Registry Help: Caring For Baby

This is the last installment of my registry help posts.  In case you've missed it, I've gone through each category on the Babies R' Us registry checklist and given some recommendations.  You can see all of the other sections through the links below:

• Sleepy Time
• On the Go
• Time to Play and Getting Dressed
• Feeding Baby

Caring For Baby

Diapering:

• I basically bought 3 value boxes of every size up to Size 3 and just plan to exchange things as needed.  After reading lots of reviews and getting lots of opinions from friends, I decided to go with Pampers Swaddlers.  They seemed to have the least blow-outs and were best for babies with sensitive skin.  They also just seemed to fit better on Jackson.
• Baby wipes - after lots of reviews, I went with the Huggies Natural Care wipes and have been very happy with those.  I got two of the starter kits, so I have one pop-up box for downstairs and one for upstairs and then we've just bought refills.  
• We've been using A+D Ointment regularly and it is supposed to prevent diaper rash.  I don't know if the cream has worked, but he hasn't had any rashes.  I have the giant container of it for home and then a few small tubes for the diaper bag.
• We have the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail and it's awesome.  It traps in the smell and it uses regular garbage bags instead of having to pay for expensive pail-specific bags.  As a bonus, it comes in lots of colors and patterns!

Bathing:

• We have the First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe bathtub.  It's nice because it can be used from infant through toddler.  The only downside is that it's bulky and not easily stored away (we just keep ours in the hallway).  I think there are some tubs that fold flat, which might be worth looking at.
• As far as towels and wash clothes, we went with whatever we thought was cute.  I think we have about 6 towels and 12 wash clothes and that seems like a good amount.  If you have a boy, wash clothes are nice to cover up their danger zone during a diaper change in case they decide to pee (which the definitely will).  
• For body wash, we kept it simple and went with Johnson & Johnson Head to Toe wash and it's worked for us so far.  We give him a "bath" every night but only use the body wash every 3 to 4 days, so it lasts a long time.  
• We use the Aveeno Calming Comfort Lotion after his baths when we use soap to keep his skin from drying out.

Health and Safety:

• We haven't bought any baby-proofing stuff yet,since I figured we'd have some time
• I didn't bother with a first aid kit, but did buy some infant Tylenol to have on hand in case of a fever.
• You don't need to buy a nasal aspirator, the hospital should send you home with one.  The bulb has worked for us, we didn't bother with anything fancy.
• We have the Exergen Original Temporal Thermometer.  It's nice to have for a quick reading, but they will tell you at the hospital that taking their temperature rectally is the best and they sent us home with a cheap thermometer to use for that.
• We have the Safety 1st Sleepy Baby Nail Clippers (they light up to make it easier to see what you're doing) - I have 2 sets one for upstairs and one for downstairs since you never know when you'll have the perfect opportunity to clip their nails (which you have to do WAY more than you think)
• If you have gas problems, I recommend Simethicone Drops (we keep 3 bottles on hand - upstairs, downstairs, and the diaper bag) and the FridaBaby Windi.  I'd recommending at least having a bottle of the Simethicone drops (gas drops) handy for the early days since it's typical for babies to have gas issues.
• Our doctor also recommended Simply Saline Nasal Relief spray (babies are typically congested for the first few months and you just use this on them once or twice a day if it becomes an issue to help clear them up).  Jackson was choking on mucus one night, so I was happy to have this on hand.  

Registry: Diapering

The Essentials

The obvious essential here are diapers.  Your two main options are cloth diapers or disposable diapers.  My husband and I plan to use disposables, so that is what I will talk more about.  Check out the best rated disposable diapers here.  Their top pick (and my top pick) is Pampers Swaddlers - they have a wetness indicator (a huge plus) and they also are reported to have the least blow-outs among popular brands and are good for sensitive skin.  If you want to know how many of each size diaper you may need, this is a great place to start.  If whatever brand you get doesn't work out, most stores are good about exchanging unopened boxes for different brands or will give you store credit, so stocking up isn't a bad idea.

The other obvious essential is baby wipes.  Most mothers that I've talked to recommend Huggies, so that is what we will be registering for.  And as for how many you need, you supposedly can never have enough.  So we've registered for 2 of these starter sets and 2 of these value packs.

Finally, you'll need diaper rash cream.  From what I've read, A+D Ointment is the best cream to be used on a daily basis to prevent a diaper rash.  And Summer Laboratories Triple Paste is the best for treating a diaper rash.  I've registered for some of each.  And for those of the faint of heart, you may want a BabyBum Brush for applying any cream (this is definitely an extra, but I registered for it anyway).


The Extras

A diaper pail is not a necessity, but definitely something I need.  I like the idea of having one specific place to put all of the smelly diapers and to contain the smell.  We have registered for the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail.  It is highly reviewed and the best part about it is that it doesn't need any specific, expensive bags - any good ol' garbage bags will do the trick.

For on-the-go diapering, I registered for 2 of these Munchkin Arm & Hammer Diaper Bag Dispensers (one for each diaper bag) and some refills too.  Also, for each car, I've registered for a Skip Hop Pronto Changing Station.

Speaking of on-the-go, you'll probably also want a diaper bag.  Though very expensive, I have chosen the Ju-Ju-Be B.F.F. Diaper Bag.  The biggest pros of this bag were its organizational pockets on the inside, a section just for mom, insulated bottle pockets, and you can wear it as a tote bag or as a backpack.  My husband wanted his own, more manly diaper bag, and opted for this Bluekiwi diaper bag.  He liked that it looked like a computer bag that he would carry to work.