Soon to be mommy needs some HELP!!!

[Abbybob]

Heya ladies!

So I'm 18 weeks as of today and OY, do I need help.

There are so many topics that the babies books don't cover.

1-Diapers: How do you choose which kind/brand to use? Which is the best brand? Less leaks, less baby butt irritation? Which brands have the most coupons, best deals? We usually shop for HBA at Wags or CVS, Our local Target isn't coupon friendly, so I tend to avoid it. There are wal-mart's around here, but they are always so crowded. We also have a Costco membership.

2-How many little outfits will I really need? Our cub is a boy, so there won't be any clothes hand me downs (I have 1 niece).

3- Food: I plan on breast feeding as long as I can, but if I have to switch to formula (If I dry up before he can eat food), how do I pick one? Powder, pre-mixed? Which brand is best/easiest for him to digest/closest to my milk? My Doctor's office gave me info on 2 different kinds, but they both have ingredients I can't pronounce/don't know what they do/what they are (they aren't vitamins or minerals).

4- How do you pick a care provider? I have to go back to work. I have no choice. DH doesn't have a job right now, and I'm hoping that he'll be back to work by the time the Cub comes, he won't make enough for me to stay home and care for Cub. We don't live within 30 miles of family, so we can't use their providers. None of my co-workers with kids have a provider (family cares for their kids). I want someone that will respect my wishes (feed him my breast milk is a big deal for me).

Any help you can give be great.


THanks mommies!

[frugalstafar]

diapers are something you will probably try for yourself, depending on your baby's body shape (I had one with a large butt), sensitivity of his skin and prices in your area.

Formula is something I'm not up to date on so not much help there.

Daycare-just interview, interview,interview-if you don't have a 100% good vibe then move on. There is someone out there who will care for your wee one the way you want.

Don't go overboard with the clothes-he will outgrow everything quickly and you will get gifts and you will most likely find someone with hand me downs before too long


the "cub" thing is really cute!!!

[elizabethhouts]

Heya ladies!

So I'm 18 weeks as of today and OY, do I need help.

There are so many topics that the babies books don't cover.

1-Diapers: How do you choose which kind/brand to use? Which is the best brand? Less leaks, less baby butt irritation? Which brands have the most coupons, best deals? We usually shop for HBA at Wags or CVS, Our local Target isn't coupon friendly, so I tend to avoid it. There are wal-mart's around here, but they are always so crowded. We also have a Costco membership.

2-How many little outfits will I really need? Our cub is a boy, so there won't be any clothes hand me downs (I have 1 niece).

3- Food: I plan on breast feeding as long as I can, but if I have to switch to formula (If I dry up before he can eat food), how do I pick one? Powder, pre-mixed? Which brand is best/easiest for him to digest/closest to my milk? My Doctor's office gave me info on 2 different kinds, but they both have ingredients I can't pronounce/don't know what they do/what they are (they aren't vitamins or minerals).

4- How do you pick a care provider? I have to go back to work. I have no choice. DH doesn't have a job right now, and I'm hoping that he'll be back to work by the time the Cub comes, he won't make enough for me to stay home and care for Cub. We don't live within 30 miles of family, so we can't use their providers. None of my co-workers with kids have a provider (family cares for their kids). I want someone that will respect my wishes (feed him my breast milk is a big deal for me).

Any help you can give be great.


THanks mommies!

First off, Congratulations! I have one toddler (18 months) and am about 21 weeks with my second so hopefully I can help you out a little bit. :)

Diapers: (Have you thought of cloth first off? I know lots of mommies go this route and have no problem with it. If you think you might be interested you should check out a website called DiaperSwappers. You can buy other peoples gently used cloth diapers and stuff there much cheaper than new. Cloth diapers have come a long way- it's not just prefolds and pins anymore! You can get all in ones that are like disposables only... not. They also have alot of one size diapers that are folded different ways for smaller babies and will fit into potty training! I use disposables but seriously considered cloth and did alot of research. Also if you are handy with a sewing machine or serger you can make your own- or have your mom/grandma/aunt/etc do some. There are lots of free patterns online.)

My son has really sensitive skin and we weren't able to use generic diapers with him. But to be honest, with coupons we get name brands much cheaper anyway. I get most of mine at Rite Aid but if you don't have one alot of people get deals at CVS and stuff. I would highly recommend getting on all the mailing lists for the diaper companies. Don't be brand loyal unless you have to due to sensitivities or if you absolutely have terrible luck with one kind. I will say for us, Huggues worked best when I was breastfeeding because they are fitted around the butt area... And my son had some pretty explosive diapers to put it nice. I knwo Luvs has a satisfaction guarantee if you don't like theirs but I am unsure of other brands. I guess for deals specific to your stores you might check in those threads. Once you start trying the diapers, whether you like them or not- Email the company and give them feedback along with your addy. I have gotten my best coupons this way! even if you get some for pampers and you hate them maybe you could trade for some high value huggies or something. Emailing takes just a sec and how else are you going to get coupons for $5, $10, or free packs??

Clothes: Alot of it I guess depends on your laundry habits and your baby. My neice spit up like no other and went through A LOT of clothes. If you do laundry every day or so you can get by with less than you might think. We WAY overbought and there were clothes I felt like we never got to use. You'll need lots of socks. They disappear... lol. Check Craigslist, thrift stores, garage sales, and freecycle. Especially with smaller baby clothes you can get them almost brand new really cheap because babies grow so fast and aren't on solids yet.

Food: Have you checked into WIC. Especially if you are the only one working now it would be a very good idea to do this. When you are pregnant and breastfeeding they will give you vouchers to get healthy foods (milk, cheese, eggs, PB, veggies, etc) for free. If you use formula you will get vouchers for free formula. This is a really big help. Get on the mailing list for GoodStart, Enfamil, and Similac. Enev if you only use enfamil you can trade your similac checks with other mommies for their enfamil ones.

There are people who have problems with breastfeeding, but as a whole it is *usually* just supply and demand. Make sure to drink lots of water and if you nurse your baby frequently you should be fine. :) Also I swear by Fenugreek (Its an herb but I would ask your dr first!) if you have supply issues. I know there are alot of regulations on forumlas so I am pretty sure generics are just as good as the name brand ones. But I wouldn't but too much until your son is here because he might need a special formula or you may be able to breastfeed fine. Also, you should get some samples of both enfamil and similac if you are on their mailing lists soon before your due date.

Sorry I stay home so I have no tips on childcare- but make sure to check lots of references. Good luck!!

[couponmommyof3]

Heya ladies!

So I'm 18 weeks as of today and OY, do I need help.

There are so many topics that the babies books don't cover.

1-Diapers: How do you choose which kind/brand to use? Which is the best brand? Less leaks, less baby butt irritation? Which brands have the most coupons, best deals? We usually shop for HBA at Wags or CVS, Our local Target isn't coupon friendly, so I tend to avoid it. There are wal-mart's around here, but they are always so crowded. We also have a Costco membership.

2-How many little outfits will I really need? Our cub is a boy, so there won't be any clothes hand me downs (I have 1 niece).

3- Food: I plan on breast feeding as long as I can, but if I have to switch to formula (If I dry up before he can eat food), how do I pick one? Powder, pre-mixed? Which brand is best/easiest for him to digest/closest to my milk? My Doctor's office gave me info on 2 different kinds, but they both have ingredients I can't pronounce/don't know what they do/what they are (they aren't vitamins or minerals).

4- How do you pick a care provider? I have to go back to work. I have no choice. DH doesn't have a job right now, and I'm hoping that he'll be back to work by the time the Cub comes, he won't make enough for me to stay home and care for Cub. We don't live within 30 miles of family, so we can't use their providers. None of my co-workers with kids have a provider (family cares for their kids). I want someone that will respect my wishes (feed him my breast milk is a big deal for me).

Any help you can give be great.


THanks mommies!

First and foremost, congrats!!! There is nothing like motherhood!

1. Diapers-Personally, I like Huggies, but do switch as whatever I can great a deal on. As far as irritation, it depends on your own baby. I know some babies have problems with some while others don't. I tend to get the best deals at the drugstores for diapers and occasionally Amazon.

2. Outfits-Honestly, the first year they just wear a lot of onesies! The short sleeve ones during the warmer weather, the long sleeves during cooler weather and throw on a pair of pants too! I've three children so far and we don't go crazy with clothes while they are young, growing way too fast! We would get a maybe 3 nicer outfits (per size) for when we went out. On a side note: learn to shop the clearance. For example, your baby will arrive sometime late March or so, so you could in theory, hit up Target and your other stores for their summer clearance and get some 0-3, 3-6, and maybe 6-9 month depending on where you live. We live in the South where it's mostly hot, so I don't go too crazy with the winter clothes. I am a clearance HOG with three kids you need to be. LOL. I have a HUGE tote in the kids' closet that is filled with clothes for the next season and I don't ever pay more than $2 a piece!

3. Food-Of course breastfeeding would be awesome but sadly not everyone can. I don't have any advice on the formula. My daughter used Enfamil and then my son used Similac, and I'm breastfeeding my little one right now. BUT my advice on this is, considering your financial situation I just want to suggest the WIC program. We were in a bad place when my other two were babies so thankfully we qualified for WIC and the formula was covered. We are in a better place now, but still would rather try to breastfeed this time since I'm not working now. :)

4. Ahh, daycare, always a lovely topic! I first would go with location. When I had my babies I would go back on my lunch break and see them and check on them. My daycare, work, and home were all less than 5 minutes from eachother. After location, just go in there and look around and get a tour, talk about their procedures. We had two daycares in a 5 minute area, so we went to both. One had a lobby and an office at the front, but before you could get to the kids, there was a separation. You had to have a code to get in, everyone got their own so they knew who went in and out and when. The building had at least a 10 foot wall around it. So secure is what I'm trying to say. The other daycare, hardly had a lobby. As soon as you walked in there was a desk no more than 3 feet in front of you, and all the doors to the separate rooms were RIGHT there! AND they had a back door, which I noticed at the time was WIDE open! That was crazy and pretty much made it an easy choice at that point.

One thing I try to tell all first time parents is the nursery. With our first we went all out, almost went broke getting her the perfect crib and changing table and all the other stuff babies need. Well, she never was in there! She co-slept with us. Anyway, so when she hit about 14 months we decided to sell it all since she never used it we hardly even went into that room! So we well it, AND guess what? Get pregnant a month later!!! Ugh! We then decided he was going to get a nice pack n play with the changing table attachment and call it a night! LOL And that's what we did for this baby too.

Anyway, Good Luck and congrats again! Need to talk or need advice feel free to chat me up!

[oceanbreeze]

Hi congrats on being pregnant with your baby boy! I hope you have a healthy and enjoyable pregnancy, safe and easy delivery and healthy, happy baby!

Diapers- Stockpiling you will want to follow the diaper stockpiling guidelines to how many per size you will need.
It also gives you tips on which brands run big/small, etc.
I will suggest stockpiling a few different brands/off brands just in case your son is allergic and/or cannot tolerate a specific kind. My son was allergic to pampers b/c of the scent they put on them.
If you buy them when the deals are on and you can get them cheap, go for it.
Same goes for wipes- try stockpiling the unscented or sensitive ones. It might cost you more than you think to do cloth diapers right now and that might not be good to the wallet for your family as of now. Maybe later when things look up a bit for hubby's job situation it might be something to try?? (I am not judging, all i'm saying is the start up cost is high)

Formula- First of all i applaud you for wanting to bf, it is a great bonding time with your baby and they say its best for them/most natural food. Don't be alarmed if you have some troubles at first, it takes a little while to get it all to work.
When the time comes (if ever) that you want to put your son on formula, the hospitals usually offer similac or enfamil with iron. There are always tons of coupons for them . The generic brands are equivalent nutritionally if you'd like to choose those instead, or just plain are out of coupons at the moment and ut oh, Jr. needs food!

Clothing- Try this link to find gently used baby gear/clothing sales in your area. I found that when they are really young you don't need much for them- I'd say about 14 onesies (think 2 a day) of either the long sleeve or short sleeve - depends what season he'll be born and how cold your area gets.
Socks/booties, some pants or union suits and a few sleep sacks/footie pajamas.
If its cold where you live a couple of warmer fleece style sleep sacks, footie pjs and one pieces.

I don't have any idea about providers b/c I'm a SAHM. I'd be in your shoes though, I don't have any family close enough to watch my son if i did go back to work.

p.s. if you Breastfeed i do suggest a boppy pillow (you can find them cheap at the sales in the link) b/c its wonderful help!

Good luck!

p.p.s- I agree w/ Pp about the nursery. We never bought a changing table- we change him on our bed, the floor, in his crib, the pack & play or on the couch. Where ever he is and needs a change, that is where we do that. Never bought the diaper bag that hangs on the crib either, just got a wicker basket to put a tub of wipes in/diaper rash cream and a couple of diapers and took that to whatever room he was chillin' in with us.

Target makes great knock offs of the desitin and A&D ointments for less. and also the Mylicon gas drops- Target makes them under their house brand for 3.74 a 1 ounce bottle compared to the mylicon brand for 10-11$ for the same size. Its the same identical doseage/medication--- so is the Target brand baby liquid tylenol. I swear by the baby gas drops!!!

oh and the bj's diapers run big and are a pretty good value if you need them and are out of coupons. They hold leaks very well. Walgreens diapers do too, cvs's/rite aids are ok but don't seem to hold much.
Huggies are super awesome, Pampers hold a ton in too and have the 'wet indicator" on them- that line that is yellow turns blue when wet. I am not a fan of the parents choice (walmart brand) diapers (rough feel, didn't hold in a poopy at all) and the wipes were very rough and scrapey feeling.

[Abbybob]

Thanks ladies!

RE: Cloth diapers- we live in an apt. and do not have our own washer and there are no diaper services in our area. After working a 12 hour day, spending 2 hours washing laundry does not appeal. I looked at the overall cost of laundry $ spent and the cost of the amount of diapers we would need vs. the cost of disposables, and it's actually more expensive for us to do cloth diapers at this point. If we had a house with a washer and dryer or if I wasn't going to be working/commute 11+ hours (It will probably be 11+ hours from the time I leave in the AM until i get home at night- my office is moving another 13 miles from where we are now on Dec. 1- for an awesome daily round trip of 27.5 miles- gridlock traffic the whole way), then I'd we more open to cloth diapers.

RE: the nursery- I've registered for a crib and a set of shelves with baskets instead of a dresser. No changing table, no basinet. I also registered for a co-sleeping crib/thingy. It sits next to the bed, at the same height. Our bed to too small to co-sleep, and our room is too small for a larger bed. I haven't registered for a lot of stuff, mostly because I'm not really sure what I'll need. There seemed to be a lot of crap at babies r us- stuff that didn't look like it would be useful or nessesary. THis is the first grandchild on DH's side, so I'm sure his parents will buy lots of clothes for the cub.


I do not qualify for WIC. I make too much money, which sucks, because it's not really enough, especially with the crazy cost of living here. With coupons and sales shopping we eat pretty well (we always have fruits and veggies), but there isn't much $$ left at the end of the month. I have a friend who works for our county "welfare" services (food stamps, WIC, section 8) and she looked into it for me. We'll manage. It's been a month since DH lost his job and we're doing ok so far.

I've been getting hand me downs from friends- clothes mostly, every little bit helps. My SIL will be giving us some uni-sex stuff that my niece has outgrown. Really... when he's little and at home, it won't scar him to wear pink. If it's free, I'll take it! (he'll never know!!)

He's called the cub b/c DH and I call each other Bear. A little bear is a cub. His name is Henry. We found out last week we are having a boy.

[foggierbard9]

Heya ladies!

So I'm 18 weeks as of today and OY, do I need help.

There are so many topics that the babies books don't cover.

1-Diapers: How do you choose which kind/brand to use? Which is the best brand? Less leaks, less baby butt irritation? Which brands have the most coupons, best deals? We usually shop for HBA at Wags or CVS, Our local Target isn't coupon friendly, so I tend to avoid it. There are wal-mart's around here, but they are always so crowded. We also have a Costco membership.

2-How many little outfits will I really need? Our cub is a boy, so there won't be any clothes hand me downs (I have 1 niece).

3- Food: I plan on breast feeding as long as I can, but if I have to switch to formula (If I dry up before he can eat food), how do I pick one? Powder, pre-mixed? Which brand is best/easiest for him to digest/closest to my milk? My Doctor's office gave me info on 2 different kinds, but they both have ingredients I can't pronounce/don't know what they do/what they are (they aren't vitamins or minerals).

4- How do you pick a care provider? I have to go back to work. I have no choice. DH doesn't have a job right now, and I'm hoping that he'll be back to work by the time the Cub comes, he won't make enough for me to stay home and care for Cub. We don't live within 30 miles of family, so we can't use their providers. None of my co-workers with kids have a provider (family cares for their kids). I want someone that will respect my wishes (feed him my breast milk is a big deal for me).

Any help you can give be great.


THanks mommies!

First off Congratulations!

1. Diapers - We use cloth now. We did use Huggies, Luvs, Pampers, etc. with my son but I saw how much $$ I was spending and when my daughter was born she broke out from all of them, so we switched to cloth on both kids, have saved tons of $$, and won't go back.

2. Clothes - Definitely only have a few items at the smallest sizes. My daughter is now 9 mos old and pretty much still wears onesies/tshirts and babylegs around the house, a few sleeps for bed, and a few cute outfits for going out. They outgrow stuff so fast and if you have too much they won't even wear it all.

3. Food - We started with breastfeeding....and ended up on formula at 2 weeks old with my daughter. For formula we did Similac until the checks ran out and then switched to Target Brand. All formula is regulated by the FDA, so no need to buy the expensive brands. I know walmart has an organic in their formula and the price is around $12-13 per can for store brands.

4. Provider - Just interview, interview, interview. There is somebody who will be able to meet your needs for your baby. We managed to allow for me to stay home, but I know that isn't possible for all. There are great providers out there.

[ch1701]

Congratulations! I hope I can help a little..

1. Diapers - sign up for Huggies, Pampers coupons. Look through your newspaper coupons too. Wags and CVS run sales regularly. You can start stockpiling now. Sometimes you won't know how the little one will react until he gets here. My son didn't have a problem with the diapers until he was about a year old and then we just went with Huggies which didn't upset his little bottom.

2. I have a feeling you will get a lot of clothes. Don't worry. I would pick up a few outfits in various sizes - you won't need that many of the newborn. They will outgrow newborn very quickly. Its always a great feeling to have the next size up especially when you go to put him in a 3 month outfit and it won't even button and that is after he just wore it a couple of days before. They grow like weeds!

3. Formula - tricky. Similac and Enfamil are your main brands. Sign up for their coupons. I remember receiving $5 coupons in the mail and they come in handy.

4. A daycare provider -visit as many as you can and start now. Also, you might want to look on-line for a website: In Texas we have one called Department of Family and Protective Services which shows the reviews of the daycares. I elimitated quite a few after reading about them on that website. I hope you can find one for your state. It was really helpful.
When my dh and I started looking at the daycares, we paid attention to how many kids were in the room, how friendly are the staff, how easy is it for others to come into the facility. Ask them how many kids to a crib (not joking) - you wouldn't believe some of the answers I got- find one where your son only has his own! That question weeded out two daycares off of our list. Ask them how often they change diapers, do they do tummy time (to strengthen their little muscles). Do you need to provide the baby food? Most of them is a yes to this one, but when they get older and can eat more solids some of the daycares will provide breakfast, lunch and snacks. When do they close - for which holidays? Mine goes with the local county schedule which is sometimes hard when I don't have those days off. A lot of the daycares have an activity list - basically it lists what your little one did for the day - the time they ate, how much they ate, when the diapers were changed and if they were poopy, wet, etc. It made us feel that we didn't miss out on our little one's day and it helped to keep him on that schedule during the weekends/holidays. Oh, don't forget to ask if you get any unpaid weeks. Some daycares will let you have 2 vacation weeks and you don't have to pay the daycare for those weeks. Not all will do this.
I'm starting to ramble - sorry. Best advice - Go with your GUT and your own instinct. You will know when you feel comfortable. The first day of daycare is always the hardest (I checked on my little one three times that day & I was a sobbing basketcase) - that doesn't include the times I called. They will understand and it will get easier. Make sure your dh goes with you on that first day!

Don't worry - you will be a great Mom!
Some books I liked were Baby Bargains and What to Expect the First Year. I loved reading that book and it was really helpful as my ds grew.

[CW&M Mom]

1-Diapers: we prefer huggies but will use pampers as well. We never found our son to be able to do generics..the girls we could for the first year.


2-How many little outfits will I really need? I would focus on newborn sleepers and sleep n play outfits...and only get one nice outfit that is newborn. It's hard to say...some kids last a week...some kids last 2 months in newborn size.

3- Food: Powder is cheaper and more convenient.

4- How do you pick a care provider? I have to go back to work. I have no choice. DH doesn't have a job right now, and I'm hoping that he'll be back to work by the time the Cub comes, he won't make enough for me to stay home and care for Cub. We don't live within 30 miles of family, so we can't use their providers. None of my co-workers with kids have a provider (family cares for their kids). I want someone that will respect my wishes (feed him my breast milk is a big deal for me). While I agree that you should look now for a day care....unemployment is real crappy...and you may find it awfully hard to find a new job.

[Abbybob]

While I agree that you should look now for a day care....unemployment is real crappy...and you may find it awfully hard to find a new job.

I have a job, DH does not. He has 3 interviews this week and next, so fingers are crossed (mine and the Cub's).