Baby Registry Guide for the Smart New Mom – Part 4

Diapering

Diaper Rash
- All Moms: Aquaphor Baby
  - Aquaphor is THE best for diaper rash too.
  - Apply after every poopy diaper whether baby has diaper rash or not.
  - Don’t even bother with Desitin or Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.
  - I have heard that Triple Paste, Bag Balm, and Calmoseptine are good too.
Baby Wipes
- The Minimalist Mom: use the sink
  - Minimize baby wipe use by wiping off most of the poop and then rinsing baby’s tushy off in the sink. My mother-in-law does this for Missy Jo. It takes a little more work, but it also keeps baby’s tushy cleaner. For girls, the urethra (pee hole) is closer to the anus (poo hole). If you don’t clean well, baby girl can get urinary tract infections.
  - There is no need to wipe baby down with baby wipes after just a wet diaper. This actually causes more chafing and can lead to diaper rash. Urine is sterile anyway.
- The Frugal Mom: Kirkland (Costco) wipes.
  - About $0.02 per wipe
  - Avoid Huggies Natural Care wipes which chafe.
- The Convenience Mom: Pampers Sensitive Wipes
  - About $0.02-$0.04 per wipe
  - Similar to the baby body wash, I try to avoid strange chemicals on the products that touch my babies. We have used Pampers Sensitive Wipes since day one and love them.
Diapers
- The Minimalist Mom: see below for Luvs or Pampers
- The Frugal Mom: Luvs
  - It’s true what the Luvs commercials say. New moms generally start out with more expensive name brand diapers. With our subsequent children, we go for the less expensive, Luvs, which actually work just as well.
  - I would start off with one box each of newborn, size 1, and size 2. We use Amazon subscribe and save and get 1 box delivered per month, which is probably the best and most convenient deal out there. In the newborn and early infant stage though, it can be unpredictable how many diapers you’ll need per day. There was one time that Missy Jo had so many poops in succession that I ended up using 8-10 diapers during one diaper change!
    - Newborn Luvs
      - Jo Jr. (born at 7 lbs 11 oz) and Missy Jo (born at 7 lbs 12 oz) both grew out of these by 2 weeks.
    - Size 1 Luvs
    - Size 2 Luvs
- The Convenience Mom: Pampers
  - Pampers are good for new moms because they have a yellow line down the middle that turns blue when the diaper is wet.
  - If you’re interested in cloth diapers and inserts, be sure to do your research. There are cloth diaper cleaning services out there that charge around $18-$24 per week, depending on where you live. It probably won’t end up being cheaper than disposable diapers, but you would be saving the environment. Be sure to read the fine print though. The company may supply the diapers, so you wouldn’t have to buy any. In that case, you would be sharing diapers with other babies. Of course, their sanitizing process is probably much cleaner than what you would get washing the diapers at home. I would still keep a few disposables on hand for outings and in case you run out of cloth ones at home.
Waterproof Changing Pad
- The Minimalist Mom: portable changing pad
  - The portable changing pad is a great option when you don’t have space for a changing table. You can take this anywhere with you and pop it in your mom bag when you are going out. It holds about 3 diapers as well as a small pack of wipes. There’s also a zippered compartment for diaper rash ointment.
- The Frugal Mom: waterproof changing pad
  - My sister recently registered for a waterproof changing pad. I don’t think this product was available when I had my babies, but I would definitely recommend it. I have this changing pad, and even though it’s supposed to be waterproof, nastiness can still get stuck in the quilted part of the plastic. Of course, I have a cover for it and then changing pad liners to go on top of the cover too! It will definitely save you money and laundry time to get a waterproof changing pad that you can wipe poop off of easily. Then, you can forgo all of the covers and liners.
- The Convenience Mom: clean hands changing pad and waterproof changing pad
  - The clean hands changing pad wraps up your babies arms so they can’t reach down and touch their poop when you’re changing their diaper. I don’t have one of these, but I could see how it would be useful for older babies.
  - See above for waterproof changing pad.
Diaper Bag
- All Moms: Jeep Diaper Bag Backpack
  - Your diaper bag is a really personal decision and there’s so many out there. We started off with a shoulder bag and quickly transitioned to this back pack. It’s easier to pick up the car seat or bring groceries inside the house when your diaper bag is on your back and out of the way.
  - Look for a diaper bag that has easy access to diapers, wipes, and bottles. Also, the more compartments the better!

Bathing

Newborn Bathtub
- The Minimalist Mom: sink insert
  - This alternative to a traditional bathtub saves you so much space. You just put it in your kitchen sink and bathe the baby in there! Best part is, it’s machine-washable.
  - As soon as baby can sit up (around 6-7 months), you can bathe them in a regular bathtub.
- The Frugal Mom: traditional newborn to toddler bathtub
  - We purchased this bathtub for Jo Jr. and used it for Missy Jo too. The hammock part is great for when baby is tiny. Then, you remove it when baby can sit up on their own.
- The Convenience Mom: traditional newborn to toddler bathtub
  - See above for Frugal Mom.
Water Temperature Sensor
- The Minimalist Mom: go without one
  - Test the water by hand and be sure to use lukewarm water for your baby. Babies have a high surface area to mass ratio, which means their temperature regulation is much more affected by their environment.
- The Frugal Mom: go without one
  - See above for Minimalist Mom
- The Convenience Mom: floating bath thermometer
  - A bath thermometer can give you peace of mind during bath time. You can use this one in the bath or in baby’s room.
Bath Towels Washcloths
- All Moms: organic hooded towel and washcloth set and extra washcloths
  - Most baby towels are super cute, but they are also a huge rip off. I have selected some that are a little more reasonable price-wise. Start with two on your baby registry; you can always buy more later if your laundry isn’t turning over fast enough. Plus, babies aren’t that dirty, you can use towels more than once before you wash them!
  - You’ll just be giving your baby sponge baths for the first 2 weeks or so until the umbilical cord falls off. After that, you only have to bathe baby once or twice per week. Too many baths can lead to dry skin.
  - Be sure to get towels and washcloths with soft material. Baby’s skin is super sensitive and it might chafe when you are trying to get between the fat folds of the neck where all the regurgitated milk is. Therefore, I wouldn’t use regular adult towels and washcloths as a substitute, at least for the first few months.
For Cradle Cap
- All Moms: baby oil and brush
  - most babies will have cradle cap, which is the yellow crusty stuff that develops on babies heads due to excessive production of sebum (oil). It’s totally benign, but it can look kind of gross. Rub some baby oil on baby’s head at the beginning of the bath to let it absorb. Brush baby’s head with a soft brush and wash baby’s hair at the end of the bath. It may take awhile, but cradle cap will eventually go away.
Baby Body Wash
- All Moms: Aveeno Baby Cleansing Therapy Moisturizing Wash, Fragrance Free
  - We started off using Johnson and Johnson body wash, but when Jo Jr. developed eczema, our pediatrician recommended Aveeno. Non-eczema babies can use this also, it just helps keep the skin moisturized.
  - Be sure to select a body wash that is fragrance free, since you don’t need all kinds of random chemicals all over your baby’s body.
  - You can use this as shampoo as well.
Baby Lotion
- All Moms: Aquaphor Baby and CeraVe
  - We have tried so many different lotions for Jo Jr.’s eczema, but Aquaphor is hands down the best. It’s super greasy, but that’s what makes it work so well. Applying daily moisturizer to baby’s skin could prevent the development of eczema according to this New York Times article.
  - CeraVe lotion
    - CeraVe is a good choice if you can’t stand the greasiness of Aquaphor.
    - Don’t use this for diaper rash though.