Baby Hints - Part I

So I have been a little obsessed with baby prep lately.  Being at 9 months I think that is a perfect excuse to be irrational about waterproof pads or butt paste, as odd as it sounds when I say type it.  I don’t have many friends who are also cooking a little bean, so I must spill my long-researched hints and advice somewhere before I start dictating to people in the grocery check out line. 
My whole baby gear philosophy is shaped by (a) having as much space/storage as a NYC apt or small boat, and (b) we are currently watching our pennies with career changes abound (I guess who isn’t nowadays).  So Baby K, this is some of the things your Mama learned along the way:

1)   Get what gear you can before the baby comes (using the discounts some registries offer) BUT you don’t need everything they tell you!  Here are some items we passed on:

a.   Highchair: solids only start around 6 months anyway, plus you can get a booster/highchair that attaches right to regular chairs for SO much cheaper. 

b.   Ear Thermometer: This is a total sham, these are only recommended by the APA for children over 2 years old.  How they get away for marketing them to new Moms I will never know.

c.   Crib Bumpers/comforters/pillow: They are illegal in many countries already due to SIDS/baby suffocation.  Totally unnecessary – they just like to lure the parents (Fabric Sirens!) with beautiful designs to waste money.  Serena & Lily, I love your gorgeous patterns - can't you put more of them on just the sheets?
d.   Baby bathtub: This is more preference; we have zero storage so we opted to not go the route of the huge awkward tub.  You can get a sponge-type insert to use in the bottom of the bathtub which takes up minimal room (see picture, this is Muchkin brand from Target, but BRU also has one too.  They cost around $5-7). 

e.   Bouncy seat: We got a hand-me-down travel swing which is pretty close, so why should we waste money on a similar seat with no auto-movement?  Going to just use the swing for both (hope she likes it!).

f.    Playmat: We registered for and got a Chicco Pack & Play (thanks Jan and Shelley!).  The mat from that, with the criss-cross mobile comes out and can lay right on the floor so no need for a second one at an exorbitant price.

g.   Fancy lotions/shampoos/products:  Dreft is a expensive name for a perfume-free detergent, you can get Tide/All/Generic “free” brand for much cheaper.  You do not need baby lotions or shampoos either.  Dove sensitive skin/perfume free bar soap comes highly recommended for newborns and instead of lotion you can use plain mineral oil from any pharmacy.  Ironically I have been using these two products for several years by recommendation from my dermatologist – AND my Ob-Gyn told me that my belly handled the pregnancy so well specifically cause I was using them (no stretch marks – woohoo!).  The one exception to the no special stuff rule is detergent for cloth diapers – if you do go that route you will have to buy a separate soap for washing these.  Regular detergent will ruin the absorbency.

h.   Multiple strollers: Am really hoping this one does not bite me in the rear.  We went with one all-terrain jogging stroller WITH the insert of a Snuzzler which should let us put her in it right from the start.  Yes, we won’t have the convenience of letting sleeping baby stay in her car-seat but I heard that manually moving her is good for her to learn to sleep through anything (hoping this works) and also – it is bad.bad.bad for baby to keep them in that carseat too long anyway.  Am hoping my gamble pays off, and I do not have to eat these words.

i.    We also passed on this:

                         Unless you throw in a dog-sled team, what is the point?

Have to end my ranting here, Part II will have more positive hints since I feel like some of these have a finger pointed feeling to them.  Disclaimer: These hints are yet only theory as my only child is still wiggling (constantly) in my belly.  Hopefully very shortly I can begin the testing the validity of these claims.