Conference moira::parenting

    I think there was a marvellous discussion in the last volume
    about this.
    
    Note: I think everyone's opinion about what is needed varies;
    some people say that you can wrap baby in a blanket and use
    an open drawer 8-) if necessary. My first crib was a stroller.
    
    But, I should leave this listing to everyone else - I haven't had
    baby at home yet to know what *I* am missing......
    
    Monica

    
    	In hindsight, I found that I really needed to have baby nail
    scissors. I'm sorry to say that I am one of the new mother's that cut
    the baby's finger with those regular baby nail clippers. :-(
    
    	Also, lots of blankets, lots and lots of them.
    
    	We had way too much when the baby was born, much of the stuff
    (toys) he didn't even get interested in until 6 months.
    
    	One suggestion that I pass onto all expecting mothers, pack some
    colorful (soft) toys to put in the baby's crib while in the hospital.
    They make pictures more colorful and give the baby colors to focus
    on.(they also let you have fun while you try to shake a rattle in front
    of this new little person who is still in amazement).
    
	Go read the previous notesfile as Monica mentioned there is lots of
    good info there.
    	
    				Wendy

    RE:  Toy in the bassinette
    
    Makes it easy for visitors to pick out your child from the nursery 
    window, too!
    
    RE:  Clipping nails
    
    I still use the First Years brand of little nail clippers.  Yes, I took
    the tip off one finger when my kid was a few weeks old, too, but he hardly
    ever talks about it anymore!
    
    

    
    I used disposable diapers but get cloth diapers for burp rags.
    I couldn't live without them! One pack is about 12 so that
    should be enough between washes.
    
    Snap front t-shirts are lots easier for newborns.
    Drawstring gowns are great (bottom) plus they had the
    mitten option so they don't stratch their faces. (end of sleeve
    goes over hand)
    ROCKING chair!!!
    Swing (at about 5-6 weeks old)
    Waterproof mats - flannel covered - great for crib, your bed for
     quick change- I had c-section and couldn't do stairs.
    Pedilyte - in case baby gets diarrhea.
    If your carseat doesn't have a canopy get a sunshade for the
    window esp in the summer.
    LOTS of baby wipes- I thought I had a years supply and I ran out
    in 3 wks.
    
    GOOD LUCK
    

    
    Oh I forgot one thing for you - nursing pads! Disposable - make
    sure no plastic liner in them. JC Penney are good. 
    
    Even if you don't nurse when the milk comes in it gets a 
    "little" wet. I wasn't prepared for that.
    
    

    one caution on baby wipes. 
    
    I wouldn't stock up... lots of kids have sensitivities/allergies to one
    particular brand or ingredient. Buy one box or container of some brand.
    If it works, buy more. If not, try another!
    
    --dave--

    Rather than use commercial baby wipes...make your own.
    
    I cut handi wipes into quarters and use a bowl of water mixed
    with a little baking soda (neutralizes the urine and prevents
    diaper rash).  I keep one of those wash bags near by and throw
    the soiled handi wipe in it.  Once full, I wash in hot water with
    bleach.
    
    I used 3 bags of handi wipes and I wash the 'rags' once every
    other week.
    
    Mitch has never had diaper rash yet...my mom did the baking soda
    and water with us and we never had diaper rash...the pedi couldn't
    believe it.  
    
    Kristen  

    
    
    BTW: Note 90 (only 11 back) already does have discussion on this...

    1.  Rectal thermometer for taking an infant's temperature under his
        arm, in the Axilla for three minutes or rectally for one minute
        (98-100.6 is normal)
    
    2.  Nasal bulb syringe and saline nasal drops (Ocean, Ayr, Salinex)
    
    3.  Q-tips, sterile cotton balls, vaseline
    
    4.  Desitin or A & D Ointment.  "Johnson's Soap, Baby Shampoo"
    
    5.  Tylenol drops for fever.  Dose:  under 3 mos., 0.4 ml., over 3
        mos., 0.8 ml. every 4 hours
    
    6.  Rubbing alcohol, small gauze pads, infant gylcerine suppositories
    
    7.  Cool-air humidifier
    
    8.  Syrup of Ipecac (one ounce bottle)
    
    9.  Topical Antibiotic - Bacitracin, Neosporin
    
    10. Your pharmacy's phone number easily at hand.
    
    (Above taken from one of my Pedi's handout books)
    
    Re:  7 (Make your own wipes)
    
    That was great Kristen.  I have heard so much about using/not using the
    wipes on the market and have been a little bit frustrated about what to
    do.  Many people and my pedi recommend not using them for a couple of
    months, others say they have used them right from birth and had no
    problem.  I didn't want to go out and have to buy another two dozen
    wash clothes and cutting up the handi-wipes sounds like a great idea.
    
    ...Lori 
    

    Note 818.* is the note in PARENTING_V3 which covers this topic.

    Instead of using a rectal thermometer, you might want to use a digital
    thermometer (they have plastic shields and and be used rectally). We
    found this to be *much* easier and faster then using a glass
    thermometer and it eliminates the worry of glass tubes breaking in your
    child's rectum. (Digital Thermometers are usually tapered and only need
    to be inserted 1/4 inch - much better in my book for all involved).
    
    			Wendy

    I didn't know we made thermomters, too!
    
    What's next!
    
    8^)
    -anonymous
    

    
    They just came out with the new ear type that the pedi's use.
    Unfortunately they cost about $100.
    
    I have a pacifier that the tip turns black when the baby's
    temp it elevated. You then use the thermometer to get
    reading - but I find it helps if you need to know quickly.
    
    

I also suggest that you decide beforehand the interior decorations (paint, 
wallpaper, etc.) of baby's room, and get that done beforehand.  That's messy, 
smelly, and time consuming work that you don't want to do with a new baby 
in the house.

And I remember that, during the days in between the time that our first was 
born and she and my wife came home from the hospital, that I felt very useful 
running around and picking up some of the last minute stuff.  So don't feel 
the need to be _completely_ prepared.

Clay

    Hi,
    
    If you are going to breastfeed, get extra bed pillows!  I had six!
    When you are exhausted (and you will be often!) they are very
    helpful.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Alex's mommy (aka Linette)
    8*)
    

    Stock up the freezer with whatever your family will eat.  Get
    caught up on the wash (and remember what it feels like, since
    it won't happen again for a while!).  An answering machine was
    a tremendous help to me, as is a cordless phone (OK, so I'm
    a technology freak).  If there are older kids in the house,
    make sure the VCR is working :-).  Don't forget one of those
    little baby bathtubs (in a pinch, you can use the kitchen sink,
    but put a towel in the bottom for comfort's sake).  Have someone
    in to clean the house before the birth and then (if you can
    afford it) a couple of times afterward.  Line up good baby-sitters,
    reliable people you can leave the kids with for an hour so you
    can go to the mall or the library ALONE.  
    
    I honestly could not have lived without the Kanga-Rocka-Roo that
    Century makes.  THere are many similar "peanut seats" or "infant
    seats" on the market.  Many car seats will fulfill the same function.
    My kids both enjoyed being propped up in the peanut seat.  They'd
    listen to music, doze, watch the sun coming through the window,
    and just generally enjoy the company.  Since I couldn't pay my daughter
    to take a daytime nap when she was a newborn, the peanut seat was a
    real godsend.

    
    We too went out and bought a cordless phone (surely not a MAJOR
    necessity, but...). Unless you have a phone directly next to you, or
    don't mind letting it ring, while youre feeding, it came in VERY handy.
    Because it seemed that EVERY TIME I sat down to feed, the phone would
    ring, and I would have to try and juggle the baby, and bottle (& me!)
    to make it to the ringing phone.
    
    I found the infant car seat a BIG help also! it was so convienent to be
    able to just carry him around, take him in and out of the car while
    still asleep, etc...  Friends of mine who did not have one for their
    first, say they will get one for their second child. 
    
    Chris
    

    
    	I remember the one big thing I had to get was more burp rags.
    	I think I finally ended up with 3 dozen. It seems I never had
    	enough for some reason. My son just turned one and I still use
    	them in one form or another.
    
    
    	/K
    

    
    DEFINETLY the cordless phone! I never thought I would  want one
    but after 3 days alone with the baby I told my husband to get
    me one.  Not only do the calls come when you are feeding but
    if you are on the phone you can be in different places so
    you can watch the baby. (I also have a dog so I was keeping
    a eye on her too)
    
    

    
    We were in the process of moving (Nicholas was 3 weeks when we
    moved) so I had to limit the amount of baby items as much as
    possible.  I find that I can never have enough "onesies".  
    Someone mentioned the drawstring nitegowns and they are really
    good because it's easier to change their diaper (instead of
    unbuttoning everything).  I had a digital thermometer too which
    I used under his arm pit.  The baby monitor was great too.
    I had him in a bassient in my room because I didn't want to
    put the crib together knowing in 3 weeks I would have to
    take it apart.  Q-tips were great for his umbilical chord
    and for his eyes (he's got blocked tear ducts).
    oh and I almost forgot the most important thing...the PACIFIER! :)
    
    Chris

    I thought that between *my* shopping, and my mother inlaw's shopping
    spree I had everything imaginable.  And since we knew by amnio that we
    were having a boy, mother inlaw had a literal *rack* of boy-blue
    clothes when I came home.
    
    So what was I missing.....???  Booties and plain old sox!!  I went off
    one night at 8p.m. in search of them.  I couldn't believe that out of
    all the many things I had, not one of us had thought of them!  
    
    Oh I didn't have a diaper bag either, somehow that fell through the
    proverbial cracks as well.  I bought that a couple weeks later.
    
    I seemed to never have enough onsies!  Whoever invented them ought to
    be sainted!
    
    I stocked up on  hooded bath towels and flannel recieving blankets,
    great for bath time and just plain swaddling.
    
    Enjoy this time, this is one of my favorite memories!
    
    Lyn

    Something else that hasn't been mentioned yet is a hat.
    
    We brought Sarah home from the hospital and a couple days later took
    her to the store with us.  Well, the sun out here is brutal in the
    summer and she let us know that she didn't like the sun in her eyes.
    We tried to block it from the end of the parking lot into the store, 
    but it would have been a lot nicer for her if she had a hat.
    
    Susan

    Just a quick plug for a baby store in Manchester, NH (I am in no way
    affiliated with the business or the owners). The store is Cribs 'n
    Things and is on So. Willow Street at the Lechmere plaza. The seleciton
    is outstanding, the staff knowledgeable and friendly, and right now
    they're running a fantastic sale.
    
    My wife and I ordered our baby furniture today. Everything we ordered
    was on sale (we saved over $200). And the carriage we picked up two
    weeks ago is now on sale for $10 less than we paid and they credited our
    order the $10 as well!
    
    We put everything on layaway with a 20% deposit. We do not have to make
    any further payments until we pick up the furniture, which we can do 
    anytime we want--incurring no interest or stocking charges. And, when 
    shower guests come into the store to buy something for us, they will get 
    20% off their purchase!
    
    We're very pleased with Cribs 'n Things and hope that this note will
    help others get a good deal. Ask for Carlene--we've found her
    especially helpful and friendly.
    
    Mike

    
    NH Buyer's service is owned by Cribs 'n Things.  The
    items in their catalog can be seen at the Cribs 'n
    Things store.
    
    Jeanne
    

I bought all of my baby furniture and bedding from NH Buyer's Service.  It was
less than their best sale price in the Cribs and Things store.  I just bought
a diaper bag for $30 at Cribs and Things and then saw it for $20 in the NH
Buyers Catalog.  I never even thought to check in their catalog for a diaper
bag.  I wonder if they'll give me a credit for the difference since they own
NH Buyer's Service.

Pam

    
    Where can you get the NH buyer's service catalog?
    
    Terri

    
   NH Buyers Service   603/622-3159   

    RE: .9
    
    I have a first aid kit that includes all those things and even some
    others.  I actually have 2.  I keep one in my disaster kit, and one in
    the car.  It is spacificaly designed for children, not adults.  The
    ones I have are called BabySafe.  I think it might even be a good baby
    shower gift.  My brother developed this kit and another called
    TravelSafe, last year and is now marketing them on a larger scale.  If
    anyone would like more information one either of these kits please send
    mail to me.
    
    SWAM2::MASSEY_VI
    CWO dtn 533-7885
    
    Thanks,
    
    Virginia

    One more essential I really love... a night light that attaches to the
    crib.  Didn't have this one with my first son.  This night light is
    sound activated and there are three settings (OFF, soft, and loud). 
    Sometimes the light coming on was enough to make Noah happy.  There is
    also a five minute delay so that the light will turn itself off when
    there is no more noise.
    
    I found it at Toys R Us.  I have seen similar versions in kid-related
    catalogs.
    
    Wish I'd had it with my first,
    
    Kathy

    I guess this would work here...
    
    I want to try and put a lower closet bar in his closet.  Has anyone
    seen, bought, or perhaps home-made one?  I'm thinking I've seen one
    that sort of hooks over the top closet bar, and then comes down on two
    sides with flat brackets with another closet bar so that little people 
    can hang their own things up, or until they get to that stage the
    little tiny clothes can be hung up on both levels.
    
    Lyn

    For references to retailer suppliers of closet rods, please send the
    information by mail.  Do not post it here.
    
    Thanks,
    Laura
    co-mod

If you're handy with wood and a saw this is what I did.

In the hall closet where all the coats are stored, I
put a 2x4 across the back with 4-5" pieces of 1/2"
PVC pipe sticking out at a slight angle up.  There
are about 6 across the 3.5' closet.  This gives
the kids an easy place to hang their coats.

I also made two 'troughs' the depth of the closet
along the side to store mittens, hats, etc.

Depending on the volume of clothes to be stored
in the closet somthing like this might work too.

Dave

    Thank you, I think this may have been the solution I needed!
    
    Lyn
    

    Recently I ordered a set of three flannel receiving blankets from the 
    Lands End catalog.  These are the best receiving blankets I have ever
    seen.  They are very soft and cozy.  (A set of three was $12)
    
    Nancy

	I was just in the new Baby Business store on South Street in 
	Hudson MA.  The store only stocks items that have been recommended
	by other parents.  The prices I looked at appeared to be 
	competitive with other stores and mostly on the lower side.
	They have cribs, sheets (cotton and flannel), blankets, hooded
	towels, carseats, strollers, bottles, layette outfits, breast
	pumps (buy or rent).  The store is owned by an ex-DECcie.