by Renee Grimes

Created on: February 27, 2007   Last Updated: May 07, 2007

Who can resist buying all of those beautiful, lace-filled, frilly dresses for a newborn baby girl? I received a lot of these dresses at my baby shower, and my daughter wore maybe two of them; for pictures. They are beautiful, yes, they are just not very practical. My daughter spent her first months in onesies and sleepers. Having had a cesarean section, it was hard for me to lift my eight pound twelve ounce baby to get her clothes changed.

The most practical gifts that I received were a Boppy breastfeeding pillow, I didn't breastfeed, but it made it easier to hold my daughter while feeding her. Hooded towels, diapers, washcloths, diaper wipes, nail clippers, small toys, onesies, and sleepers. The most expensive item on this list was the Boppy pillow, and it was around twenty dollars.

I was also given a Diaper Genie, some moms swear by them, but I never used mine very much, it was just easier to put the diaper in a plastic bag, tie it in a knot, and throw it in the regular garbage can. I take my garbage out every day, so this idea may not be practical for everyone, as poopy diapers can smell up a house pretty quick. There is a travel kit for diaper changing, it is a little container that can be bought at Target or Wal*Mart for around $4, it holds small bags that you put stinky diapers in, tie in a knot, that way you can either throw them in the garbage wherever you are, or throw them in the bottom of the diaper bag to toss out, when you get home.

Another inexpensive, practical gift that I was given was small containers that you can pre-measure the powdered baby formula. That way, you just throw a bottle with the right amount of water, in the diaper bag, and you've got just the right amount of formula in a little container, it takes just a couple of seconds to make a bottle. All of the older parents that have seen me make my daughter's bottle this way were amazed, telling me how much easier we younger moms have it.

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