I (almost) never give my two-cents when it comes to baby-anything (I already tread in dangerous waters when I give my opinions about food and fitness!). I take uber cute pictures of Bentleigh and am usually on my way. Breastfeeding, vaccinations, baby safety, baby development, sleeping techniques, working vs stay-at-home... Jesus, even Ergo Baby versus Baby Bjorn disputes! Y'all, some moms can be overly opinionated and CRA-ZY. Some of it is for good reason, but in the end I have to trust that everyone is just trying to do best by their kids (...and those that are opinionated just to listen to yourselves argue... I just tune you out!). Here is my very, non-opinionated, minimalist list of things I found a baby actually *needed* in the first 4 months of life. So if you are on a budget, have limited space (like us), have a true hatred for letting things go to waste, or just want less crap cluttering your life - this is for you.
No matter what you put on your registry, you'll always have those that deviate. And there's not much you can do about those people. You can just hope that they got you something you *really* can use, or that they included a gift receipt.
I am not going to include clothes because everyone will throw a cute outfit your way. We didn't register for any outfits - and we haven't had to buy one for Bentleigh yet. But even if we didn't receive outfits, for the first 2 months we really only used onsies (10 will do and the ones with a zipper from neck to toe are THE best). After that she lives in onsies 90% of time, sprinkled with a few cute outfits.
I am also not including wipes or diapers. No chance anyone is getting out of that dirty mess (literally).
This is everything we used in the first 3 months. Every item can be found on Amazon.com (it's where I nabbed the pics!). We love 2-day shipping.
There will always be a few items that you won't foresee needing; every baby *is* different. A few other things to note:
- We needed to purchase a swing for Bentleigh after we realized she spits up in her sleep (yeah, not fun!). I wouldn't say this would have been necessary if it weren't for the spit - BUT it is super convenient to have.
- White noise! If you have an old phone, computer, extra ipad, just download a white noise app.
- If you are breastfeeding, you will need a pump (covered by insurance!) and some storage bags. If your not breastfeeding, get some nice glass bottles and do your research on formula.
- Your baby will not read or play with stuffed animals or toys for the first 4 months. They will be equally as happy staring at print out of a black and white image (just Google and print, y'all) or listening to you read your emails or text messages out loud. Face time with mom and dad is the best growth and development activity/toy/entertainment a baby can get in their first few months of life. And it doesn't require "stuff".
- EVERY list I saw said I needed lots and lots of receiving blankets. I can honestly say I never use them. I don't use them to swaddle (pre-made swaddles, see above), keep warm (clothe baby appropriately + temp control in our apartment), or for spit ups (burp cloths... I have a LOT of burp cloths). Somebody will definitely gift you a blanket of some sort. People love them. I do use one in her stroller and another to help with propping - but you don't need a special baby blanket for those things per se.
- Diaper bag. I just use a plain (but trendy) backpack I had from before, or when I want to be stylish, I throw it all in a big open bucket purse. If you expect your husband to (happily) carry around a cutesy gender specific diaper bag extraordinaire... think again! But then again, I don't know what all people really put in over-stuffed diaper bags. I often will just make sure there's a package of wipes, few diapers, and an extra onsie in the car. Voila!
- A baby carrier/wrap. Moby, Bjorn, Ergo. We purposefully asked for the Ergo on our registry, and my mom got us the Moby. Both are convenient, but neither were necessary for us in the first few months. But a wrap is a great way to have free hands if you have a high need baby!
The biggest thing is to not overbuy before you know what your baby likes - we are the first to admit we were Amazon-Priming stuff (like soap) from the hospital room. You're not likely to take anything back after having the baby - priorities, ya? There's a Target, Walmart, or Amazon Prime that will save the day when you realize you need something! People may think gift cards are impersonal, but when it comes to new babies they are the best!
Enjoy!
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