A Baby Checklist

My sister-in-law Shelly is having her first baby in November, and is the first of her group of friends to venture into parenthood. Nana V asked me to put together a list of things she needs for those first few months.

So, those of you not attending a workshop on the basics for a beginning blogger, how to make your blog pretty, or community-based blogging (God, I hate you all. So. Much. I bet you're all already drunk, too. Hate.), give me some feedback on my checklist. Am I missing something?

A New Baby Checklist for Shelly

Stuff You Need
__ diapers (unless your baby is really small, you’ll use fewer newborn-sized diapers than you think. You’ll graduate to Size 1 pretty quickly, so don’t buy a truckload of the newborn size, you’ll just need a pack or two.)
__ wipes (meconium - the first baby poops - are like tar. You might want a wet washcloth for these, rather than using the twenty wipes it will take to clean it up. Taking the kid out back and spraying off his bottom with a hose might be more efficient. After the meconium stage, wipes work perfectly well. For the most part.)
__ carseat (they won’t let you leave the hospital without one)
__ changing table
__ place for the baby to sleep (crib, bassinet, dresser drawer, laundry basket . . .the baby really doesn’t care at first)
__ at least one lactation consultant visit, if nursing

Stuff You Probably Want
__ a diaper disposal system (Do not expect these to be odor-free. None are odorless, but all do a pretty bang up job of keeping your nursery from smelling like a mosh pit. Some use regular garbage bags, others take special refills. A note on the regular garbage bag systems - they will save you money, but be prepared for a face full of week-old diaper stank every time you empty the system.)
__ a secondary changing station (particularly important in a two-level house, especially if you end up with a C-section. A pack and play’s changing pad works fine for this. So will a towel on your dining room table.)
__ a portable or secondary place for the baby to sleep (it is nice for the first few months, when the baby sleeps all the time, to have a place in addition to the crib for sleeping. We used a moses basket, which might not work in a house with dogs. For some kids, a swing works fine. You’ll want a place for the baby to sleep on each level of the house at least, like the crib for upstairs and a bassinet for downstairs.)
__ a bouncy seat – not to be confused with a door jumper – or swing, or both, or neither. (Every kid is different - some kids love em, some kids could care less. The point is to have another safe place to set the child down when you have to pee.)
__ cloth diapers (for burp cloths, changing pads, and shoulder protection. You can use them for their intended purpose, too, I suppose, but I sure as hell never did.)
__ basic first aid kit - thermometer, booger sucker, eye dropper, nail clippers (someone told me the booger suckers you get at the hospital are the best, and the ones you buy in stores stink. Steal as many from the hospital as you can; we took two)
__ receiving blankets (you’ll need more than you think. They always come in handy, even if you’re using them as a great big rag.)
__ boppy pillow (for nursing, bottle feeding, tummy time, propping a beginning sitter, and dozens of other uses. Get one with a pattern you like, because it turns up in every damn picture you take.)
__ basic, boring clothes (the kind you don’t get at showers. A pack or two of onesies, maybe a hat, and some socks. Snap-front clothes are the easiest/least nerve-wracking - it’s a lot simpler to dress a bobblehead baby when he’s lying on his back, and if he poops through something you don’t have to pull the poop-covered outfit over his head. Outfits that fasten up the back are horrible to put on a newborn; avoid them at all costs, no matter how cute they are. For the most part, snaps are better than buttons.)
__ a breast pump, if you’re doing the nursing thing
__ nursing pads (they go in your bra to catch leaks. You can get the disposable kind or the washable kind.)
__ at least three nursing bras (but wait to be fitted until your milk comes in)
__ bottles (if you’re supplementing or expressing. You might want to try a bunch of different brands, as each baby has a different preference, which might change every few months. You’ll just need small ones at first, but will probably want some larger-capacity ones for later.)
__ pacifier (again, try a bunch of different brands until you find one that stops the infernal wailing)

Stuff You Don’t Really Need, But Might Like
__ bottle sterilizer (we had a microwave one, you can get bags for this purpose, too)
__ bottle drying rack (if you hand wash, but the dishwasher works great for bottle washing too, and negates the need for the sterilizer. If you put the nipples in, though, check them regularly for wear.)
__ bottle warmer (if using formula. Most people recommend against warming expressed breast milk, because it kills a lot of the good antibodies)

Stuff You Shouldn’t Waste Your Money Time On
- wipe warmer (Honestly. Do you warm your toilet paper before you use it?)
- Dreft (Seriously. Unless your baby has horribly sensitive skin, your normal detergent will do just fine. Of course, every parent goes out and buys one bottle of Dreft for those first washings. It does smell nice.)

Stuff Some People Swear by but We Didn’t Use
- sleep sack (our kid did fine in his pajamas)
- sleep positioner (but remember, we had to get the kid a helmet)