Baby Gear

This might be a good one to read if you don't want "all of it." I don't have a ton of baby gear. I did with the first three but then got rid of it before #4 came along. I had no desire to buy a bunch of stuff that I thought would only be used on one child... though here I am with #5 :) Still don't want to buy a bunch of stuff that they don't use for long.
SO for Kelly's "Show us your life" I thought I'd share the baby items that I think are the msot useful. Not that other things aren't great to have, but if you don't want all of it... then this is your list.
1) sling

The peanut shell sling Target sells is the best "commercially available" in my opinion. I make mine and of course, think they are the best. Reason being: it needs to fit. I'm not convinced the kind you can buy in the store will ever be as comfortable as something custom made just for you and your baby. If the sling is too big or too small, it's not going to work. It should be snug so that the baby is secure, but not so tight the baby is squooshed. Of course, you have to *use* it for it to be helpful to you. Don't put it on one time and give up out of frustration b/c it didn't work like you had hoped. You may get to a store and have a sleeping infant in the carseat and want to leave baby in the carseat... but believe me... you will be glad you have your baby in the sling when baby decides he's hungry. You can push a cart, deal with another child, and feed a hungry baby all while at Target and no one has a clue. You also have room in your cart for the stuff you went to Target FOR. And if baby is still sleepy, they go right back to sleep in the sling. LIFESAVER

2) 3 wheeled stroller

I love the options stroller b/c it is affordable (129 at Target, though it is listed as "out of stock"), has 3 wheels, and well, has options. The 3 wheels makes it much more maneuverable. It comes with a frame that you can use instead of the seat that will hold the infant carseat. The seat can also face either direction. It does not compact to the smallest of dimesions. You do need to have space in your car to stow it. If space is limited, then this may not be the stroller for you. It is also not the easiest to collapse. But, I have still preferred it over the graco one I had with the first three.

3) pack n play

I don't have an overall 'winner' for this. You will want to have a portable place for baby to sleep. I have a mini Graco 'travel lite crib' in the family room. You could also use this as a co-sleeper in your room.

4) Yellow bear bath sponge

If you'd like to avoid the big infant bath tub, these are great... and about $6. When Isaac was born (Abigail was not yet 3, Noah was 19 mos), Daddy was in charge of bathing the older two and I took Isaac in the shower with me. We had an oversized shower and I would wet it with warm water and put him on it. He was out of the reach of the spray. If I bathed him in the tub, I did the same thing, but would fill the tub with a small amount of water. I think the squooshy sponge is comforting and keeps them warm. If your baby is screaming during bathtime, you may have the water too cold. In our fear of burning, I think we sometimes go too far the other direction and make them cold.
My other tip about bathtime... just bathe with the baby (its free!) and have daddy/older sibling on standby to hand the baby to you once you are in the tub and give the baby back to after he is bathed. You don't want to risk slipping getting in/out of the tub while holding a baby. Babies LOVE skin to skin contact. Works great to calm a fussy baby too.

This ends my list. You can get Bumbo seats, exersaucers, swings if you want, but you can get along just fine without them. And of course at some point you will need a high chair... but since I don't give solid foods to my babies until a year, that isn't a purchase I'd make for a while. It's just one more thing to get in the way when you don't need it (yet). Same goes for a crib... I don't use one til a year (we co-sleep). I don't buy a bedding set. I get a baby blanket (and sure do wish those things could be purchased separately but most come with the entire set only).

But wait! Here is one more thing I like to have, but not necessarily for it's intended purpose:

Or, I should say I have an "additional purpose" for it. As I said, we co-sleep. I think this is something each person has to decide for herself, but for me, I know where my baby is. It's kind of like falling off the bed. I have never fallen off a bed whether in a king, queen, twin, on the wrong side... or whatever. I know where the edge of the bed is, and even more so... I know where my baby is. Having baby sleep in a sleep positioner prevents the baby from being pulled in to you due to gravity... but still enables you to nurse and fall back asleep. THAT is why I'm such a huge fan of co-sleeping. Mom needs sleep and if you have more than one child, napping when the baby naps isn't an option. I don't let my babies "cry it out" either. I believe in feeding a baby when he's hungry... and that means throughout the day and night. Breastmilk is digested quickly. It doesn't sit on the stomach like formula (or rice cereal). It is as easy to digest as water. So babies do get hungry. Abigail was a great sleeper... she slept thru the night all on her own at 6 weeks with no prompting from me. She was a super easy baby. The boys have not been the same and they have all slept thru the night at various ages. Co-sleeping spared my sanity. I had a nursing nest with Elijah and loved it. I'd kind of like to get another... but just don't want to spend the money. There was a time that you couldn't get them so I sold mine on ebay for more than what I paid. I don't even know if you can get them now. I checked a few places and they are out. It was nice to have in the hospital b/c the nurses left me alone more than they did with the others.