mrsjdt

Have 2 great grand babies---and this is a god-send----it's called a nasal syringe----we call it a snot sucker. And a couple nice receiving blankets----there's nothing like swaddling to quiet your baby (old fashioned I know).

k3n

Nothing wrong with old-fashioned, mrsjdt - I used to truss mine up like mummies - worked like a charm! mambird - wish someone had done freezer dinners for me, what a fantastic idea!

K x

countrymaid

When the kids got a little bigger I had a backpack carrier. It was great for shopping or summer time outings. The stroller or carrier can't go everywhere.

AtHomeSewing

A grocery cart cover to protect baby from germs. Patterns for these are available, so it could be something made by you! :)

Here's a picture:

http://www.freewebs.com/samsee/DSC01565.JPG

QuiltMania

I couldn't live without cloth diapers. Neither of my kids could tolerate the disposables so the cloth were a necessity. They double as burp cloths. I couldn't live without a baby carrier -- I think it was called a Snuggli. Kind of like a sack you can carry the baby in. Also couldn't live without a nursing cover up so I didn't flash people when I was nursing.

mommaB

I had a lidded small trash can in the baby's room for diapers, and I put a deodorizer in it (we used to have ones called stick-ups, but that was 25 years ago!!). I'm not against disposable diapers, I used them, but I do think its really environmentally wrong to wrap them up in yet more plastic to send to the landfill , especially the diaper genie sausage!!. Just take the trash out more often!! The little trash can I had held about 1 day's worth of diapers so I had to empty every night. Only stinky when you flipped the lid!! There's so much stuff out there now that you really don't need!!! Get Baby nighties without collars (they always turn up into their face), onsies, lots of recieving blankets, cloth diapers, not the prefolded kind, for burp rags, feeding stuff, (well water washed stuff needs sterilized, city water stuff not necessarily). If she's formula feeding, they make individual servings of ready to feed, and you can make individual bottles one at a time with powder and warm city water (no heating time..yippee at 2 am!!) or mcirowaved water! I never used a baby bathtub either, just seemed like more hassle to get all the "stuff" out and put away. Just used the big tub..easy. And MOM needs a comfy chair where she can put her feet up while holding and feeding (70% of her time!!). The glider kind are soooo comfy..!!

OHSue

Someone gave me a bunch of these divided plastic serving plates with covers, they were just the right size to put a kid size meal in and stick it in the fridge for lunches and meal ready ahead of time. I didn't think I would use it that much, but it was in use for many years.
This one is silly, but after my son was a toddler, I used the pizza cutter all the time for cutting up food.
When I found out I was pregnant, I started buying diapers, I resisted buying all those things we want to get like all the fun clothes. Don't worry your friends will spring for clothes, everyone likes buying baby clothes. By the time my son was born, I had over 1000 diapers, didn't buy more until he was about 5 months old.

gramadona

My daughters all found this book to be very helpful...
"Your Baby's First Year" (Second Edition) by American Academy Of Pediatrics. Lots of practical advice and available day and night!!

Lots of flannel receiving blankets.
They are warm and wonderful for swaddling.
They quickly cover wet spots in the crib in the middle of the night.
They are absorbant and great wipes in a spit-up emergency.
They cover the floor, bed, stroller... wherever you want to lay the baby.
They are heavy enough to make shade over the stroller, but not so heavy as to block the movement of air.
They are wonderful to cover a nursing baby in case there any prudes in the room.
They are usually available as a burp cloth.
They make a terrific absorbant bath towel.
They can be draped (or pinned) over a shopping cart to cover germs.
They make spectacular Super Hero capes!
They are the perfect size for a "hide-out" tent.
They are just right as a tea party, picnic cloth on the grass.
And..... when baby doesn't need them anymore they can be cut into squares and made into a soft quilt for a "big kid's bed".

Debra Mc

Don't laugh! Get some Mylicon Drops. It's gas medicine for babies. I spent the first 3 weeks bouncing a 10 lb 12 oz baby boy. I was so tired & he got really heavy. His doctor gave me some & from then on we kept them. That soy formula does it. That was 16 years ago & I still tell every new parent to get some before the baby comes. Saves a lot of sleepless nights. You can buy at Walmart. Also I had a thing called a diaper genie. It was really nice for the diaper disposal. Those bouncy seat that vibrate are good too.

Chele

Cloth diapers! Here's an easy tutorial to make them special:

http://chickpeastudio.typepad.com/ch...h-tutoria.html