Baby Registry: Baby Care

We're finishing up this series on my next post with a few "Others" and then your printable baby registry checklist! (Which I promise will come much sooner!!)  I'll also be giving you an expanded list that has places for where you registered for each item and who got you the gift! I used the expanded one when registering and to keep track of what we had left to buy. It's also fun to look back on that filled in sheet and see who got little O what.

So let's get on it. Today we have "Baby Care" items.

BABY CARE NEED IT'S:

1) INFANT TUB/SEAT: Fab and I opted for the light blue seat pictured above. I used it in the sink when he was itty bitty and then as he grew I put it at the end of the tub and I showered while he sat in it. I kept a warm wash cloth over him to keep him warm. This made my shower time SO much easier. I wasn't forced to shower while he napped or keep him outside the tub where I might have to get him while dripping wet. Once I was showered I would clean him with the washcloth then pick him up to rinse him off, put him back in the seat to dry off myself then get him out. The seat also folds up so it didn't take up a ton of space like the typical infant tubs do. 

2) SHAMPOO, BODY WASH, LOTION: I don't have too much opinion on what's best but someone did get us a Mustela set which contained the Newborn Foam Shampoo. It's supposed to help with cradle cap. Oliver never had any issues with cradle crap. We did like the Aveeno wash and lotion that we got. I'd err on the side of the sensitive stuff just in case. Doesn't hurt.

3)WASH CLOTHS & HOODED TOWELS: Ok, so I wouldn't say these are absolutely necessary but it is helpful to have baby sized ones! Regular wash clothes are pretty bulky for their little bodies. I've tried both and the infant ones are much better. For the towels - get terry cloth towels, not the microfiber ones. The microfiber ones are annoying.

4) BRUSH & COMB

5) NAIL CLIPPERS (& NAIL FILE?): I've read a lot of people who recommend the nail file but I just can't begin to imagine how difficult it must be to file those little bitty nails. I tried. It wasn't easy. It was dumb. I'm in the clippers camp. Go for the clippers. Most likely you will end up getting some kind of kit with these things and it'll come with both, anyway. When Oliver was teeny I bit his fingernails off... gross? eh. Whatever. You'll do a lot more gross things after you have a kid. ;) Much easier than attempting filing or clippers.

6) WUBBANUB: We LOVE our wubbanub. Last month Oliver ripped the pacifier off his. Not only are these things super cute they are also easy for your little one to get back in their mouth if they drop the pacifier. When Ollie was smaller and working on his napping, we would prop the Wubbanub up next to him, in his mouth, and it would actually stay in his mouth. If it was just a regular pacifier, it would've definitely fallen out of his mouth.

7) THERMOMETER: Take the regular thermometers, to use rectally, from the hospital. They toss them after you leave anyway. And then write "rectal" on it so you don't stick that thing in your mouth! Ew. For a quick temp read we have the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer - you swipe it across their forehead. We like it a lot. No complaints.

1) NOSEFRIDA: This thing is UH-MAZE-ING. Seriously. It's a replacement for the bulb syringe boogie sucker. NoseFrida is 10x better. 1000000x better. Is it slightly gross... eh, maybe... but not really. It's mostly just awesome. 

2) MEDICINE: Infant Tylenol for any fevers or bad teething. Gripe Water for a gassy belly. 

3) VITAMIN D DROPS: Why didn't anyone tell me to get this before Oliver came? Idk. Silly, people. You'll need to give your little one a Vitamin D supplement for their first year. The first bottle we got required a 1mL dose. Then we got these drops and loved them - mush easier than a full mL. 

4) DIAPERS & WIPES: We cloth diaper over here so I'm not going to give "best" recommendation here. But you'll need them - a LOT of them. Take all the diapers from your hospital room home with you, too. Since you don't know for sure how big your baby will be, you should start small on the newborn size diapers. Go crazy with the wipes though! ;)

5) DIAPER CREAM & AQUAPHOR: You can use Aquaphor for a lot more than just the bum but it does make a a great protectant on their bum, too. 

6) DIAPER PAIL & LINERS: Options here - Small or Big. Small diaper pail that you empty more frequently or huge diaper pail that holds a bunch and smells pretty bad when you take it out. Diaper Specific container or Regular Trash Can. We use a regular trash can, like the gray one pictured above by Simple Human, since we cloth diaper. It keeps the odors in completely but our diapers also only sit for 3 days before they get washed. They have a smaller trash can, too. 

7) WET BAGS: These are wonderful to have when you're out and about with dirty diapers or clothes or whatever mess comes your way. Definitely more needed if you are cloth diapering but I'd get at least one small and one medium even if I wasn't cloth diapering. We have some small ones from Planet Wise that are good but pricier. I really like these Damero's that I recently got a medium and small of. They have two zipper pockets which is great for putting clothes in one and a diaper in another, if needed. 

OPTIONAL:

• A lot of pacifiers + clips: You'll get one from the hospital plus you have a wubbanub! Unless you plan to use the pacifier a lot, then maybe you'll need to get a few. We tried not to use it too much. You can always get more if you find that your baby needs additional soothing. 
• Bath Faucet Cover
• Bath Tub Kneeler: A little comfy place to kneel on when bathing your baby. Since I showered with Oliver mostly, we didn't get this. 
• Portable Changing Pad: We always used a receiving blanket to lay Oliver down on. I have friends who love their portable changing pads though! For me, it was just another thing, since I could just use a receiving blanket. Just don't wipe your babies mouth with the same cloth. ;)
• Tub Toys: So this is more like a "later" item. You can register for it now or get some on your own later. Your little one won't use these for a long while so I'd recommend just waiting. 

POINTLESS:

• Anal Thermometer: Take the hospital one home. 
• Nasal Bulb Syringe: Not when you have the amazing NoseFrida! Plus, those things get gross and moldy inside! Ew.
• Full Infant Tub: Talked about this up there already. Matter of preference, I guess.
• Travel Wipes Holder: uh, annoying. Just carry a full thing of wipes in the bag. These little things carry like 10 wipes and they all stick together. Annoying. Throwing a full travel or refillable pack in your bag is much easier all around.

I'll be back in a few days (yes, really a few days... not a few weeks!) with the final Baby Registry post! Hope you're enjoying things so far!

Let me know what your "Need It" and "Pointless" baby care items are! I want to hear from you!

Check out the other posts in my "Baby Registry" series!

TRANSPORTATION

NURSERY

BEDDING

CLOTHING

FEEDING