by Skylah Rain

Created on: February 27, 2007   Last Updated: May 18, 2007

Shopping for your newborn baby, or even just deciding on what to put on your baby's register can all seem to be a bit overwhelming!
Here are a list of some things " I couldn't live without", and also list of things that I thought to be "Nice But Not Necessary"
They are in no particular order of importance and all of these ideas are based on my own personal experiences and opinions.

NICE BUT NOT NECESSARY:

#1) BOPPY: Yes, they are nice, but if you want to save yourself $20.00 - $30.00 just go ahead and grab yourself a pillow from the bed. Close your eyes and VOILA! You'd swear you were using a boppy!

#2) BOTTLE WARMER: Hmmm they just take to damn long. I need all the spare seconds I can get, so for mea quick 20 seconds in the microwave (with the nipple off) always did the trick. Be sure to put the nipple back on and give the bottle a good shake and test the temperature out on your wrist before giving it to your baby. This will eliminate any hot spots in the bottle.

#3) BOTTLE STERILIZER: Save yourself the counter space! Do you own a large spaghetti pot and a stove? You do?!?!
Well then congratulations, my friend! You've got yourself a Grade A Sterilizer. Just grab your pot and fill it with water. Set it on the stove and fill it up with your baby's bottles, nipples, pacifiers and teething rings. Let it come to a boil and after about 3 4 minutes shut off your flame, strain the items, let cool and your sterile. J

#3) DIAPER GEENIE: I used it for the first week, or so, but
A: Its ugly
B: Its smelly
And C: Its just a plain old nuisance.
My fianc must have thought that since it's called a diaper GEENIE, a purple magic floating man lived inside and made the diapers disappear.
Not the case.
I opted for a nice looking trash can that could easily be dumped at the end of each night.

"MUST HAVES"

JOLLY JUMPER: Tiegan started to use this "life saving" toy at around 5 months. It kept him entertained for hours on end and it really helped to strengthen his back and legs. It was a great way for him to get some exercise along with an awesome way to give my arms a much needed rest.

BABY MONITOR WITH TV SCREEN: Wow! What an idea. They are a bit more expensive then the standard sound monitors, but believe me... they are worth every extra penny. I cant tell you how many times Luis and I would wake up to hearing the baby make noises in his sleep and instead of getting up and out of bed at 2:00 am to stumble off into the dark and down our long creaky hallway to the babies room,; we would simply role over and take a peak at the monitor and find him sound asleep. Truly a Godsend!

CHANGING TABLE: I got an inexpensive table at Babies R Us and my back thanks me for it. Yes you can use your bed or an area on the couch if you must, but all that bending over can kill you. I had a C section and cant imagine what bending over to clean up after dirty diapers would have done to me.

ONSIES: It has been my experience that even with getting all of those gorgeous little outfits and cute matching sets, for the first 5 months my son loved to LIVE in nothing but socks and onesies. They were super comfortable for him to lounge around the house in and they were a cinch to change him in and out of (especially at 3:00 am).

LULLABY CD & CD PLAYER: These are fantastic tools to have. They give the baby something to focus on while he's trying to fall asleep. Car doors shutting outside and creaky floor boards in the house will hardly be noticed at all. Also when you turn the CD on at night, your baby will start to associate this particular music with going to sleep. He knows what to expect and that will help him relax. I would set the CD on repeat and it softly played throughout the night. Tiegan loved it!

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