Buying baby stuff here in the US for a first time mommy like me can be a pretty daunting task. My exposure was in the Philippine setting where parents get by with just having a crib, sandos (white undershirts), cloth diapers for daytime use, disposables for nights, katsa (cheesecloth; flour sack rags) as burp cloths, feeding bottles... that's about it. Infant car seats are not required, changing tables - we have the bed for that, bassinets or swings can be substituted by a hammock made out of abaca or improvised by, again, flour sack. For carriers, strollers, bouncers we have, uhurm, nannies.

Mind boggling choices! I settled for Avent Feeding Bottle because it's breasfeeding friendly (how their nipples are shaped) and the controllable flows. Dr. Brown would be good if mommy is doing pure bottlefeeding. I love the Playtex Nurser the best but the disposable liners can be expensive. I was least happy with the Vent-Aire angled feeding bottle.

So when I was browsing at the infant essentials checklist of a baby book I was at a lost. I didn't realize I was unfamilliar with so many baby items like bumper pads, crib gyms, bassinets, nightgowns (babies wear nighties?), rompers, onesies, bodysuits etc. To illustrate my ignorance on this area it was only during my 1st baby shower that I was educated of the importance of baby blankets and, no, they are not for sleeping (the use of blankets/sheets with the baby during sleep is actually forbidden here). After some trial and error I waded through the numerous stuff and brands mostly thanks to other mommies I have talked with and the very helpful customer review found in the internet.

Here is my own recommended checklist to would be parents who is as clueless as I was:

Hits
1.) infant carseat - required by law. You can't leave the hospital with your baby without it.

2.) crib - for obvious reasons.

3.) changing table - you'll be changing at least 8 diapers a day. Be kind to your back and get this.

4.) stroller - no tricycles here to take you around for short trips.

5.) baby carrier - makes you more mobile around the house when the baby doesn't want to be put down

6.) baby monitors - ours is turned off for the most part, I turn it on when I hear imaginary cries ringing in my ear to doublecheck.

7.) bouncer - a safe and lightweight place to put baby down. Get the one that has a vibrator.

8.) swaddling blanket- will give the baby more deep sleep especially at the age where he has moro reflex.

9.) swing/cradle - when baby is agitated and can't be calmed by the bouncer's vibration.

10.) pacifier - your breasts will thank you.

11.) cover alls - saves you a lot of time from hunting lost/oversized socks.

12.) colorful mini-gym and Lamaze toys - at 6 weeks our baby is starting to enjoy this.

13.) Playtex Nurser Feeding Bottle - great for travelling with its disposable liners. It has the best (soft) nipples too among the other feeding bottles I have.

14.) Reclining Baby Bathtub - I'm usually asked if giving Evan a bath for the first time was scary for me. It wasn't since the tub is elevated so there is no danger of the baby drowning.

15.) nursing pillow - free your arms while breastfeeding and do other stuff aside from watching tv.

15.) The Happiest Baby On The Block book by Dr. Harvey Karp - his tips are the fastest and effective way to calm our babies crying - ruling out hunger, gas and pain.

Here is what I got and used not for too long or not at all:

Misses
1.) Co-Sleeper - sleeping with the baby in the bed just didn't work for a couple of light sleepers like us. Useful during our out-of-town trips though.

2.) Womb Sounds Bear - makes heartbeat sound. Our baby was too smart for this. Shushing worked better.

3.) Playtex Vent-Aire feeding bottle - having to remove the nipple before warming it is one inconvenience too many. Also, water that you have submerged it with drips once you tilt the bottle to feed.

4.) Playtex Nurser Feeding Bottle - liners costs $4.99 for 5 days use only. Too expensive if for indefinite use.

5.) Evenflo Reusable Nursing pads - didn't work, I was totally soaked when after a few minutes of trying it on. And I bought 2 sets.

6.) Diaper pail - I almost bought one but didn't really sound worth it based on customer review (expensive too at $20-30+). My ordinary $16 trash can with step-on lid cover worked just fine. I just spray Lysol after emptying it.

7.) Burp Cloth made of terry or fleece - the first is too thin, the second doesn't absorb well and too stiff ($8 for a set of 4 rags is too expensive). Diaper cloth worked best.

8.) Glider (rocking chair) - swaying/jiggling/shushing worked better for us.

Other product recommendations/observations welcome.

New Baby Terminology

My husband is getting tired of hearing the indelicate words that punctuate our daily conversations nowadays that he suggested that we replace "burp cloth" with "baby towel" instead, "gas" with "emissions" and "poo" with "gold mine" -> last is my not so original idea.

Currently listening to: silence
Currently reading: Junebug (Embeth Davidth)
Currently watching: Men Under Water by Ralph Lombreglia