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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Moms - help me prepare
So we've got all the big, obvious things ready for our little guy's arrival (you know... crib, dresser, changing pad, clothes, cute nursery decor). But what are the little things that we'll need right at the beginning that we might not be thinking about? We're planning to cloth diaper, but we're going to stock up on some newborn disposables for the first couple of weeks so that we're not overwhelmed at the beginning. We'll need wipes, too, of course. And I guess baby soap for bathing him? What other stuff like that should I stock up on? And if you have any brand recommendations, I'm all ears! 
Thanks!
Re: Moms - help me prepare
Desitin or Baby Butt Paste
Aquafour (sp?) - I use for both diaper rashes and dry patches of skin on his little face. It's just a skin protectant/barrier
Aside from wipes, diapers, thats really all you need for changing him....
As for things I could NOT live without, especially in the beginning:
- Sheet Savers (much easier to throw these in the wash or laundry basket at 3am instead of changing the entire sheets on the bed)- Used them in the pack n play, crib, and cradle...I recommend getting 2-3 since one is always in the wash.
- Extra changing pad cover
- Extra water proof pad for under the crib sheet / Extra crib & Pack N Play sheets
- Swaddlers or Swaddle blankets...We call them the "cheater swaddlers" in our house, but they literally saved our butts when Blake was colicky.
- EXTRA burp clothes...our kid is a spitter! But I would avoid the guazy ones, they are crap. Stick with the premium pre fold ones (super thick)
Are you planning on Formula or breastfeeding? I did both, so I can give you a list of recommended things for either one!
For us, swaddle blankets were a must. Since it will still be warm in September when you baby is due, I recommend these blankets for swaddling.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?SKU=16692441&RN=7013&
If you would prefer a "cheater" blanket for swaddling though, I recommend this:
http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?SKU=15002921&
Are you planning on breast or bottlefeeding? We planned on breast, but baby had other plans so we pumped and bottlefed. Dr. Brown's bottles were a lifesaver for colic/gas issues.
Also, do you have a swing? One that is designed for newborns? Our swing was an absolute lifesaver.
You may also want a sound machine. We have this one and love it. Our son still uses it to sleep.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?SKU=14643125&
Oh and you mentioned that you want to cloth diaper. What kind are you planning on using? We cloth diaper and love it! We didn't start until he was about 2 months old, but wish we would have started at birth. We plan on starting at birth for the next one. If you have any questions about it, let me know!
Good luck!
Thank you SO much. This list is awesome. I never would have thought of an extra changing pad cover or those sheet savers, but that is brilliant.
As of right now (and I change my mind approximately every 15 minutes), my plan is to breastfeed right at the beginning and then switch to formula at some point. Not sure when I'll switch to formula, but probably sooner rather than later.
Great point on the heat. We've gotten a few swaddle blankets as gifts, but they're mostly really heavy and thick, so I've been thinking there is no way we'll be able to use them at the beginning. The ones you suggested seem like a much better option.
We haven't decided whether to get a swing or not. We have a pretty small place, and we'll have a little bouncy seat, but I've heard that some babies LOVE swings and others HATE them. I have three nieces, and the first two hated the swing, and the third one loves it, so they're finally getting some use out of it. I guess there's no way to know what he'll love and what he won't care for.
We're going to use the Bumgenius 3.0 all-in-one diapers. They have the newborn inserts, along with the bigger, thicker inserts, but even so, they might be a little big in the beginning. We'll just use disposables until he fits into the CDs, which shouldn't take too long. They are So. Darn. Cute!
Thanks for your help!
Here is what I used for both....
Breastfeeding:
Boob creame
Boob pads
Boob Ice Pack (good times so far, huh?)
Pump
Bottles for Pump
Bags for storage
Bottle Warmer (not necessary, but love ours)
Ice Pack bag/tote for frozen bags if you are pumping at work and transporting the milk
Boppy Pillow (I would recommend regardless, even if you werent breastfeeding...great for tummy time and bottle feeding)
Formula:
Bottles
Bottle Brush
Drying Rack
Formula Pitcher (not necessary, but I found it helpful when I made batches ahead of time for the day, and pre-made bottles for the night...easier for me to just pop in the warmer)
6-8 Bottles (obviously just a personal preference- we also tried various bottles before we found what worked for us...every kid is different, but we LOVE our Born Free bottles)
Boppy Pillow
Formula container for on the go (like $4 at babies r us)
If you do formula- sign up on similac.com and enfamil.com for their reward programs. I get a ton of $5 off coupons for similac all the time, and they are pretty generous with the samples they send. Also, dont fall for the "nursery water" crap. Just use filtered water you can get at the grocery store...we just use the filtered water thing on our fridge.
Instead of the sheet savers, I highly recommend Ultimate Crib Sheets . They aren't as pretty as having something under the sheets, but they are SO much easier to change in the middle of the night and you are beyond exhausted and you just want to get back to sleep.
I found our vibrating/bouncy chairs to be invaluable. Our kids had a lot of belly aches when they were itty bitty, and the bouncy chairs would jiggle the burbs and farts right out of them. They were the best things ever.
I was in BBB the other day and I think I saw cheater muslin swaddle blankets by Aiden and Anais. They looked very cool!
Sound machine = life saver.
We had a soothing vibrating chair, he loved that thing. (heres a pic in my blog) ok. My dumb browser won't let me link it. Here's the link. Sorry. http://prendalestelle.blogspot.com/2010/06/on-4th-day-of-ryder.html
We love the Johnsons and Johnsons sensitive washclothes. They come pre-soaped, so all you do is wet it and wash. Love them.
Money saving tip for formula feeding: If you have a Costco membership, buy your formula there. It's made by Similiac and its two cans for 20 dollars. Which...is a HUGE savings.
Butt paste/desitin is a wonderful thing to have on hand.
We always had at least two or three of everything (except of course furniture and whatnot) just in case. You don't want to be searching for the one thermometer you have when he's screaming his head off.
Hope that helps.
Awww, haha. That's adorable.
Thanks everyone! You ladies are awesome.
the sound machine was a huge help here as well. they love the loud noise. dominic still uses his for naps and bedtime. it's nice to not have to worry about waking him up with the dog barking, vacuuming, etc. we have a small house so he'd for sure be woken up all the time if it wasn't for that.
also gas drops. we were using mylicon, but it wasn't doing anything for him. baby's bliss gripe water is AWESOME and helped with his burping and farting gas, and also with colic.
i'd also keep some little noses saline drops on hand for when they get their "nb cold" (congestion, runny nose, etc), some tylenol for a little later, and also a humidifier. we've had to use that a ton since he was really tiny.
My sister swears by the sound machine, Kaycee just loves it and nap time and bed time are a lot easier with that