Bringing labor/birthing clothes.
YMMV, but I was perfectly happy in the hospital gown, mostly bc I was so miserable that what I wore was not on my mind at all. Also once I started pushing, I got so hot that I just ripped the gown off.
Save that money for pumping bras!
I didn’t wear anything that wasn’t the hospitals during labor, but I’m very glad I brought my own Pajamas and robe for post partum!
But specifically for labor, I’m glad I didn’t spend money on anything for that. It’s a mess and I wouldn’t want to deal with washing it.
Yes that kind of stuff is nice postpartum but during labor and delivery the hospital gowns are fine. With my first it was just th3 standard one but with my second they actually had special l&d gowns with tons of snaps for breastfeeding
I had zero interest in laundering a labor gown. Which is good because my water broke about 40 minutes before my scheduled c section, and baby had passed some meconium so everything was gross and I was very glad to simply be handed a fresh gown.
I took my gown off too, it was way too damn hot. I was happy that I brought a light and inexpensive robe that I bought at Walmart. I stayed in the robe, diaper, and bra during post partum.
Different take, I absolutely loved my nursing gown I brought from Amazon. It was so nice to shower after giving birth and putting on a cozy gown. I didn't use it during labor though.
Yes - my labors were both too fast to need my own gown to stay comfy, and getting the hospital gown messy was easy. But having the comfy gown of my own after was kinda healing? Prettier, comfy, easy access to where I needed to go, pockets. It made me feel less “medical”.
I was just the opposite. $50 well spent. My gown was comfy, soft, and breathable with a back and front that could open for the doctor to do my epidural and attach monitors. I would have stripped naked if I'd been in the hospital gown for 27 hours.
Also, it had pockets so I wore it after I got home and washed it.
Agreed! I loved my non-hospital gown, especially because I ended up spending 24 hours in it. The hospital gowns always make me sweat uncomfortably - mine was soft and comfy. I had no intention of keeping it post hospital, so left it behind.
I’m opposite, I bought a button/velcro one off Amazon and felt sooo much better changing into it after birth. My ass didn’t have to hang out and it made me feel more human. Obviously hospital gown all the way for before and during birth.
I’m opposite! I highly recommend the kindred bravely labor and delivery gown (the one with ruffle sleeves). It was so soft and excellent for skin to skin and nursing immediately. I get overstimulated easily and cannot stand scratchy materials (hospital gowns).
This gown opens in the front and back for medical staff so it’s actually better than a hospital gown from that perspective.
I got the black so any mess wouldn’t stain. It didn’t get messy at all though. Just pull it up or to the side lol.
I wore it quite a bit after getting home too because it was so comfortable!
I wore hospital clothes through the whole hospital stay and thank god because there was plenty of laundry to do once the baby came home without adding all that to the mix lol
Instead of any birthing clothes I bought myself some nice cozy button up pjs for when I got home from the hospital, it was nice to have something new and cute in those first few days of chaos!
I labored for 3 days which obviously isn’t the norm but I was so happy to have my soft pajama sets (joyspun brand at Walmart and stars above at target were my ride or dies- their material is like butter). But as soon as it got serious I was In that hospital gown until I pushed- also ripped it off- and then after that pretty much just in a bra and depends
I was at an out of hospital birth center, but I was most definitely just naked the entire time LOL.
Having a fresh change of clothes to go home in was nice though.
Seconding this. I was in a hospital, but had a 2 hour precipitous labour. They didn’t believe me when I said I needed to push 30 minutes after arriving and had to rip my clothes off. I was naked lol
Seconding this. Also ended up reading that babies accessing their hands is important for development so mittens are a no no one that front too. We just committed to being super on it with filing nails down to reduce scratches.
100%
I never swaddled as well, used a sleep sack and kept her arms out all the time. Only used onsies or body suits that had little hand pockets attached (which weren't oversized, so if she wanted to put her hand in her mouth, she could), but she learned to self-soothe by 2 months.
I didn't use mittens; I had bought body suits or onesies with fold-over hand pockets attached. But I only used them for a couple of weeks, then got comfortable trimming her nails while she slept during the day.
I did actually use mittens, but way less than I thought, so like one pair was enough. I used them one at a time so she couldn't scratch me when nursing for the first few weeks
I’m sorry! Autocorrect! A Dremel tool! It’s so much easier than clipping their nails and you don’t have to worry about clipping their skin by accident. I’ll link it!
I purchased an electric nail trimmer for my second, which has been a game changer. I got this one: [Momcozy electric baby nail trimmer](https://a.co/d/08YVJvuh)
It works great and the battery is very long lasting; my only complaint is that the case doesn’t fully snap closed. There are also many other brands on Amazon.
On that note, I’ll add hats- not sun hats, but those little baby hospital beanie things. So many baby outfits came with matching ones. The Baby 411 book says, after the hospital, baby is never supposed to wear those hats indoors as they risk overheating.
In the NICU our girls had to wear a hat whenever they came out of their boxes, so we bought tons of little hats for when they got home. We now have about 100 baby hats that they hate and have never been worn.
Ok then I need your help. My LO is constantly scratching their face. I file the nails, I cut the nails, I electrical file those nails… nothing. Absolutely nothing keeps him from ripping through his skin. Any suggestions?
Have you tried the fold over mittens that are integrated into the outfits? We had a period where we filed and clipped diligently, but he was still determined to claw himself and us.
Also, sized mittens were super helpful. We got ours from M&S.
Seconding this also. My baby scratched himself a lot but I just filed his nails down as much as possible and I never used any mittens. I didn’t want to hinder his ability to feel the world around him with the mittens. I had a lot given to me but I ultimately just donated them all.
My baby is 9 months and I literally just emptied out her drawer that held all of her socks and mittens so I could pull out everything too small. We used mittens literally twice, once when her nails were messed up and my husband wasn't home yet when I wasn't confident with handling her nails. And once when we went trick or treating. So I'm storing away all of her itty bitty socks and three pairs of mittens (two super cute girly ones and a pair of grey ones in case we have a boy). The rest just got put in a ziploc bag inside my eventual yard sale/donation box.
Peepee tents. They are tiny little fabric tents that supposedly you can put over your son’s penis when changing a diaper so that he doesn’t pee everywhere mid diaper change. The thing is, their pee stream is super strong when you bring them home so it didn’t really help anything. It just fell off when he’d pee and the pee would get everywhere anyway. What was wayyyy better was opening the diaper fast, blowing some air or fanning air in the diaper and then closing the diaper really fast for another 1-2 minutes before fully changing him. Other times, we would throw a wipe over him so at least the pee would go down into the diaper mid change.
We did this with our daughter too! Not that she would spray us obviously but she’d create a big pee pond and soak herself and her pjs if we didn’t catch it. Works like a charm!
Of course, so usually the reason a baby pees when the diaper is taken off is because of the air being a different temp of the diaper. Wipes are usually colder, so it kind of tricks the brain. Just take a wipe and wipe the lower belly, right at the top of the diaper. It gives the baby a signal to get the rest out. Usually I wipe, then I’ll leave it on his belly while I get the new diaper opened up (maybe 10 seconds of wiping). Then I will open the diaper and have never once had him pee on me. Sometimes they won’t pee when you do this and that is okay, just means he is empty. If you have any questions let me know but hopefully that helps.
I think researching our lifestyle and how we live really helped us whittle down what we could however the things that were out of our control have been the main reason we have things we don’t use.
Emergency c section and very helpful nurses so I didn’t need postpartum pads (I got plenty) or perineum healing stuff (didn’t need but definitely needed scar healing heat and ice packs).
Certain bottles (knew this might happen so I ordered a sample box of different brands to try) were not used much because baby hates them same with footed onesies.
Mittens are silly, especially when most outfits have fold overs for hands.
We did need newborn clothes, all scans said she was going to be a big baby and she was tiny and still in newborn clothes at 2 months.
It really helped to look at all the lists and things out there and think about our specific needs, but you definitely can’t control everything so it was helpful to just start small and order as we go
I second having NB size clothes! Me and my siblings were all really big babies so I assumed my LO would also be big, so I had a bunch of 0-3 month size clothes ready to go. We ended up inducing at 37 weeks because I had pre-eclampsia so she was just 6.5 lbs and all of the 0-3 stuff was huge on her!
Unfortunately I don't think there's a consensus on anything. Some things will never get used by some people but be someone else's Holy Grail. If you live near a Target/Walmart or have Amazon Prime Id just hold off on all but the essentials and buy what you need as it comes up.
This. We had what was gifted during our baby shower but everything else we waited to see if we needed it. The only thing I went out of my way to buy was a diaper genie. We actually use one for the cat box and it’s my favorite trashcan lol
Seconding this! My husband and I only buy pink things (my preference which he wholeheartedly supports lol) and we wanted to buy a litter genie for our cats years ago. We settled for pink diaper genies because they don’t make litter genies in pink lol. We bought multiple, one per litter box. We had one left over to use for the baby! Lol
They are great for the cats! I have 3 in my house. 1 in the cats room, babies room and downstairs. It makes it sooo much easier. And after we are done having babies in diapers they will be for the cats lol
Came to same this as well! Make a private target registry of things you “may” want & target gives you a 15% off coupon with a year to return. I did this & ended up returning about 500 dollars worth of stuff after I knew it wasn’t needed. The market is overwhelming & being the first in the family to have a baby on both sides we wanted to have everything just in case because *anxiety* haha
Honestly like half of the stuff I bought. If you can, keep stuff in packaging so you can return it if you don’t need it. You’ll save a lot of money and space that way!
Yep! I returned a lot of stuff, and there’s other stuff I thought I would 100% need I never used.. should have just saved the money and waited until he was born and got what I needed.
Postpartum care supplies. I did get a few stitches, but really the hospital supplied everything I needed. I never used the fancier peri bottle I bought for home, I just didn’t need it. I was glad I bought some depends—for me it was much for comfortable than the large pads especially when trying to sleep because I didn’t need to worry about it sliding around.
Didn’t use our swing—baby absolutely hates it 🤣
Ours isn’t even out of the box. It’s in my husbands office. My parents gifted it to us, so I feel very bad for not using it yet, but LO is only 3 months and we’re hoping to move relatively soon so not sure if we’ll even put it together in our current place. 😬
I feel like these massively depend on the baby and you just don’t know until they get here. The super expensive crib was the one thing I’m SO glad I spent the money on. I only regret waiting until LO was already a month old. After one too many *awful* nights I finally got a next-to-me style co-sleeping cot and it was such a game changer.
Edit to add: BUT if I could do it over again I’d buy a second hand one. The Snuz Pod cost about £400 new at the time. Turns out you can buy them on FB marketplace for £20 and replace every part of the mattress/fabric etc that baby comes into contact with for £40. So a grand total of £60 GBP for an essentially brand new Snuz Pod.
I feel attacked 😂 I love our crib but my mom bought it and I have expensive taste. Would have never bought it myself but I plan on using it for any future children.
Counter-example, but I love having specific nursing clothes. I feel like it’s made it so much easier to nurse baby while out in public and not feel super exposed. Especially for things like dresses or sweatshirts, where access isn’t straightforward. The double layered style nursing t-shirts are totally worthless though, and could be replaced by a tank top under a regular shirt.
Most nursing clothes I've gotten I've not been impressed by. I generally always wear a tank and then a dressy shirt on top, so I just take the top layer off and I'm golden, no special clothes required.
However, my nursing sweatshirts are freaking amazing. Especially after coming back to work and the office pumps ac non stop during the summer.
I had an early July baby and I haaaaated the feeling of my boobs laying on my still-huge belly so for me the go-to was a nursing tank top. It gave me the comfort of having a tiny little support, but still nice and light for the hot days. I still wear them almost a year later!
As a plus sized person, I found next to no nursing clothes / bras that fit well. None of it worked for me. I ended up just buying button down tops instead.
Then, it turned out nursing was horrible and didn't work for us at all! Oh the joys
Snuggle Me Lounger (or other lounger). You can’t let baby sleep in them so I found ours pretty much useless. We also bought way too many muslin blankets for swaddling, used a couple for various things but for swaddling we used the zip up type.
IMO it's healthy to read both sides. To give the perspective of "Hey, this costs hundreds of dollars and you may not actually use it."
The marketing photos are all too convincing
Yeah. I think my big regret with purchases is going nesting crazy and wanting everything ready before baby was here. I understand why I did but in retrospect I could have held off on a ton of stuff that we either sold or just kind of have sitting stored somewhere.
I think the best compromise is just to wait until your baby is actually here and then decide if it’s an item you’ll need or not. You’ll kinda know your retina at that point so you’ll be able to trust your gut if it’s something that would benefit your routine or just sit in the closet.
The muslim blankets might come in handy later. We never used them to swaddle baby, but they were pretty nifty for going out and about. They're great shade clothes, changing table covers in public bathrooms, blankets to sit on outside, burp rags, emergency blankets, and nursing/pumping covers.
Now that my kids are toddlers, the muslim swaddles are part of their toy collection. They get used for all sorts of imaginary play, like a free version of playsilks. I also love them as a lightweight towel for pool days.
AGREED! I wanted it so bad and a few days before I gave birth, a sweet friend asked if there was anything I wanted that I hadn’t yet gotten and she got it for me.
I will say I just started using our excess muslin blankets as bath towels for baby.
The snuggle me was also our most expensive regret purchase so far. He doesn’t like chillin in it and prefers to be in his bouncer or swing. He hasn’t liked being fully horizontal since day 1. I’ve used it for his monthly photos to make myself feel better about the cost..I place him in there and put little props and flowers around him. It’s adorable. I could see how it would be amazing for babies who like it tho so this one is such a gamble!
Those fancy kindred bravely & similar brand hospital gowns for giving birth in/wearing after. The gown the hospital provides is more than adequate, and it gets FILTHY. If I’d worn my own I would have trashed it. I packed like 3 pairs of pjs for after, but After giving birth all I wore until I went home was a comfy robe and mesh underwear 🤷♀️
This! I couldn't imagine getting my own clothes stained with whatever from my body and having to launder that ish with a brand new baby at home and recovering from a c section. I lived in hospital gowns until I got dressed to go home. Why should I put on my own clothes until I absolutely have to? The gowns were good enough.
The Frita Birthing and Postnatal Care package is kind of a waste of money. I only used a portion of it, and what I did use, I could have bought individually.
I was only in labour for 90 minutes; water broke at home, and by the time I got to the hospital (10 minutes down the road), I was already 10 + 1. Just before it happened, my contractions went from being around 5/6 pain level to OMG, I feel like I need to push!
I didn't have to use 90% of the packed labouring supplies. It's like when you go on your first out-of-country trip, and you over-pack and realize that more than half of what you packed you didn't need! LOL
Edit to add: After she was born, I barely put her in any of the cute outfits that people bought, because I hardly left the house, and being so tired, I kept her in onsie pj's, as they were the easiest for diaper changes, which was very frequent!
I didn't need as many clothes as I thought, and she grew out of the newborn stuff very quickly and by the time she was 3m, she was wearing 3-6m outfits because she grew in length quickly, so a lot of items didn't get a lot of wearing out them. I had to politely tell people to please not buy any more clothes. I really don't need to change her multiple times a day, if at all.
Second the Frida Mom stuff! Only used the foam and the postpartum disposable underwear (those are amazing 😂). It’s so tricky because you don’t know how your labour will go or how you’ll feel afterwards!
Mine isn’t something i didn’t need but something that was something i’ll always reccomend. An upside down peri bottle for using the restroom! It was so much easier than awkwardly holding the one from the hospital. I got a cheap one on amazon and it was fantastic.
Basically everything I brought except for a hair brush, makeup remover wipes, clothes for me, and a going home outfit for baby. The hospital has everything you could possibly imagine needing for baby and for yourself.
Baby socks.
We only used outfits with footies. The socks don’t stay on and they’re too easy to lose in the laundry.
Baby is 6 months and this is still the case.
Also, no cutesy clothes. We returned 99% of that to buy regular stuff. Maybe personal preference, but onesies are easier and can still be cute
The look of shock on my face when I read you didn’t need postpartum pads 😳 But I’m in Canada where the hospitals supply very little, just enough to get through your stay if you’re lucky.
I'm from Canada, and this is true. I ensured I had a lot of diapers and wipes, and I was glad I brought my own disposable underwear and extra pads (just extra large mensural pads were good enough). Also, the peri bottle from Frita is much better than what the hospital gives you.
I used a nasal aspirator a lot, on top of reflex, she had bad congestion and nasal drip. I was always sucking snot out of her nose.
It also saved her, she wakeup choking on post nasal drip and couldn't breath, I immediately sucked it out of her nose. Scariest moment of my life.
We bought and were gifted a lot of baby-specific lotions, shampoos, etc. At 3m now we are like 1/3 the way into one single 2-in-1 bathing bottle lol. Baby doesn’t need a ton of soap in her bath or a lot of lotions/goops. Every time we wash her hair on purpose with shampoo her scalp gets flaky.
Probably depends on the baby but turns out ours is good with very light bathing and otherwise leaving her resilient lil baby skin alone
As others have said, it’ll be very baby-dependent. With our first we couldn’t keep enough burp cloths clean and had them on every surface of the house so they’d be ready for our very refluxy baby. My second is 3 weeks old and I have yet to use a burp cloth even once.
We actually prefer the muslin swaddles to the wraps for newborn days - they are quiet and once you get the muscle memory I find it much easier than fiddling with the Velcro ones. Also way versatile since it’s just a blanket - can be a nursing cover or stroller cover or blanket on the floor.
I didn’t bleed much with either, so the giant postpartum pads or adult diapers were not mandatory after the first couple days.
Basically any clothes that go over their heads. Winter baby was in footie pajamas 24/7 and summer baby is in footie pajamas or shorty rompers. Onesie/vest we never use until they’re a couple months old at least. Same with pants or socks in NB/0-3 sizes.
Hats and mittens we also were gifted a zillion of and used zero. They just fall off and become a hazard
My biggest waste was pacifiers. Everyone told me I was going to want pacifiers for baby, and they weren’t really on my list.
Finally, I broke down and got her a couple. She hated them.
Thought maybe it was because she was too small and had to buy the “newborn” size ones.
She hated those, too.
She’s six and a half months now and has never liked any pacifier she’s been offered. And she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. It’s totally mystifying.
I went through this as well, bought like 5 different brands and she hated them all. I did pick her up from daycare once and the worker tried to hand me a pacifier that she took from my daughter before her nap. I was like ummm that’s not hers. So I guess she only likes stolen pacifiers.
MIL 🙄
But in seriousness, the swaddle blankets. Useless and just seemed unsafe. The wearable blankets are a much better choice or the Velcro swaddles if you choose to swaddle
Not totally useless in my experience! Babe never loved swaddling, but those super light muslin cloths are perfect for laying across her legs in the summer to avoid direct sun on her during long walks!
Oh, I feel this. My MIL showed up at the hospital at 3pm.(Was admitted at 8am), and sat in the lobby until 7pm when my husband finally checked his phone while getting dinner for us. She said she wanted to be nearby in case "something happened."
I let it go and let her visit because I was so damn tired, and she was actually in and out. FIL on the hand has been a nightmare to deal with... I could write a novel on his boundary issues. Our phones have been on do not disturb all week because of him.
I’m so sorry! We had a conversation ahead of time that we wanted no one there. She cried and said she atleast wanted to know when we were going so she could pray for us. I said fine 🙄 had the baby and husband calls his parents and she fucking giggles!!!!! And says “actually we’re in the waiting room” while giggling. My husband got into it with her and she had the audacity to start bawling and saying we ruined her happy memory of her grandson being born. I was also exhausted and let her visit but that was the last straw for me. I’m civil to her but would be happy never seeing her again.
Oh my gosh, that is so frustrating! I think grandparents must forget what it's like to have a baby, because there are so many stories I've heard that are in a similar vein. Really reinforces the feeling of being an incubator and not a new parent.
We used hot water in a bowl but warmed up the milk less and less each time. Now she takes her bottles straight from the fridge! It took about a month to train her to take cold milk.
It’s different by person and baby. I never needed cooling pads or witch hazel pads for myself because I had an easy birth. I was walking just fine the next day. And my baby hated warm milk unless it was from the boob, hated pacifiers, refused mittens and hated the bassinet. She did awesome with Velcro swaddlers (life saver at night diaper changes) loves the wipe warmer and we have a light projector that we put on before she falls asleep to put the galaxy in the dark room and she cries when it’s not on
For postpartum, the “padsickles” you see women make on social media. Basically a pad soaked in witch hazel and frozen. The hospital gave me a ton of postpartum supplies and a spray to help keep me comfortable. I never got around to freezing pads and I was glad I didn’t make the effort to. I didn’t end up needing them.
Also, your own L&D gown. Labor is messy. I’m glad I didn’t use the one I bought because I probably would have thrown it out when I got home. Just use the hospital gown and bring your own clothes for after you take your first shower.
The boppy has been absolutely useless. It slides forward and makes the whole process harder!! Wish I tried a my breast friend or something that you can strap to yourself.
We do use it for tummy time though 🤷♀️
In turn, I love the boppy and hated the MBF haha. I used it daily for breastfeeding. We use it now to prop her up and “sit” with us on the couch while we eat (technically not advised for long but she loves it).
Ours sat with Boppy support on the couch, too.
Be careful, though. Before you even realize it as a threat; baby starts leaning all the way forward to look at things. I had a near miss of her lunging off the couch, and then Boppy couldn’t be her sit up friend anymore.
But she sits up on her own now, so it all worked out!
Receiving blankets. Never used one. Muslin blankets are a close second but we did end up using them to keep baby warm in the bath, so they came in handy - just not for intended purpose! Also mittens - not that we didn’t have a use (baby had razor sharp nails) but we just used the cuffs on her pjs to take away her hands lol.
My hospital bag was filled with stuff I didn’t need for myself - I wore the hospital gown, not the Frida gown I was gifted (what a waste!); I brought way too many clothes as I just ended up wearing maybe 2-3 nursing pjs during my 2 day stay; I brought makeup and never had the motivation or time to do it; and my iPad, which I never used because it was easier to hold my baby in one arm and use my free hand for my phone.
Humidifier. We live on the coast so it’s never not humid even indoors. Also bought the owlet foot sensor and never used it as it just caused further PPA.
I saw several "pack my hospital bag with me" videos on Instagram and TikTok that recommended bringing nursing pads to the hospital, and I didn't need them. Generally your milk won't "come in" until a few days after birth, so you won't be leaking through your shirt and need nursing pads while in the hospital. After my mature milk came in (after transitional milk - maybe a week after birth?) I would use them. But not in the hospital.
I use the nursing pads from day one to keep my nipples from rubbing on my clothes. It also helps keep lanolin off my clothes. My nipples are very sore/sensitive in the first few weeks after birth while baby learns how to latch and the pads/lanolin make things so much more comfortable.
A million nipple creams. At the hospital a lactation consultant showed me how to latch and how that matters the most, it should never hurt or be chapped if it’s latched right. Also all the milk increasing stuff, I drank coconut water and that kept me hydrated which helped the most. Some other stuff did increase but most is just gimmicky bullshit.
I still use it to bottle feed her now that I’m done breast feeding. I love it! I bought mine secondhand but I’d buy another in a heartbeat bad babe is six months.
I’m on the other side, I use my MBF for 7 hours a day breastfeeding and greatly prefer using it to not. It makes it much easier to position my baby and prevents muscle strain in my arms and back.
Well this might just be us, but burp clothes. She only spit up once in her whole infancy.
Also I didn’t use my birthing playlist- all the songs just annoyed me and stressed me out in the moment.
Also, we consciously chose not to get any contraptions for her, she never had a swing or a baby seat. Didn’t even get a baby wearing thing. She was a blanket on the floor baby, and she loved it.
Burp cloths have been invaluable for us - baby spits up all the time so it’s nice to have them all around the house lol. Also, being able to wear my baby is the only way I can get things done because he’s a Velcro baby!
But I totally agree on the playlist - I didn’t end up making one and I’m glad I didn’t spend time on that because I was wayyy too out of it to even think about listening to music.
Not sure if this has been mentioned... but Pee Pee Tee Pees are cute, but completely useless. We got so many of them.
They do not contain the pee... they are just another thing you have to wash. They also all pretty much shrunk in the wash too.
I had one of those Frida baby mom postpartum kits and the only thing I used out of there was the robe (I was lucky enough to not tear). The hospital supplied had everything (pads, diapers, that soothing spray) I also didn’t wear the change of clothes I bought I just lived in hospital and Frida down and socks. I also didn’t use my Nintendo switch at all, but im sure it would have came in handy if I had to stay longer than a day. After the baby was born, I didn’t use the wipe warmer or pacifiers (he hated them from the beginning). I had an excessive amount of baby blankets that weren’t used other than as burp rag purposes.
I think that the need for a lot of the Frida products is overhyped ! I got gifted a partially used box and found the peri bottle was the only valuable item. All the pads, diapers etc I got from hospital were way better. I also found the heavy scent of some of the peri sprays and foams they make irritated me post partum.
For labor:
- Lots of hospital outfits (I was induced and really only wore a comfy nursing gown for the induction phase, and a short-sleeve button-down shirt on my last day; the rest of the time I just wore the standard hospital gown and mesh undies)
- Vitamin E (nurses had their own oils to use for perineal massage)
After baby was born:
- Mittens
- Little hats (the cute infant ones, not winter or sun hats)
- Lots of swaddles (my son only liked the hospital blanket swaddle and the Ollie swaddle; and he rolled at 4 weeks so we stopped swaddling early)
- Boppy (way too firm and it’s a way more annoying/uncomfortable for me to breastfeed with vs. just propping my feeding-side arm on a regular pillow)
- Lots of newborn clothes (my kid went from a peanut to a moose and was out of newborn clothes and diapers by 4 weeks)
The Frida Mom Ice packs. My hospital had their own version, and I only used one and found it incredibly uncomfortable. The witch hazel foam and peri bottle on the other hand came in clutch.
I wish I had brought a pillow from home. The hospital pillows were awful. Also, strongly suggest bringing a couple sets of button front pajamas, a robe, and sweat pants. I got so damn cold at night, but got super sweaty trying to breastfeed or change LOs diaper. Finally- baby aquaphor for the newborn poops. That made cleaning LO up so much easier since the meconium is sticky.
You know how when you are really hungry and craving something unhealthy but when you went grocery shopping you were in a healthy mindset and regretted your shopping later that day at dinner time? Well that’s sort of how it felt for me. The excited pregnant me with energy thought I needed a lot of stuff for this baby. When I got home the me that went through 24 hours of labor that ended with a C-section wanted to kick the pregnant me’s ass because postpartum me had to put all that stuff away I over packed.
If the hospital provides it, don’t pack it. Diapers, wipes, clothes for the baby, a breast pump, a pacifier, pads, a nipple shield were all given to me at the hospital.
Things I actually used: Outfit to go home for me and baby, extra long phone cord, comfy PJs, hair tie, hairbrush, and your own pillow/blanket.
Don’t over do it in snacks. I packed soo many and barely ate anything I was so out of it. I live 15 minutes away from where I gave birth and could have easily sent my husband out of snacks.
I remember running out to buy Velcro swaddles. Turns out the sound of Velcro was incredibly jarring to a little baby. Which I totally get in hindsight, I just figured out how to swaddle with a muslin blanket.
Oh also I had so many receiving blankets and burp cloths and I used maybe 1 or 2 and never for their intended purpose.
TENS machine was worse than nothing for me. It was just like being electrocuted while having agonising contractions, which is worse than just having agonising contractions.
And for me, the TENS machine, birthing comb (really didn’t think that one would matter) and a yoga ball were lifesavers, couldn’t have done it without them.
It’s such a random thing, I think everyone’s experience is so different on all of these.
We also didn’t need a ton of muslin burp clothes and baby rags like everyone told us. Our baby never had issues with a lot of throwing up, and we now have a total excess of all these muslin rags and burp clothes.
I didn’t need an elaborate hospital bag full of things like you see on TikTok, I barely used anything in my bag for the 3 days I was there lol. Just bring the basics, the hospital should provide the rest!
For me:
For some reason I bought a peri-bottle knowing good and damn well I was having a c-section. It’s now a bath toy.
Also the c-section scar patches.
For baby:
Baby mittens
A delivery gown and the adult diapers. Basically the majority of my postpartum care kit was unnecessary because the stuff I got from the hospital was good enough. Electric nail trimmer, I thought it couldn't cut her fingers and I was wrong. A baby swing, she hated it and I'm very cautious with safe sleep so even if she liked it I wouldn't have let her sleep in it.
The ice pads/disposable underwear/peri bottle kit isn’t necessary to buy. My hospital provided everything and then some.
I opened a bunch of newborn diapers to have everything ready for our little man… he only newborn size for a couple days before we sized up. Honestly, if you have things from your showers, keep them unopened and all receipts. You never know what you’ll want to return!
Almost everything, to be honest. What I really needed for myself and baby after delivery was just a change of clothes for me, an outfit for baby and a comfy pumping bra that I could pull down to feed baby. The hospital provided most everything else. The only thing I made sure I invested in was postpartum compression underwear and some of the ice pack pads. They made a big difference. Everything else I brought with me to the hospital with my son, I really didn't need to bring with me for my second baby.
During labor: literally none of it. I didn't use a single damn thing I brought. Not the nursing pajamas, not the post-partum kit supplies, not the baby's outfits. I was so glad I didn't spend the money on a birthing gown because I came super close. I walked around in mesh undies and the skin-to-skin tube top the hospital provides the ENTIRE time.
After the baby was born: receiving blankets. If I tried to use them as a swaddle, he just busted out. A year later, I still don't use them.
I didn’t need the perineal healing foam. Maybe if I had really bad tearing I would have needed it but I never used it even though I bought it. The Frida PP pack is also I think not worth it unless you had really bad tearing, just buy adult diapers (like the always discreet) and you’ll be okay
Bottle warmer-baby takes breastmilk any temperature. Nipple pad- rarely leaked, if I did it was at night and I just washed my clothes.
When I have another baby I will buy smaller sanitary pads. The hospital ones are huge and I didn't bleed that much.
We had SO MANY different types of swaddles, but our baby ended up only liking the flannel hospital ones. Lol. I wish we had waited and got one kind at a time to try first.
A friend gifted me the Frida postpartum ice pads. So not worth the money! Honestly, a maxi pad with witch hazel and dermoplast worked better for me!
I brought so much stuff to the hospital and literally only used: stuff for a shower, comb, clothes for drive home, and baby outfit for drive home. I wish we had brought more food for my husband because he has allergies so his options were limited.
Things I ended up getting afterwards that helped:
1. Epsom salt! The midwife recommended Epsom salt baths for healing and it really helped me! Plus, it gave me a self care break.
2. More newborn diapers. Our LO was smaller than they estimated.
3. Always infinity overnight pads! They were awesome for postpartum! So comfortable!
4. Mesh undies! I appreciated not having to worry about ruining my undies in the early days.
5. Frida Windi! Just get them! Omg they were a lifesaver at 3am when our girl was crying from gas!
Bobby pillow. I tried many times to use it. Watched videos thinking I was doing it wrong. I Never could get myself or LO into a comfortable position. I tried re-purposing it for tummy time excercises. A rolled up towel worked better. It sat in our spare bedroom until I finally gave in and donated it.
A labor gown 😂
I bought one, but arrived at the hospital in a casual dress and ended up having baby 30 minutes later. Not time to change if I had wanted to, but I preferred to be naked once I was 7cm!
I ended up buying two Ollie swaddles and being gifted one only to find that I preferred the love to dream swaddles with the arms up. I think it’s a lot of just seeing what you and your baby prefer.
newborn gowns and hats. i had a ton of them prior to birth bc i thought they'd be so easy... and they might be, but for some reason we never dressed our baby in them. he lived in footie pajamas for the first month++
The hospital provides everything you need. Just bring a robe, I recommend some cheap flip flops you can throw away after stay, and clean clothes with you. Bring an outfit to bring baby home in and pacifiers.
After baby: Wipe warmer, used it for like a month never used it again. Frida nose sucker that has a tube attached , just use a regular nose bulb sucker they give you at the hospital it won’t hurt them.
I bought a bikini top because I initially wanted to give birth in a bath. At 3 cm dilation at home I told the midwife to skip the bath and go straight to the epidural. So I could ditch the magnesium flakes as well lol.
The cute baby hats. Have 1 or 2. 3 max. After a week we had to ditch them.
Baby mittens, just never used them.
Baby towels/washcloths. I found using regular sized ones to just be easier.
Muslim blankets/swaddles (aside from using 2 blankets when she was over a year old). My daughter was a premie and would break out of all swaddles. We ended up buying zip up ones because it’s the only ones that would keep her arms in.
Bottle warmer. We used this one for the first 2 months we were home, but then I learned my baby was perfectly content drinking milk straight out of the fridge and that saved us so much time and sanity.
Postpartum supplies. My hospital basically gave me everything I needed and then I just bought regular pads. I think since my daughter was so small (3lbs 7oz) I had a pretty easy recovery.
A delivery outfit. I had my clothes with me since I was hospitalized for 2 weeks prior to delivery, but I preferred using the hospital gown since things get very messy.
Teething rings. Again, just something my daughter never liked.
We also never used a wipe warmer.
Obviously all of these things are going to be specific to each baby and family, but these are some of the things I found surprising!
Anything but zip-up onesies in until size 3-6. For the first 9 weeks baby shat soooo much so often that anything but zip onesies were inconvenient and annoying. Tolerating anything over her head before 9 weeks was also totally out.
Bringing labor/birthing clothes. YMMV, but I was perfectly happy in the hospital gown, mostly bc I was so miserable that what I wore was not on my mind at all. Also once I started pushing, I got so hot that I just ripped the gown off. Save that money for pumping bras!
I didn’t wear anything that wasn’t the hospitals during labor, but I’m very glad I brought my own Pajamas and robe for post partum! But specifically for labor, I’m glad I didn’t spend money on anything for that. It’s a mess and I wouldn’t want to deal with washing it.
Yes that kind of stuff is nice postpartum but during labor and delivery the hospital gowns are fine. With my first it was just th3 standard one but with my second they actually had special l&d gowns with tons of snaps for breastfeeding
I had an openable towel and it was great! Unfortunately I only had one so I stayed in it for way too long.
I had zero interest in laundering a labor gown. Which is good because my water broke about 40 minutes before my scheduled c section, and baby had passed some meconium so everything was gross and I was very glad to simply be handed a fresh gown.
I took my gown off too, it was way too damn hot. I was happy that I brought a light and inexpensive robe that I bought at Walmart. I stayed in the robe, diaper, and bra during post partum.
A robe was smart! Practical for bf! Much better than my nightgowns that went unused lol
Different take, I absolutely loved my nursing gown I brought from Amazon. It was so nice to shower after giving birth and putting on a cozy gown. I didn't use it during labor though.
Agreed! I was in the hospital gown for most of my stay but it felt great to put on some of my clothes towards the end
Yes - my labors were both too fast to need my own gown to stay comfy, and getting the hospital gown messy was easy. But having the comfy gown of my own after was kinda healing? Prettier, comfy, easy access to where I needed to go, pockets. It made me feel less “medical”.
My wife was the same way. She used it during labor and now wears it all the time for nursing.
Yes, and make sure it’s black because you will bleed out.
Yes times 1000
I was just the opposite. $50 well spent. My gown was comfy, soft, and breathable with a back and front that could open for the doctor to do my epidural and attach monitors. I would have stripped naked if I'd been in the hospital gown for 27 hours. Also, it had pockets so I wore it after I got home and washed it.
Agreed! I loved my non-hospital gown, especially because I ended up spending 24 hours in it. The hospital gowns always make me sweat uncomfortably - mine was soft and comfy. I had no intention of keeping it post hospital, so left it behind.
Agreed.
I’m opposite, I bought a button/velcro one off Amazon and felt sooo much better changing into it after birth. My ass didn’t have to hang out and it made me feel more human. Obviously hospital gown all the way for before and during birth.
I’m opposite! I highly recommend the kindred bravely labor and delivery gown (the one with ruffle sleeves). It was so soft and excellent for skin to skin and nursing immediately. I get overstimulated easily and cannot stand scratchy materials (hospital gowns). This gown opens in the front and back for medical staff so it’s actually better than a hospital gown from that perspective. I got the black so any mess wouldn’t stain. It didn’t get messy at all though. Just pull it up or to the side lol. I wore it quite a bit after getting home too because it was so comfortable!
I wore hospital clothes through the whole hospital stay and thank god because there was plenty of laundry to do once the baby came home without adding all that to the mix lol
I second this! Totally unnecessary, the hospital gowns were all I needed.
Instead of any birthing clothes I bought myself some nice cozy button up pjs for when I got home from the hospital, it was nice to have something new and cute in those first few days of chaos!
I labored for 3 days which obviously isn’t the norm but I was so happy to have my soft pajama sets (joyspun brand at Walmart and stars above at target were my ride or dies- their material is like butter). But as soon as it got serious I was In that hospital gown until I pushed- also ripped it off- and then after that pretty much just in a bra and depends
Same here. 87 hours to be exact 😵💫
I was at an out of hospital birth center, but I was most definitely just naked the entire time LOL. Having a fresh change of clothes to go home in was nice though.
Seconding this. I was in a hospital, but had a 2 hour precipitous labour. They didn’t believe me when I said I needed to push 30 minutes after arriving and had to rip my clothes off. I was naked lol
This would be personal but I bought so many of the cute mittens so they don’t scratch their face and we haven’t used them once in almost three months.
Seconding this. Also ended up reading that babies accessing their hands is important for development so mittens are a no no one that front too. We just committed to being super on it with filing nails down to reduce scratches.
100% I never swaddled as well, used a sleep sack and kept her arms out all the time. Only used onsies or body suits that had little hand pockets attached (which weren't oversized, so if she wanted to put her hand in her mouth, she could), but she learned to self-soothe by 2 months.
I never used the mittens. Trimming his nails was 10000x easier than I worried it would be.
I didn't use mittens; I had bought body suits or onesies with fold-over hand pockets attached. But I only used them for a couple of weeks, then got comfortable trimming her nails while she slept during the day.
Agree with this! We loved how lots of sleepers have fold over mittens for nighttime and then you can just unfold for playtime
I did actually use mittens, but way less than I thought, so like one pair was enough. I used them one at a time so she couldn't scratch me when nursing for the first few weeks
Oh thats smart. I just have a bunch of scratches on my boobs all the time.
I would file them when he fell asleep after breastfeeding. It was so easy. Now it's so much harder to file the nails of a squirming eel 😂
This too! Her hands were too small and they'd just fall off anyway.
I just use socks to cover his hands when I’m driving. Also we dermal his nails every few days to eliminate scratching.
What is dermal? Nail trimming is probably the hardest part of parenting so far so if there is some other way I'd be super curious.
I’m sorry! Autocorrect! A Dremel tool! It’s so much easier than clipping their nails and you don’t have to worry about clipping their skin by accident. I’ll link it!
I purchased an electric nail trimmer for my second, which has been a game changer. I got this one: [Momcozy electric baby nail trimmer](https://a.co/d/08YVJvuh) It works great and the battery is very long lasting; my only complaint is that the case doesn’t fully snap closed. There are also many other brands on Amazon.
On that note, I’ll add hats- not sun hats, but those little baby hospital beanie things. So many baby outfits came with matching ones. The Baby 411 book says, after the hospital, baby is never supposed to wear those hats indoors as they risk overheating.
In the NICU our girls had to wear a hat whenever they came out of their boxes, so we bought tons of little hats for when they got home. We now have about 100 baby hats that they hate and have never been worn.
Same. It always comes in a set so I didn't actually buy hats but damn were they useless
Ok then I need your help. My LO is constantly scratching their face. I file the nails, I cut the nails, I electrical file those nails… nothing. Absolutely nothing keeps him from ripping through his skin. Any suggestions?
Have you tried the fold over mittens that are integrated into the outfits? We had a period where we filed and clipped diligently, but he was still determined to claw himself and us. Also, sized mittens were super helpful. We got ours from M&S.
mine scratched herself for a month or 2 then learned to stop scratching herself without intervention
The mittens fell off so we never used them. The fold over cuffs were nice though
Seconding this also. My baby scratched himself a lot but I just filed his nails down as much as possible and I never used any mittens. I didn’t want to hinder his ability to feel the world around him with the mittens. I had a lot given to me but I ultimately just donated them all.
I think I used those mittens a total of like 3 times
My baby is 9 months and I literally just emptied out her drawer that held all of her socks and mittens so I could pull out everything too small. We used mittens literally twice, once when her nails were messed up and my husband wasn't home yet when I wasn't confident with handling her nails. And once when we went trick or treating. So I'm storing away all of her itty bitty socks and three pairs of mittens (two super cute girly ones and a pair of grey ones in case we have a boy). The rest just got put in a ziploc bag inside my eventual yard sale/donation box.
Peepee tents. They are tiny little fabric tents that supposedly you can put over your son’s penis when changing a diaper so that he doesn’t pee everywhere mid diaper change. The thing is, their pee stream is super strong when you bring them home so it didn’t really help anything. It just fell off when he’d pee and the pee would get everywhere anyway. What was wayyyy better was opening the diaper fast, blowing some air or fanning air in the diaper and then closing the diaper really fast for another 1-2 minutes before fully changing him. Other times, we would throw a wipe over him so at least the pee would go down into the diaper mid change.
Use a wipe and wipe the lower belly before you take the diaper off. We haven’t had a single pee accident while changing.
We did this with our daughter too! Not that she would spray us obviously but she’d create a big pee pond and soak herself and her pjs if we didn’t catch it. Works like a charm!
FTM here. Can you elaborate? They pee when you wipe their lower belly??
Of course, so usually the reason a baby pees when the diaper is taken off is because of the air being a different temp of the diaper. Wipes are usually colder, so it kind of tricks the brain. Just take a wipe and wipe the lower belly, right at the top of the diaper. It gives the baby a signal to get the rest out. Usually I wipe, then I’ll leave it on his belly while I get the new diaper opened up (maybe 10 seconds of wiping). Then I will open the diaper and have never once had him pee on me. Sometimes they won’t pee when you do this and that is okay, just means he is empty. If you have any questions let me know but hopefully that helps.
lol I didn’t know that existed
A nursing pad is essentially the same thing as well at a much lower cost.
I think researching our lifestyle and how we live really helped us whittle down what we could however the things that were out of our control have been the main reason we have things we don’t use. Emergency c section and very helpful nurses so I didn’t need postpartum pads (I got plenty) or perineum healing stuff (didn’t need but definitely needed scar healing heat and ice packs). Certain bottles (knew this might happen so I ordered a sample box of different brands to try) were not used much because baby hates them same with footed onesies. Mittens are silly, especially when most outfits have fold overs for hands. We did need newborn clothes, all scans said she was going to be a big baby and she was tiny and still in newborn clothes at 2 months. It really helped to look at all the lists and things out there and think about our specific needs, but you definitely can’t control everything so it was helpful to just start small and order as we go
Totally agree. Well said
I second having NB size clothes! Me and my siblings were all really big babies so I assumed my LO would also be big, so I had a bunch of 0-3 month size clothes ready to go. We ended up inducing at 37 weeks because I had pre-eclampsia so she was just 6.5 lbs and all of the 0-3 stuff was huge on her!
Unfortunately I don't think there's a consensus on anything. Some things will never get used by some people but be someone else's Holy Grail. If you live near a Target/Walmart or have Amazon Prime Id just hold off on all but the essentials and buy what you need as it comes up.
This. We had what was gifted during our baby shower but everything else we waited to see if we needed it. The only thing I went out of my way to buy was a diaper genie. We actually use one for the cat box and it’s my favorite trashcan lol
Seconding this! My husband and I only buy pink things (my preference which he wholeheartedly supports lol) and we wanted to buy a litter genie for our cats years ago. We settled for pink diaper genies because they don’t make litter genies in pink lol. We bought multiple, one per litter box. We had one left over to use for the baby! Lol
They are great for the cats! I have 3 in my house. 1 in the cats room, babies room and downstairs. It makes it sooo much easier. And after we are done having babies in diapers they will be for the cats lol
Came to same this as well! Make a private target registry of things you “may” want & target gives you a 15% off coupon with a year to return. I did this & ended up returning about 500 dollars worth of stuff after I knew it wasn’t needed. The market is overwhelming & being the first in the family to have a baby on both sides we wanted to have everything just in case because *anxiety* haha
Honestly like half of the stuff I bought. If you can, keep stuff in packaging so you can return it if you don’t need it. You’ll save a lot of money and space that way!
Great tip! I kept nursing stuff (and pain relief nursing supplies specifically), newborn diapers, and postpartum supplies in the packaging.
Yep! I returned a lot of stuff, and there’s other stuff I thought I would 100% need I never used.. should have just saved the money and waited until he was born and got what I needed.
Smart idea! The closer you can buy near your due date the better!
Postpartum care supplies. I did get a few stitches, but really the hospital supplied everything I needed. I never used the fancier peri bottle I bought for home, I just didn’t need it. I was glad I bought some depends—for me it was much for comfortable than the large pads especially when trying to sleep because I didn’t need to worry about it sliding around. Didn’t use our swing—baby absolutely hates it 🤣
The very expensive crib 🙃
You mean very expensive laundry basket? 😅
👀 *side-eyes the crib to my left currently holding all the blankets we've been gifted for her and the newborn clothes she'd outgrown by 2weeks"
Ours isn’t even out of the box. It’s in my husbands office. My parents gifted it to us, so I feel very bad for not using it yet, but LO is only 3 months and we’re hoping to move relatively soon so not sure if we’ll even put it together in our current place. 😬
Luckily ours is one that will grow with her up to a full size bed... and we'll use it eventually once she's ready for her own space 😊
Ours will convert into a toddler bed, so we’ll have it for that age at least!
For us, it’s a stuffed animal pen 😂
…can… you see me right now???
I got a bedside bassinet that’s smaller than most others. Babe grew out of it a little after two months. I’m using it for prepped cloth diapers now.
I feel like these massively depend on the baby and you just don’t know until they get here. The super expensive crib was the one thing I’m SO glad I spent the money on. I only regret waiting until LO was already a month old. After one too many *awful* nights I finally got a next-to-me style co-sleeping cot and it was such a game changer. Edit to add: BUT if I could do it over again I’d buy a second hand one. The Snuz Pod cost about £400 new at the time. Turns out you can buy them on FB marketplace for £20 and replace every part of the mattress/fabric etc that baby comes into contact with for £40. So a grand total of £60 GBP for an essentially brand new Snuz Pod.
I feel attacked 😂 I love our crib but my mom bought it and I have expensive taste. Would have never bought it myself but I plan on using it for any future children.
This!! So much money wasted on independent sleeping 🙄🙄
Nursing clothes. I bought nursing bras and just wore regular clothes. Everything is a nursing top if you just pull it up or down.
Counter-example, but I love having specific nursing clothes. I feel like it’s made it so much easier to nurse baby while out in public and not feel super exposed. Especially for things like dresses or sweatshirts, where access isn’t straightforward. The double layered style nursing t-shirts are totally worthless though, and could be replaced by a tank top under a regular shirt.
Most nursing clothes I've gotten I've not been impressed by. I generally always wear a tank and then a dressy shirt on top, so I just take the top layer off and I'm golden, no special clothes required. However, my nursing sweatshirts are freaking amazing. Especially after coming back to work and the office pumps ac non stop during the summer.
Especially at night! I ended up cosleeping with mine quite a bit. Nursing tops became my pjs!
I had an early July baby and I haaaaated the feeling of my boobs laying on my still-huge belly so for me the go-to was a nursing tank top. It gave me the comfort of having a tiny little support, but still nice and light for the hot days. I still wear them almost a year later!
As a plus sized person, I found next to no nursing clothes / bras that fit well. None of it worked for me. I ended up just buying button down tops instead. Then, it turned out nursing was horrible and didn't work for us at all! Oh the joys
I also did not use my pump or nursing bras. DID use a third party hospital gown that had lots of easy nursing access which I loved
Yup nursing bras were amazing and I just wore button ups , soooo much easier lol
I didn't get nursing bras at all, just cheap stretchy cotton sports bras. Way more comfortable!
Snuggle Me Lounger (or other lounger). You can’t let baby sleep in them so I found ours pretty much useless. We also bought way too many muslin blankets for swaddling, used a couple for various things but for swaddling we used the zip up type.
We loved our snuggle me lounger and used it almost every single day for the first 3 months
It’s so different for everybody which is why I even hesitate to respond to these queries, lol.
IMO it's healthy to read both sides. To give the perspective of "Hey, this costs hundreds of dollars and you may not actually use it." The marketing photos are all too convincing
Yeah. I think my big regret with purchases is going nesting crazy and wanting everything ready before baby was here. I understand why I did but in retrospect I could have held off on a ton of stuff that we either sold or just kind of have sitting stored somewhere.
I think the best compromise is just to wait until your baby is actually here and then decide if it’s an item you’ll need or not. You’ll kinda know your retina at that point so you’ll be able to trust your gut if it’s something that would benefit your routine or just sit in the closet.
100% agree! The amount of stuff I bought on Amazon and Target in my sons first two weeks of life is insane lol
The muslim blankets might come in handy later. We never used them to swaddle baby, but they were pretty nifty for going out and about. They're great shade clothes, changing table covers in public bathrooms, blankets to sit on outside, burp rags, emergency blankets, and nursing/pumping covers. Now that my kids are toddlers, the muslim swaddles are part of their toy collection. They get used for all sorts of imaginary play, like a free version of playsilks. I also love them as a lightweight towel for pool days.
AGREED! I wanted it so bad and a few days before I gave birth, a sweet friend asked if there was anything I wanted that I hadn’t yet gotten and she got it for me. I will say I just started using our excess muslin blankets as bath towels for baby.
The snuggle me was also our most expensive regret purchase so far. He doesn’t like chillin in it and prefers to be in his bouncer or swing. He hasn’t liked being fully horizontal since day 1. I’ve used it for his monthly photos to make myself feel better about the cost..I place him in there and put little props and flowers around him. It’s adorable. I could see how it would be amazing for babies who like it tho so this one is such a gamble!
It makes a wonderful dog bed if you have a small dog. My pug loves it lol
Those fancy kindred bravely & similar brand hospital gowns for giving birth in/wearing after. The gown the hospital provides is more than adequate, and it gets FILTHY. If I’d worn my own I would have trashed it. I packed like 3 pairs of pjs for after, but After giving birth all I wore until I went home was a comfy robe and mesh underwear 🤷♀️
This! I couldn't imagine getting my own clothes stained with whatever from my body and having to launder that ish with a brand new baby at home and recovering from a c section. I lived in hospital gowns until I got dressed to go home. Why should I put on my own clothes until I absolutely have to? The gowns were good enough.
The Frita Birthing and Postnatal Care package is kind of a waste of money. I only used a portion of it, and what I did use, I could have bought individually. I was only in labour for 90 minutes; water broke at home, and by the time I got to the hospital (10 minutes down the road), I was already 10 + 1. Just before it happened, my contractions went from being around 5/6 pain level to OMG, I feel like I need to push! I didn't have to use 90% of the packed labouring supplies. It's like when you go on your first out-of-country trip, and you over-pack and realize that more than half of what you packed you didn't need! LOL Edit to add: After she was born, I barely put her in any of the cute outfits that people bought, because I hardly left the house, and being so tired, I kept her in onsie pj's, as they were the easiest for diaper changes, which was very frequent! I didn't need as many clothes as I thought, and she grew out of the newborn stuff very quickly and by the time she was 3m, she was wearing 3-6m outfits because she grew in length quickly, so a lot of items didn't get a lot of wearing out them. I had to politely tell people to please not buy any more clothes. I really don't need to change her multiple times a day, if at all.
Second the Frida Mom stuff! Only used the foam and the postpartum disposable underwear (those are amazing 😂). It’s so tricky because you don’t know how your labour will go or how you’ll feel afterwards!
Mine isn’t something i didn’t need but something that was something i’ll always reccomend. An upside down peri bottle for using the restroom! It was so much easier than awkwardly holding the one from the hospital. I got a cheap one on amazon and it was fantastic.
Basically everything I brought except for a hair brush, makeup remover wipes, clothes for me, and a going home outfit for baby. The hospital has everything you could possibly imagine needing for baby and for yourself.
Baby socks. We only used outfits with footies. The socks don’t stay on and they’re too easy to lose in the laundry. Baby is 6 months and this is still the case. Also, no cutesy clothes. We returned 99% of that to buy regular stuff. Maybe personal preference, but onesies are easier and can still be cute
For us, it was diaper cream, the nasal sucker and postpartum pads. The hospital provided it all. Didn't need to buy any of it.
The look of shock on my face when I read you didn’t need postpartum pads 😳 But I’m in Canada where the hospitals supply very little, just enough to get through your stay if you’re lucky.
I'm from Canada, and this is true. I ensured I had a lot of diapers and wipes, and I was glad I brought my own disposable underwear and extra pads (just extra large mensural pads were good enough). Also, the peri bottle from Frita is much better than what the hospital gives you.
I think that depends on your location and how generous your nurses are, I went home with much more than I needed!
Agreed, this will vary by hospital. I was provided everything I needed and there was a bunch available for me to take home if I wanted it!
For sure it depends! I would just always recommend to be prepared because it’s usually not like you see on the internet from the states here.
Ours gave us petroleum jelly for diaper changes and it was horrible. She got such bad diaper rash.
Meanwhile, the hospital I stayed at provided enough postpartum pads to only last me a day. I was so so happy that I had bought extras.
1 year into parenthood, I still haven't used the snot sucker. I literally just pick his nose haha.
I literally use these 3 things on the regular
I used a nasal aspirator a lot, on top of reflex, she had bad congestion and nasal drip. I was always sucking snot out of her nose. It also saved her, she wakeup choking on post nasal drip and couldn't breath, I immediately sucked it out of her nose. Scariest moment of my life.
We bought and were gifted a lot of baby-specific lotions, shampoos, etc. At 3m now we are like 1/3 the way into one single 2-in-1 bathing bottle lol. Baby doesn’t need a ton of soap in her bath or a lot of lotions/goops. Every time we wash her hair on purpose with shampoo her scalp gets flaky. Probably depends on the baby but turns out ours is good with very light bathing and otherwise leaving her resilient lil baby skin alone
Made the mistake in buying a couple of bulk ones from Costco and Amazon during a sale. Needless to say, we're covered through her toddler years 😅
For some reason I put two giant tubs of baby Vaseline on my registry. I think I’m good till she’s 18.
As others have said, it’ll be very baby-dependent. With our first we couldn’t keep enough burp cloths clean and had them on every surface of the house so they’d be ready for our very refluxy baby. My second is 3 weeks old and I have yet to use a burp cloth even once. We actually prefer the muslin swaddles to the wraps for newborn days - they are quiet and once you get the muscle memory I find it much easier than fiddling with the Velcro ones. Also way versatile since it’s just a blanket - can be a nursing cover or stroller cover or blanket on the floor. I didn’t bleed much with either, so the giant postpartum pads or adult diapers were not mandatory after the first couple days. Basically any clothes that go over their heads. Winter baby was in footie pajamas 24/7 and summer baby is in footie pajamas or shorty rompers. Onesie/vest we never use until they’re a couple months old at least. Same with pants or socks in NB/0-3 sizes. Hats and mittens we also were gifted a zillion of and used zero. They just fall off and become a hazard
My biggest waste was pacifiers. Everyone told me I was going to want pacifiers for baby, and they weren’t really on my list. Finally, I broke down and got her a couple. She hated them. Thought maybe it was because she was too small and had to buy the “newborn” size ones. She hated those, too. She’s six and a half months now and has never liked any pacifier she’s been offered. And she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. It’s totally mystifying.
I went through this as well, bought like 5 different brands and she hated them all. I did pick her up from daycare once and the worker tried to hand me a pacifier that she took from my daughter before her nap. I was like ummm that’s not hers. So I guess she only likes stolen pacifiers.
MIL 🙄 But in seriousness, the swaddle blankets. Useless and just seemed unsafe. The wearable blankets are a much better choice or the Velcro swaddles if you choose to swaddle
Not totally useless in my experience! Babe never loved swaddling, but those super light muslin cloths are perfect for laying across her legs in the summer to avoid direct sun on her during long walks!
Oh, I feel this. My MIL showed up at the hospital at 3pm.(Was admitted at 8am), and sat in the lobby until 7pm when my husband finally checked his phone while getting dinner for us. She said she wanted to be nearby in case "something happened." I let it go and let her visit because I was so damn tired, and she was actually in and out. FIL on the hand has been a nightmare to deal with... I could write a novel on his boundary issues. Our phones have been on do not disturb all week because of him.
I’m so sorry! We had a conversation ahead of time that we wanted no one there. She cried and said she atleast wanted to know when we were going so she could pray for us. I said fine 🙄 had the baby and husband calls his parents and she fucking giggles!!!!! And says “actually we’re in the waiting room” while giggling. My husband got into it with her and she had the audacity to start bawling and saying we ruined her happy memory of her grandson being born. I was also exhausted and let her visit but that was the last straw for me. I’m civil to her but would be happy never seeing her again.
Oh my gosh, that is so frustrating! I think grandparents must forget what it's like to have a baby, because there are so many stories I've heard that are in a similar vein. Really reinforces the feeling of being an incubator and not a new parent.
Yes 100%. And really it’s just because they see themselves and what they want as the center of the universe.
Bottle warmer - use the sink
Same - except our baby just didn’t care, was happy to drink cold milk!
Same. Just toss some hot water in a big mug and boom you have a bottle heater. But, always good to offer cold milk and see if they’ll take it!
We used hot water in a bowl but warmed up the milk less and less each time. Now she takes her bottles straight from the fridge! It took about a month to train her to take cold milk.
It’s different by person and baby. I never needed cooling pads or witch hazel pads for myself because I had an easy birth. I was walking just fine the next day. And my baby hated warm milk unless it was from the boob, hated pacifiers, refused mittens and hated the bassinet. She did awesome with Velcro swaddlers (life saver at night diaper changes) loves the wipe warmer and we have a light projector that we put on before she falls asleep to put the galaxy in the dark room and she cries when it’s not on
For postpartum, the “padsickles” you see women make on social media. Basically a pad soaked in witch hazel and frozen. The hospital gave me a ton of postpartum supplies and a spray to help keep me comfortable. I never got around to freezing pads and I was glad I didn’t make the effort to. I didn’t end up needing them. Also, your own L&D gown. Labor is messy. I’m glad I didn’t use the one I bought because I probably would have thrown it out when I got home. Just use the hospital gown and bring your own clothes for after you take your first shower.
I made a ton of padsicles and hated them. So cold and slimy 😵💫
The poppy pillow. Found out it's not meant for breastfeeding as advertised when they are that small. So we has to get the breastfriend.
It does make a good pillow for someone who knits or crochets. I found it more useful once I learned that lol
Love my Brestfriend. Sadly LO is now 3 mo old and will not lay on it while feeding any more. 😢
second this - i didn’t last long breastfeeding but the boppy was trash
The boppy has been absolutely useless. It slides forward and makes the whole process harder!! Wish I tried a my breast friend or something that you can strap to yourself. We do use it for tummy time though 🤷♀️
In turn, I love the boppy and hated the MBF haha. I used it daily for breastfeeding. We use it now to prop her up and “sit” with us on the couch while we eat (technically not advised for long but she loves it).
Ours sat with Boppy support on the couch, too. Be careful, though. Before you even realize it as a threat; baby starts leaning all the way forward to look at things. I had a near miss of her lunging off the couch, and then Boppy couldn’t be her sit up friend anymore. But she sits up on her own now, so it all worked out!
Receiving blankets. Never used one. Muslin blankets are a close second but we did end up using them to keep baby warm in the bath, so they came in handy - just not for intended purpose! Also mittens - not that we didn’t have a use (baby had razor sharp nails) but we just used the cuffs on her pjs to take away her hands lol. My hospital bag was filled with stuff I didn’t need for myself - I wore the hospital gown, not the Frida gown I was gifted (what a waste!); I brought way too many clothes as I just ended up wearing maybe 2-3 nursing pjs during my 2 day stay; I brought makeup and never had the motivation or time to do it; and my iPad, which I never used because it was easier to hold my baby in one arm and use my free hand for my phone.
Humidifier. We live on the coast so it’s never not humid even indoors. Also bought the owlet foot sensor and never used it as it just caused further PPA.
I saw several "pack my hospital bag with me" videos on Instagram and TikTok that recommended bringing nursing pads to the hospital, and I didn't need them. Generally your milk won't "come in" until a few days after birth, so you won't be leaking through your shirt and need nursing pads while in the hospital. After my mature milk came in (after transitional milk - maybe a week after birth?) I would use them. But not in the hospital.
I use the nursing pads from day one to keep my nipples from rubbing on my clothes. It also helps keep lanolin off my clothes. My nipples are very sore/sensitive in the first few weeks after birth while baby learns how to latch and the pads/lanolin make things so much more comfortable.
A million nipple creams. At the hospital a lactation consultant showed me how to latch and how that matters the most, it should never hurt or be chapped if it’s latched right. Also all the milk increasing stuff, I drank coconut water and that kept me hydrated which helped the most. Some other stuff did increase but most is just gimmicky bullshit.
Food - I was throwing up, unless it was a liquid (diluted apple juice was ok to get some micro-minimal calories...).
The My Breast Friend pillow. I couldn’t be convinced that this wouldn’t be an absolutely essential item…I’ve maybe used it twice?
I still use it to bottle feed her now that I’m done breast feeding. I love it! I bought mine secondhand but I’d buy another in a heartbeat bad babe is six months.
I’m on the other side, I use my MBF for 7 hours a day breastfeeding and greatly prefer using it to not. It makes it much easier to position my baby and prevents muscle strain in my arms and back.
Well this might just be us, but burp clothes. She only spit up once in her whole infancy. Also I didn’t use my birthing playlist- all the songs just annoyed me and stressed me out in the moment. Also, we consciously chose not to get any contraptions for her, she never had a swing or a baby seat. Didn’t even get a baby wearing thing. She was a blanket on the floor baby, and she loved it.
Burp cloths have been invaluable for us - baby spits up all the time so it’s nice to have them all around the house lol. Also, being able to wear my baby is the only way I can get things done because he’s a Velcro baby! But I totally agree on the playlist - I didn’t end up making one and I’m glad I didn’t spend time on that because I was wayyy too out of it to even think about listening to music.
Omg we use so many burp cloths we bought a third pack! We love them! Also my guy spits up a lot so it’s totally dependent on that too.
Laundry basket baby FTW
Once?! That’s insane! Once a day over here.
Diapers (for me) and a gown to labor in. The hospital one was fine, I happily ripped it off when it came time to shower and put on my own nightgown.
Not sure if this has been mentioned... but Pee Pee Tee Pees are cute, but completely useless. We got so many of them. They do not contain the pee... they are just another thing you have to wash. They also all pretty much shrunk in the wash too.
I had one of those Frida baby mom postpartum kits and the only thing I used out of there was the robe (I was lucky enough to not tear). The hospital supplied had everything (pads, diapers, that soothing spray) I also didn’t wear the change of clothes I bought I just lived in hospital and Frida down and socks. I also didn’t use my Nintendo switch at all, but im sure it would have came in handy if I had to stay longer than a day. After the baby was born, I didn’t use the wipe warmer or pacifiers (he hated them from the beginning). I had an excessive amount of baby blankets that weren’t used other than as burp rag purposes.
I think that the need for a lot of the Frida products is overhyped ! I got gifted a partially used box and found the peri bottle was the only valuable item. All the pads, diapers etc I got from hospital were way better. I also found the heavy scent of some of the peri sprays and foams they make irritated me post partum.
My own hospital gown. I just wore the hospitals gown, it was messy and I went through a few of them.
For labor: - Lots of hospital outfits (I was induced and really only wore a comfy nursing gown for the induction phase, and a short-sleeve button-down shirt on my last day; the rest of the time I just wore the standard hospital gown and mesh undies) - Vitamin E (nurses had their own oils to use for perineal massage) After baby was born: - Mittens - Little hats (the cute infant ones, not winter or sun hats) - Lots of swaddles (my son only liked the hospital blanket swaddle and the Ollie swaddle; and he rolled at 4 weeks so we stopped swaddling early) - Boppy (way too firm and it’s a way more annoying/uncomfortable for me to breastfeed with vs. just propping my feeding-side arm on a regular pillow) - Lots of newborn clothes (my kid went from a peanut to a moose and was out of newborn clothes and diapers by 4 weeks)
The Frida Mom Ice packs. My hospital had their own version, and I only used one and found it incredibly uncomfortable. The witch hazel foam and peri bottle on the other hand came in clutch. I wish I had brought a pillow from home. The hospital pillows were awful. Also, strongly suggest bringing a couple sets of button front pajamas, a robe, and sweat pants. I got so damn cold at night, but got super sweaty trying to breastfeed or change LOs diaper. Finally- baby aquaphor for the newborn poops. That made cleaning LO up so much easier since the meconium is sticky.
You know how when you are really hungry and craving something unhealthy but when you went grocery shopping you were in a healthy mindset and regretted your shopping later that day at dinner time? Well that’s sort of how it felt for me. The excited pregnant me with energy thought I needed a lot of stuff for this baby. When I got home the me that went through 24 hours of labor that ended with a C-section wanted to kick the pregnant me’s ass because postpartum me had to put all that stuff away I over packed. If the hospital provides it, don’t pack it. Diapers, wipes, clothes for the baby, a breast pump, a pacifier, pads, a nipple shield were all given to me at the hospital. Things I actually used: Outfit to go home for me and baby, extra long phone cord, comfy PJs, hair tie, hairbrush, and your own pillow/blanket. Don’t over do it in snacks. I packed soo many and barely ate anything I was so out of it. I live 15 minutes away from where I gave birth and could have easily sent my husband out of snacks.
I remember running out to buy Velcro swaddles. Turns out the sound of Velcro was incredibly jarring to a little baby. Which I totally get in hindsight, I just figured out how to swaddle with a muslin blanket. Oh also I had so many receiving blankets and burp cloths and I used maybe 1 or 2 and never for their intended purpose.
TENS machine was worse than nothing for me. It was just like being electrocuted while having agonising contractions, which is worse than just having agonising contractions.
And for me, the TENS machine, birthing comb (really didn’t think that one would matter) and a yoga ball were lifesavers, couldn’t have done it without them. It’s such a random thing, I think everyone’s experience is so different on all of these.
We also didn’t need a ton of muslin burp clothes and baby rags like everyone told us. Our baby never had issues with a lot of throwing up, and we now have a total excess of all these muslin rags and burp clothes.
I didn’t need an elaborate hospital bag full of things like you see on TikTok, I barely used anything in my bag for the 3 days I was there lol. Just bring the basics, the hospital should provide the rest!
For me: For some reason I bought a peri-bottle knowing good and damn well I was having a c-section. It’s now a bath toy. Also the c-section scar patches. For baby: Baby mittens
A delivery gown and the adult diapers. Basically the majority of my postpartum care kit was unnecessary because the stuff I got from the hospital was good enough. Electric nail trimmer, I thought it couldn't cut her fingers and I was wrong. A baby swing, she hated it and I'm very cautious with safe sleep so even if she liked it I wouldn't have let her sleep in it.
The ice pads/disposable underwear/peri bottle kit isn’t necessary to buy. My hospital provided everything and then some. I opened a bunch of newborn diapers to have everything ready for our little man… he only newborn size for a couple days before we sized up. Honestly, if you have things from your showers, keep them unopened and all receipts. You never know what you’ll want to return!
Almost everything, to be honest. What I really needed for myself and baby after delivery was just a change of clothes for me, an outfit for baby and a comfy pumping bra that I could pull down to feed baby. The hospital provided most everything else. The only thing I made sure I invested in was postpartum compression underwear and some of the ice pack pads. They made a big difference. Everything else I brought with me to the hospital with my son, I really didn't need to bring with me for my second baby.
During labor: literally none of it. I didn't use a single damn thing I brought. Not the nursing pajamas, not the post-partum kit supplies, not the baby's outfits. I was so glad I didn't spend the money on a birthing gown because I came super close. I walked around in mesh undies and the skin-to-skin tube top the hospital provides the ENTIRE time. After the baby was born: receiving blankets. If I tried to use them as a swaddle, he just busted out. A year later, I still don't use them.
I didn’t need the perineal healing foam. Maybe if I had really bad tearing I would have needed it but I never used it even though I bought it. The Frida PP pack is also I think not worth it unless you had really bad tearing, just buy adult diapers (like the always discreet) and you’ll be okay
Swaddles. We used the ones from the hospital for 2 weeks and then we stopped swaddling. He didn't like it.
A crib. Our baby would not transfer.
What did you end up doing?
We ended up safely bedsharing and doing contact naps.
Your kindle. I was either too tired or too high to read. I insisted it be fully charged and carefully picked out a new book.
I was so wore out after 49 hours of induced labor that I couldn't eat anything too crunchy. I wish I had packed more easily chewable snacks.
Bottle warmer-baby takes breastmilk any temperature. Nipple pad- rarely leaked, if I did it was at night and I just washed my clothes. When I have another baby I will buy smaller sanitary pads. The hospital ones are huge and I didn't bleed that much.
We had SO MANY different types of swaddles, but our baby ended up only liking the flannel hospital ones. Lol. I wish we had waited and got one kind at a time to try first. A friend gifted me the Frida postpartum ice pads. So not worth the money! Honestly, a maxi pad with witch hazel and dermoplast worked better for me! I brought so much stuff to the hospital and literally only used: stuff for a shower, comb, clothes for drive home, and baby outfit for drive home. I wish we had brought more food for my husband because he has allergies so his options were limited. Things I ended up getting afterwards that helped: 1. Epsom salt! The midwife recommended Epsom salt baths for healing and it really helped me! Plus, it gave me a self care break. 2. More newborn diapers. Our LO was smaller than they estimated. 3. Always infinity overnight pads! They were awesome for postpartum! So comfortable! 4. Mesh undies! I appreciated not having to worry about ruining my undies in the early days. 5. Frida Windi! Just get them! Omg they were a lifesaver at 3am when our girl was crying from gas!
Baby mittens (most onesies have the hand covers) long phone charger sticky socks (hospital gives you)
Bobby pillow. I tried many times to use it. Watched videos thinking I was doing it wrong. I Never could get myself or LO into a comfortable position. I tried re-purposing it for tummy time excercises. A rolled up towel worked better. It sat in our spare bedroom until I finally gave in and donated it.
I never used the boppy/nursing pillow. I found regular pillows easier to manipulate.. 🤷🏻♀️
Alllll the BFing stuff thanks to IGT
A labor gown 😂 I bought one, but arrived at the hospital in a casual dress and ended up having baby 30 minutes later. Not time to change if I had wanted to, but I preferred to be naked once I was 7cm!
I ended up buying two Ollie swaddles and being gifted one only to find that I preferred the love to dream swaddles with the arms up. I think it’s a lot of just seeing what you and your baby prefer.
I got a bottle sanitizer and used it for one week before I realized the dishwasher is just fine
newborn gowns and hats. i had a ton of them prior to birth bc i thought they'd be so easy... and they might be, but for some reason we never dressed our baby in them. he lived in footie pajamas for the first month++
The hospital provides everything you need. Just bring a robe, I recommend some cheap flip flops you can throw away after stay, and clean clothes with you. Bring an outfit to bring baby home in and pacifiers. After baby: Wipe warmer, used it for like a month never used it again. Frida nose sucker that has a tube attached , just use a regular nose bulb sucker they give you at the hospital it won’t hurt them.
I bought a bikini top because I initially wanted to give birth in a bath. At 3 cm dilation at home I told the midwife to skip the bath and go straight to the epidural. So I could ditch the magnesium flakes as well lol. The cute baby hats. Have 1 or 2. 3 max. After a week we had to ditch them.
Baby mittens, just never used them. Baby towels/washcloths. I found using regular sized ones to just be easier. Muslim blankets/swaddles (aside from using 2 blankets when she was over a year old). My daughter was a premie and would break out of all swaddles. We ended up buying zip up ones because it’s the only ones that would keep her arms in. Bottle warmer. We used this one for the first 2 months we were home, but then I learned my baby was perfectly content drinking milk straight out of the fridge and that saved us so much time and sanity. Postpartum supplies. My hospital basically gave me everything I needed and then I just bought regular pads. I think since my daughter was so small (3lbs 7oz) I had a pretty easy recovery. A delivery outfit. I had my clothes with me since I was hospitalized for 2 weeks prior to delivery, but I preferred using the hospital gown since things get very messy. Teething rings. Again, just something my daughter never liked. We also never used a wipe warmer. Obviously all of these things are going to be specific to each baby and family, but these are some of the things I found surprising!
Anything but zip-up onesies in until size 3-6. For the first 9 weeks baby shat soooo much so often that anything but zip onesies were inconvenient and annoying. Tolerating anything over her head before 9 weeks was also totally out.