A long boring list of stuff for baby, part I

To take care of a new baby, what items do you really need to have? Not much. So then what items are nice to have? I think it varies dramatically depending on the family.

One of my cousins is expecting a baby in a couple of months, and I offered to loan her some stuff. This got me thinking about preparing for Isaac, and how hard it was to know what to buy. I remember being stressed out the week he was born because we didn't have baby washcloths yet. I wonder how I thought baby washcloths were different from regular washcloths? Craig, to his credit, stopped at a Babies R Us on his way home from work one evening and picked up a bunch of them, so at least I could cross that particular worry off my list.

Besides the baby washcloths (which I actually still use; Isaac likes the ones with a dog embroidered on them), I don't think we ended up with too many unnecessary items. But it's hard to say -- if you already have something, you're likely to use it, and then perhaps you'll wonder how you would have gotten by without it.

The mechanics of those early weeks and months are already growing dim -- not the emotions, but the nuts-and-bolts -- so, for posterity's sake, and for the sake of anyone shopping along at home, I'd better make a list of the baby items we used (or are still using) while I can still remember:

On the Go

infant car seat (Baby Trend Latch Loc)

• from birth to 4 months old
• borrowed from friends
  
• it was quite a relief to not have to do the research on this, because we trusted our friends to have bought a good one!

stroller frame to hold infant car seat (Snap N Go type)

• from birth to 4 months old
  
• borrowed from friends
• I think we used this less than ten times; Isaac didn't like it, so we almost always carried him in a sling
  

convertible car seat (Britax Boulevard)

• from 4 months old to the present
• this was kind of expensive, but there was a good sale online
• since Isaac is such a tall child, we wanted a car seat that he won't outgrow too soon, and this one has the tallest height limit available
  

utility stroller (BOB Revolution)

• from 4 months old to the present
• this was kind of expensive, but we got it on sale because it was "last year's model"
• it has a lockable swiveling front wheel which allows it to go anywhere, from off-road at my parents' house to inside stores at the mall

umbrella stroller (Maclaren Volo)

• from 15 months old to the present
• for over a year I insisted I only needed one stroller, but in the end we got this one for travel -- it's ultra-light and you can sling it over your shoulder -- just as Isaac decided he dislikes being strapped into any stroller
• well, we can always use it as a luggage cart

slings (Hotslings stretch cotton for me, New Native for Craig)

• from birth to 4 months old* for napping; from birth to 6 months old for transportation; I still use mine sometimes
• the New Native was a hand-me-down
  
• if I had to pick, this might be my can't-live-without item -- in the sling we could get Isaac to sleep anywhere; without the sling we couldn't get him to sleep anywhere!

mei tai baby carrier (Babyhawk)

• from 4 months old to the present
• since this goes over both shoulders, this was handy when Isaac got too heavy to carry for a long time in the sling
• see our profile photo at the top of this blog
  

Sleeping

bassinet (Arm's Reach mini co-sleeper)

• from birth to 7 months old for night-time sleep
• we really liked how this kept Isaac right next to our bed but gave him his own separate space; I missed him when he began to pull up on the edges and we had to move him into his crib and thus out of our room
  

crib (Child Craft Easy Use No Dropside)

• from 6 months old* to the present for naps; from 7 months old to the present for night-time sleep
• at one point I believed Isaac would never be able to sleep in the crib, since when we set him down he always woke up and screamed -- but practice made perfect (well, almost perfect)
• we got a fixed-side crib because it seemed more sturdy, and it hasn't been a problem leaning over the edge, but then I'm 5' 7" and Craig is 5' 11"
  

swaddling blanket (Miracle Blanket)

• from birth to 7 months old
• yes, we swaddled him for much longer than most babies will tolerate; he seemed to like it, and it was possible due to the true miraculousness of this straitjacket blanket
• see photo at the beginning of this post
  

wearable blankets (mostly Halo sleep sacks)

• from 7 months old to the present
• Isaac still hates being covered by blankets, even when he sleeps in our bed, so this is the only way to keep him warm

baby monitor (Sony BabyCall)

• from 6 months old to the present
• just like I thought we'd never use the crib, the monitor seemed like a cruel joke, but now I use it every day

- - - -

* And where did Isaac nap between 4 and 6 months of age, if not in the sling and not in the crib? In my lap.

- - - - -

Edited 10/25/08 to add:

We also have a nightlight that we all really like, a MOBI Tykelight Buddy in yellow. We just call him Light Bulb Man.

Edited 9/8/09 to add:

Here's Part II of this list.