Top Nine

I had a friend ask me for my list of must-haves for baby so I thought I'd share it here.

1.  Place to sleep. We love our bassinet that we had in our room for the first month, then moved to the closet. If you're not nursing and getting up to make a bottle anyway, I would put the baby in her own room after the first week or so. J is just starting to get too big for his bassinet at 13 lbs./3mos. We'll get him into the crib next month.
  2.  Burp rags. A couple dozen, a stack for each room. (Ethan-It seems like we got a lot, but unless you pin them to yourself they often get left behind when you move and then you don't have one when you need it, unless you have a lot and spread them around)
  3. Wipes- We got some soft washcloths and use them with warm water (E-it's less abrasive/startling, especially at first when we'd use a cold wipe he could cry, but he was fine with a warm cloth). Also, their first few bowel movements are pretty sticky, so it's easier to clean up with the washcloth than wipes.
  4.  baby shampoo/soap. Johnson's foaming soap pump (or one from Bath & Body Works) uses like 1 T. of soap and the rest with water so it lasts forever and is gentler on baby's skin. I also use this with my washcloth wipes. The pump makes it very convenient.
  5.  waterproof pads-we do most of our changing/feeding on our bed so one around to put over the sheet and one permanently under
  6.  couple changes of sheets for baby's bed- same as above. can layer pad/sheet/pad/sheet for quick night changes if bed gets wet.
  7.  Boppy-even if you're bottle-feeding. i use mine with this<http://www.pillowspillows.com/images/bed%20rest.jpg> kind of pillow. It really helps my back from getting sore while feeding/rocking/holding baby. I also have one Boppy upstairs for my bed and one downstairs on the couch. That way I can feed easily wherever I am.
  8.  swaddling blankets
  9.  Baby carrier - Wraps are perfect for tiny babies because they're very protective/supportive and hold the baby close to your body (e.g. Moby or Sleepywrap. E- or Megan can make you one) E-now that he's a little bigger I prefer the Snugli because it's more open and easier to get on/off (and it was cheap). I like having the carriers because if I need to be doing stuff, I can, but still have him close and take care of him. E-I actually wore him to work in the Snugli for a couple hours when Meg had something and he slept the whole time, even though I was moving and talking to people.