What's the one must have baby item for new parents?

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verdict

My wife and I are having a baby boy in April and I wanted to know what is your opinion of the must have baby gear/item for new parents. I'm not talking about a crib, or a bottle or things like that, I want something that new parents wouldn't think of.

Answer
so I'll list my favorites in order of recommendation:

A baby sling - assuming this is your first child (or even if it's not), you'll probably go through at least a short stage of wanting to have your baby constantly with you. A baby sling is the perfect solution. You can hold your baby right next to you, be completely comfortable, and still have both hands free. The other great use for a sling is if your wife wants to breastfeed. I was able to nurse my daughter in a sling while sitting or standing, and my version actually had a cloth attachment that maintained my privacy during (while I personally have no problems with women nursing in public, some places do - and not all nursing moms are comfortable exposing themselves). My best advice if you get a sling is to go somewhere that you can actually try them on. While some brands are more reputable than others, this is definitely something you want made to fit you. And when your baby's older (at least able to hold their head up), I would suggest switching to a backpack style carrier (front/back or both) since these do a better job of distributing their higher weight.

A travel crib/playpen - I plan on skipping a real crib altogether with my next child and using one of these instead. It works just as well for sleeping up to the age when you'd typically buy a toddler bed anyway, it's smaller, it's portable (Grandma's willing to babysit? Great, we're all ready!), and higher end models even have a relatively high changing table and bassinet for babies up to around 20 lbs (which is great when you're a new mom and your back constantly hurts anyway). Plus, you can get a very nice model for under $100, as opposed to the hefty price of a new crib.

A diaper pail - unless you're planning to take out trash ever day, religiously, these really do make a huge difference. You may not notice any smells at first, but as soon as you start feeding that little one real foods, expect to need noseplugs. A high quality diaper pail helps with this problem tremendously (though don't expect miracles - I've never heard of one that completely eliminates odors, but they do make a huge difference). I'm sure someone out there would disagree with me, but my biggest advice on buying one of these is to skip the Genie!! I have known numerous people who got one and they have all been extremely disappointed. Plus it takes specialty bags which are pretty expensive. I'd stick with the cheaper Diaper Champ, or if you want something nicer for a fancy nursery, the Diaper Decor.

A carrier carseat - ok, so I know a carseat qualifies as "required items" (aka not what you're looking for), but I can't even begin to count the number of times that my daughter fell asleep in the car, just to wake up when we got to wherever we were going because I had to unstrap her from the carseat. With a carrier, you can remove the carseat from the base, leaving your child still safely strapped in place - and blissfully asleep. (Trust me, there's nothing worse than a baby who's cranky from being woken up but too well rested to go back to sleep. This was especially horrible when trying to keep her quiet someplace like church.)

What to pack? Will be in Hawaii for 14 days what to take?

HawaiianAp

have been to Hawaii before I always pack to much or not enough, should I buy there, cheap t-shirts? I always take one pair of pants that convert to shorts, 5 pairs of shorts, 7 days underwear, 2 nice shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, we buy our toiletries there, can anyone think of anything else? Oh and buy the way we do laundry while I'm there.

Answer
You asked for it:

Maui 2006 Packing List for two + 2 1/2 year old:

â¢WEARING:
â¢Watch
â¢Sunglasses, sheath, & case
â¢Red T-shirt
â¢Teva Sandals
â¢Khaki pants
â¢Lip Balm
â¢Nylon traveling wallet with all IDs, Credit cards, &c.
â¢Cell phone
â¢Sonâs Passport (His only ID)

â¢WIFE WEARING:
â¢Clothes
â¢Sandals or shoes
â¢Green Card
â¢Purse & wallet

â¢SON WEARING:
â¢Clothes
â¢Shoes
â¢Bucket hat

â¢CHECKED BAGGAGE:
â¢Samsonite® "Ultra 3000 XLT" Expandable Upright Suiter, 29"
â¢Britax Roundabout Car Seat (leave "quick clip belt" at home, just use seat belts) Freshly washed cover!
â¢Car seat travel bag, nylon

â¢CARRY-ON BAGGAGE:
â¢Samsonite® "Ultra 3000 XLT" Side Roller Carry-On
â¢REI Flash Day Pack/Diaper Bag
â¢âSonâ

â¢IN REI FLASH DAY PACK/CARRY-ON

â¢Yogurt
â¢Cheese & crackers
â¢Sandwiches
â¢Apples & grapes
â¢Apple juice boxes for son (Now illegal!)
â¢Gatorade (also illegal, thank British hoax - no one charged)
â¢Pringles

â¢Travel neck pillow
â¢Anti-Vert prescription sea sickness meds
â¢Diapers
â¢Travel wipes package
â¢Vaseline
â¢Mesh- backed caps
â¢Bull Frog Quik Gel Sunblock, SPF 36 spray
â¢Coloring/sticker book, crayons, puppets for Son
â¢Wifeâs ID

â¢IN CARRY ON SUIT CASE:

â¢Digital Camera, case, waterproof case, two 128 MB memory cards, charger & two sets of batteries
â¢Cell phone & car charger, turned off
â¢Maui Revealed book, Maui Trailblazer book, Maui map
â¢Travel Schedule, Notes, guide book copies, notebook, pen, &c.
â¢Photo of luggage

â¢Jansport travel bath bag containing:
â¢Childrenâs Motrin liquid
â¢vitamins
â¢Dove soap
â¢Lava soap
â¢Dial Liquid Soap
â¢Shampoo
â¢Conditioner
â¢3 Toothbrushes
â¢2 Deodorants
â¢Razor
â¢Shower mirror
â¢2 Nail clippers
â¢2 Tweezers
â¢Hydrocortisone (full tube vs. sunburn)
â¢Nasal spray
â¢Nasonex
â¢Small bottle Hydrogen Peroxide in plastic bag & Q-tips
â¢Ibuprofen
â¢Chapstick with sunscreen
â¢3mm cord for clothesline
â¢Baby Powder
â¢Scrub brush for fingers/clothes/&c

â¢Extra Handkerchiefs
â¢Coppertone Sport Ultra Sweatproof/Waterproof Sunblock Lotion, SPF 30
â¢100% Rayon Aloha Shirt
â¢Green plaid hiking shirt
â¢Synthetic underwear somewhere in closet?
â¢Columbia Shorts
â¢My board shorts (Hawaiian, navy blue with white accents)
â¢New MH Wicked-T shirt, XL (navy blue) for swimming
â¢2 sarongs (Instead of beach towels, which we wonât need)
â¢Belt pouch for keys while swimming and can be used to hold sandals?

â¢Wifeâs beach/sun hat/mesh truckerâs cap?
â¢Wifeâs new swim suit
â¢Wifeâs Sunglasses & case
â¢Wifeâs flip flops or beach shoes

â¢Sonâs Aloha Shirt
â¢Matching Aloha shirt & shorts?
â¢Shorts
â¢T-Shirt
â¢Sonâs bucket hat
â¢Sonâs Teva sandals
â¢Socks (2)
â¢SPF-50 sun swimming-floatation suit
â¢Sonâs beach toys (small bucket & shovel)

â¢2 Snorkeling sets & 1 fins
â¢Anti-fog solution (J&J baby shampoo & water)
â¢Small bottle full of ½ shampoo/ ½ water for carry while snorkeling. (Leave film on lens, do not rinse off. Reapply if you rinse mask)

â¢IN CHECKED BAG:

â¢My convertible pants (1)
â¢More extra handkerchiefs

â¢? Wifeâs 2 Light and breezy tops
â¢? Wifeâs 2 Shorts or skirts or dresses
â¢Go-Lite Cap
â¢Wifeâs Teva Sandals

â¢More diapers
â¢More travel wipes packages
â¢Two swim noodles, one each for Son & Wife
â¢Life jacket for Son

â¢HIKING GEAR (In Checked Bag):

â¢Sherpani Rumba Superlight in suitcase (not recommended because it broke after three hikes)
â¢Sonâs NB shoes
â¢Sonâs Fleece sweater (For Haleakala)
â¢Sonâs Windbreaker jacket
â¢Sonâs beanie

â¢Montrail hiking shoes
â¢Hiking socks (2)
â¢Fleece vest (for Haleakala)
â¢Windbreaker jacket
â¢CamelBak backpack & drinking system
â¢Fleece beanie
â¢Long sleeved mountain hardware shirt

â¢Wifeâs New Balance Shoes
â¢Hiking shorts
â¢Wifeâs Windbreaker jacket
â¢Wifeâs fleece sweater (For Haleakala)
â¢Wifeâs Beanie (For Haleakala)

â¢2 Spandex shorts
â¢2 Golite umbrellas (For tropical July sun!)
â¢Platy folding water bladder
â¢Compass, trail map
â¢Whistles for everyone
â¢Deep Woods Off!
â¢LED Flashlight & 2 sets of rechargeable batteries
â¢Leatherman Micra tool (Must be in checked baggage!!!)
â¢First Aid Kit (Band-Aids, Neosporin, baby oil, Q-tipsâ¦)
â¢Duct Tape

â¢Zip lock baggies for marinating meats, storing foods for picnics/hiking, &c. Get lots of freezer bags!!!
â¢Sandwich bags
â¢Some waxed paperâ¦
â¢Whole grain Crackers
â¢Mustard packets
â¢Ketchup packets

We used almost everything and had few problems. Our only mistake was stopping at Cost-Co instead of just buying groceries at Safeway, because the Cost-Co packages are just two big for three people for 11 days. So we ended up with lots of left over and wasted food.

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Title Post: What's the one must have baby item for new parents?
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