So ok, since I like to be as prepared as possible… since you varsity mom’s have on-the-job experience that I can take advantage of (!!!) here’s a new question for ya!
What are the necessities that you need close by on the changing table?
We have a HUGE surface area, and plenty of room for all the must-have’s. But what do you need other than diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream? I’d like to avoid standing there panicking with a screaming naked baby with a necessary item out of reach. So make me a list of things YOU used somewhat regularly. Burp cloths? Thermometer? I DON’T KNOW!
Perhaps I’m over thinking it… just don’t want to have to learn the hard way. And why should I when there’s a wealth of information out there?! Thanks ladies!
Note: we know we’ll have to use disposable diapers for the first month or so while they’re tiny, but honestly we haven’t decided about cloth diapers yet. We’d like to find some used ones to try out before we make the big investment!
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A large bottle of hand sanitizer with a pump. Bottles with pumps in general are AWESOME to have around little ones. You can keep one hand on them, and use your free hand to get what you need. I have the aspirator (the sucker for all the boogers), a thermometer, teeny nail clippers, neosporin, vasaline, lotion, aquaphor, a change of pjs and socks, a hand towel, and a stack of cloth diapers. The cloth diapers are the best burp-cloths on the market. Also, this stuff called Coronoa, that farmers use on cattle and horses that have been branded. I’ve never seen anything work better on diaper rash. Also works great on sunburns. 🙂
Lots of great suggestions! I don’t think this has been mentioned and I couldn’t have done without it… Hand sanitizer. Sorry if it was already said. I tried to skim all comments. =) I didn’t want to have to run to the bathroom after every change, so squirting (from a large pump bottle that you can use one-handed) hand sanitizer and going on about my business was great for post-diaper change.
a lot of great ideas, but something that i don’t think was mentioned . . . having a small basket of diapers and wipes, with a small foldable changing pad, in the kitchen or living room. i live in a 2 story house, and with multiple kids having an extra set on the main floor was a Godsend. that way if one baby is fussy from just being wet you don’t have to take both of them to the ‘changing room’. or if you have company, are watching the stove, or just visiting with hubby, you don’t have to leave the room! also nice to have on the main floor to grab on the way out the door if you think your diaper bag needs a re-load.
When they get to a squiggly stage… you will want some favorite toys to distract them while you get the job done!
Depending on which DR you go to some will say NO baby powder, it’s not good for their lungs.
As if you need more suggestions…just wanted to add baby powder.. I used plain old generic brand every time I diapered and my kids never had diaper rash–literally! I also used a warm wash cloth in the beginning, but that is very hard to get done unless dear husband is right there to wet the wash cloth and deliver it to you…so I switched to gentle newborn formula wipes.
Place a small laundry basket near the changing table–laundry will pile up FAST! LOVE the stain stick idea..you will surely forget the minute you walk away from the table, otherwise! Also laundry detergent formulated for babies is not necessary, but perfume free and dye free detergent is great for baby’s skin–and much more cost effective!
Not sure how it works these days, but I was advised to NOT use alcohol or peroxide on baby’s belly button..my pediatrician said that only works to preserve the umbilical stump!:P
I think you are as prepared as any Mommy can be!!…and I SO agree with the above post–LOVE, the most important thing, covers a multitude of….everything!:D
Burts Bees makes the BEST baby powder on the planet…and it is called Baby Bee, how adorable is THAT? Great not just for tushies but for cooling them down all over on a sweaty day. All my grandkids still use it and they are school age now. As a Mom of 2 and a Grandmother of 4 I can tell you it is essential to have things you can open with one hand…essential. The dim light is a must have and extra clothes within reach is a must as well. Save your self a ton of money and make your own wipes, you will be stunned at how many you go thru! One good blow out and there goes half a box! You already have the most important thing they will ever need…LOVE.
I have diapers, washcloths/wipe solution, extra burp cloths, extra change of clothes, diaper pail, clothes hamper, baby medicines (tylenol, etc), vaseline and baby thermometer, baby powder, barrier cream, nasal aspirator, and a jingley toy. I’ve used cloth diapers with my three year old and my soon-to-be three month old. I love them so much. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
you guys are swell!
nobody mentioned baby powder… do people use that anymore? it’s been awhile since i was a nanny. 🙂
I would definetly recommend a lamp, cd player with lullaby music and hand sanitizer. The spray foam in a can is what I used and liked best. No time to run to the bathroom after changing little ones diaper and then having to set them down somewhere why you wash your hands and they are screaming or crying because they just want to be held. Other then that looks like you have it covered pretty well.
One more vote for warm water and a lil’ wash rag!Basis Soap is a wonderful product…run the rag across/wipe gently/rinse. My son did not have diaper rash…ever… with this product (Find it at Walmart in cosmetics, believe it or not…near Aveeno & Neutrogena products). Wipes are handy as a travel/diaper bag item…not so much a daily thing.
Oh, and we had decided that we were going to use cloth diapers with our third baby. But when I brought Jordan home, I had no idea how to do them, so I called your mom, who lovingly walked up the hill and showed me how to fold them and make them work for the new baby.
I love your mom.
You are already such a better mom than I. I didn’t have a changing table until I had my LAST baby. It was rather handy! ;0 I just kept my stuff in a diaper bag and the kid got changed where ever the others were so I could keep an eye on the other kiddos. LOL! It worked. But it wasn’t cute.
In my diaper bag I had wipes, stinky salve (watkins petro carbo salve which works LOVELY for just about everything) and an extra onesie.
You’ll get in YOUR groove soon enough, I’m sure. What a beautiful, lovely, thoughtful mommy you are!! I won’t even show my kids your blog…they’ll be jealous of your girls. lol
Smooch!
I always used the pampers sensitive wipes when my babes were tiny…but be careful not to overuse them. They don’t need a wipedown every time they have a wet diaper. After awhile I switched to the great great value sensitive wipes..and have like them just as well. Don’t be afraid to put a few blankets down and let them air out their adorable little bums to help avoid getting a rash. We had a diaper pail but ended up just using walmart bags instead. Some rubbing alcohol might come in handy…those cords can get a little stinky before they come out!
I had hand sanitizer close by. For blowouts – cloth diapers to put under baby while you undress them and have a diaper pail!
I have a friend that makes her own cloth diapers! She said they are super easy to make and work great. Then you get to customize them!
I kept a stain stick on my changing table, so as soon as i changed an outfit that had stains on it i could treat it. I knew if i waited till it got to the laundry room, i would have forgotten….
thermometer, lotion, jelly (for the thermometer–if it’s rectal), diaper rash cream, diapers, wipes & probably a change of clothes while they’re little. little noses saline solution & the nasal aspirator would be a good idea, too. I’d use the one the hospital gives you if they give you one. Aspirators we’ve bought at the store have sucked. You don’t need too much. That’s the basics that got us by. 🙂
Kristy has a good point with the Q-tips and some vaseline for their umbilical cord and definitely some nursing pads! I also always kept the thermometer, lotion and the suction thing for their nose handy! When they’re brand new you might want to keep a pen and paper (hospital will probably give you a log) to keep track of feedings and diapers… especially with two it will get hard to remember all that! You look very prepared though, I don’t think you’re missing much! When they’re brand new and so small they really don’t need much. We also put up some black and white pictures (just taped to the wall) by the changing table to keep his interest. Good luck and can’t wait to hear they’re here!!!
I just want to throw in that you are going to be flying through those diapers…i have the exact same set up as you- low dresser with a pretty little box with essentials- and it started out that i had a nice row of diapers in there but now i have found a bigger size open topped box that is on the floor beside the table and i have like two boxes of diapers in it 🙂 I just got lazy and tired of replacing the little row of diapers non stop!!! LOL just a thought!
oh…and a glass of water! Seemed like they nursed every ounce of liquid out of me! I was so thirsty!
I agree with the lamp. You don’t want to let the girls feel like it’s time to wake up for the day, but you’ll need to see what’s going on. Another thing, I needed for our first, but not second child (Doctors had changed their minds on belly buttons, I guess) was cotton swabs and hydrogen peroxide to dab their umbilical cord…Dr didn’t tell us to do this with our second?? One more thing to have near by are nursing pads incase you’ve leaked between feedings.
Great advice already….maybe not “right on hand” but definitely close by, have mylicon and infant tylenol. That way when you DO need them, you won’t have to make an emergency run to the store!!
I use econobum and bumgenius diapers. I love them both! The econobum prefold is a little too bulky at first, so we used the gerber prefolds from Walmart for the first two months. A lot of people don’t like them, but they worked great for us.
I have exactly what you have on my son’s changing table. Lotion, thermometer, etc is in a drawer. One thing I would suggest is a lamp with a low-watt bulb. When we change our son at night the light is right there where we need it without being too harsh for our foggy eyes. We stuck a wall decal from the dollar store on the wall above the changing pad, and he LOVES it. I would also suggest having a trash can on the side.
I definitely have everything it looks like you have. Also though I could not use the store bought wipes on Hayden’s bottom until about 2 months because it was soooo sensitive so we went through a lot of luke warm paper towels its more soothing to them I think too rather than a cold chemical filled wipe at first because there bodies are only used to warm soothing mommy fluid haha. I used A & D ointment for diaper rash at first also because of their skin being so sensitive the desitin was way to harsh for new baby. I have lots of Q-tips cleaning the belly button area and some rubbing alcohol (the hospital didn’t recommend it but I used it like every other day just to keep things clean and my mom said thats what she used way back) I also have thermometer we got a great one that doubles as a pacifier so it kind of hit two birds with one stone kind of thing. I out Eucerin by the changing pad because it is so good for dry skin and doesn’t have all the chemicals that baby lotions do. you might want to put a little brush or comb near by too I know they won’t have a lot of hair but I always like brushing it anyway : )we also put a diaper genie near by because it helped keep down the smell. Just some of my little ideas that might help
I recently splurged on BumGenius elemental for my girl and I purchased them from Diaperjunction.com They have “seconds” if you’re looking for some that are very lightly used. They also have a try it before you buy it program, test drive they call it. I like to keep a toy for my girl near her changing table. I also use hand sanitizer or wipes. The least expensive way to diaper would be with econobum, a kit is around $100 but could easily last through training! Pre-folds and covers are very inexpensive! I used them to start out. Diaper junction sells those too and they have a facebook and twitter. Are you planning on breastfeeding? If so, don’t bother with diaper cream (: breast milk is the best thing for diaper rash!
I would definitely have an extra change of clothes close by! Also, I always made my own wipes to use at home. It saved me so much money. All you need is a roll of paper towels (cut in half), 2 cups of warm water, a little baby wash and baby oil, and a small rubbermaid container to keep them in. =)
I have found through being a mom and grandmother that the best diaper ointment is called Plenders. It is made locally however, it can be ordered on line. It is the best IN THE WORLD!!!! Also, a changing pad on the top of your area with a terry cloth cover is essential. The little ones can’t roll and if you have a blowout, the terry cloth goes right in the wash. Easy peasy! Small toys, pacifiers (if the girls like them) a tub of wipes, lotion, an extra change of clothes and something for them to look at one the wall. It can be a picture of Elmo stuck on the wall; just something to keep there interest!
I found that the best thing I have at my changing table is a bird hanging from the ceiling and these animal shapes (i think they are made from pressed wood and are about .79 cents each) I got at Hobby Lobby and stuck to the wall just above the changing table. It is something to point to to distract them (not so important when they are new babes but come 5 months they are SO wiggly). It’s also a good learning tool as you can tell the babies the animal names and what color they are.
Also agree 100% with finding something to put under the babies bottom. Again, at Hobby Lobby, I bought water resistant fabric (it might have even been called changing pad fabric) and just used my pinking shears to cut it into a rectangle.
One more thing, the best diaper rash cream I found (and I went through them all) is Aquaphor. I had a NICU baby on antibiotics so his little bum was in BAD shape. This cleared it up within 24 hours.
I think you’ve got your basics covered, but I will say that you’re going to want a tub of wipes rather than the resealable pouch. One-handed push button operation is ESSENTIAL when you’re wrangling a big mess, or when they get older and wiggly. The pouches also lose their will to reseal about halfway through.
I have a friend who loves gdiapers. This is her blog entry about them.
http://hannahandlily.blogspot.com/2010/07/gdiapers-post.html
I’m like Kelly, and only used wash cloths (specifically set aside for bums!) and warm water – just like the hospital. I never ended up using diaper wipes on my kids – and they rarely ever had diaper rash (very mild at that).
I had a clothes hamper close by, tissues to clean up messy bottoms, and a papertowel to go under the bum to keep the change pad clean longer. I also put a small receiving blanket (folded up) under the babies head, so when/if they spit up, it’s contained (and not on the change pad). My little girl spit up ALL the time.
I also liked to keep nail clippers handy, and petroleum jelly is nice and gentle for dry spots on the skin. (I didn’t like to use fragrances on them either). Qtips for after the bath too.
A little mobile above the change table, or something shiney for the baby to look at is helpful too sometimes.
For the middle of the night blow-outs or major spit-ups, a clean set of PJ’s or a onesie is nice to have close by when the room is dark.
Also, an extra pacifier or toy for when they start getting wiggly is helpful too… Preferably a toy that’s easy to clean/sanitize – given the nature of what a changing table is!
Yes, I agree with Courtney – you need something to put under there to keep the pad cover clean. And I bought a ton of those teeny washcloths because at the very beginning wipes cause a little rash on a lot of babies – their brand new skin is SO sensitive. We just used the washcloths with warm water for the first couple months.
As far as making the leap with cloth diapers- try Kawaii diapers. They are pocket diapers but run $6.99- $10. Their site is http://www.theluvyourbaby.com or type in to google to find other retailers who sell them. Really helps out with the start up cost.
We purchased cloth diapers to put under the baby (we use disposables for the baby). They are great at absorbing messes and keep your changing pad cleaner longer. They are the perfect burp rag, wipe mommy and daddy off when there is a mess rag, etc. We have them everywhere and I always give them as a shower gift. Love your nursery-the yellow is my favorite color!!