*updated 3/9/2016, when Olivia is just under 13 months old*
On diapering.
I wish someone had told me, straight up, don't buy any newborn sized diapers. I found myself with bags of newborn diapers and always reaching for the reliable size one. Olivia was just under six pounds when she was born, by no means a big baby. In the hospital they put a size one Pampers Swaddlers on her and that has been my favorite ever since. Not only is it the softest, most absorbent, but the yellow line (which turns blue when wet) is ever so helpful to the inexperienced mom.
The only other brand I tried is Honest Company diapers. I heard many good things plus the patterns are so cute, but they are just not as soft as Pampers.
I do, however, love many other Honest Company products. I love their
nipple cream, which I used by the jar in the beginning stages of breast feeding. It's not as thick as the Medela Lanolin cream so it's easier to apply to sore nipples. I also love their baby lotion, laundry detergent, even their dish washer. Their
diaper cream is also my favorite. A close second is Boudreaux's Butt Cream (the yellow, not green, one).
Olivis in her very first oversized diaper.
I didn't consider, not even for one second, of using clothes diapers for everyday pee pee and poo poo. However, the Gerber clothes diapers are perfect for cleaning up everything else, from little bottoms to little faces. They are SO soft and durable. I have a dozen and still use them every day.
BIBS
You can never have too many bibs.
Some babies drool more than others, and my baby is a drooler. At 13 months old, she still does not a single tooth, so I can expect more drooling days ahead.
A few things to consider when it comes to bibs -
First, most of them have velcro on the back. What I didn't realize in the beginning is that the velcro sticks onto everything in the drier and looses its velcro-ness with time. Not to mention it can ruin other clothes too (lace trimmings and such gets pulled and torn). The baby can also pull them off easily with a forceful tug.
I buy them for daycare since they are still the cheapest and most commonly found.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLYYV4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00
My favorite bibs are the Aden and Anais snap bibs. They are pricier but so soft with three button holes for an adjustable strap for the growing baby. They somehow get softer with each wash.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CG3CE76?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
Another one of my favorite Aden and Anais product are the burp-bibs...
They are big and soft, can be thrown across the shoulder as I burped my baby, or she can wear them as a bib.
BOTTLES
I committed myself to Avent bottles early in the game, and accumulated no less than a dozen before O was born, along with various sizes of nipples. Since Olivia goes to daycare I have more on hand just for the turnaround, I think 9 - 10 bottles is perfect. Sometimes I wish I had bought a variety to try before committing to one kind.
http://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-mo/bottle-feeding/natural-bottles/latest#filters=MCC_NATURAL_BOTTLES_SU&sliders=&support=&price=&priceBoxes=&page=&layout=12.subcategory.p-grid-icon
My friend uses munchkin latch bottles for her babies and they look so natural. Will definitely give a try next time around.
Bottle Sterilizer
My all time favorite baby purchase has been this sterilizer/drier in one. Early on all the wet bottles coming out of the regular microwaved sterilizer container frustrated me. Who has the patience to wait for them to dry?! Not to mention that they didn't really all fit on the drying rack. I googled some and decided to purchase this because it's available at Buy Buy Baby. I loved it right away! So much so that if it were to break one day, I will buy another one immediately.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/baby-brezza-reg-bottle-sterilizer-and-dryer/1042607892?categoryId=32056
(I reluctantly put away my sterilizer when Olivia turned 1. In the end it was more for the drying function than the sterilizer function. But still, One seems like a good milestone to put it away and save it for the next baby).
Pack and Play
Initially, I registered and got this pack and play (
http://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/graco-reg-pack-39-n-play-reg-playard-with-newborn-napper-reg-station-lx-in-amelia/1042043515?Keyword=pack+and+play). It seemed simple and not too expensive. Right away though, it had problems. The pockets on the side of the changing table is slanted and shallow, making holding diapers and wipes super inconvenient. Before O was even born, we decided to switch to this one and really liked it.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/graco-reg-pack-39-n-play-reg-playard-with-cuddle-cove-trade-removable-seat-in-glacier/1043979172?Keyword=pack+and+play
It has spacious side compartments for holding diapers, wipes, and many other little things. We also like the little vibration and sound machine, mostly because O seems to respond really well to motion and music. At five months, we still use the changing table daily. What is entirely wasted is the little sleeper (that's detachable). Oh well.
Clothes
The first 24 hours that O is home, we went through our entire stash of newborn onesies. The next day my mother in law and sister in law made emergency target runs and got us many more. Before baby, i bought whatever is cute. 24 hours in, I have clear favorites.
O lives in her onesies (also called footies), the kind with attached hand and feet covers. Preferably it also has a zipper, making night time changing so much easier. As far as I know only Carter and Circo makes the zipper ones. I grew very attached to the hand covers as babies have incredibly sharp nail and they love scratching all over their face. Olivia had a scratch on her face every time I let her hands free. My infant class says do not clip their nails in the first four weeks. I think I waited two weeks. But even with clipping and filing, her nails grew very fast and she is still a danger to herself. I also purchased mittens but they are always falling off.
Baby heads are so big and floppy, I just didn't feel comfortable pulling clothes over them. So all her clothes without front openings went unopened and unworn.
The hand covers are wonderful on these NB onesies...
Hanna Anderson sleeper/onesie are my favorites. They are by far the most expensive but the softest and most durable. Not to mention almost the only brand to make them with hand covers after the NB size.
If you're having a winter baby too, it's a good idea to get lots of soft hats. Babies loose a lot of heat through their big head. Olivia was definitely a hat baby.
Winter baby. We always put a hat over her head those early months.
(Olivia wore her onesies for as long as possible. When she was almost one her daycare teachers told me that she has to start wearing shoes to school if she is to ever graduate to the next class. So... now she only wears onesies at home and to sleep. It's end of an era. )
Swaddles and Sleepers
Is swaddling a phase? It seems that everything I read and heard about caring for a newborn involved a swaddle of some kind. Olivia didn't mind being swaddled, but I don't think she loved it. It seems cozy and makes a floppy baby somewhat easier to hold. My favorite swaddles are the Aden and Anais. They are so big and soft.
Once Olivia got out of the swaddle phase, we put her in a sleeping sack of some kind. She does not keep a blanket on and the house gets cold at night. My favorite is the Hanna Anderson sleeping bag
http://www.hannaandersson.com/pdp.aspx?styleid=43849&clr=BK8 Notice how soft and thick it is. This one I also love -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LLWO02/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . It is surprisingly soft and warm.
Stroller
My bestfriend loved her stroller and got it for Olivia as a present. We have it in "sand" color. It is so sturdy and easy to push around. The straps, though, can be tangled easily (or is it just mine?!).
Car Seats
I don't have strong opinions about car seats. They are all so heavy and hard to clean. We like ours fine, but by no means in love with it.
