Organizing Your Nursery - The Sleeping Area

Photo by peasap

a continuation of my posts on Organizing Your Nursery...

Finally, we get around to the "traditional" purpose of a nursery -- sleeping. This has been a hot topic over the past 13 years since the quest to eradicate SIDS began. Since then, the rate of SIDS has decreased by 50%! So this is a very effective campaign.

There are 10 basic rules for reducing SIDS. The most important rule is to place babies to sleep on their backs. Also, cribs should have firm mattresses that fit snugly with no gaps on the sides. Blankets, crib bumpers, and other soft loose items should not be placed in cribs. Instead, wearable sleep sacks can be used to keep babies warm at night (but not too warm, because overheating is another SIDS risk factor). For babies younger than 4 months, I like to use the swaddling sleep sacks. Swaddling helps to soothe babies. However, you should only swaddle the arms. Swaddling the legs for significant amounts of time can cause the hip joints to grow improperly.

Recent studies shows that using a fan in your baby's room lowers SIDS risk. There are also additional reasons to use a fan, such as using the white noise to soothe babies.

I realize this is a pretty unconventional stance, but we chose not to use a formal crib for our babies. I dislike large special purpose items (like changing tables, and high chairs) that you only use for a short period of time. So, we use a Pack 'n Play. We use the bassinet attachment while baby is small and then we use the Pack 'n Play normally when baby is bigger. Most people's objection to the Pack 'n Play is that the mattress doesn't seem that comfortable. We purchased a firm 2" thick mattress at Babies R Us that lays on top of the included thinner mattress. Our babies seem to be perfectly comfortable on it. I've not found an "official Pack 'n Play" mattress specifically designed for this, so be sure that the one you select fits snugly. If you have a tiny nursery like ours, foregoing a formal crib for a Pack 'n Play can save you a lot of space!

Getting your baby used to sleeping in a Pack 'n Play also makes traveling easier. I don't have scientific proof, but I think they sleep much better on the road the closer you can replicate their normal sleeping environment.

Once they have outgrown the Pack 'n Play, we transition them to a mattress on the floor. This avoids the "falling out of bed" problems that a lot of kids go through when they transition to a big-kid bed.

Whether you choose a Pack 'n Play or a formal crib, make sure to adhere to the SIDS guidelines when creating your baby's sleeping environment.

This wraps up my series on Organizing Your Nursery. What are your tips and tricks for organizing your nursery?

Related Posts:
Baby Sleep Routines for 0-1yr
Newborn Gear List
Your Baby Does Not Have Colic!
What to Do When Your Baby Has a Cold

Organizing Your Nursery - Storage

a continuation of my posts on Organizing Your Nursery...

The key to managing storage in your nursery is to not have too much stuff. Keep baby items to a bare minimum. Scrutinize each item and make sure it is essential and/or serves multiple purposes. Having done this, you will find that you don't need much storage after all. Besides a dresser, we have 6 fabric bins, and a floor-to-ceiling shelf in AB's nursery. That's all. There isn't even a real closet!



In the dresser we only keep items that are in the current size. If it doesn't currently fit him, it doesn't belong in the dresser! For items that he has outgrown, we have two fabric bins labeled "Too Small". We also keep two bins labeled "Too Big" for items he has not yet grown into. When the "Too Small" bins fill up, we transfer them to a plastic tote in the attic until they can be handed down to his younger cousin.

Besides clothing, we use two of the bins for random supplies, such as extra diaper cream, hand sanitizer, etc. That way, we can buy in bulk when things go on sale and have a place to store them until they are needed.



All other baby items get stored on the shelf. We have a basket on the top shelf for holding medicines and extra toiletries way out of the reach of our toddler. Wire baskets hold extra flannel receiving blankets, sleep sacks, crib sheets, and towels. Another shelf holds a small variety of baby blankets. Since you can't use these in the crib, you don't need that many. We use them primarily as play mats and when traveling in the car or on an airplane. Another shelf holds our slings and baby carriers. There is one last shelf that I like to keep empty (but is currently holding some "Too Big" clothes that have overflown the two fabric bins allocated to them). Having one empty shelf leaves room for those unexpected windfalls, like a large bag of hand-me-downs.

If you keep your gear to a bare minimum, you will find that you can get away with minimal storage in your nursery.

Related Posts:
Newborn Gear List
Managing Kid's Wardrobes

Organizing Your Nursery - The Nursing/Feeding Area

a continuation of my posts on Organizing Your Nursery...

Newborns spend a lot of time eating! Especially if you are nursing, you can spend nearly 8 hours a day just feeding the baby in the first few weeks! Because you spend so much time here, I think it's important to make it super comfy.

For nursing and feeding, it's important to have a comfortable chair. I really love the Ikea Poang chair. I find that it's a relatively inexpensive alternative to the expensive glider rockers that everyone seems to have (because you can usually find them used on Craig's List). When you are first nursing and learning to latch the baby, it helps to put a pillow behind your back so that you are a bit less reclined. But after you get the nursing down pat, it's nice to have a bit of a recline so that you can partially snooze during those late night feeds!

Having a foot stool greatly adds to the comfort factor. Especially in the early days, when your ankles are swollen from labor and delivery, it's really nice to put your feet up! The foot stool is also handy to drag over to the crib for when you have to soothe your baby to sleep. Standing over a crib can be tiring, especially when you are already sleep-deprived!

I also like to have a small side table next to the chair. It helps to have a place to put bottles, nursing gear, and your feeding log. You don't need a lot of room; a floating shelf on the wall could also work if you are pressed for space.

Given the amount of time you will spend feeding your baby, it pays to create a nice feeding area in your nursery. However, you don't have to spend a lot of money to make it comfortable and functional.

Related posts:
Newborn Gear List
Make Sure Your Breastfed Baby is Getting Their Omega-3's

Organizing Your Nursery - The Changing Station

a continuation of my posts on Organizing Your Nursery...

It is estimated that the average kid goes through 7200 diapers! When you do something this frequently, it really pays to have it be organized. For safety's sake, you need to have everything at hand so that you are not tempted to walk away from the baby while they are on the changing table.

It's not necessary to have a formal changing table. A changing pad on top of a low-height dresser with a grippy pad underneath has worked very well for us. I like the idea that we can continue using the dresser well after AB is out of diapers rather than having a specialized piece of furniture that we only use for a few years. We got this sweet dresser on Craig's List for $75.

Whatever your choice, you need to have everything within an arm's length away. This includes diapers and wipes, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, burp cloths, and clothes. It's also handy to have other baby toiletries nearby that you find yourself using on a regular basis.

I like having a shallow floating shelf above the changing table. Make sure to put it high enough that the baby can't reach it while lying on the changing table. On this shelf, I like to keep all my baby toiletries, like nail clippers, snot suckers, thermometer, lotion, hairbrush, any anything else you find yourself using at the changing table. I also like to have a small task light (for those late night changes when you don't want to turn on the overhead light). If you point the light at the wall, it creates a nice diffuse light.


I love the Prince Lionheart Diaper Depot. It holds two stacks of diapers, the Wipes Warmer (or any tub of wipes you choose), and has two side bins for hand sanitizer and diaper cream. I put this on top of a low-height shelf that holds diaper and wipe refills.

For the changing mat itself, it's not necessary to have a changing mat cover unless you live in a cold climate. Instead of specialized changing mat covers, I find that flannel receiving blankets work just as well and are much cheaper.

Next to the changing table you also should have your diaper pail and a small hamper for dirty laundry. It's not necessary for these to be directly within arms reach if you don't have the room, but somewhere within throwing range is helpful.

If you have to concentrate on only one area of your nursery, it should be the changing station. It's definitely the hub of a well-organized nursery!

Related Posts:
Newborn Gear List
Diapering Tips

Organizing Your Nursery

Nurseries don't have to be complicated or expensive. I know that all new moms feel pressure to have a nursery worthy of the Pottery Barn catalog with beautifully-painted pastoral murals and designer hard-wood furniture. But, believe me -- the most important thing is for your nursery to be comfortable and organized. You will spend most of your time in the nursery bleary-eyed and in the dark. You are going to care more that your wipe refills are right at hand when you open the wipes container to find it empty during the most enormously gooey blow out diaper you have ever seen.

AB's nursery is in a tiny room that used to be used as a walk-in closet. Our house is a 100-yr old Victorian, and the bedroom closets are skimpy (to say the least). So, previous occupants decided to turn the smallest bedroom into a walk-in closet. But, along came AB and we had to reclaim the closet as a nursery. The room is teeny tiny at 6'x9'. Many people are surprised when they see it for the first time. They're amazed that I've fit a very functional nursery into such a small space without it feeling cramped. The key was to pair it down to just the essentials and keep it organized.

The starting point for organizing any room is to know what functions you need the room to serve, and organize the room around those functions.

For a nursery, the functions are:

1) changing diapers and clothes

2) nursing/feeding

3) storage of baby-related items

4) sleeping

I will take each function in turn in a series of upcoming posts on organizing your nursery.

Related Posts:
Essential Organized Mommy - Posts for New Moms

Baby Feeding Gear - 3 Essentials

AB is now 6 months old! And boy is he *huge* (past the 97th percentile on height and weight)! At around 4 months, he hit a growth spurt that has just continued unabated for 2 months now. At some point, he just wasn't getting enough calories from breast milk and he started waking up in the middle of the night to eat. So, we started him on solid foods a bit early to get more calories in him during the day.

I reviewed my earlier post on baby food in the first year, thinking that I might revise it, but found it to be pretty much complete. But, what I haven't written about is gear!

There are three essential items that you need in order to feed a baby (drum roll please)...
* a highchair
* a bib
* a spoon

Really - that's it! It doesn't get any simpler.

In highchair-land, I like to keep it really simple. We use the Safety 1st Booster Seat attached to a regular dining room chair. I dislike big bulky special purpose items (like formal high chairs, changing tables, and cribs) that you only use for a short amount of time and then have to get rid of or store in your attic. The thing I love about this booster seat is that it fits in my dishwasher. Every couple of weeks, I just disassemble it and load it up in the dishwasher and, voila, it's clean! This model has been around and essentially unchanged for years, so you are likely to be able to find it on Craig's list. They hold up really well, so there is no need to buy it new.

You do not need to get fancy with bibs either. I like the bib to be easy to clean, and to have a catch pocket that stays open. Many bibs have catch pockets that are sewn flat against the main bib making them essentially useless for catching anything and impossible to completely clean. I love the Built NY Tidy Bib. It's made of wetsuit material which is easy to clean. I just wash it off with a sponge on a per-use basis and toss in the washer once a week (inside a mesh laundry bag so that the Velcro will not catch on other items). The catch pocket is created with Velcro closures allowing the bib to open completely flat for cleaning. Other people really like the Baby Bjorn Bib. I decided against it for my own use because it's a bit bulky to pack in the diaper bag. But it's a good option if you don't mind the bulk.

Spoons - use any baby-sized spoon you want. It really doesn't matter as long as it's small enough to fit in their mouth. But, for feeding on the go, I absolutely *love* the Boon Spoon! The food goes into the spoon handle and is dispensed out onto the spoon as you squeeze. It's brilliant! You can feed the baby with one hand anywhere you are without fumbling with a food jar and spoon separately. There is a little lid that snaps onto the spoon for traveling and storage. Because the food is dispensed onto the spoon directly, there are fewer drips down the baby's chin. It also solves the problem of the famished baby getting frustrated that you can't spoon the food out of the baby jar fast enough. With the Boon Spoon, you can squirt the food out as fast as your little guy can eat it. (Did I mention AB's 2-month long continuous growth spurt? This little guy is *hungry*!)

Kaboost - Boost any Chair

HB outgrew her "baby" highchair and so it was time to move her into something new. We wanted something that could grow with her until she is ready for an adult-size chair. One option we considered was the Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair. It's a beautiful chair, and the Amazon reviews were all positive, but at $250, it seemed a bit too excessive. The less expensive knock-off, the PRIMO Deluxe Easy Chair, has quality control issues. We ordered one from Amazon, but like many people noted in the reviews, we had to return it because it would not assemble properly and was wobbly.

Finally, I found the KABOOST Portable Chair Booster. It's awesome! Instead of a specialized highchair or booster seat, it's a stand that boosts any 4-legged chair. The two height settings are similar to those found in conventional booster seats. It is very stable and has non-skid material on the bottom.

HB loves it because she gets to sit in a "big girl chair" and not a baby seat. We use it with one of our regular dining room chairs. So, she's sitting in the same chair as we are.

I love it because it works great and was only $35. It was trivial to install -I snapped it right onto the chair within minutes of unpacking it. It stays attached to the chair even when you lift it. It also folds up fairly small. I do not think it's small enough that we would travel with it, but someday when neither of our kids needs a booster seat, I could see holding onto it for those occasions when we have other people's kids over - something we would definitely not do with a larger specialized child seat.

While we got the more subdued "natural" color, I think the green one would be really cute if you had the right kind of decor.

Labeling Your Kids (and their stuff)

There are two great products we use to label our kids and their stuff.

Labeling your kids (ID Bracelets)
It's the same kind of bracelet as the yellow lance Armstrong "live strong" bracelets. This company lets you order in quantities as low as 5, and they have a child's size. We got 5 for $25 including shipping. The writing is debossed into the bracelet, so it won't wear off. And they have a good variety of colors. http://www.reminderband.com/.

We got glow in the dark w/ black writing
"Mom cell 510-555-1212 Dad cell 510-555-1213"

Note, we don't put her name, just our cell phone numbers. This seemed safer and more useful in case she gets lost.

HB won't reliably keep a bracelet on her wrist, so we use a key ring to attach them to her clothes. A jacket zipper or a belt loop works great.

Labeling your kid's stuff:
HB's daycare requires us to label everything, including sippy cups. But even perminent marker wears off in the dishwasher. So, we use Applied Labels. They are strong (dishwasher/washer/dryer safe) labels. These things don't come off! A bit pricey, but worth it to not have to keep re-labeling everything all the time. http://www.appliedlabels.com/

Note: I do not have a relationship with these companies and don't receive any compensation for recommending them. I just think they are great products that I wanted to share with you.

Tracking baby gear weight/height limits

With babies comes gear -- lots and lots of gear. Each new thing comes with a different set of heigh/weight restrictions for it safe use. Here's how I keep track of the different gear and when to stop using it.

(I'm an incessent Outlook task user - but I'm sure you can modify this for whatever tracking mechanism you use.)

First, you will need a good growth chart -- one that shows the trajectory for weight and height for different ages for different percentiles. I've been using the ones from the CDC. Most babies track ths trajectory amazingly well. So, once you know what percentile your baby is for weight and height, you can fairly accurately predict at what age they will be what weight and height.

I have a task called "Baby Gear". Every time I get a new piece of gear with a weight or height restriction, I look up in the growth chart for an approximation of what age she will outgrow it. Then, I make a new entry in the notes field of the task for this piece of gear, the height/weight restriction, and the age approximation based on the growth chart. I order the entries in the order of when she will outgrow it. The top item on this list is the next piece of gear she will outgrow. I set the "due date" on the task for 1-2 weeks before that item is set to expire. When the task comes due, I cycle the old item out (and cycle in the replacement item, if needed).

Here are some items I tracked in this list:
Car seat - changeover from infant seat to child seat, rear facing limit, etc.
Pack n' play - when to move from bassinet level to bottom level
Bouncer seat
Exersaucer

Related Posts:
Essential Organized Mommy - Posts for New Moms

BlackBerry 7100 - The Ultimate Mommy Device

I am the ecstatic new owner of a BlackBerry 7105t through T-Mobile. I crown thee "The Ultimate Mommy Device". It's a smaller version of the regular BlackBerry. The main difference is that the keyboard is not the full QWERTY, but has fewer keys. This allows it to be smaller than the traditional BlackBerries, and more importantly - type with one hand. The keys are in the familiar QWERTY ordering, but up to two letters are shared per key. The amazing thing is that the text recognition software lets you type just as if each key had one letter and figures out what you meant to type. It works beautifully! See demo. Unlike the old PDA-sized BlackBerry, the 7100 series is more the size of a large phone; it's just small enough to fit in your pocket. This device has had such an impact on my life, I'm referring to prior days as "before BlackBerry", or "BBB".

Why should such a "techie" device win the "mommy" crown? It's the one-handedness. As a mommy, I never seem to have two hands free. It allows me to stay on top of my email or look at my calendar or tasks while nursing, holding the baby, or pushing a stroller.

BBB, there were days that I just couldn't get around to sitting in front of my computer long enough to get through the day's email. I'm now turning those small snippets of time (let's face it, small snippets are all you get anymore) into productivity. I can now sit comfortably on the couch and hold HB while composing and sending email. Just breastfeeding time alone gives me 2 hours (4x30 min) for email per day! Within 2 days of getting it, I am completely caught up on the heinous backlog of email that has been accumulating since HB was born!

In my pre-mommy days, I was almost always in front of my computer and never missed reminders for important tasks or appointments. As a mommy, I was constantly missing the reminders. The BlackBerry gives me my reminders back! It syncs seamlessly with my calendar and task list in Outlook. I'm acting less like the "mommy brain" zombie that I have become. Seriously, this thing is taking pounds of stress off my shoulders.

Several times, BBB, I accidentally forgot my handwritten shopping list (that was sitting right on the table next to my keys!) and came home to realize that I had forgotten several key items. No more! Now the shopping list is right on my device. Today, I was at Target, pushing a cart, wiping drool from HB's cute little mouth, and scrolling through my shopping list with the other hand. Then I answered two emails while in line at the coffee shop while HB slept peacefully in her stroller.

Oh yeah! Did I mention that you can access Google maps on the BlackBerry?!? And all your pictures on Flickr! I am completely enamored!

P.S. The final kicker is that the T-mobile unlimited internet plans are quite reasonably priced.

Newborn Gear List

I tried to keep our baby gear to a bare minimum. I dislike special purpose items unless they really make your life better.

Here is my "minimal yet complete" baby gear list.

Stroller/Carseat

Graco Travel System - Stroller, car base, and car seat.

Car Mirror - let's baby see self and let's mom see baby in rear view mirror.

When they are older, get the Sit 'N Stroll. Stroller folds into the base of the car seat. You can’t use it for the tiny babies who can’t hold up their heads very well.

Baby Carrier
You will want one of these, but everyone seems to have their preference on which type:
With our first baby we used:
* First Journey - improved version of the “baby trekker”. Able to carry more weight for longer more comfortably than “baby bjorn”. Converts to backpack.
With our second, more colicky baby, we used:
* Munchkin Jelly Bean sling - a nice basic sling
* My sister really loved the Moby wrap sling

Crib

Pack N Play (Graco) with bassinet.

Pack N Play Sheets (2)

Decided against a formal crib. Use Pack N Play with bassinet while baby is small. Use Pack N Play normally when baby is bigger. Use mattress on the floor when baby outgrows both.

Nursing pillow

“My Breast Friend” is supposed to be better than Boppy. I didn’t find it very comfortable (maybe because of my larger size it seemed too constricting around my stomach). For our first baby, I used a regular pillow with a towel over top to catch spit-up and dripped milk. For our second baby, we got a Boppy as a gift, and I used it a lot, but it's definitely not necessary.

Specialty Blankets

Halo SleepSack Swaddle - for sleeping at night. Cotton version for summer, fleece version for winter.

If you live in a cold climate, you will want some kind of bunting bag. You have two options, a bunting bag that goes over the car seat, or a bunting bag that the baby wears to go into the car seat. For AB, we lived in Boston, and we loved the ultra warmth of the Bundle Me (JJ Cole). We didn't even need to put a jacket on him. Just strap him in the car seat, put his hat on and zip him up.
For HB, we lived in Seattle where it gets cold, but not frigid. We used TeddyToes (GoBaby) – a swaddling blanket w/ leg slots. You don’t have to unswaddle the baby to get in and out of the car seat. You can use it in a baby bjorn or other baby carrier. Get the small size for infants.

Do not buy any other blankets. This is the most popular gift and you will end up with a good variety of them.

Toys

• Black and white geometric images (stripes, swirls, bullseye, etc), we found a bunch online and printed them onto card stock.
• Gymini - activity gym, change the toys every week or two weeks, buy extra links so that you can hang toys at reaching level. The black/red/white one is better for infant visual stimulation than the colorful one.
  
• Wrist Rattles (rattles that have a wristband. Great no-drop toys for in stroller or car seat!)
• Lamaze Sensory Clutch Cube
• Sassy Baby's Frist Toys gift pack
  
• Bouncer Chair
• Books
• Anything from Genius Babies, like Winkel and Skwish
  

Diaper Bag

Snazzy Baby Mommy Bag- like Petunia Pickle Bottom, but less expensive. The only feature different is that Petunia Pickle Bottom’s changing mat zips out of the back pocket. In Snazzy’s bag, the changing mat is separate from the bag. The Shanghai Diaper Bag is also similar.

Also got a free Nestle Good Start diaper bag/backpack at the Pediatrician’s office that is really quite functional and nice.

Fold & Go Changing Mat – folding mat with pockets for wipes and a few diapers. Turns any bag into a diaper bag.

Rocker Chair

Ikea Poang with footstool. People go nuts with expensive glider rockers with matching footstools. I found the Poang works great. Other people like bouncing with the baby on a stability ball.

Dresser/changing table

We put a changing mat on top of the dresser with a grippy pad underneath. We got a simple 4-drawer wood dresser, which is a good height since my husband and I are tall.

I didn’t want a specialized “changing table” since you only use it for 2 years. Most changing tables have rails and straps to keep the baby “safe” while on it. I think that gives you a false sense of security. You should never leave the baby unattended on the table, so what use are rails and straps? My rule is to never be more than an arm’s length away. Have everything you need accessible so that you aren’t tempted to walk away. If you must walk away, put the baby in the crib or on the floor on a blanket.

Diapering

Diaper Champ - takes regular trash bags as opposed to Diaper Genie where you have to buy their special bags. Even if the bags don’t cost that much, it’s still one extra thing you have to stock.

Prince Lionheart Wipes Warmer. Not necessary if you live in a warm climate, but really useful for those middle-of-the-night diaper changes in the freezing winter! It doesn't take up any more space than a regular tub of wipes.

Diaper Organizer (Prince Lionheart)

Diapers

Wipes

Diaper cream

Purel hand sanitizer

Lysol disinfecting wipes

Diaper changing mat – 1 in each location

Nursing

Medela Pump in Style (backpack or purse style)

Nursing bras (Target sells a decent selection of nursing bras and Nursing Camis)

Accessories

• Extra pump assemblies (cones, valves, and bottles)
• Pump wipes
• breast pads
• lanolin breast cream (Lansinol better than PureLan)
• milk bags
• Hand pump

Baby Monitor

Sony Baby Call NTM-910. We have a home wireless LAN in the 2.4 GHz band, so I wanted the baby monitor in the 900 MHz band so that it wouldn’t interfere.

Bottle sterilizer

Avent Microwave Sterilizer. Infinitely easier than boiling water!

For travel, Madela sells microwave steam sterilizer bags. Like an industrial strength ziplock bag.

Also, get a bottle drying rack and a bottle brush.

Bottles

Dr. Brown's No Gas System. The Polypropylene ones are BPA-free. They also have a glass version.

Some people like the bottle warmers. I think that getting your baby dependent on a warm bottle will complicate your life later on. We give her cold bottles. If coming straight out of the fridge, we run it under warm tap water until it is just on the warm side of frigid.

Clothes

Before the baby is born, get a set of clothes in both 0-3 month, and 3-6 month size. The changeover will happen before you know it, and you will not have the time to do the shopping. Don’t buy any “outfits”. You will get plenty of cute outfits as gifts.

• onesies or t-shirts - I prefer the t-shirts for little babies (0-3 mo) because the onesies have to be unsnapped for diaper changes. Get the kind that don't need to be pulled over the head. This is tough on babies whose heads are still wobbly. Once the babies are mobile, you want the onesies because the t-shirts ride up.
• sleepers (12 sleepers allowed us to do laundry once per week). (not the kind that need to be pulled over the head). From 0-3 mo, we kept her in a sleeper 24-7 unless there was a special occasion where we want her to look “cute”, or the weather is too hot for a cotton sleeper.
• Hats - just a few for newborns. And 1-2 for going outdoors in the winter.
  
• Socks - you don't need many if you put them in footie sleepers all the time.
  
• Booties - really just to keep the socks on. One pair should be fine.
  
• Burp cloths (cloth diapers work really well) (12-16)
• Hamper or extra laundry basket –baby clothes are laundered separately from adult clothes
• Baby detergent - most babies will tolerate regular unscented laundry detergent, while some babies' skin is more sensitive and will require special baby detergent.
  
• Soak basin
• Oxyclean
• Shout gel

For soiled clothes, rub with shout gel until the spot is mostly gone. Soak in Oxyclean overnight. Hang on hamper to dry until it can be laundered. Instead of Shout gel, I also love Fells Naptha old fashioned laundry bar soap. It's great for organics (food, baby poop, grass, blood). But tough to find (i.e. they don't sell it at Target).

Other

• Hooded towels (2)
• Soft wash cloths (4-6)
• Baby shampoo
• Baby toiletries – thermometer, Vaseline, bulb syringe, baby nail clipper, baby hairbrush
• Alcohol wipes – for the belly button
• Baby sunscreen
  
• Anti-bac soap for each bathroom and kitchen sink - a pump dispenser allows you to use it one-handed.
  
• Formula
• Pacifiers - we love Soothies
  
• Blackout curtains
• Baby bath – fisher price aquarium bath has a little “hammock” which is great for new babies who can’t sit up. The hammock is removable for when the baby is older. You can forgo this item and just wash the kids in the sink if you have a large enough one, and move to the bathtub when they can sit up on their own.
  
• Video Camera

Things to get for 6 months

• Seat saver – goes under car seat to catch spills, etc.
• Stroller/Carseat - Sit 'N Stroll - after 6 months
• Booster seat for feeding
• Bibs for feeding -plastic bibs w/ food catch pocket

Edited 10/14/08 with changes since we've had our second baby.

Related Posts:
Essential Organized Mommy - Posts for New Moms