Questions for people with infant care experience.

[rivka]

Here's what curiousangel and I have for the baby so far:

two nightgowns
one bib
one stuffed dachshund (thanks to geekchick)
one book of original nursery rhymes (thanks to papersky)
I Am A Bunny (board-book edition)
Touch And Feel Baseball (board-book edition)

It occurs to us that this might not be enough.

Tomorrow we're going to a Baby Products MegaStore to start familiarizing ourselves with our various options for gear. We're still far from buying, and even far from registering for gifts, but we want to get out there and actually handle various kinds of equipment.

So, those of you who have had infant experience, as a parent or daycare worker or babysitter:

What baby gear was absolutely vital?
What was a waste of money and space?
Are there any particular products you swear by?

(Quick rundown of current parenting plans, because I'm sure that they will affect gear recommendations: Li'l Critter will be breastfed. We disagree about cloth vs. disposable diapers. Li'l Critter will not sleep in our bed. We have a car, but also travel by bus and light rail.)

Comments

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Do not bother with any clothing that buttons up the back. Baby clothing should not button. Ideally, it should zip; second-best is snap. There must be openings up the crotch and down both legs. You undress a baby's bottom half a lot more often than its top.

You'll need an infant carrier/car seat, the kind where the carrier snaps out of the seat. Test-carry the ones in the store and see which one is least painful to your back.

Bassinets are handy for a very limited period; see if you can borrow one or buy one second-hand rather than buying new.

I got a lot more use out of the collapsible umbrella stroller than out of the full-size stroller. The collapsible one works with short-term last-minute errands; the full-size one takes more preparation.

Don't bother buying stuffed animals. People will give them to you. Boy, will they ever.

Baby spit-up STAINS. Bright colors are your friends. Pastels show every spill of Amoxicillin and nastier things.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Baby clothing should not button. Ideally, it should zip; second-best is snap. There must be openings up the crotch and down both legs. You undress a baby's bottom half a lot more often than its top.

This is why my mother got us baby nightgowns instead of sleepers. They have elastic at the bottom, so they keep the baby covered normally but you can also easily push them up to the waist. She said, "you really don't want to have to try to make snaps line up in the middle of the night."

Don't bother buying stuffed animals. People will give them to you. Boy, will they ever.

I'm guessing we won't be buying many clothes or toys. :-) My mom also said, "you should buy the baby a cute little outfit right now, before you start receiving gifts. I didn't get to buy anything for your oldest sister until she was a year old, because other people bought it all."