more sweater/sweatshirts
1 or more coat, depending on season
2-4 hats, warm or wide-brimmed, depending on season. Its good to have at least one very soft warm hat for the first few days, no matter what.
Of course its nice to have a few more of each of those things, and some extras, too, like little dresses, jeans/khakis or overalls, shorts, etc, some funky t-shirts, soft shoes, but those are more for fun & going out, and not as necessary. Also, make sure not to buy everything in the tiniest/newborn sizes (ones saying up to 8-10 lbs) or all all 0-3 or 3-6 months sizes, in case you are surprised by a bigger or smaller than average kid. I’ve discovered, however, that baby clothes sizing ranges considerably, so you probably will get somewhat of a range regardless. And you will get a LOT of clothes as gifts, so I don’t recommend buying a ton of stuff too early, either (though it is damn easy to fall for cute baby clothes, I’ve discovered).
Any suggestions, readers? More soon, including bedding, carriers, and other gear…
Emma lounging outside in her tent, wearing a terrycloth short jumper.
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What a great idea! The only thing I would add is receiving blankets — for the first couple of days or weeks, our baby also was bundled, so I consider the blanet part of the “wardrobe” as well. My advice is to skip the overalls – especially denim. Unless they are on the snug end of fitting, I found that the front part buckles up into the baby’s face and usually winds up in their mouth. Looks bad and get REALLY wet. Can set off the rooting reflex in the youngins.
The only surprise I found on your list was socks… because we have yet to put a pair on our little one. I know that fall is around the corner and he will have to learn about these things, but so far, he hasn’t worn anything on his footsies other than footed PJ’s.
Thanks for part I of Baby Gear Round-Up. Do you have any advice about breast pumps and bottles? Manual vs. electric pumps, how much to spend, etc. I’ve also noticed there are a LOT of bottles on the market.
I’ve been learning a lot about baby stuff on target.com by reading customer reviews – what a great site! But, I haven’t figured out the breastfeeding stuff yet.