What's the one thing as a first-time Mom that you couldn't live without?

[pixel dust]

No idea if this is the right area for this so mods - please move to the correct one if needed!

Anyways - I have two friends who are pregnant right now, one who was due yesterday and the other is due Christmas.

These are the first people in my group of friends having children (both first-time moms) and I would like to get them something nice and thoughtful.

One mom is having a girl. Her due date was yesterday and most of the stuff on her registry has been cleared out. It does look like she will be cloth diapering and nursing though and I know she makes homemade food for their dog, so I'm assuming she's interested in homemade baby food too. She only worked part-time/at home before the baby so I'm thinking she will be a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom

The other is having a boy in December. Her baby shower is coming up though so I'll be able to tackle her registry as soon as it's up. No idea what her preferences for child-rearing/feeding/diapering are at the moment.

During those first couple months of a baby's life - what was your life-saver? What did you always find yourself needing more of/wishing someone had gotten you from the get-go?

I appreciate any/all suggestions! Thanks!

[TootsNYC]

I found something via Pinterest that I think is incredibly great:
It's a terrycloth covered kneeling mat for giving a bath by the tub, with a flap that goes up and over the side of the tub (with pockets on that flap, so you don't knock the shampoo into the water).

I sew sometimes, so I was really tempted to make it. I don't know if it was a product or not.

Otherwise, I always get people a really GOOD pair of baby fingernail scissors. From the pharmacy  (Denco is a decent brand that's not expensive). The ones that come in kits are thick metal w/ dull edges.

[StuffedGrapeLeaves]

I couldn't live without the awesome swaddling blankets.  We tried a bunch of different ones, and these worked the best for us.  They are not cheap, but DS didn't get out of them as he did with the others, they were the perfect size, and they were so soft: 

http://www.swaddledesigns.com/page/CategoryUlimateReceivingBlanket.html

Swaddling helped him sleep better and longer, which was so important in the beginning. 

[dawbs]

If they're nursing, some sort of nursing pillow was a lifesaver for me.  (I had a boppy, other people have raved about other brands and boppy allegedly doesn't fit some larger women well)--and my husband used it a lot too when holding/feeding the babe.

I've also called down a blessing on the people who got me extra covers.  I still use the boppy w/ my 2 YO, but we don't have emergency cover-needs anymore.

(and in the 'emergency cover' needs, extra sheets--plain, cheap white ones that don't have to 'match' anything...those are a  godsend at 2 am.

And these are hard to find but may be one of my favorite products of all time--I put them in cribs, I put them on changing tables, I tuck them in diaper bags for an on the go pad...heck, I've used them under the dog :  http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3601329
They're a 'soft' flannel covered waterproof mat--washable.  They're not as 'pretty' as some of the other products like this but they work better, IMO.

For cloth diaper people, some 'good' prefolds (generally not the ones like gerber you can buy in average stores) are worthwhile and, if you're crafty, are easy to 'embellish'--and actually, non-cloth-diaper people use 'em as burp cloths (and it's nice to have pretty ones now and again .  Green Mountain is good,  as is Little Lion (although LL was headed out of business last I checked).

Cloth diaper is hard to answer for because there are SO many options--what I might recommend depends on what system she's using, but I will say a lot of Cloth Diaper people need wetbags and neglect to realize how important extras of those are (ask me how I know .  Actually, don't  ).  Personally, I REALLY like my rump-a-rooz wet-bag/pail liner the best of the brands I've tried.  (and even if one doesn't cloth diaper, a small, diaper-bag sized wet-bag is nice for the diaper bag, IMO.  Because every once in a while, parents have to transport something icky)
And most CDers who are doing something other than pocket-diapers or all-in-ones could use a handful more re-usable diaper liners (like these) . 

 

[Hmmmmm]

Way far in the future, but this is stii the one thing that made our on the go life so much easier with toddlers.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=150774

When they were babies, a play mate that was easily washable and dryable.  We had 3 so that one was always available and clean when we were heading out the door.

I also had something like this but it wasn't biodegradable 15 years ago.  But really nice to be able to lay these out at a restaurant or eve a friends home when I didn't want to cause them too much of a mess.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=535460&parentCategoryId=85184&categoryId=86219

And lastly, this because I had two cats I didn't trust to stay out of the crib. 
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=309775

[Slartibartfast]

The Boppy-or-equivalent is really helpful - I hate having to make do with a regular pillow because Bittybartfast tends to roll off    If you're looking for something really useful, though, get some reusable nursing pads.  (Basically cloth pads you put inside your bra so when you're involuntarily lactating - which will happen all the time the first few months, anytime your child cries or you think about him/her or you see a baby on TV - you won't get wet spots on your shirt.)  They're just expensive enough to not want to buy that many yourself, but then you can go through three pairs a day and you end up constantly hunting down a new pair.  They make disposables, which are basically paper and plastic, but they're wrinkly and show through all but the thickest shirts.

The other nursing-related thing I'd recommend is - well, I don't know what it's called, but it's basically a large square of fabric with a plastic hoop sewn into one edge.  You drape it over your neck so you can breastfeed your baby without flashing everyone, but because the hoop creates some space, the baby can still breathe (unlike being under a blanket) and you can see him/her and adjust as necessary.  It's another thing I wouldn't have bought for myself, but I use it all the time and making do with a blanket just isn't the same!

[MorgnsGrl]

Maya Wrap!  http://www.mayawrap.com/

We had two (because DH liked to use them, too, and is quite a bit taller than me so needed a different size.) They were awesome, so easy to wear and adjust.

[Pioneer]

Yep, the Maya Wrap or something similar.   My eldest was a screamer, and lived in her Snugli.  I toted that girl everywhere!  My second girl was nearly a toddler when finally born, so the Snugli gathered dust for a few years until the twins were born.  One twin got popped into the Snugli, her sister into the umbrella stroller and we walked most everywhere we went.   I never even saw a twin stroller until a decade later.

[dawbs]

*snip*
The other nursing-related thing I'd recommend is - well, I don't know what it's called, but it's basically a large square of fabric with a plastic hoop sewn into one edge.  You drape it over your neck so you can breastfeed your baby without flashing everyone, but because the hoop creates some space, the baby can still breathe (unlike being under a blanket) and you can see him/her and adjust as necessary.  It's another thing I wouldn't have bought for myself, but I use it all the time and making do with a blanket just isn't the same!

Hooter hiders is actually the brand name of the one I used that I liked--it had a burp-rag/pocket sewn into the corner which was a nice touch  .  (after that one got lost [someone in chicago has mine, I guess ] also got a 'freebie' from a website [one that periodically does a 'just pay shipping!' freebie thing--but shipping is like $12] for an 'udder cover' and I did not like that one nearly as much.  {it was 'stinky' when I got it--that cheap dyed fabric smell.  And wasn't as well made.

(I will say I had the opposite experience w/ nursing pads--I never found a cloth pair that didn't show through my work clothes.  But I still liked them for night-time use, and, yes, you can't ever find enough!)

[Hijinks]

A Boppy pillow and an angled bouncy seat like this one:



Both of my boys spent their first several months in that thing.  It keeps them at an incline so eliminates the worry about suffocating or having reflux.  We just put it inside the crib and put them to sleep all snuggled and buckled in.

[couchpotato]

I always preferred nightgowns vs sleepers in the beginning. It made middle of the night diaper changes much easier without having to worry about snapping the legs just right before putting baby to bed. I can't tell you how many times I mis-snapped poor Tater Tot's pajamas and had to redo the whole thing.

My Small Fry was born in November, so I had to deal with winter nights while he was tiny. I got a couple sleep sacks (wearable blankets) that kept his toes toasty warm, yet still allowed easy access for diaper changes.

And a big POD to the back up bedclothes. A spare sheet & mattress pad are a lifesaver at 3:00 am.

Also, while not a "Must Have", I actually found the wipe warmer quite useful. The temperature of wipes didn't really matter much to my kids, but the wipe warmer keep them from drying out which was a big deal for me.

[KatPsych]

I loved the Halo sleep sacks for my little one but we used some other brands as well.

I also loved the set of these blankets (http://www.target.com/p/aden-anais-for-target-jillaroo-swaddle-wraps-4pk/-/A-11219608) that I received.  This the the version the company made for that particular retailer, but they sell similar ones (even by the same brand) at other places.  They were great for swaddling but also for so many other things because they are so huge. 

Another thing that wasn't so much a lifesaver and something kind of fun the baby could "play" with early was a pair of tiny socks that had these jingle ball things at the end of them.  So when the baby kicked it made noise and the baby would be amazed and try to kick more.  Just something small and kind of fun

[cicero]

a good stroller bag (if they are using a stroller) - i got one as a gift and i loved it, it was always packed and ready to go.

i didn't have a nursing pillow -not sure they were available back in the palaeolithic age but they are definitely a must for nursing moms.

some kind of infant carrier - the wrap around, the front carrier, the back pack... I found the front carrier very comfortable, it enabled me to walk around, hang laundry, run errands all while holding and comforting my baby.

[Veronica]

Boppy pillow.

For some reason all babies love Sophie the Giraffe. 

We had a chair that swung and vibrated.  Our son slept in that most of the time due to reflux.

Our diaper genie is still fantastic because we have 3 dogs.  They doesn't even notice it and we've never had an issue with them trying to get at the diapers.

Dr. Brown's bottles. 

[Judah]

For the early months, a bouncy seat and Moby/carrier were invaluable.