Since I am such an expert on babies and parenting, I thought you all would want to know what I consider baby "essentials."

Now, with the first kid you want everything. Because we lived in a 750-square-foot house when Little Man was born, we were forced (quite willingly, to be honest...I am not one who likes alot of excess) to pare our list of "necessities" down to the things that we could realistically fit in our house. I think by the time the second kid comes around, that list is pared down further to the true "essentials." These are the things I think you actually need for the first...eh...four months or so (exlcuding furniture stuff).

1. Diapers/Wipes. Duh. Also, I think if you are going to a baby shower you should ALWAYS include diapers, but buy a larger size (I recommend size 2, because most babies will blow through NB and size 1 quickly--Little Lady has been in 2's for a couple of weeks now). It's a kick in the hoo-hoo when people stop buying you stuff an all of a sudden you have to buy diapers. In hindsight, I would have been happy if all people bought me were diapers.

2. Clothes. Umm...Duh. I highly recommend you hook yourself up with someone who has hand-me-downs for you. Try to find someone who doesn't want/need the clothes back because that is one less thing you have to keep track of (but I have a pretty good system for keeping track if anyone needs one...).

3. Carseat. I hope that up until this point I am not telling you anything you don't know. We have this one and I love it. You should definitely not get all excited about the boy or girl you know you are having and go with gender neutral colors if you are planning on having another baby--who the heck wants to buy another car seat when you don't want to put your brand new baby boy in the pink car seat you picked out for your daughter two years ago?

4. Baby Carriers. Yeah, I heart wearing babies. I might need to borrow someone else's baby when mine are too big to wear anymore. Baby carriers are good for your first baby, and I think absolutely essential for your second baby if you ever want two hands to do anything. Ever. I have a ring sling which someone made for me and I use around the house and most shopping trips. I also have an Ergo carrier which I cannot say enough wonderful things about. We have the Ergo Sport, which has a couple extra inches of fabric and strapping, because I was under the gross misconception that The Hubbs might like to wear the baby (he is 6'4", so I thought the extra fabric would come in handy for him). I couldn't have been more wrong, but I have gotten a lot of feedback from other moms who have the Ergo that they like mine better than theirs. Although theirs is probably prettier than mine. I would have a ton more carriers, they are like mom accessories, but I don't have an endless supply of money, and they all essentially do the same thing as these two anyways.

5. Patemm Pad. I know that this will be one that a lot of you haven't heard of before. I hadn't either and I actually won it from another mom blog (although I can't remember which one). This has completely replaced the diaper bag in our house (unless it is a big trip, like when we all went to the zoo for the day and had to bring food and clothes and blankets and blah blah blah...). I have had it since Little Man was like 7-8 months old. Now with two, I am able to fit diapers for both, wipes, a burp cloth and a small outfit for Little Lady. It is perfect, and compact and wonderful.

6 A bouncy seat. I don't know, our kids are not swing babies. To be honest, I don't know too many babies that are swing babies. I think you either need a swing or a bouncy seat, because chances are your baby will like one or the other. Ours like the bouncy seat. In the early weeks, it's a good napping station. From months 2+, it's a nice place to put the baby down to go to the bathroom. Or to bring into the bathroom with you so the baby can stare at you. Not that I have done that.

7. An baby tubbie. Don't be fooled by all the bells and whistles. Seriously, do you think your baby who has to work sooo hard just to get her hand to her mouth is going to have the slightest clue that the tub you bought cost sixty bucks and bubbles? It has two stars for a reason. Trust me and buy this one for fifteen bucks and use the other $45 for some diapers.

8. Baby Gym. You know, little infant sized dumbells and stuff. Seriously, I don't know why it is called a gym, but it is. It is just my job to tell you you need it. Once your baby is old enough to start noticing there are things to notice, you should probably give her something to look at. We have this one and we like it.

9. Sophie. I don't know why this is the most wonderful teething toy, but it is. I don't know why babies love it, but they do. Heck, Little Man found his a few weeks ago and has been taking it to bed with him.

10. Boppy. Oh, I loooooooved my Boppy the first time around. When you are getting the hang of breastfeeding, I think this is an absolute essential. I brought it with me EVERYWHERE for the first 3-6 months with Little Man. It is not as crucial this time around, but still just as wonderful. I probably just don't use it as much because it is upstairs. I actually wouldn't mind a second one so we could have one on each floor.

And here is a quick list of things you think you need but you really don't:

1. Diaper pail. Those plastic things trap the poop smell in their pores so badly, you won't believe what they can smell like. It is horrific. Trust. I threw Little Man's out after I was tired of hosing it down (literally) only to have it smell just as putrid afterwards. Then I decided we would start using this really crazy thing called a trash can.

2. Diaper bag (see above).

3. Bumbo. We have one. Will we use it with Little Lady? Probably. Do we need it? Absolutely not.

4. Monitor. I don't know...we DEFINITELY didn't need one in our old (750 square foot) house. We are in about 1,800 square feet now and we still don't need one (which is good since ours is broken from Little Man using it like a phone. And a hammer.) Turns out babies are REALLY LOUD. And if you are a first time mom, you are going to be checking on her like every 15 minutes anyways because you are certain she stopped breathing or rollled over and can't get back or the cat is sleeping on her face. I tell you what I am certain you don't need--a video monitor. Seriously. Stop the insanity. Give yourself a break.

5. A wipes warmer. Just for the record--I never had one. They seemed ridiculous to me. But I know someone who had one that almost caught on fire. So yeah, just wipe your baby's tushie with a cold wipe. They will be OK with it.

I am sure I am forgetting a few things. But this has taken me an HOUR...so...if you have any questions of whether or not you need something for your little bundle, just go ahead and ask me, your resident baby expert.