*Baby Corner*

[chri'stina 190]

Aaawwwww....so cute. Do the colors of the balloon mean anything? Looks like your flag icon .

Hey I hadn't thought of the colors thing, good eye hahaha. It DOES look like the Indian flag a bit.

[Eveline 9]

. Don't forget to post pictures here on Sunday night or monday.

[chri'stina 190]

. Don't forget to post pictures here on Sunday night or monday.

[Nessa 23]

my turn:

Fantastic!

thanks. since i'm a FTM and have no family or friends to help me with anything, i was afraid of missing something or buying stuff that is not necessary. took me a lot of research and so far it looks like i have everything that i really need covered.

cool pics with the baloons. he looks so cute

[faryan 4]

Hi ladies... Ive got my period when i wake up this morning! (its almost 7am now where I am) I'm relieved and also sad... No baby for us yet I guess... It must be all the extra worrying over the Xray on fetus, the upcoming interview, and also worrying re not being able to be with hubby delayed it.. Delivering baby here in Malaysia for me is ok, we have good hospitals and my family's here, and hubby's insurance also cover me over here apparently. But if I cant travel to the US, I know he will pack up his bag and come here, and then its going to be tough as the economy the way it is.

Delivering your kids in Germany is great Eveline.. Most of my German friends dont have babies yet (or dont want to), but I stayed with a friend's brother's family when i was in Frankfurt a couple of years ago. He and his wife are doctors. And the wife told me that she had 6 months maternity leave or something, and then took another 6 months unpaid leave to be with their little kids. that's awesome..

Well, off i go now.. Have the medical check up at 8. Wish me luck!

P/s: Happy birthday Kavi!

[TracyLuis 0]

I can't believe Kavi is almost 1! Happy First Birthday, little guy!!!

[Eveline 9]

Delivering your kids in Germany is great Eveline.. Most of my German friends dont have babies yet (or dont want to), but I stayed with a friend's brother's family when i was in Frankfurt a couple of years ago. He and his wife are doctors. And the wife told me that she had 6 months maternity leave or something, and then took another 6 months unpaid leave to be with their little kids. that's awesome..

I'm sorry to hear that you are not pregnant after all. Good luck with the babymaking in the future.

I had both my babies in the US. I wish I could have delivered in Germany but oh well, that's ok. I don't know how it works in Germany but I know that you get paid time off to raise your babies.

[MzMo1102 0]

Thanks again ladies!!

We started the registry at Babies R Us and we are going to do another one at target. What are the must haves or things people don't think of?

Here is a list of supplies to have onhand before the baby is born from a magazine that was in the goody bag the OB gave me (the moms can verify and add!):

LAYETTE

1 "take-me-home" outfit

(I'll add an outfit for the hospital photo if you have one taken)

8 bodysuits

3 shirt-and-pant sets

4 coveralls (one-piece footed outfits)

1 sweater

6 pairs of socks

2 large hooded towels

8 sleep gowns with elastic bottom

2 sleep sacks (serve as safe blankets)

lots of burp cloths

4 receiving blankets

DEPENDING ON THE CLIMATE

AND WHEN YOUR BABY IS BORN:

coat, knit hat, snowsuit (not here, and not for August Well, maybe the hat. )

brimmed sun hat

THE NURSERY

crib

firm mattress

sheet protector or mattress pad

3 to 4 fitted crib sheets (ideally with elastic all around, not just at the corners)

monitor (unless you live in a small home)

dresser with changing area

lamp

glider (better than a rocking chair)

diaper pail or disposal unit

small hamper (or laundry bag)

toy storage

GEAR

infant car seat

infant tub

diaper bag

stroller that allows your newborn to fully recline

bouncy seat

OPTIONAL, BUT NICE TO HAVE:

swing

sling or front carrier

play yard (they called them playpens when I was little -- guess kids aren't animals anymore!)

BABY CARE

diapers (just a pack or two of the newborn size)

baby wipes (unscented for newborns)

(I'll add cornstarch baby powder -- don't they recommend this anymore?)

diaper rash cream with zinc oxide

digital rectal thermometer

infant acetaminophen

nasal aspirator

disposable washcloths, or 3 to 4 regular ones

all-in-one baby shampoo/wash

baby lotion

petroleum jelly

4 to 5 pacifiers

sterile cotton balls

baby nail clippers or scissors

swaddling blanket

mild laundry detergent

baby-formula sunscreen

CHILDPROOFING

smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

BOTTLE-FEEDING

formula

4 to 6 small bottles

4 to 6 large bottles

disposable bottle liners (if you're using them)

bottle drying rack

dishwasher basket for nipples and rings

bottle brush (with nipple brush attached)

BREASTFEEDING

breast pump

nursing pads

nursing pillow

can of formula in case of emergency

freezer storage containers

nipple cream

2 to 3 bottles

1 nursing bra (you might get bigger after delivery)

And here is the advice I got from a former coworker when I wrote to him about our pregnancy:

"Never buy a baby one piece ( i think they call them "jumpers" ) that has the snaps going up just one leg. I about broke Andrew's leg trying to get him back into one of those things. Make sure the snaps go up both legs and meet in the middle. It makes changing diapers much easier."

my turn:

WOW!!! That's great!! I told myself that I wont start thinking of the things I need until after the first trimester but after reading both lists, I think I need to get a move on!

[MzMo1102 0]

Yeah, its my first baby and in the middle of the K1 process. Since I wont be able to get my xray done until after birth I'll obviously will be giving birth here in Australia. I actually dont mind at all as my health insurance covers everything and I'd rather avoid the hassle of giving birth in the US...Im just hoping for a smooth pregnancy..

Congrats!!! I think if you are pregnant they may waive the vaccinations and xray for the medical, and you do them in the US for the AOS. You may want to check with other pregnant K1ers

Saludos,

Caro

Thanks! I read in a few threads that some people have had their vaccinations and xray waived and had them done in the US for the AOS but I also read in the US Consulate - Sydney website that "The panel physician will advise you when, after you’ve given birth, it will be appropriate to have the X-ray done."...so im not sure too sure at this stage. Im going to have to find out in the Australian forum if anyone has been in a similar situation...

[Anna C. 4]

Baby gear: there is so much stuff on that list which I do not have, and yet stuff that I have that's not on there. You really should know what you want: more a sling-type of person, more a stroller? Do you want to cloth diaper or disposables? Don't get too many clothes!!!! And I personally love one-piece-footsies, they cover baby all over, yet put no pressure on little fat-bellies like baby pants do.

We have no mattress pad and in fact never needed one???

With the baby wash - buy organic - I wouldn't advise anything that contains harsh soaps, fragrances etc - like Johnson & Johnson. Many babys don't react well to that stuff. And foremost: babies aren't really that dirty - soap isn't necessary. We wash our son with water and that's just fine. BTW we got this $40 baby tub - we used it like twice. It's bulky and not really worth it...

Also, as for butt ointment: if you have sensitive skin, chances are baby will too. Weleda is an excellent choice, also the Burt's Bees ointment. Desitin did not work at all for us, it made the rash worse. Once I checked the ingredients and went like duh! Powder isn't recommended anymore as it is dangerous to breathe it in, I forget the exact issue. But you wouldn't want it on baby's butt, really. It's best to clean it, dry it, put some ointment on & pack the little tushie back in its diaper.

We don't really use the baby monitor. Baby sleeps with us in his crib right next to our bed. And we live in a 2-bedroom - I hear him if he wakes up from his nap!!

Breastfeeding: you really want to get a nursing top. You can nurse in all sorts of clothes, but for convenience at home, one nursing top makes it so much easier!!! Motherhood maternity sells cheap ones.... I personally prefer Lansinoh storage bags over the Medela bags - they hold more and are cheaper, yet both are BPA free.

@ MzMo: I hope they wave the xray and the vaccines. You should totally avoid both. Especially the xray and live vaccines (which are both contraindicated during pregnancy). I hope it works out!!!

[Eveline 9]

Baby powder is not recommended since lots of parents do the shake with the bottle when they put it on baby's butt. That shake makes a big cloud of fine particled powder which might be inhaled by baby. If you do use powder (I use some too...it's great to get vaseline out of toddler hairs with, haha) put it in your hands first and then on baby's butt with as little dust as possible.

Other than that I pretty much agree with Anna. You don't really need a jogging stroller, if you have nowhere to jog or never jog. I don't have a nursing top. With Adam I didn't feel comfortable enough to nurse in public so I went into nursing rooms or in the car etc. With Allie I feel comfortable enough to not use any cover or nursing top. I can cover everything up pretty good. Wall decoration, arts, hampers etc...you don't really need it. Same for diaper stackers, I just feel like they are empty all the time. I don't have a diaper pail but use a regular trash can with a plastic bag that you get at the grocery store. You have to empty those out every day or every other day anyway. Also, I cloth diaper and I line that pail with a cloth bag so I can just throw everything in one wash...done.

I use burts bees baby wash. I don't know if it's organic, it smells good and doesn't have any parabens in it. DH has very sensitive skin and I'm afraid Allie has it too, she has dry skin. Olive oil or breastmilk are best for the first few months. We do have the occasional bubble bath though with the Johnson and Johnson wash, but only when Adam is in the tub too...I usually wahs both kids in the sink, so easy and no tub needed. We have a cheapo 10 dollar foldable tub which we used quite often with Adam but now I've sold it in a garage sale.

sinkbath

Edited January 31, 2009 by Eveline

[Autumnchik 6]

Wow, Happy Birthday Kavi!!! I can't believe he is 1 already Seems like I was just reading about your pregnancy, Stina.

About the baby gear - I too never bought EVERYTHING on those lists, although I tried to get many of the items. I personally loved baby gowns for sleeping at night rather than onesie sleepers, especially when Declan was newborn. He pooped every time he ate, and it was sooo much easier to pull up a gown and change the diaper rather than struggle with snaps or zippers in the middle of the night. Declan unfortunately never liked a baby carrier or sling. I bought a front carrier before he was born and he absolutely HATED it, so we ended up returning it. I had thought he might like a sling, but was hesitant to buy one without trying it. So, we went to Babies r Us, took one off the model and tried it (I know, we probably broke the store rules!) ... and of course, he HATED it. I agree with Anna about the Lansinoh storage bags, I liked those best too.

[Vi Mazzella 4]

Girls!!

Why did they close the other "Baby Forum"???

Thanks for the lists, great help. I had a short list and didn't know that was going to need so much stuff. Tomorrow I'm going with hubby to Babies R Us to open my registry for the baby shower, I'm very excited about it .

Kavi is so big, same think with Tracy's little Drew, cool pics girl!!!

Gotta go girls...

Vi

[Eveline 9]

@Vi: Every 500 pages the threads get archived, just to keep the board and forum running smoothly.

[Vi Mazzella 4]

Got it!!!

Thanks,,