becoming:

• top newborn products

Here's a compilation of product recommendations for the newborn stage, culled from the Choice Mom discussion board over time.

Carseats

• I highly recommend Britax. The companion infant seat, especially, is brilliant. I also love the Vigour stroller. They make a great travel set. Kinda expensive but worth it especially if you're tall, wear heels and/or have a long child. (Brandee)

High chair

• I recommend the Bumbo seat. It's great for 3mos on and teaches/helps them to sit up. I started my son on solids, it serves as our high chair. It's about $30 and can be found at Target, Walmart & KMart. (Brandee)
• Instead of a high chair I got the Fisher Price space saver booster seat -- goes on any ordinary dining chair. If you like to get out and about I liked the First Years on the Go Booster seat -- great for travel or friends houses. (Amy)

Carrier
In my experience, and that of many of my friends, a baby Bjorn is awful and babies often complain of crotch pain when they start talking/signing (which is why they often fuss in them). A MeiTai, however, is wonderful! I have both a BabyHawk and a FreeHand and my second lived in them. My first lived in a Mayawrap as MeiTai's were not around the U.S. yet, until around 6-7 months when I got an Ergo. It took a couple days to get the hang of the Ergo but I figured if I spent $100 on a carrier I was going to give it a fair shot and I'm glad I did because I love this thing. It puts around 90% of the weight on my hips where I can't really feel it and I can carry her all day long and she can see everything around her and she's out of my way. There's a fantastic site on baby wearing that can really be helpful in selecting the right carrier for you and there's tons of info on the forums there. (Heather)

Clothing

• Footie pajamas, aka sleep-n-plays. They're great in the summer AND the winter. Get lots of those in lots of different sizes. I, personally, don't much like the ones that zip up, preferring the ones that button up the leg and crotch. (Brandee)

• I joined my local online mommy forum and find out about all the local church/consignment/yard sales. Since baby stuff is rarely, if ever, worn, you can get great clothes (some still with tags) for $1-3. And a lot of places have Children's Place, Baby Gap, Gymboree etc. I vowed never to buy anything new again! (Cathi)

Pharmaceuticals
I remember the one thing I NEVER thought of before and then was empty-handed when I needed it......Infant Tylenol and Motrin! It never occurred to me, until my two-month old popped a fever after her first round of vaccinations. Luckily, my neighbor came over at 10:30 at night to sit with my daughter while I ran out to get some. Now, any time I go to a baby shower, I include these items with whatever gift I am giving -- and the dosing chart from the Dr. Sears website, which provides dosing by weight instead of age. (Christine)

Miscellaneous

• Oh, yeah, for keeping baby (and his clothes) clean: lots of little wash cloths (you don't have to get the expensive BabiesRus ones, find some at a discount store) and 20 Mule Team Borax for getting the stains out. (Brandee)
• One of the things I wished someone had told me I was gonna need a lot of is bibs. Not just the food catching, thin terry cloth kind, but the thick, triple layered ones to catch the constant flow of drool and keep baby dry at the same time. Carter's has a great selection of these in different sizes. (Brandee)
• My other tip is for burp cloths; if you have old sheets, I cut up a couple faded flannel pillow cases that I otherwise would have tossed, and got a whole stack of burp cloths that are soft and soak up a lot. And all those extra receiving blankets you get that you don't know what to do with? Sew two together to make a sleep sack. (Cathi)
• Dreft enjoys brand recognition, but all you need is a detergent that is free of dyes and perfumes and what not. Tide Free is one of them; I'm sure there are others. I would bet these are cheaper and/or go on sale more often than Dreft since they're not considered "specialty." I think Dreft was one of the first to be dye- and perfume-free, and that's why everyone thinks you need it for babies. Also, this is all presuming your baby will have a problem with your detergent. Until you know there's a problem, I wouldn't worry too much, and I definitely wouldn't double your laundry duty by washing your clothes in one detergent and the baby's clothes in another. Wash everything in what you pick for the baby. I personally use Tide Free anyway, so that's what I'll use when the kid comes along next month.
• Don't buy a lot of nursing pads unless you end up needing them. I bought a 60-pack thinking I'd need them and I only had leaking at the very beginning while I was still home. Your milk supply is more than the baby needs at one point and that's when you get the leaking. But once you're established and you and baby are supply and demand compatible, there's no need for nursing pads. I never leaked after the second week and I have a box of 58 nursing pads from Lansinoh that I'll never use. If you are going to buy them, don't buy a lot, and see if you need them later. I didn't. (Katrin)
• My Breast Friend nursing pillow -- 1000 times better than a boppy -- and Itzbeen, which helps keep track of last feeding, diaper change, advil dose etc. (Amy)

See breastfeeding tips for specific suggestions on nursing products, including pumps.