The Good:
1. Sleep Sacks and Breathable Crib Bumper
Imagine you are alone with your seven week old baby, husband away on business, during the middle of the night when you are awoken by the worst baby shriek you've ever heard (no joke - so much worse than his two month shots). You jump up, reach down to get your baby from the crib, and he doesn't budge. After feeling around, you discover that his little leg has found its way between two crib slats and is STUCK between the crib and the wall. Terrifying - I pulled the crib away from the wall, gently eased his leg back into the crib, picked up my baby and held him tighter than I had probably held him that far. I actually called Mitchell at four in the morning, after Justin was fed and asleep - terrified that he had broken a leg and was going to be taken away by DHS. The moral of the story - Sleep sacks are awesome - they both keep baby warm and don't allow him to spread his legs far enough to get stuck between slats.
As a backup, I thought a crib bumper would be a good idea but wasn't about to put a nice, thick, cushy, SIDS-inducing bumper in there. I found a breatheable one online which is essentially a mesh fabric. Since we've started using sleep sacks and installed the crib bumper we have not had any problems and both Baby Daddy and I can sleep a little easier.
2. The Happiest Baby on the Block (DVD) and the best (and only) swaddling blankets you'll need
Prior to Justin's arrival, I netflixed 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' (much to Baby Daddy's disdain as his comic movies were pushed further back) for both of us to watch. It covers basic steps - the 5 S's to calm a colicy baby. At the time we had no idea that Justin would have colic, but we wanted to be prepared just in case. Despite what the netflix dvd tells you, the dvd is only 38 minutes long, not 2 hr. 8 min. It covers common sense methods to calm your baby that we used many, many times over the course of Justin's first three months. Colic is frustrating enough - not having knowledge of calming tools would make it that much worse.
One of the five S's is Swaddling - supposedly it recreates the feeling of the womb and brings baby back to a state of calm (or begins to). Justin started breaking out of swaddles when he was still in the hospital, so we did not swaddle religiously, but on a few rough nights when we couldn't get him to calm down, we broke out the.most.awesome.swaddling.blankets.in.the.world. Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets (we used the ones made for Target) are made of muslin, so they are very light and would be perfect for a summer baby where light coverage is needed. They are also the largest swaddling blankets I have found and would definitely be usable as baby grows. They stretch easily and really do get softer with every wash. Bonus - They are now in some Target stores - back in my day they were only online.
3. 'Hospital Blue Nasal Aspirator'
Not all nasal aspirators are created equal. When in the hospital, they should give you a large blue nasal bulb aspirator. KEEP IT. You may think that the white ones sold at Target are the same. False my friends - false. They suck - well, actually they do not. Seriously - if some nurse tries to keep you from taking the blue bulb, smack her and run with it.
4. Baby Einsten bouncer
We actually bought a vibrating chair aka 'bouncy seat' before we were gifted the Baby Einsten bouncer. We quickly decided to keep the Baby Einstein (Thanks Kay!) for two main reasons. 1) The music plays continuously - you don't need to repeatedly pull a cord. 2) It has a light at the top that changes colors - and babies love lights.
5. Bright Starts Ingenuity Cradle and Sway Swing - Bella Vista
This swing is awesome. It has different music options (which will get stuck in your head and you'll find yourself humming them all day), swings both side-to-side (the only way we've used it) and front-to-back, you can adjust the seat incline, and the fabric is easily machine-washable (for blowout cleanup). I don't know if there is anything to this or not, but it claims to use 'hybrid drive' which is supposed to help with energy usage. I do know that after nearly 3.5 months of use, we are still using the original batteries. :)
6. Lansinoh nipple cream
If you plan to breastfeed, buy it. It will be your best friend.
7. Baby Einstein activity mat
It has 'The Girlfriend', and a music box. 'nuff said
The 'Meh'
Ergo BabyCarrier - This was rated very highly in online reviews and was supposed to be better than the Baby Bjorn. It is also more expensive and we were planning to use it quite a bit in our no-stroller experience. We used it twice, for walks around the block. And now we are using a Baby Bjorn . . . Justin likes it sooo much more because he can face out and see things beside my sternum.
Dr. Brown Bottles - Again supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately each bottle has 5 pieces to it which makes cleaning a pain. We did not find that they reduced colic at all.
Don't Bother
Diaper Genie or other - a stainless steel trash can that won't absorb odors does the same thing.
Video Monitor - This is one of those things that just plays on parents' insecurities. An audio monitor works just fine and it is recommended that babies stay in their parents' rooms for the first year. No, this has nothing to do with the fact that we don't have a nursery. . .
Crib Bedding - We all know that soft, loose bedding in a crib is a no-no. So save your money. No one (but maybe you) cares if the bedding is a matching set. Grab a few crib sheets and call that good. Chances are they are going to get peed on anyway, and if you do have loose bedding in the crib you will be up all night making sure your baby hasn't faceplanted into it.
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