Hi Dads! Hoping to be joining your ranks later this year and my wife and I are working on the registry for the shower (and just in general working on a checklist). Care to share any hot tips, product recommendations, brands, or anything of the sort?
SI have no specific suggestions of products, but I found a wee little baby needs very little. Focus on things that will help you help the baby and make things easier for you… untill they start moving about… then I’d look for stuff at local used shops/ websites. At that age kids outgrow things fast and people get rid of practically new stuff, and less disappointing if the kid doesn’t really care about it.
Someone mentioned window shades- I’d consider dark and ceramic tints on the windows if you’re keeping the car long term (assuming you have a car). It does help keep everyone cool and sun out of little eyes.
Congrats!
Some things my wife and I didn’t consider that we may need were disposable nappy bags and washable change mats, we also had nowhere near enough disposable nappies for the first few weeks. Although they’re not the most romantic or exciting baby shower gifts they’re life savers.
The other thing we really appreciated was onesies with zips that go from the top and bottom.
Those onesies are for real a life pro tip. Whoever thought of those was on the level for sure.
The change mats that are washable, for sure. But they don’t need covers (IMO). You want the ones that are just bare and easily wipeable.
Uppababy and Nuna car seats were/are awesome. Generally a breeze to wash when needed and install. The uppababy stroller was a lifesaver too.
That said, the evenflow pivot explore wagon has been mediocre in my opinion. The canopy shades don’t like to stay on, it doesn’t fit well in our Mazda CX-30, and the handle rarely if ever folds out since it’s not easily maneuverable in that configuration.
Grab at least two of the silicone butt spatulas. We used them almost daily. Made applying Boudreaux’s Butt Paste a breeze.
Don’t forget to take time for yourselves as a couple and as individuals. It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and forget/ignore those things. Your relationship will irrevocably change and it takes active care to be maintained/nourished.
Congratulations and welcome to the club!
Black out shades for the nursery if you don’t have them… We live at a pretty northern latitude and in the summer the kid would never sleep! There are some cheap ones that suction cup to the windows, which are great for travel too and won’t break the bank.
We bought one color changing smart lightbulb for the nursery lamp and it was a great idea. You can turn it red and still be able to see when you come in at night, like a darkroom, while still being able to navigate the room and not trip over stuff.
Echoing the white noise machine. A cheap smart speaker (Google mini) can also be useful - you can adjust the volume from outside the room; there are ton of white noise podcasts, and if your kid likes music instead, you can start with that and switch to white noise.
You’ll need more diapers than you think. Newborns can take up to a week to start pooping consistently but when they do they’ll go through like 8-10 diapers a day.
Invest in a good sound machine. The background noise will help soothe the baby and keep other noises from waking him/her.
As far as tips go, if you find yourself two months in wondering if you’ve made a huge mistake, you’re not alone and that’s pretty normal. Newborns are basically an extremely high maintenance potato and they’re totally dependent on their parents. All they do is eat, poop, and cry. It’s a stressful time and can be hard on mom and dad. But, eventually that little baby is going to look at you with a smile and say “dada” and it will make your heart melt.
The Ikea high chair is like $30 and it’s the best high chair there is. Toddler just had spaghetti? You’ll be out on the deck in your undershirt like cousin Eddie, with the powerwasher just going to town on that thing, drinking a beer, and not a care in the world. Love to see you do that with one of those fancy $800 high chairs. For real, it’s the best advice I can give you. Smartest buy there is. We’ve been really happy with the Ikea crib too, while I’m at it. And I otherwise hate Ikea btw.