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What to register for? Just for fun!
OK ladies - just for fun! This is my first pregnancy, and people are already on me to register, but it seems so overwhelming! What do I need/want? I have no clue? Thought it would be fun if we share some of the items we REALLY want. I know I want a Pack N Play (and have a sneaking suspicion that my mom has already bought one for me), but what else should we be registering for??? Any advice on brands as well?
My husband said NO to the wipe warmer and I told him the same thing, "would you like a cold wet wipe on your but when someone is cleaning you and you just woke up from a nap" so he's warmed up to the idea now.
Iam starting a registry on Target and I am going to do Babies R Us too but my problem is that my friend is getting us a bunch of stuff that she doesn't use anymore from her son so I am almost running out of things to register for! I don't want to register for stuff that I already have even if its used, I don't care.
Iam starting a registry on Target and I am going to do Babies R Us too but my problem is that my friend is getting us a bunch of stuff that she doesn't use anymore from her son so I am almost running out of things to register for! I don't want to register for stuff that I already have even if its used, I don't care.
Everyone laughs at me re: the wipe warmer. I have to admit, with my first daughter I thought it was silly and frivilous. Oh my was I wrong! Can you imagine having a cold wet towel touch your bottom in the middle of the night? I would be pissed! The wipe warmer made a huge difference in night time changes.
don't sweat it, sis---it's actually not that big of a deal. there's a tad bit of controversy over how to care for it, personally i think the docs that say "no just don't mess with it" are completely irresponsible and will cause your son unnecessary pain and suffering.
all you have to do is basically (TMI alert!!), pull the skin on the shaft "down", toward his body, each time you change his diaper, and then swipe a little neosporin on it. if you don't, then that little lip will heal back to the shaft in varying degrees and will require greater effort and pain when it does have to be separated again.
My ex-step-son (if you can follow that) had to have his done by the doc when he was 2 and a half because his mother was not told to do it when he was a newborn---then she wasn't told to do it the second time either (even though she was warned by a few other mothers) and it reattached again (duh). it was horribly traumatic for him--had to be redone when he was almost 4... she finally used some neosporin and separated the skin each day and now he's fine, but it was awful and increadibly painful.
My nephew went through the same thing but not quite as bad when he was just under a year. I had suggested to my sister that she do it but she insisted she shouldn't since her doc told her not to... Needless to say she told her doctor off, and didn't follow those neglectful orders again with her second son. He healed up great with no issues.
If your doc tells you not to worry about it and don't pull the skin back during diaper changes, ask them why on earth they would say that. My doc told me to, and my son healed perfectly and never had a problem (if you let it go a couple days it can start to sort of stick, is tougher to pull, that's the worst we ever went through).
Really that's all you have to worry about. He'll likely have some gauze around it the first day or two, but after that it's just making sure it's clean and the skin doesn't reattach when you change his diaper. I was more worried about the belly button! ;-)
all you have to do is basically (TMI alert!!), pull the skin on the shaft "down", toward his body, each time you change his diaper, and then swipe a little neosporin on it. if you don't, then that little lip will heal back to the shaft in varying degrees and will require greater effort and pain when it does have to be separated again.
My ex-step-son (if you can follow that) had to have his done by the doc when he was 2 and a half because his mother was not told to do it when he was a newborn---then she wasn't told to do it the second time either (even though she was warned by a few other mothers) and it reattached again (duh). it was horribly traumatic for him--had to be redone when he was almost 4... she finally used some neosporin and separated the skin each day and now he's fine, but it was awful and increadibly painful.
My nephew went through the same thing but not quite as bad when he was just under a year. I had suggested to my sister that she do it but she insisted she shouldn't since her doc told her not to... Needless to say she told her doctor off, and didn't follow those neglectful orders again with her second son. He healed up great with no issues.
If your doc tells you not to worry about it and don't pull the skin back during diaper changes, ask them why on earth they would say that. My doc told me to, and my son healed perfectly and never had a problem (if you let it go a couple days it can start to sort of stick, is tougher to pull, that's the worst we ever went through).
Really that's all you have to worry about. He'll likely have some gauze around it the first day or two, but after that it's just making sure it's clean and the skin doesn't reattach when you change his diaper. I was more worried about the belly button! ;-)
jessbbg - OMG! I haven't even thought about that! We are going to have him circumcised, but I haven't even given a thought to the care of it - poor guy :-( thanks!
ladybug----no problem, that's what we're here for!
i wanted to say since you're having a boy, one thing that came in handy for me was neosporin+pain relief for my son in caring for his circumcision.
not to be presumptuous, if you're not having him circumcised, that's cool---but if you are, get a couple tubes of the ointment (clear gel-type stuff, not the white cream--it'll say which one it is, cream or ointment, on the package). it should make the healing process go much more smoothly :-)
i wanted to say since you're having a boy, one thing that came in handy for me was neosporin+pain relief for my son in caring for his circumcision.
not to be presumptuous, if you're not having him circumcised, that's cool---but if you are, get a couple tubes of the ointment (clear gel-type stuff, not the white cream--it'll say which one it is, cream or ointment, on the package). it should make the healing process go much more smoothly :-)
GRose - thanks for the encouragement! i can't wait! although my hubby will probably want to go - this being our first - he is completely amazed by the "stuff they've come up with" as he puts it - since his little cousins came along!
Jessbg - Thank you so much! I love getting insight from experienced moms! i will definitely take what you posted into consideration! As for the hubby - my husband hates asking for things as well - but I think he'll be ok. I'm going to have to tell him he's not the only one that doesn't enjoy Christmas/Birthday gifts though, bc I've been telling him for years that he is an anomoly LOL!
OH - and I am definitely checking out the sids site you posted!
jenkaye - thanks! I have looked at the baskets and hven't ben able to make up my mind, but after reading what you and jessbg wrote I think I'm going to go for it!
AP - Thank you bunches!!
liscamdave - I'm not - but only because their isn't one close by for people to shop at. Personally - I love the place! I'll PM you though bc I would love to see what you are registered for. I'm having a boy!!
Jessbg - Thank you so much! I love getting insight from experienced moms! i will definitely take what you posted into consideration! As for the hubby - my husband hates asking for things as well - but I think he'll be ok. I'm going to have to tell him he's not the only one that doesn't enjoy Christmas/Birthday gifts though, bc I've been telling him for years that he is an anomoly LOL!
OH - and I am definitely checking out the sids site you posted!
jenkaye - thanks! I have looked at the baskets and hven't ben able to make up my mind, but after reading what you and jessbg wrote I think I'm going to go for it!
AP - Thank you bunches!!
liscamdave - I'm not - but only because their isn't one close by for people to shop at. Personally - I love the place! I'll PM you though bc I would love to see what you are registered for. I'm having a boy!!
Are you going to use a Babies R us? If so, they will give you a check list to go by. It has everything you basically need and would want. You can pick the colors and patterns to the more specific things. If you want, send me a PM and I will let you go look at my resigtry. I will give you my last name and you can see the stuff I got. I am having a girl though. WHat are you having?
jen, i plan on posting about this later separately, but i encourage you to buy one more new thing----a crib mattress and wrap for the mattress (or at least the wrap). for more info now, you can check out: http://www.stopsidsnow.com/
it is all about mattress wrapping and the 100% success rate at eliminating sids (it is caused by gasses put off from the chemicals in the mattress mixing with common household mold, basically---everyone's home, no one is immune). it's largely ignored for political/special interest reasons in the U.S., so if you haven't heard of it, that's why.
I'm usually skeptical myself about "medical miracles" from other countries, it's so cliched, but this is pure simple scientific detective work, and the data is so overwhelming it will probably freak you out. Since I found out about it, I've let some of my hospitals know---and more than a dozen of them have begun actual campaigns to promote mattress wrapping among their L&D patients.
Anyway, I'll post on it soon.
- Jess
it is all about mattress wrapping and the 100% success rate at eliminating sids (it is caused by gasses put off from the chemicals in the mattress mixing with common household mold, basically---everyone's home, no one is immune). it's largely ignored for political/special interest reasons in the U.S., so if you haven't heard of it, that's why.
I'm usually skeptical myself about "medical miracles" from other countries, it's so cliched, but this is pure simple scientific detective work, and the data is so overwhelming it will probably freak you out. Since I found out about it, I've let some of my hospitals know---and more than a dozen of them have begun actual campaigns to promote mattress wrapping among their L&D patients.
Anyway, I'll post on it soon.
- Jess
I would def register for the stroller you want and baby swing and hichair and stuff fot the bath etc. Everything you need register for.. It is alot of fun. Congrats on being a first time mom!
AP
AP
I second jessbbg on the Moses basket!! I absolutely loved mine, it was borrowed, and it is the *only* new thing I plan to buy for baby #4. (My friend gaves hers away. = (
ooooh heavens, this is a very sensitive subject for me right now, lol. i'm going to answer, but first i'm going to vent about my current registering dilemma (pregnant hormonal chick's first right!! lol):
i started getting the pressure to register hardcore last week, so my partner said to go ahead and do it without him, i knew better than him what we need, etc... i did. and the ensuing fights were unfathomable. i am a humble person. i feel bad putting anything over $10 on a registry, i dont even like "asking" at all, but i was berated for registering for anything other than diapers, bottles, and clothing. apparently according to him (never had a kid), everything else is excessive junk and he's embarrassed to send such an indulgent list to his family and friends... YEAH. From pacifiers to a bottle sterilizer to a bumbo seat (my thrifty $35 alternative to a $150 high chair). He even ripped me a new one for the boppy pillow...
Aside from the fact that he has issues with people buying us things (it's a pride thing, he hates christmas and his birthday for the same reason, so that's where a lot of it stemmed from), here are some things I had with my son (or didn't have and wish I did) that made life so much better and are worth at least double the price paid for them:
- BUMBO SEAT (these things are AWESOME, light and portable and durable and mega-convenient and it helps teach baby to sit up independently)
- DR BROWN'S NATURAL FLOW BOTTLES (you don't have to stop for air, it's just like a breast, they are miracle bottles, reduces colic, AND reduces spitting up!!)
- WIPES WARMER (after a week i couldn't take the look of shock and betrayal in his eyes and the ensuing shrieking when the wipes were so cold they hurt----and i was so sick of cupping individual wipes in my hand and blowing on them, or using the microwave if i needed to change him---it was just so much easier to have a warmer. i may forego it this time since i'm having her in July instead of november and I live in florida instead of ohio now)
- "SWADDLER" STYLE BLANKET (babies will actually scare and upset themselves with their own flailing limbs, it's such a stark difference from the tightness of the womb, which is why you see them swaddled so much in the hospital nursery. but only nurses seem to have the secret to successfully swaddling a baby, for the rest of us there are "swaddlers". I tried without one, and NEVER fully succeeded in properly swaddling my baby, even when he needed it. I would have killed for one of these.)
- MOSES BASKET (this was my NUMBER ONE, my lifeline, the best gift i ever got, and i buy one for everyone i know who's having a baby. I thought my mother was being indulgent when she got me one, but it was the most wonderful item on the planet. Not only does it enable you to easily transport baby around with you throughout your day, but i discovered when my son was about 6 wks old that it actually fits perfectly inside a bassinet. So when baby falls asleep in it at the end of the day, you don't have to pick them up and put them to bed and risk waking them. You just lift the basket and slide it into the bassinet, crib, whatever. and every baby i've ever provided one for--both my sisters, my sister in law, and 17 friends now--have all loved being in it. If there is one thing you beg for, let it be a moses basket--you can actually get them pretty cheap if you look).
- EXERSAUCER (hours and hours and hours of fun, nuff said)
- WALKER (yes, i had a walker and an exersaucer, to me they serve two different purposes. a lot of people say these are dangerous, but unless you let your baby play at the top of stairs, then you don't have a problem. My son started walking at 9 months, and it's because my mother insisted we put him in the walker at 4 months. he was never happier than when ramming into our toes and shins in the kitchen while we tried to cook, lol)
- BASSINET (i used a bassinet, others use cosleepers, etc. I liked having him in my room the first few months, it made tending to him in the middle of the night so much easier, and probably safer)
- BOUNCY/VIBRATION SEAT (this enabled me to do minor things like oh, i dunno, pee, bathe, and check the mail, and he had so much fun in it.)
- HUGGIES WASHCLOTHS (when you're not so great yet at bathing a 4 day old baby, you will thank God for these, even if you are an atheist. It is so much easier than trying to hold your baby up and grab a washcloth and squeeze or pump the soap out one-handed onto the cloth and actually get the baby soap to spread around on that washcloth and then try to bathe your baby with it. huggies washcloth: dip in water and start bathing)
I actually never once used a play pen... i dunno, i guess i just didn't need it.
I had a swing, and we did use it, but it wasn't crucial. Though, he did enjoy it. He was very content in the swing. If we are given one i will use it but i don't know if i'll buy one myself this time with all the other stuff out there.
Don't forget your obvious basics that we often forget:
Diapers
Wipes
Bottles
EXTRA NIPPLES FOR THOSE BOTTLES
Bottle brush
Cloth Diapers (they absorb spit up WAY better than most spit-up rags/burp cloths/receiving blankets)
Desitin (I recommend clear or creamy, not original)
More diapers
More wipes
More cloth diapers
Nursery Stain Remover (for the poop and spit up that WILL get on baby's clothes)
I'm sure I could think of more, but here is enough to at least keep you busy reading for an hour or so ;-)
i started getting the pressure to register hardcore last week, so my partner said to go ahead and do it without him, i knew better than him what we need, etc... i did. and the ensuing fights were unfathomable. i am a humble person. i feel bad putting anything over $10 on a registry, i dont even like "asking" at all, but i was berated for registering for anything other than diapers, bottles, and clothing. apparently according to him (never had a kid), everything else is excessive junk and he's embarrassed to send such an indulgent list to his family and friends... YEAH. From pacifiers to a bottle sterilizer to a bumbo seat (my thrifty $35 alternative to a $150 high chair). He even ripped me a new one for the boppy pillow...
Aside from the fact that he has issues with people buying us things (it's a pride thing, he hates christmas and his birthday for the same reason, so that's where a lot of it stemmed from), here are some things I had with my son (or didn't have and wish I did) that made life so much better and are worth at least double the price paid for them:
- BUMBO SEAT (these things are AWESOME, light and portable and durable and mega-convenient and it helps teach baby to sit up independently)
- DR BROWN'S NATURAL FLOW BOTTLES (you don't have to stop for air, it's just like a breast, they are miracle bottles, reduces colic, AND reduces spitting up!!)
- WIPES WARMER (after a week i couldn't take the look of shock and betrayal in his eyes and the ensuing shrieking when the wipes were so cold they hurt----and i was so sick of cupping individual wipes in my hand and blowing on them, or using the microwave if i needed to change him---it was just so much easier to have a warmer. i may forego it this time since i'm having her in July instead of november and I live in florida instead of ohio now)
- "SWADDLER" STYLE BLANKET (babies will actually scare and upset themselves with their own flailing limbs, it's such a stark difference from the tightness of the womb, which is why you see them swaddled so much in the hospital nursery. but only nurses seem to have the secret to successfully swaddling a baby, for the rest of us there are "swaddlers". I tried without one, and NEVER fully succeeded in properly swaddling my baby, even when he needed it. I would have killed for one of these.)
- MOSES BASKET (this was my NUMBER ONE, my lifeline, the best gift i ever got, and i buy one for everyone i know who's having a baby. I thought my mother was being indulgent when she got me one, but it was the most wonderful item on the planet. Not only does it enable you to easily transport baby around with you throughout your day, but i discovered when my son was about 6 wks old that it actually fits perfectly inside a bassinet. So when baby falls asleep in it at the end of the day, you don't have to pick them up and put them to bed and risk waking them. You just lift the basket and slide it into the bassinet, crib, whatever. and every baby i've ever provided one for--both my sisters, my sister in law, and 17 friends now--have all loved being in it. If there is one thing you beg for, let it be a moses basket--you can actually get them pretty cheap if you look).
- EXERSAUCER (hours and hours and hours of fun, nuff said)
- WALKER (yes, i had a walker and an exersaucer, to me they serve two different purposes. a lot of people say these are dangerous, but unless you let your baby play at the top of stairs, then you don't have a problem. My son started walking at 9 months, and it's because my mother insisted we put him in the walker at 4 months. he was never happier than when ramming into our toes and shins in the kitchen while we tried to cook, lol)
- BASSINET (i used a bassinet, others use cosleepers, etc. I liked having him in my room the first few months, it made tending to him in the middle of the night so much easier, and probably safer)
- BOUNCY/VIBRATION SEAT (this enabled me to do minor things like oh, i dunno, pee, bathe, and check the mail, and he had so much fun in it.)
- HUGGIES WASHCLOTHS (when you're not so great yet at bathing a 4 day old baby, you will thank God for these, even if you are an atheist. It is so much easier than trying to hold your baby up and grab a washcloth and squeeze or pump the soap out one-handed onto the cloth and actually get the baby soap to spread around on that washcloth and then try to bathe your baby with it. huggies washcloth: dip in water and start bathing)
I actually never once used a play pen... i dunno, i guess i just didn't need it.
I had a swing, and we did use it, but it wasn't crucial. Though, he did enjoy it. He was very content in the swing. If we are given one i will use it but i don't know if i'll buy one myself this time with all the other stuff out there.
Don't forget your obvious basics that we often forget:
Diapers
Wipes
Bottles
EXTRA NIPPLES FOR THOSE BOTTLES
Bottle brush
Cloth Diapers (they absorb spit up WAY better than most spit-up rags/burp cloths/receiving blankets)
Desitin (I recommend clear or creamy, not original)
More diapers
More wipes
More cloth diapers
Nursery Stain Remover (for the poop and spit up that WILL get on baby's clothes)
I'm sure I could think of more, but here is enough to at least keep you busy reading for an hour or so ;-)
I went to babies r us and target and just scanned away, everything I saw that I wanted went on my list.
I did keep price in mind of course cause I didn't want to be greedy but HAVE FUN with it, I loved registering. I would definitely go to the store rather than doing it online, that way you can actually SEE everything and you know what is available in the store since a lot of items online are only available online. It is so much more fun to go there and use the little scanning gun, bring your sister or a girlfriend along, guys don't usually care too much about that stuff.
I did keep price in mind of course cause I didn't want to be greedy but HAVE FUN with it, I loved registering. I would definitely go to the store rather than doing it online, that way you can actually SEE everything and you know what is available in the store since a lot of items online are only available online. It is so much more fun to go there and use the little scanning gun, bring your sister or a girlfriend along, guys don't usually care too much about that stuff.
I am 19 weeks and it was recommended to me that I read the book Baby Bargains. It has ratings on every brand of baby gear that you can imagine as well as a sample registry in the back that you can use to guide your registry. A pregnant co-worker recommended it to me and I have learned sooo much! They also have a blog:
http://baby411.typepad.com/babybargains/
This will give you information about recent recalls and readers personal experiences with certain products. You can sign up to get the email updates and they will send you an email when a new recall is posted.
http://baby411.typepad.com/babybargains/
This will give you information about recent recalls and readers personal experiences with certain products. You can sign up to get the email updates and they will send you an email when a new recall is posted.
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