Tips for moms-to-be...

So, it seems like everyone is becoming a mommy nowadays. Must be in the water. Good thing I don't drink water. :) Anyway, thought I'd put out a couple ideas to put in those new-mommies to be heads........
1) Coupons. You WILL need them. Diapers/formula are two of the biggest expenses in your new baby's life. Go online to the Huggies website and sign up. You'll get at least $5 worth of coupons every couple weeks. Start recruiting your friends and family to save them for you too. You can even start buying some diapers now if you're brave. Keep in mind that your baby may grow out of a size of diapers in a week. Trust me. It's SUPER annoying to have 3 packs of size 1 diapers and use a whopping 20 of them, then she's into a size 2. Also, your baby will develop a rash to different types of diapers. Also super annoying. Same thing with formula. I encourage you to breastfeed but that's another preaching. Doesn't work for everyone and you're not supposed to give cows milk in the first year. So that means formula. And those run at least $25/can.

2) Mylecon Drops. Buy some now to always have on hand. Short story -- gas-ex for babies. This is the only thing that worked for my daughter. Unfortunately, she got her daddies gastrointestinal habits. Give your baby a dropper full and in less than 5 minutes, her tummies allllllll better. No harmful side-effects and can't overdose. Trust me, if you could I would have found out. Also, there's a coupon for $4 off the next bottle on the inside of the package. Yes, these cost about $7-8 apiece.

3) Shop Garage Sales. For almost everything. Babies go through clothes like my husband goes through toilet paper. They spit and poop on them just in time to grow out of that size. Most infant clothes (0-6 months) are only worn once or twice anyway, so the stuff you get is practically new anyway! Even if you don't know the sex of your baby, there's plenty of neutral onesies out there. Watch out for the yellow stains--that's formula/milk and will NOT come out. Ever. If you're ok with those clothes as "never leave the house" than by all means buy them! I did. :) If you scout the papers and craigslist (and rileyyardsales.com here) you can pick up strollers, high chairs, bedding, potty chairs, and toys out the wazoo. Make sure that your Seller explains how to open/close strollers, assemble playpens and raise highchairs. There's nothing more frustrating than baby accessories without instruction manuals. Highly discourage buying a carseat second hand though. Safety laws change frequently and if a carseat was in an accident, it can actually be useless in the next.

4) Sleep. You will not get more than 6 hours in a night after baby comes. Until at least age 3. I'm finally up to 7. I think I've "slept in" twice since she's been born. You'll miss it.

5) Play house. Seriously. Remember when you played with Barbie dolls growing up and Barbie had to have the corvette, enough shoes for China, the hair salon, and enough clothes for her own mall? I had an entire playroom full of Barbie stuff and I only used maybe 1/5 of it. Now put your baby into Barbie's spot. Baby's gonna need a LOT of stuff. But don't go overboard. You'll need that money for diapers and formula (see #1). Make a list of the absolute necessities, then a list of what would make your life easier and compare the two. Ask your friends/family that have had babies (within the last 5 years optimaly). Here's the list I would recommend.....
=Transitional Crib (goes from crib to toddler bed to real bed)
=Dresser
=Bookshelf/toy box
=playpen/PackNPlay. If you can get the new ones w/ bassinet that'd be great for that first couple weeks home so that baby can be close to you at nighttime. I had a small bassinet on wheels that was great for bedtime for those 3 hour apart feedings.
=Nursing Bras and Breast Pump (obviously not needed if you don't want to go this route)
=Bottles and nipples (for either method). Decide now if you want the type with the insertible bags or not. I found it was cheaper to wash the bottles all the time than buy those darn bags. I had Avent bottles which I could only find at Target but was very very happy with them. This is one of those places to not go cheap.
=Nursing shields/pads. Even if you don't nurse, your boobies will leak. And it's uncomfortable as hell.
=At least one can of formula if breastfeeding for backup in case of problems
=Diapers (buy two packs of newborn size. Ask your hospital what kind of diapers they're going to put your baby in at the hospital and get that kind for less possiblity of diaperrash right out the gate)
=Boppy. Great for feeding baby and later for tummy time and sitting up
=Burp cloths. I prefer the old-fashioned cloth diapers for this. Plain and easy to bleach.
=Baby bathtub. The type that has a removable hammock for newborns. Babies like to squirm when they get slippery.
=Wipes Warmer. Not really a necessity but makes the babies happy to have warm wipes on that bare bottom. Less chance of that surprising pee.
=Infant medical kit. Comes with thermometer, nail clippers, medicine dropper and that Snot Sucker-Out Thingy. Don't know the real name.
=Medicines. Diaper Rash cream, Mylecon drops, infant tylenol
=vaporizer. Makes a huge difference when you have an infant with a cold and you can't get enough snot out of them.
=Strollers. You'll need two. One big one (minivan version) and one umbrella stroller (sportscar). Bonus if you can afford the stroller/carseat combo so you don't have to take your infant out of the carseat carrier; just lock it on top of the stroller. The simple stroller won't be any use to you until baby can sit up aided; at least 5 months.
=Diaper bag. You'll get one from the hospital but if you are picky or want something special get it. Keep in mind this bag will not leave your side for at least 2 years. Yes, I'm serious. You won't know how to transition to a purse afterwards. I'll probably still be in the support group by the time you join. I'll save a seat for you.
=Digital Camera.
=Baby moniter. I got the basic two piece and it's worked wonderful. My end is portable w/ batteries so I could get some yardwork done while newborn Angel slept. I still use it at nighttime for her "Water" calls.
=At least 3 outfits for each day between laundry days for baby and two for you. Not kidding here either.
=Teething rings, toys, biscuits. Never too early for baby to start chewing. Angel got her first tooth at 2 months old.
=quality pacifier. The hospital will give you one - ours was a Nuk. Green and odd looking but wonderful. And expensive.
=bottle cleaning brush and rack. Costs you $3 but is a lifesaver once you cross over into bottle-world.
="What to Expect the First Year" book. If you haven't already gotten the "What to Expect when your expecting" get it now. NOW. :)