| [Diary] Newborn Baby Shopping List (for Dads) |
[Oct. 3rd, 2008|04:17 pm] |
One thing I wish I had found before the baby arrived was a
comprehensive and unequivocal shopping list of baby equipment.
Abundance of material goods maybe the greatest achievement of
capitalism, but it sure doesn't feel like it when you have to scroll
past pages and pages of conflicting reviews of everything from
pacifiers to "travel systems". Ridiculous -- I don't need The Perfect
Baby Bottle, I just need the one that holds the milk without too many
spills, is a no-brainer to operate and clean, and doesn't poison anyone
with its toxic plastics. Here's such a list. For what it's worth, I
compiled it based on my two months of experience. The stuff here may
not be The Perfect Baby Stuff, but much of it was bought after a rather
extensive pre-purchase research. So far, it does the job, and it didn't
cost a small fortune. I hope the list takes away some of the
pre-arrival stress and adds a bit of so-much-needed structure. It is
marked, tentatively, "for Dads" because moms that I know seem to be ok
with this whole exercise of baby shopping. Shopping for cute clothes --
yes, I can see why. Deliberating over pacifiers? Honey, come on. 1.
Stroller (~$130). We ordered a lot of stuff on this list from the net
-- mostly from Amazon, because it has free shipping on a lot of baby
goods -- but this one you gotta test drive in the store to make sure
it's as light and convenient as you want it. We needed something that
could be lugged up the stairs. We also didn't want any of the very
expensive ones knowing that the first strollers don't last long before
they are outgrown. We went with a Graco frame (~$50, some assembly
required) and a Graco infant car seat (~$80) that fits on top of it.
It's not the most fashionable stroller on the market, but it is solidly
build, is compact and very light, and so far, no complaints from the
rider. Separately, we got a Graco raincover (and a mosquito mesh in the
same package, ~$10). 2. Bassinet (~$200). We didn't like anything they
had in Babies 'R' Us, and ultimately went with The First Years 5 in 1
Carry Me Near Sleep System (~$200, assembly required), a bassinet that
you can carry around the house and that also doubles as a changing
table. In hindsight, we could've probably done without it and gone
straight for a crib (which we just got delivered anyway). But yes, it
is very convenient to carry the baby around the house if you want to
keep an eye on him at all times, and the changing table proved very
useful. It also has this thing embedded in the handle that makes a
bunch of soothing sounds (it runs on a couple of batteries), although
it probably works better to calm the tired parents than a screaming
baby. I'd say it's a toss-up: if you want a bassinet, you can't go
wrong with this one, but you may just as well get skip it and get the
crib. Also, if you are expecting a bigger baby, he or she will outgrow
it pretty fast -- it only lasted about two months for us. Overall, no
complaints. 3. Car seat (~80). We don't drive and live in the city and
so we were a bit bummed out about having to get us a car seat, but you
can't even take the baby out of the hospital without it -- you'll need
it for the cab ride back home. We got a Graco that doubles as the upper
part of our stroller (see the note above). It comes with a base that
you don't actually need as the seat has a couple of hooks for the seat
belts built into it. 4. Bathtub (~$20). We got The First Year's Infant
To Toddler Tub with Sling. It's an ok bathtub whose functional design
could be much better. I don't see how one person can hold the baby's
head, shield his ears from water, and do the washing all at the same
time. This one looks like a better alternative, but also see if there
are any tubs that offer some sort of head support. Also, get some soft
washclothes. 5. Bottles and stuff (~$50). I think the only principled
position we took about baby equipment was on bottles -- they had to be
made of glass. We tried Avent plastic bottles that came with the
sterilizer, but for a couple of weeks they were giving off a strong
plastic smell after being sterilized, so we switched to Evenflo Classic
4 oz. Glass Nurser - 6-Pack (~$10). We also got a Born Free glass
bottle as a gift -- these are great bottles but more expensive than
Evenflo. Here's a pack of five for $45. The Philips Avent Express II
Microwave Steam Sterilizer (~$30) is greath, though. Fill it up with a
glass of water, pack it with bottles and pacifiers, and stick it into
the microwave for three minutes and you are done. You'll also need a
cleaning brush for the bottles if you don't have one, but I don't know
how much these cost. 6. Pacifier (~$3). A mind-boggling variety out
there for something so simple, but pacifier is one thing you'll have to
experiment with since the preference varies from baby to baby. Our
hospital got us hooked on Newborn Soothie Pacifiers 2-pk, which is a
simple one-piece silicone deal that gets the job done. I like how it
comes in one soft piece so that baby can't hurt itself on the plastic
ring when it falls out of baby's mouth while he's asleep. 7. Clothes
(depends, but probably around ~$100 for the first three months). Not
much advice that I can give here, except maybe for these two things.
One, after you've loaded up on cuteness, get some function. It's not
easy to pull a onesie over an uncooperative's baby head, so get
something you can easily manage when you are called to duty half-asleep
in the middle of the night. Our hospital got us hooked up on very
manageable side-snap shirts, but those took time to find in retail
since hospital gets them from a wholesale supplier. These come close:
2-Pack Long Sleeve Side Snap Shirts (~$8). Also very useful: baby
sleeping bags (or sleep sacks, or whatever). These we discovered later
in the process after the baby refused to stay swaddled or covered with
a blanket. I'm not sure what exactly we have, but it's something like
this. Oh, and go easy on newborn-sized clothes -- babies grow
frighteningly fast. Get size one and up. A quick checklist: hats,
socks, mittens (crucial to keep baby's nails off his face; you can use
socks instead), pants, shirts, onesies (or side-snap shirts), swaddling
blankets, bibs, a few washclothes and spit-clothes, sleeping bags. 8.
Diapers (~$50). We realy like Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers (~$50
for a box of 136) that are equipped with a very helpful moisture
indicator strip that changes color when nature has called. Amazon
offers free shipping on these, but plan ahead since it takes about week
for the diapers to arrive. At 10-12 changes a day, the box lasts just
over a week. Sign up on Diapers site and they'll send you sporadic
coupons. Baby wipes (~35) We tried a Pampers variety but quickly
switched to Huggies-Natural Care Baby Wipes (~$35 for 720). Huggies
wipe sheets don't stick together as badly as Pampers so that you don't
pull out five when you only need one. 9. Baby carrier (~$40). These
things can cost anywhere from $30 to over $100, but the best advice I
can give is get it from a store near you so that you can easily return
it. We've are on our third one and it still doesn't fit right neither
for us nor for the baby. Your mileage may vary, but if you get it off
Amazon and it doesn't work, returning it will be a hassle. 10. Small
things (~$40): From a logal drugstore: a baby thermometer, a
nail-clipper, shampoo, baby powder (get a small pack first; baby might
not like it), petroleum jelly (for the bum), rubbing alcohol,
desinfecting wipes (for you and your guests), Q-tips, baby-friendly
washing detergent. Toys don't really matter much in the first three
months. 11. Book. If uncertainty terrifies you and you feel like you
need a baby manual, What to Expect the First Year is pretty good. The
Baby Owner's Manual is cute but nowhere as comprehensive. Makes a great
daddy gift, though. |
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