Nursery recommendations for a FTM??

[GingerGirl]

Hello All! I'm new to this board in the forums and very excited to be a first time mom soon. Wondering if anyone has any advice about the one or two things that you really need when setting up a nursery? I'm getting overwhelmed by all the options out there, but have a really small place, so I don't want to get to many extras and end up with a bunch of stuff I don't use. For instance PacknPlay + Crib?? Thanks so much in advance for any tips, I'm really looking forward to participating on this board!

[L.Jane]

Welcome (back I think? RIght?)! It really depends on you and baby. We didn't get a crib for the first almost, three months because DS was born the last two months of residency. We kept him in a pack in play until we moved across the country for fellowship and my cousin gave me his crib. But by three months DS was MORE than ready to be out of the packnplay. It just isnt as supportive as a crib. As for extras. If you have friends with rockers, bouncers, swings, let LO try them out before you buy. Each kid likes something different. For us, LO LOVED the fisher price swing and like it going only one direction. The bouncer was tolerated and the mamaroo was hated. If you dont have much room, you can use a dresser as a changing table. Just throw a changing pad on top. Thats what we did. We were renting, so we used decals that could come down to decorate. I liked having a bed in the room because I ended up sleeping in there a bunch.
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What other things are you thinking about?

[SoonerTexan]

I liked the Puj tub instead of the plastic monstrosities you can buy elsewhere. Even then, a baby tub isn't 100% necessary.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Nursery recommendations for a FTM??

Literally the only necessary thing is a car seat and a stroller (the type of stroller depends on your needs) and something for your child to sleep on. All the rest is just stuff.

We didn't do a crib or pack and play. We did a cosleeper and then transitioned them to twin bed mattresses at 5 months. It works for us to be able to cosleep with them (really me just dozing and nursing lying down) because our kids don't sleep and Dh needs sleep.

For strollers, I'm a runner so I always recommend a BOB which is the gold standard running stroller (pretty much undisputed on all runners sites).

Car seats...the standard Gracco/Chicco, etc options are all fine.

We have a baby run we've never used. We bathe in sinks and then shower with the babies once they can hold their heads up. Bouncers/playgyms/swings, etc all take up space. High chair can wait until 6 months when you know what your table set up will be. We have done both floor models and the kind that attach to chairs. I don't really have a preference but again, it depends on your space.

[GrayMatterWife]

Have four kids, expecting a fifth.

1. Kids slept in a wooden foldable ("portable") crib. They are small. Kids are small. It worked.

2. Kids used Me-Toos for their kitchen seating. We always had granite countertops, and these rock. Don't have some bulky high chair to trip over.

3. No changing table. What a waste of space. And no way to "repurpose" it afterward. We Just changed the kid on our bed. Put an old towel down to avoid any messes.

4. Never had a baby tub. We bathed in the kitchen sink, then later, in the regular tub.

5. Never had one of those snap-into-the-stroller car seats. Hate lugging car seats. Those suckers are HEAVY.

6. Love my jogging stroller. Have a double-decker BOB.

7. Have a cheap umbrella stroller for the mall. If you are tall, be sure to get one with handles that are high enough.

8. Car seat: we got one for the youngest. It was a Graco or something. Whatever was cheap. We've used the same one throughout.

9. I refuse to buy any plastic toy "scooter" type toys. They take up space, look ugly, and scratch the floor.

10. I had this electronic seat that slid side-to-side. All of my kids loved it. Otherwise, no jumpies things or anything.

Good luck.

[SoonerTexan]

Nursery recommendations for a FTM??

Okay more time to reply:

We don't have a dedicated changing table, but a dedicated pad on top of a dresser was nice. With our first kid, we only had one bedroom and just used the bed, but I liked having the dedicated space later.

Swings, play gyms, and exersaucers (fondly known as the "ring of neglect" in our home) take up space, but did save our sanity. We bought ours used and passed them among friends or stored In the attic. In your case I'd buy used and sell as soon as that stage is over or see if you can borrow them.

In addition to a stroller I would highly recommend a carrier of some sort. We have an ergo, but there are a ton of options. Being able to toss the whiny 9 month old on my back in the evenings (or anytime) is a lifesaver.

For feeding, IKEA bibs are awesome (with the full sleeves). We have a high chair but we also have a big kitchen. Skip any fancy baby food makers--all you need is an immersion blender. This food mill is pretty awesome too. I'm currently feeding the 9 month old hatch chili stew that I ground up in it



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[alotofyarn]

Both of my kids have cribs in their rooms, but we had space for each to have their own room. E started sleeping in there around 5 months, I think, and C is 6.5 months and has yet to sleep in his, but for different reasons. I'm hoping to get him in their soon. C's room also has a guest bed in it, because we have 3 bedrooms and I didn't want to get rid of a guest room. The swing has been a lifesaver for us - both of my kids spend a lot of time sleeping in it. We also have a travel crib (sort of like a small pack n play, or a co-sleeper), and that's where we keep them, in our room, until they move to their crib, when they're not in the swing. We use the bouncy seat a lot, because it allows us to put them down, and we can move it all over the house. We have an exersaucer that we got around 4 months, I think, and we use it a lot too. I have several strollers, but you really only need one. It's nice to have one to put the car seat in from the beginning, and then nice to use later. If I was only going to get one though, I might get something like the Chicco Liteway Plus, which can be used to hold the car seat and as an umbrella stroller later. We have a high chair because we have the space, but for someone without space, I'd recommend the Space Saver seat that goes on a chair. We have a Bumbo that we use a lot, but it's not absolutely necessary. The Boppy pillow has been good too. Like ST, we just put changing pads on top of dressers. I do actually use my baby bullet, but I didn't already have an immersion blender, and my food processor is gigantic.

[L.Jane]

As said above, the booster chairs that strap to a regular chair is a total room saver. We have the fisher price space saver and hes been in it 5 month through now. He is two. If the table isn't high enough, you can scoot him into it perfectly once he is ready to be at the table and not with the tray, so I would probably look for something that was a little shorter, but other than that, I've loved it. Easy to clean and move.

[Howfunitis]

When I was with my first, we were in a 2bedroom apartment. I had a bassinet and she slept until she was 3/4 months then transitioned to her crib and then had her own room by 7 months. I didn't have a pack n play or a stroller. I had the exsaucer and the Einstein jump thing and both my girls have loved them. I also had the fisher price space saver. At 2.5 years though it was too small for my oldest but dumb me forgot to pack it so I'm currently without a high chair or any seat. I converted the crib to a toddler bed and my youngest is in her crib. I have the swing, a seat that vibrates and the two jumpy things. In other words. I have too much stuff but I have the space and when I didn't I would just move them around to a different part of the house. With my youngest, I did end up with a pack n play but only cause I had moved and was driving and needed a place for her to sleep while her crib made the transition.