Mother maternity jeans | on sale
Eileen Fisher organic cotton tee
Birkenstock Arizona sandals (mine were secondhand)
This really is the home stretch now I guess. As I enter my third trimester…
OMG is still my standard response when I see myself in the mirror and growing belly. Like, whoa, in 12 weeks give or take, I’m going to be a mother (assuming all goes “well”).
People keep asking about a name. We’re playing around with some, but honestly, nothing is jumping out at me as “the one.” We’ve selected our car seat and stroller, but haven’t gotten them yet. We do already have our bassinet (the Snoo) because we bought it secondhand from a colleague of Leo’s when her son moved to his crib.
Other than that, I’m working on a registry, and thinking about other things we might need, but am really not interested in adding a lot of stuff before he arrives. Maybe I’m naive, and I’m definitely inexperienced, but I don’t think he will need a lot of clothes or accessories for a little while. It’ll be hot as hell when he’s born, so I imagine a lot of skin-on-skin time LOL and tons of blankets/towels. I’m planning a trip to local baby/kids secondhand stores to pick up some onesies, etc, which I’m hoping will carry him through for a couple months.
I’m planning on cloth diapering and am researching services to use, as I think that’s the best way to get Leo on board. I wouldn’t mind laundering diapers myself, but at least at first, using a diaper service will probably be a life-saver.
Other than that, I’m trying to be very realistic about the “stuff” we add for the baby. I do plan on continuing working (with a little maternity break) so I think I’ll want a playpen or a moses basket for him to be upstairs with me in my office. I want to try a carrier or wrap (like this Solly baby wrap).
Believe me, I’m not immune to all the ridiculously cute baby stuff out there (try browsing the baby/kids section on Garmentory, OMG, and Stella McCartney), and in some alternate universe, I’d love to be able to buy it all, but it’s more important to me now to be restrained, and really thoughtful about what I add – about what’s really important.
I’d love to hear what’s been on your newborn essentials list. What could you have done without? What was a surprising thing that you found helpful?
Onesies. Easiest thing to put on the baby and can be a complete outfit. Legs and arms are uncovered so not hot. My born in June in San Diego baby wore nothing else for the first few months. I think they’d be easier than towels or blankets wrapped around the baby. My kids also loved the bouncy seat that can sit on the floor or the center of a table – they are safe and being held and can be in the middle of the action but your hands are free to work or make dinner, etc. works only until they can sit up by themselves.
Good luck to you through these last few weeks!
You look great !
Amen times 10 to the diaper service!!! Dont forget they have machines that get MUCH hotter than your residential washer can…… All my babies had weird fanny skin reaction to all paper products. Summer baby in hot climate means white t shirt and cloth diaper. Much cooler. You only need very few fancy going out togs at first, as the kids will grow like a house burning down. We only dressed up when family came over……to market we just did dipes and t shirt. I wore my kids, never had a stroller…….always in a sling, backpack whatever. You get better muscle tone and lots of close body time…. lots of small flannel swaddling blankets. Learn to bundle baby up in a middle eastern swaddle. They love it!!
I bought almost no clothes for my baby because we received way more than he could wear as gifts.
I cloth diapered for the first year and it was no big deal. I had some adjustable hemp blend diapers with snaps and covers (also with snaps). I did use disposables when we traveled out of town. That said, if a diaper service had been available at the time I can’t swear I wouldn’t have used it.
You are correct, you don’t need a lot of stuff and you won’t be quite sure what stuff you will need until the baby is born. (Except, obviously, the car seat and stroller. A thermometer is also very helpful!)
I’m so happy for you!
Oh- one more idea: When it is time to potty train, baby will know he is wet in a cloth diaper. Not so in ultra high tech paper stuff, feels dry all the time.. Just sayin……
I’m putting in my strong endorsement of trying out a carrier or wrap. You won’t know your baby’s personality until he is born, of course, but my experience was that my daughter was not happy unless she was on me (a Moses basket did NOT work for her!), and learning how to use both a wrap and a sling was a game changer for me – suddenly I had arms again! I suggest finding a couple of options before baby is born and learning how to use them in advance.
No kids here so no specific advice, but dang Grechen, thank you for sharing this wonderful journey! You already know that you don’t need a lot of “stuff.” You’re inspiring.
Came here to say exactly this. I have 4 kids and had several different carrier, wrap, baby wearing items. They were invaluable.
oh, don’t even get me started on potty training LOL – i taught preschool for a number of years and my room was the potty training room 😉 i was sort of an expert back then, but of course they weren’t my own kids. i cannot even tell you how much i hated pull-ups….as soon as they show readiness for the potty, underwear all the way….and lots of time at home to deal with accidents haha
You’re right, you just need basics and will figure out what else you need/want based on your baby’s personality. At 2-3 weeks our son’s first outing was to buy a baby swing to make daytime napping easier. We also had a baby bjorn bouncer that he sat or napped in all the time. We cloth diapered with BumGenius and found washing daily or every other day to not be a problem for two parents who work full time outside the home (we’re not doing this with our second child though). We did a pre-wash and full cycle and found unscented Tide to work the best after natural detergents built up from hard water. I recommend trying out carriers with the baby. I found carriers difficult to try on while pregnant, and, again, there’s the baby’s personality.
Agree with above…I used a carrier for all 3 of mine. A stroller at around 5-6 mos. Check out Babyzen Yoyo stroller, it’s so cool and can go in overhead compartment on plane, steers and rides like a dream. Lifesaver for us. You don’t need a lot.
i love the solly wrap, but just be aware it can be a bit tricky to put on. its A TON of fabric and unless you have a very patient/still/cooperative baby, you have to be super fast or become an expert quickly so that you have it on right and its comfortable for both you and baby. the ergo carrier is a wonderful alternative!
I loved the Solly Baby wrap for my little one. It was lightweight and comfortable…perfect for a summer baby. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it, but I just watched the tuturial video as I put it on the first few times and got the hang of it that way. 🙂
Seconding the onesies and bouncy seat! Also the baby swing, which, once my best friend visited and made me buy it, made my life approximately 3,000x easier. I will be the lone voice of dissent – personally I detested the baby carrier – so vive la difference! Have you seen the super basic stroller frames that you can just pop the whole car seat into? Small, inexpensive and very convenient (no fussing around with transferring sleeping baby)! Worked very well for us until we were ready for a “real” stroller.
So happy for you, and wishing you the very best.
Baby towels are the biggest waste of money, use a regular towel! I loved baby gowns. So easy. All the snaps and buttons become such a pain on regular onesies (even when there’s only 3 at the bottom).
My two sons both wanted to be carried/wrapped with me all the time. I used the backpack–even with a 3 week old, snuggled in with blankies–more than the wrap type thingies.
I think skin on skin gets super sticky in summer. I think a cotton onsie is the way to go.
And the swing! omg a lifesaver. babies love swings. enjoy and you do you.
In my experience, the biggest wastes were appliances – steamer sterilizers, bottle warmers, etc. They take up space, have to be cleaned, and you can use your regular kitchenware just as easily, AND they have one specific use so you just have this useless piece of equipment lying around.
The biggest “must haves” were cotton onesies – and you will get a ton of them in tiny baby size, but not many clothes in larger baby size, because people tend to gift clothes in the newborn -6month range. So for my second kid, no problem – she’s still only 15.5 lbs. But my first – she grew WAY fast and was wearing 9month clothes at 3months. So just be aware of that! But they are super cheap, easy to wash, and you can cut off the bottoms to make little t-shirts when they get too short, but also use them as rags around the house when baby no longer needs them.
Also cotton gauze and soft flannel swaddling wraps are great for: swaddling, light blankets, nursing covers, blowing your nose! We kept all our cotton wraps and things like that and use them at home as handkerchiefs when we get colds. So don’t get rid of those when baby gets older – they are so great for blowing your nose if you hate the mess and waste of tissues (which we do).
I really wanted to use baby carriers, and both of mine absolutely hated them. So much for planning…
Do yourself a favor and get a Nose Frida. Those blue bulb nose suckers don’t work at all. Babies are obligate nose breathers and keeping their nose open if the get sick and boogery is the most important. I work in the ER and can say without hesitation that a thermometer (with covers! Rectal temps, NOT ear or forehead for newborns) and a Nose Frida are the two best things you should have on hand.
Onesies are invaluable when you have a child born during a hot season. I also second the sling/wrap suggestion. I had the standard (at the time, 32 yrs ago!) Baby Bjorn carrier, and my girls were never comfy in it. But when I used the sling for my last daughter (now 21), she loved it! And she was one happy baby.
I second all the recommendations for onesies, esp in the larger (not newborn) sizes. My daughter was an August baby & skin on skin contact was just too sticky/hot for both of us, cotton onesies were way better.
Also HUGE rec for an automatic baby swing. That’s the only thing that got me thru babyhood with any scrap of sanity left. She hated being still or confined in a Moses basket/carrier on the floor (and the bumbo seat thing was a big no for her too), but the swing was a happy place. Lots of upgrades have happened to such swings in the past 11+ years, but I’m sure you don’t need anything crazy fancy. Just something that swings side to side, variable speeds, & has a little music.
Oh we also used the sleeper gowns, the ones that are like closed blankets with sleeves, if that makes any sense. She was happy with those & it gave me a sense of security knowing she was covered but couldn’t get tangled up in an actual blanket.
You look GREAT, btw! ??
I had two summer in Florida babies and one summer in South Carolina baby, and definitely add to the chorus that onesies are the way to go. For nighttime and cool A/C environments (my mother loves industrial-level A/C and ceiling fans), lightweight sleeper suits. The blanket ones that tie at the bottom were great for early days, but as the babies got bigger and more active, the ones with legs worked better for us. Another lifesaver for me was lightweight cotton/gauze blankets. They are lightweight to throw over baby and can also be used to make shade when in car seat and stroller. We made some out of yards of fabric that are still in use today for a variety of camping, beach, and odd uses — and my youngest is 15!
I second the baby-wearing, but, YMMV, babies be weird;). I wouldn’t have wanted to do without a tall dresser/station with a little rim for a changing pad. It’s nice to be able to change diapers standing up comfortably, it will save your back. A dresser or shelving right near by so you can keep one hand on the little one while reaching for supplies with the other. Eventually they get too squirmy and then you need one of those waterproof pads to lay down on the bed or the floor or where ever but until then, it’s nice to hunch over as little as possible.
For a smaller baby, the onsies that cross over and snap on the sides, rather than go over the head, are great — I did not figure that out till my third kid! Uniqlo has good quality sleeveless ones in that style. My kids all loved a simple pouch sling — I used the brand hot sling, which has a padded rail for the kid’s legs, and then had a woman make me a copy of a hot sling style but in a fun print (since the sling was on me 1/2 the time — I needed variety), so I would have two to choose from. Good luck!
We are using a cloth diaper service and it’s great so far! We covers, wet/dry bags, and snappis at consignment on 50% off day which really kept costs down .
I’m thoughts are much the same as some others.
Yes, to previous comment – babyzen yoyo -love! Great for manoeuvring in cafes.
Babybjorn bouncer – my essential, baby gets to sit and watch what’s going on and you know they’re safe.
Onesies – zippers all the way. Press studs are hard when you’re tired and baby is squirming
Carriers – baby personality dependent
A play gym – best toy for first 6+months
Love to dream swaddle, zip it on and they know it’s sleep time, keeps them feeling safe but can reach hands to suck and self soothe.
A feeding plan and a back up plan.
this is what I was going to say. You really can’t get enough of them because they can go through several a day. Its the one thing we had to go out and stock up on. I honestly think Target has the best baby/kids clothes around right now.
Hi Grechen – I’m really enjoying following along as you write about this exciting new chapter in your life. Your frankness and honesty about the journey really resonates with me. As a fellow mother of “advanced maternal age” (gawd), it would have been great to have your thoughts to read when I was pregnant.
Anyway, my son is 9 now, but I did want to share one thing that was indispensable for me in his first year. A friend gifted me a pack of old-school cotton “prefold” cloth diapers that we ended up using in so many different ways. They were drool catchers – thrown over and protecting shoulders of whomever was holding him; spit rags – easy to grab to wipe up whatever goo came out; baby wash cloths – in the bath, sink, etc; padding/soft surface when putting him down; and of course as actual diapers if you go that route. The best thing is that they are super absorbent yet soft and relatively inexpensive for how versatile and durable they are.
We eventually bought more packs and actually kept a little stack of them in every room of the house. They were ALWAYS being used. They eventually made their way to the garage and my husband now uses them to wash the car!
I see there is a brand called OsoCozy that makes them from unbleached organic cotton (available at Amazon). Check ’em out! And best wishes as you hit the home stretch!
All you really need is Amazon Prime and Netflix… really. Each baby is so different! My daughter hated being worn/carried but loved the stroller and swing. Keep all of your receipts! And second hand stores are a great way to go. We live in a colder climate and I had a winter baby, but she lived in sleepers. Definitely stock up, between spit ups and messy diapers it was not unusual to go through 3-5 outfits a day!
Good luck! I LOVE your outfit today.