6 Months Along & Overwhelmes

**SomiticPit** · 08-22-2011 10:08 AM

I am 6 months along with my first child, a little boy. I am overwhelmed because we don't have anything for the baby yet, and I am getting worried that time is running out.

Where can I find online cheap (or free) baby items?
What things do I need to be shopping for now? What things can wait?
When should I start planning my baby shower?
When should I have my baby shower?
What things are appropriate to ask for for a baby shower?
Ideas on how to decorate his nursery?
How many diapers do I need on hand?

These are just a few questions...mommies, please help me!

**Little** · 08-22-2011 10:46 AM

Amazon is your best friend. Sign up for Amazon Mom (free) and you get discounts on baby stuff, including diapers, as well as free 2-day express shipping. There are many Subscribe and Save items too - basically you get a discount for signing up to get an item, like diapers, regularly. This is how I get my diapers, and it is as cheap as you can hope for. My extreme couponing friend told me about this, and you can use coupons on top of the savings for $5 big boxes.

As far as stocking up on diapers, I suggest starting with a bag of newborn diapers and a box of size ones. You can never know how fast your baby is going to grow! My son (8mo) has grown faster than hubby or I did, according to our baby books. You may decide to change diaper brands as you go along, to find what works best for you. We use Luvs. They work just as well as any other brand, in my opinion, and cost much less.

Of course, you could choose to cloth diaper, in which case you still want to have a sampling of brands to find out what works for you. CD is very in, and a good way to limit chemical exposure to your baby. I might try it with my next child.
Are you intending to breastfeed or formula feed? If BFing, will you be returning to work within the next year or less? If you're going to FF or return to work before you intend to wean a nursling, you'll need bottles, but don't buy up a bunch of one type. Baby might not like them. Instead, try out one brand at a time.
Will you bedshare? If so, you won't need a bassinet, but you may want a crib depending on when you want to transition baby out of the family bed (some people don't until baby isn't a baby anymore and can sleep in a big-boy bed.) Cribs are EXPENSIVE and as of recently, very few of them can be resold used (legally, anyways.) This is definitely something you want to ask for as a present from your or the father's parents, if they have the means.
The other big expense is the car seat. You can either get an infant car seat (usually locks into a base and turns into a carrier, holds baby up to 22lbs) or a reversible car seat (sometimes, weights vary but this type of seat will usually accommodate baby up to at least 40 lbs when forward-facing.) The infant seat may last less than 6 months if you have a big baby, or around a year with an average-sized one.
If you're interested in babywearing, you may not want or need a swing/infant seat. A sling or wrap will save your life at the grocery store, until baby is old enough to sit in the cart. I've gotten great mileage out of my stroller too, especially in hot weather.

I'm just going through those choices because I have a great deal of "baby stuff" that I don't need. I didn't even realize I had these choices until after I got all the stuff. If any of it sounds good to you, google Attachment Parenting or Dr. Sears. Or talk to me

I think I'm a big pro now.

As far as what to ask for at a baby shower, people LIVE AND DIE to give baby clothes. They want to see your little bundle of joy dressed in the clothes they gave. Let them do it - baby clothes are expensive. And don't expect your child to be in the sizes at the ages they're named after. My son is growing out of "up to 12m" clothes right now. Blankets are another good shower gift. You can't have too many! Toys, too. Small purchases that would otherwise nickle-and-dime you half to death are the best.
Traditionally, you let your best girlfriend plan your shower. Anytime between now and birth is a fine time to set it! But you don't want to get caught off-guard by early labor or delivery. Find your own happy medium

**SomiticPit** · 08-23-2011 08:00 AM

Thank you sooo much for your reply! You are very helpful! I was actually on Amazon yesterday but did not know there was Amazon Mom to get discounts! AWESOME! =) I will also try the subscribe and save feature too!

I have chosen to breastfeed. I am in a program here in my area that will give me a three-hundred dollar breast pump for free just for choosing to breastfeed, and I also feel that breastfeeding will be way more convenient than formula feeding. Just the idea of washing and making all those bottles irks me!

My boyfriend and I also are going to sign up for this parenting workshop in our area that gives us "crib cash" for attending their classes, in which we can use the "crib cash" to shop in their Crib Warehouse to buy things for baby.

I have started a baby registry at Wal-mart and the first thing I did put on the registry was a crib! His parents and my dad can both afford to buy us a crib if they decide to. I want to get one of those convertible cribs that way my boyfriend and I do not have to spend money on buying a toddler bed or a twin size later on in our child's life. I also put a rocker and changing table on the registry too as we do not have those items either. I also need to go look for a car seat.

Besides registrys, how else do you let people know what you need?

**Texinator** · 08-23-2011 09:16 AM

Not a mommy (

) but I voted for the peaceful tree theme. Also, I think I missed the original pregnancy thread, so if I didn't say it before, congratulations on the baby!

**WildChild** · 08-23-2011 09:29 AM

You don't need half the stuff you might think you do.
I never owned a bottle or a breast pump because I worked at home. Breast feeding is so easy, no mixing, no sterilizing, less spiting up - way easy.
I'm a big fan of cloth diapers. One of my kiddos was sensitive to the chemicals in the disposables and so never had one even when camping or traveling. In the summer they are really great, just leave the plastic off when they are outside and no worries. Mine are 17 and 20 and I still have a few cloth diapers in with my cleaning cloths.
Onesies are the best thing ever, you can't have too many.
I had a family bed, my little ones slept with me until they were old enough to consciously transition to their own bed. That saved a lot of fuss and bother and no need for a crib.
The whole toddler bed thing is silly unless you just don't have space. A twin bed with out a frame to start and with a frame when they are taller works just fine.
A front pack or sling for a newborn and a backpack for when they get a little older are indispensable.
You have to have a car seat in order to be released from the hospital. It has to be one for newborns, they do cone in diff sizes. You will want a little newborn head cushion so they don't slip around those first few months.
Start reading to baby now. They can hear your voice at 7 months. Keep reading to them until they are 9 or 10 years old at least.

**Little** · 08-23-2011 10:36 AM

Put this on your to-do list after baby is born: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. It sends your child a FREE new book every month, and they're good books too! Didn't remember this until just now when WC mentioned reading. Read ANYTHING to your baby. I have read my 8mo everything from baby books to Harry Potter and the classics. Even the newspaper.

WC and I definitely belong to the same school of parenting. The family bed makes breastfeeding 3,000% easier. You hardly have to wake up to feed baby through the night. You will be SO much more rested, and don't let anybody feed you that bull hockey about "if they don't sleep alone now, they never will!" In fact, don't let anybody tell you your baby will "never" do ANYTHING. They're full of it.

Big applause for choosing to breastfeed, by the way. It may be difficult, and many hospitals and nursery nurses are NOT educated on how to support it. Make sure you have a support group. Depending on your area, La Leche League may vary from great to nonexistant. Your WIC office may have a International Board Certified Lactation Counselor (IBCLC,) if you get WIC. Or the program you mentioned may give you the support you need. A caution, though: there are companies that want to capitalize off breastfeeding. You don't need their "stuff" until you go back to work. Avoid "stuff" (bottles, pacis, pumps, everything but breast pads and ointment) until at least 6 weeks so your supply can normalize. Out of curiosity, what brand of breast pump are they giving you?
Google KellyMom and the Leaky Boob (on facebook it's the Leaky B[at sign][at sign]b - GREAT support group.) And feel free to ask questions here too - I love to help fellow BFers. There is a lot of confusion in the first few weeks of BFing, like when baby seems to want to stay latched on for hours. It's normal. There are a lot of normal things that seem odd and stressful, so educate yourself NOW so you don't fall victim to "booby traps" later.

People will ask what you need. They might even give you unsolicited gifts (I was surprised by the people who gave me money and gifts!) And stores will send you coupons for items on your registry too (Target has some of the CUTEST baby things, and once your shower date has passed they send you a % off anything left on your registry coupon.)
Be sure you need that changing table before you get it! Mine is covered with stuffed animals and folded clothes, and has been for about 6 months, and they are not cheap. A better idea is to steal the big square cloth pads they put under your behind at the hospital and use them (my sister told me to do this, and I wouldn't, so she stuffed it in my bag! I'm glad she did, too.) You'll be changing baby on the rug or couch with no protection within a few months anyways, I promise.

I'm excited for you. I'm trying to hold off on TTC for #2 for about 6 more months, but I don't know if I'll be able to

Babies are a joy!

**Beautiful Disaster** · 08-23-2011 12:40 PM

Peaceful tree!!! You can incorporate some nature into that other than trees - maybe some birds. You can buy some awesome wall decals (which I Loooove) from Amazon that would be incredibly adorable.

**Elanor-Jane** · 08-29-2011 04:36 AM

Originally Posted by WildChild

You don't need half the stuff you might think you do.
I never owned a bottle or a breast pump because I worked at home. Breast feeding is so easy, no mixing, no sterilizing, less spiting up - way easy.
I'm a big fan of cloth diapers. One of my kiddos was sensitive to the chemicals in the disposables and so never had one even when camping or traveling. In the summer they are really great, just leave the plastic off when they are outside and no worries. Mine are 17 and 20 and I still have a few cloth diapers in with my cleaning cloths.
Onesies are the best thing ever, you can't have too many.
I had a family bed, my little ones slept with me until they were old enough to consciously transition to their own bed. That saved a lot of fuss and bother and no need for a crib.
The whole toddler bed thing is silly unless you just don't have space. A twin bed with out a frame to start and with a frame when they are taller works just fine.
A front pack or sling for a newborn and a backpack for when they get a little older are indispensable.
You have to have a car seat in order to be released from the hospital. It has to be one for newborns, they do cone in diff sizes. You will want a little newborn head cushion so they don't slip around those first few months.
Start reading to baby now. They can hear your voice at 7 months. Keep reading to them until they are 9 or 10 years old at least.

Wildchild---you are awesome. this is my mums view and she raised us like this. breastfeeding=awesome (i does suck for women that cant), and sleeping with your babies! if they wake in the night, on the boob they go! mum breastfeed charlotte until she was almost three and i gotta tell you that kid is the smartest out of the lot of us! they say it doesnt make much difference after a few months but charlotte makes me think differently. Liam was breastfed the least as mum was sick after she had him, he has suffered with severe emotional issues his whole life and massive learning problems. mum carried us mostly too, slings etc and we all walked around next to her from a very young age.
we all love music as mum played alot of music wherever she went (i was at a Queen concert inutero when my mum was a few months pregnant with me) so i think this and wildchilds advice on reading is important.

if i ever had a baby boy id do him a room with oldschool cowboys and indians, but he'd be spending most of his early time in my bed