14 Best baby buys & tips

February 16, 2009

Jo-Lynne over at Musings of a Housewife just posted about baby items, specifically what has worked for her and what hasn’t.

I’ve been thinking about this very subject lately and have been meaning to post so this seems like a good time to do so.

I’ve given birth to 4 kiddos and have spent the last 8 1/2 years up to my  eyeballs in baby whatnot.  I like things that are useful, decent quality and cheap.  Here are my picks for the basics:

1. Diapers – Luvs.  All diapers leak at times, but these are among the best and for the least amount of money.  Also, it’s easy to find coupons for them.  Couple a coupon with a sale…that’s always a score!  Kirkland (Costco brand) aren’t bad either.
2. Wipes – Target brand, unscented, for sensitive skin (no link, sorry).  They are economical, cloth-like and don’t tear.  And they don’t smell like baby powder on steroids!  (I hate that.)
3. Diaper Rash Ointment- Baby #4 had major diaper rash when he was first born and I tried every diaper rash ointment known to man (OK, slight exaggeration).  In the end, I realized zinc oxide is the active ingredient in all of them.  Desitin Original (not Desitin Creamy) is 40% zinc oxide whereas most of the others are somewhere between 10%-20%.  Desitin Original is the best.
4. PJs.  I agree with Jo-Lynne that having to deal with snaps on footie pjs (especially in the middle of the night) is pure torture.  I did use footie pjs (I never used gowns like she recommends), but always the ones with a zipper, NOT SNAPS (like this one from Children’s Place, which incidentally, is on sale right now for $3.49).
5. Clothing. Speaking of Children’s Place, their clothes rock.  They are well-made and last a long time (as compared to other brands).  And they’re cute to boot.  They can be a bit pricey, however they have rockin’ sales, especially in January and July (mark your calendars–seriously!!– and then buy ahead & stock up!).
6. Collars. For newborns and infants, avoid collars.  They always flip up & get in the way and they usually get all wonky after washing.
7. Sore Nipples. I’ve now nursed 4 children and I’ve come to the conclusion that getting sore nipples at the beginning just goes with the territory.  The books and lactation consultants have told me countless times “If the latch is right, it shouldn’t hurt.” but either I’m just weird or they are just lying.  I was ALWAYS sore the first several weeks.  I tried many things to help with the pain, but the best trick is to express a little milk onto your nipple after the baby is done nursing, rub it around to coat and let air dry (OK, not the best idea when breastfeeding at the mall, but at home, who needs a shirt?).  It didn’t prevent or remove the pain completely, but there are healing properties in breast milk (so I’m told) and it helped a whole lot more than any other thing I tried.  And I tried many a thing.
8. Baby Cereal. Instead of buying the boxed oats baby food (which I prefer to the rice cereal because it’s more nutritional), I just bought regular quick-cook oats and blended them to a coarse powder in the blender.  Add a bit of warm water, breastmilk or formula and let sit a minute or two.  Then mix with pureed fruit or veggies.
9. Solid Food. A food grinder is mighty helpful so the baby can eat what everyone else is eating (once they get to that stage anyway).
10. Jarred Baby Food. If you’re going to buy jarred baby food, don’t bother with the “1st stage” stuff.  Buy the “2nd stage” instead.  They are basically the same thing and ounce for ounce, 2nd stage is cheaper.  Same idea for things like apples…just buy “adult” unsweetened, all-natural applesauce.  It’s a bit thicker so just water it down if needed.
11. Parenting Books. I don’t agree with everything, but for babies, I find myself referring to The Baby Book by Dr. Sears again and again.  It’s practical and covers a lot of the basics.  For toddlers and above, Positive Discipline and Positive Discipline A-Z by Jane Nelsen and Families Where Grace Is In Place by Jeff VanVonderen are my favorites.  Nelsen’s books are very practical (especially A-Z) and VanVonderen’s is extremely insightful.  Bonus: I would advise anyone to definitely steer clear of Babywise (here is a site which explains why).
12. My Best Parenting Advice: Trust yourself.
13. My Personal Parenting Motto: Freedom within boundaries.
14. My Approach: Parent my kids the way God parents me (He’s heavy on the grace).  And when I still don’t have a clue…wing it.

What about you?

This post is part of  Works for Me Wednesday.  Check it out!

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorite: Positive Discipline A-Z
2. Favorite parenting advice
3. Train up a child: 10 things

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