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

[Slartibartfast]

Rock and play by fisher price.  It was an angled baby bed that you could rock and it was easy to move to move to different rooms.  It made it possible to take a shower and keep an eye on DD at the same time.  DD often needed to be rocked to sleep and she slept much better in that than on a flat surface. 

I also have to say Miracle blanket.  DD would always escape the swaddles so this blanket really helped.

I have a book called Baby 411, but any informative baby book is good to have on hand.  I'm glad I read it before DD came along so it was quicker to look up issues when she was here and I had no time for reading.

I have a Chicco car seat and base.  The car seat snaps in the base, it is so easy.  It would be worth getting an extra base to put into any cars in which the baby would ride on a regular basis.  Apparently car seats are really hard to install correctly (I followed the directions and still got it wrong according to the safety inspector).  Having a car seat base in any car the baby uses regularly would mean it could be installed once correctly and it would be quick and easy to transfer baby between car and safe.

Emmy, that's the same carseat system that my son and DIL have for my grandson.  they have two cars, bases in both, and they just pop my grandson into the carseat and put him into whichever car is doing the daycare (or grandparent-care) run that day.  it's fantastic!  they also have the stroller base that fits the carseat.  i went shopping with my DIL a few times when the baby was smaller.  the carseat sat on the top, facing her.  now i get it on the days i watch the baby, and i was surprised to find out that under the carseat (on our shopping trips) was a full-sized regular stroller, that is so user friendly that it's even easy for me to use with my wiggleworm grandbaby.

Graco has one of these too.  We actually have the stroller frame and a swing frame for it - we can take a sleeping Bittybartfast out of the car and pop her in the stroller, then take her inside and pop her in the swing, all without getting her out and waking her up.  There are lots of "travel systems" - a regular stroller you can fit a car seat on top of - but mine is literally just a frame with a basket and a handle.  We looked at the travel systems but some of them are 40 pounds and not all of them fold up enough to fit in the trunk of a regular car!  In contrast, our stroller frame is 8 (I think) pounds and I can both fold it and put it in the car one-handed while holding Bittybartfast in the other arm, if I need to.

[oz diva]

My mother paid for 6 months of house cleaning. You might not be so wealthy/generous, but even a spring clean would be appreciated.

[jemma]

you can never have too many swaddling blankets.  These ones I also used as nursing covers, covers for changing tables, and burp clothes.  http://www.amazon.com/aden-anais-Muslin-Swaddle-Jungle/dp/B002SW3B0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349536883&sr=8-1&keywords=aden+and+anais

Also, those rings to put toys on.  You can never have too many of those either.

[magician5]

Once long ago I was a first-time dad.

Not really a newborn gift (but those become less useful pretty quickly anyway) - a "Boo Bunnie" - Amazon has 'em. An icepack - really a small cube filled with water, and wrapped in a soft slip-on/slip-off cloth "bunny" - keep in the freezer and grab when the kid toddles into something hard like a tabletop or a wall. Our kids are now 21 and 24, and the boo bunnie is still in the freezer and gets used now and then ... talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Best $7 we ever spent.

[MummyPumpkin83]

one thing I would have loved with DS2 was this http://www.sleepywings.com.au/
they are a "sleeping jacket" thats is like swadling without the blanket around the legs. he had horrible eczema on his face and would scratch it til it bled in his sleep, but it was too hot in a Sydney summer to swaddle him all the time.

We got 2 for DS3 and used them for the first few months, was really good. meant he didn't get "unswaddled" in the middle of the night for feeds / nappy changes. also good to stop pinching fingers when breastfeeding!

agree about good washable breast pads. possible tmi: some women find the disposable ones can lead to thrush

[CakeEater]

Lots of stuff, but the thing that has been used most is a good nappy bag (diaper bag?) for out and about. Mine has insulated side puckets with enough room for two bottles in each, so you can keep bottles warm or cool.

My SIL gave me mine because she had been given two. My eldest is three and a half, youngest is 18months, and I'm still carting that thing around.