Being a new mom is overwhelming in a myriad of ways. What on earth do you expect?!
"You mean I am in charge of a little life now?"
"What do I do!?!?!"
"When do I sleep?"
"What if they sneeze?!"
Some say it just comes naturally.
They're lying.
Okay, maybe some parts will come naturally, like smiling at your baby, or speaking in "Motherese" to them. But you won't be able to pick up much else if you've never EVER seen or been around newborn babies before. That's where the companies get you...
Registering for a new baby is kind of like labor: There's a lot of fear, anxiety, hard work, emotional outbursts at your husband, pain, and hyperventilation. If you've ever registered, you may know what I'm talking about. No matter how many people you talk to, or how much research you've done, you end up just putting everything on the list anyway, just to be safe.
Through my grueling process of trying to find what I wanted (reading blogs, talking to friends, asking my doctor's advice and my mothers), I heard a lot of "You HAVE to get this. It saved my life." or "I couldn't live without this." or even "You didn't get a 'this'?" Friends' advice is great. They've been there on the front lines. They have the experience you lack. Only one problem: you're not having their baby. You're having YOUR baby, and your baby will be different. That so-and-so that was the only thing that helped their baby sleep will probably not help yours. The whatsit that stopped their baby crying will probably
make yours cry.
So what do you do?!
Again, register for everything and find out what works. Or borrow from friends or neighbors.
I also noticed a lack of some items that ARE necessities. In my "years" of expertise as a mother (of 1), my opinion probably doesn't matter to most, but I'm going to give you a list anyway of things you don't "need" and things you will
absolutely need that no one tells you about.
What you DON'T need:
This was the most ridiculous item I've come across:
1. Baby food processor:
If you have a blender or food processor, use it. If you have ice cube trays, use them. No need to have redundant kitchen items. You'll have enough baby gear as it is without your baby food processor and accessories taking up precious cabinet space.
2. Dreft:
Almost every other brand of detergent makes perfume and dye free detergent, and it won't cost you $20. Dreft contains perfumes, so think twice if your baby is sensitive to those.
3. Fancy Thermometer:
You probably have one already. Use it. This was my doc's recommendation. Rectal temp is most accurate anyway.
4. Hooded bath towel, or "cutsie" bath towels.
Yes, they are adorable, and we own one, but how practical is a baby bath robe? They wear it for 5 minutes until you get them dressed. Plus they're a little rough and scratchy. Good for a picture only. Pass. Use a regular towel.
5. Nursing stool:
Prop some pillows under your feet.
What you ABSOLUTELY will need that no one tells you about:
Yes, we know you need a car seat and place for baby to sleep and diapers and all that, but no one seems to tell you about these things.
1. Shout:
I won't go into detail about the stains, but you WILL use shout, or another stain fighter.
2. Vaseline:
Most moms will give you diaper rash cream and swear by it. To this day I haven't used any of the 5 tubes I got from baby showers. My doctor recommended that I use Vaseline on Reed's tush every time I changed his diaper. Benefits: Easier to wipe skin clean (especially that first, sticky meconium), protection from rash. I've also heard washing their butt off with water works if they're allergic. **Do not use if cloth diapering**
3. A plan for baby's too-small clothes:
You can't just throw them in a big pile in the closet (well, I guess you could). There's just not enough space for the amount of clothes baby is going to accumulate. Whether it's giving them away, selling them, or storing them for another baby, you need a plan. Don't wait until baby is 1 before you tackle this monster. I have friends that registered for storage tubs just for this purpose. Those can get pricey depending on what you want.
4. Picture/video storage:
I have about a million pictures of Reed, and he's only 7 months old! The beauty of this technological age is we can take as many pictures as we want without guessing what it will look like when it's developed. You will need a plan for how to store/organize those photos. If it's the cloud or an external hard drive, you'll need something.
5. A sense of humor:
Things won't happen the way you want: he'll still wake up several times a night when he's 6 months old (yawn), your couch will have all manner of fluids leaked onto it, your house is in a constant state of "being picked up", you'll do more laundry in a day than you used to do in a week, your friend will tell you all about how perfect and easy their new baby is, etc. Try to relax and go with the flow. Have a sense of humor when you're being peed on (or worse). Don't stress when people show up and your house is a mess (they know you just had a baby). This was the hardest thing for me, and those hormones don't help!
Things I have LOVED:
Not necessities, but I have really enjoyed them.
1. QuickZip zippered sheets:
Oh my gosh! One of the best baby gear inventions!
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| Target.com |
2. Small wash bag to put baby's small things in (like socks):
Those socks are SO SMALL! I'm really afraid the washer or dryer will eat them.
Where I put this for easy access.
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| Target.com |
3. Swivel rocker:
Love this so much. Best place to feed little man. Got ours from Buy Buy Baby.
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| cabotwrenncare.com |
4. Hidden in my Heart: A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture (songs)
Love, love, love, love!
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| Amazon.com |
Enjoy!
The Turners
Coming up next....Reed is 7 months old!!
