What are the top ten things you couldn't have survived your first year of parenthood without?
A couple of our best friends are having their first baby and when they asked for advice for building their baby registry, I couldn't even think of ten must-haves.
I know that my husband and I are a bit laid back when it comes to gadgets and gizmo's for child rearing, but you'd think that with two little ones (one still IN her first year), I could've at least come up with 10 things. Not so.
On the flip side, I was quickly able to name off several things we most certainly didn't use.
The big bulky swing, for example. Neither of my kids were fans of that. Or even the beloved Diaper Genie. Perhaps our son was just extraordinarily stinky (which is quite possible), but we just didn't find it all that useful in either containing the stench or adding in convenience to our lives. To the contrary, my husband bemoaned his chore of pulling a long chain, like dirty-diaper sausage links, from the bucket.
We've found that plastic grocery bags work just as well - same concept, and they're free.
Like I said though, we're really laid back, and we might be a bit overly frugal when it comes to things of this nature.
The only things I could think of to register for were diapers and wipes - because those are the only true definites. Your child will poo and you will need to clean it. Where you clean it, if the wipes are warmed in a warmer, or if they're pulled from a fancy diaper bag - those are all extras, non-essentials.
As for Pack 'n Play's and Strollers? Sure, I like ours. I'm glad we have them. The travel system is probably the most useful "big" item - we love the portability of newborns from car seat to stroller with just the click of a latch.
But, the Pack 'N Play? We probably should've used it more to make it more worth it. Lila can't stand it. It is useful for travel. Insta-crib. But even then, Lila is good to sleep just about anywhere we lay her, so long as it's safe. So even a Pack 'N Play for travel hasn't been a necessity.
And everything else is up to the personality of the child. The Boss loved pacifiers, Lila won't touch 'em. My kids love(d) their exersaucer - it trumps the swing ten-fold. But, that's also a matter of personality. My kids like to be up and in action, hands going, feet going, things moving at their command. Other kids? Maybe they're calmer, who knows? (I'm holding onto that swing, just in case I'm someday blessed with a snuggly little child who just wants to rock and listen to music...)
So, back to the question: What are the things you couldn't have survived the first year of parenthood without? And if some of your "must haves" are things I've listed as "non-essentials" - I'm interested to hear if they've been useful for you.
A couple of our best friends are having their first baby and when they asked for advice for building their baby registry, I couldn't even think of ten must-haves.
I know that my husband and I are a bit laid back when it comes to gadgets and gizmo's for child rearing, but you'd think that with two little ones (one still IN her first year), I could've at least come up with 10 things. Not so.
On the flip side, I was quickly able to name off several things we most certainly didn't use.
The big bulky swing, for example. Neither of my kids were fans of that. Or even the beloved Diaper Genie. Perhaps our son was just extraordinarily stinky (which is quite possible), but we just didn't find it all that useful in either containing the stench or adding in convenience to our lives. To the contrary, my husband bemoaned his chore of pulling a long chain, like dirty-diaper sausage links, from the bucket.
We've found that plastic grocery bags work just as well - same concept, and they're free.
Like I said though, we're really laid back, and we might be a bit overly frugal when it comes to things of this nature.
The only things I could think of to register for were diapers and wipes - because those are the only true definites. Your child will poo and you will need to clean it. Where you clean it, if the wipes are warmed in a warmer, or if they're pulled from a fancy diaper bag - those are all extras, non-essentials.
As for Pack 'n Play's and Strollers? Sure, I like ours. I'm glad we have them. The travel system is probably the most useful "big" item - we love the portability of newborns from car seat to stroller with just the click of a latch.
But, the Pack 'N Play? We probably should've used it more to make it more worth it. Lila can't stand it. It is useful for travel. Insta-crib. But even then, Lila is good to sleep just about anywhere we lay her, so long as it's safe. So even a Pack 'N Play for travel hasn't been a necessity.
And everything else is up to the personality of the child. The Boss loved pacifiers, Lila won't touch 'em. My kids love(d) their exersaucer - it trumps the swing ten-fold. But, that's also a matter of personality. My kids like to be up and in action, hands going, feet going, things moving at their command. Other kids? Maybe they're calmer, who knows? (I'm holding onto that swing, just in case I'm someday blessed with a snuggly little child who just wants to rock and listen to music...)
So, back to the question: What are the things you couldn't have survived the first year of parenthood without? And if some of your "must haves" are things I've listed as "non-essentials" - I'm interested to hear if they've been useful for you.
Labels: Motherhood, Questions
