Pregnancy, Parenthood & Playtime

When I left you the other day, I was about a quarter of the way through the “necessary items” Babies R Us feels you need in order to raise a baby, or start out as a parent, I will continue with my list today, starting with…

Breastfeeding Cover – This list includes a breastfeeding wrap, or cover which again, I never had any use for. Throw a blanket over your shoulder and be on your way. Lord knows you will get more than enough blankets from family, friends, baby showers, and whoever else. You will have enough for eternity!
Breastmilk Storage bags/containers – Unless you are planning on going back to work, or leaving your baby for an extended period of time, there really is no need to pump and store. I started doing that with my oldest child, and so much milk went to waste. But if you are going back to work, or have an occasion you know you will be leaving for baby for a while they are probably a good idea.
Nursing Pillow – YES!  If you are planning on nursing, spend the money and get yourself a boppy!  It is a life saver, especially if you have a c-section!! I have used it with both of my children, and will use it with any child after, and they are also useful as your baby grows. Currently we are using ours for play time on the floor to help our almost 8 month old sit up and he loves it. I suggest getting a naked boppy, with a cover or two that you can remove and wash. Sometimes you get spit up, or breast milk on the pillow and if it is the type that the cover doesn’t come off, over time the pillow may start to smell. Icky!
Bottles - If you are breast feeding, skip on them for a while, you could cause nipple confusion, or nipple preference and it could lead to either baby not wanting to go back onto the breast, or refusing to take a bottle. If you are not planning to breastfeed, you should invest in 6-8 bottles. Our personal preference in our house in Born Free bottles. We have never had a leak or issue with them, and they are great at cutting down on air and gas in babies.
The below specifically relates to those who have chosen to bottle feed.
Bottle Brush – Even if you are planning on using a dish washer for washing your bottles, I still suggest a bottle brush. You never know when you will get stuck and need to wash one by hand, and also, if you are half as worried as I am, you will pre-wash the bottles before actually putting them into the dish washer.
Bottle Drying Rack – If you are choosing to wash bottles by hand, or do not have a dish washer this may be a good buy for you, but if you have a dish washer, it is pretty much useless!
Dishwasher Caddy – Yes Yes Yes!!!  We love ours!  It basically allows you to put the pieces of your bottles, nipples, and other small baby toys or pacifiers into it so they do not fly all over your dish washer when it comes time to wash!  We absolutely love ours!
Insulated Tote – Honestly, I have never used one and I have done both breast and bottle fed. We would always just use the diaper bag, and simply not fill the bottle with water till we got where we were going. If you are into hiking or going places where that is not an option, it may be a good investment, but for most, it is just useless because of the amount of bottled water and other options.
Now onto solid feeding, which you really don’t have to worry about until your baby is at least 6 months old, because that is the current suggestion from the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) for starting solid foods.
Feeding Seat – This could vary from an actual high chair, to a small booster type seat that goes on a kitchen chair, or a bumbo seat. First off I will say we started using our bumbo seat with both children around 4 months of age, and we absolutely LOVE it!  Though there have been warnings, and recalls, all were from improper use on the part of the supervising adult. NEVER USE A BUMBO ON A HIGH SURFACE AND TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR BABY!! We really keep ours for floor use ONLY! But it has become our feeding seat for both of our children while they were small. It also helps them to learn how to sit up. It is great!
As for a regular high chair, with our oldest, we didn’t use one until he was nearly a year old. We had no need for one with the bumbo seat.
Training Cups - Of course they are a must have, but they aren’t really a “must have” until your baby is 9+ months old. Putting them down on something like a baby registry would be premature. We were fully switched over from a bottle to a sippy cup by 1 year old, but not all kids are as easy to wean off of the bottle if they have got one.
Spoons – Of course again it is something you will need, but you will not need it until your baby is 6+ months old.
Splat Mat – Honestly, we never used one, and I didn’t even know what they were until I just read it about it while writing this. We would always just clean up the area around our high chair after eating, if there was a need for it. I am sure some people have a need for it, but cleaning without it takes a whole 5 seconds for me.

I am going to stop here for the day, I guess this is going to turn into a 3 part post!
I do not want to get into all the baby bathing stuff and cut it off half way through a post because it has got too long.
See you guys tomorrow!