When it comes to diapers clothes and toys, my biggest tip for the new mother is to collect, not to buy!
Yes, even diapers – sounds strange but it can be very helpful. If you have some other new borns around you, get nappy samples from the parents rather than invest in a whole package of diapers. This way you can learn what brand is most suitable for your baby before investing in a whole pack that usually contains about 60-70 pieces. Different babies have a different body build and hence the mother will feel the difference of different diaper brands. I guess all diapers today are good at absorbing so I think it all comes down to the suitability of the diaper cut to your baby. Here is what I learned about nappies while trying out the different brands available in Israel of 2008:
Huggies Freedom (royal blue) is a long cut, so good for babies who happen to have rather long pelvis. The Red Huggies look cooler but are shorter. Recently Huggies Freedom has been changed to "perfect fit". The cut is more modern in a way but the absorbing area has been shortened. Now I need to use size 4 instead of size 3 in the old cut. Annoying, as this means more money per pack. Yes, yes, less nappies for more money each time your baby's butt becomes bigger! Along term business strategy that makes nappy manufacturers richer and parents poorer and frustrated!
Pampers also have two types. A longer cut that was given to me in hospital as promotion samples but seems to have disappeared from the supermarkets, and a shorter more sportive cut that has three phases. The first phase for new borns is what they call "New Baby". Pampers do seem to be a bit more advanced on the absorbance front, leaving your baby dryer. However, that is not always an advantage, as cleaning wet solids from your baby's behind tends to be easier that removing dry remains. The taping is not so strong and as Jonathan is an active baby, always on the move, I have experienced more leaks with Pampers than with Huggies.
The local brand, "Titulim", seems a bit shapeless and does not have really good taping. As much as I prefer to support local products, I regret that I cannot recommend this brand. The other local brand "Litufim" I did not try. I probably should, though, local brands are cheaper and Jonathan uses at least 5 diapers a day.
A good gift for a new born is a package of diapers. This way the parents can try out different sorts and not invest themselves in a whole package. If this is the gift you would like to give your friend who just became a parent then please follow these two tips:
1 – Buy just ONE package. The parents may not like the brand you chose and then they feel compelled to use up the nappy stock you so generously organized for them. So, one pack is enough.
2 – Buy size 2 (3-6 Kgs) of what ever brand you choose. Babies can grow into big nappies, they cannot use small ones. If your friend's baby is born around the 3 Kgs, most of the size 1 nappies will just be too small.
The best gifts you can get from friends who already have children are clothes and toys. Babies grow so fast in the first year, that it's almost a shame to buy new clothes. Babies need s a variety of toys to keep them interested and challenged.
The clothes I am using for my son have already served 7 children (my son being No. 7) through rotation in the wider family. True I had to sort them out and also buy some new stuff, but on the whole I use the second hand clothes and am grateful I did not have to invest money is a piece of cloth that will only be used for about 10 weeks of my son's life. Buying something is of course a fun thing to do and its ok, it’s the masses of clothes that you will need that you should try to collect. It is only natural that you want to treat your baby to something new and there are just so many cute things out there…
Buying cheep baby clothes might seem like a good idea considering their short term of use, but I think that might not prove to be so great if the cheep garment wears out after the first wash. Baby clothes get washed a lot! On the other side, I would also not invest in brands because it is just too expensive. So a nice chain with middle prices and good quality is what you are looking for. The Israeli chain "Shilav" has good quality cotton that holds up despite many washes, so it's worth purchasing there even if the clothes are not the cheapest.
When it comes to toys, almost anything goes. Babies can play with anything. Of course they tend to love the stuff you do not want them to touch (like your cell phone and car keys…). Collecting old toys from bigger kids of acquaintances can save the new parent a heap of money. Again, its fun to treat your baby (and yourself actually) to a new and cute toy. Here I would recommend, however, to definitely look for deals and discounts. The chains like "Toys R US" and "Shilav" tend to be expensive when it comes to toys and smaller shops (not chains) tend to have great offers and the toys are still good quality.
Don't feel bad about using hand me downs, your baby will never notice or count this against you and you will increase the variety of things he has ten fold. Also you can repeat the good deed and also empty you home making new place for new things as your child grows by giving away clothes and toys to new parents in your circle of friends. The stuff can be returned to you when you have another baby… and so life goes on…
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