Shoulda Included This on My Registry

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.  I registered for a lot of stuff for my baby shower (at Amazon.com and Buy Buy Baby).  At some point, I will share an abbreviated version of that long list.  But first, here's a short list of items that I should have registered for, but didn't.  I own them all now.

Mittens - All babies rub their eyes when they're tired.  According to my baby's pediatrician, it's instinctive and it can't be prevented.  Some babies rub more than others...mine rubs like a professional.  Mittens are a simple solution.  I registered for one set of two mittens.  Within a week, I lost a mitten.  They're so damn tiny.  Do yourself a favor and get more than two sets of mittens.  Do yourself another favor and don't get the brand I did (here) because they sucked.  The elasticity around the wrists stretched out quickly and the mittens would fall off.  Useless.  I ended up buying extra sets made by Gerber and they are fantastic.

Nose Frida - Okay, this is a pretty gross product in concept.  It's called a "snot sucker" because it's a tool for sucking snot out of the baby's nose...literally.  Mom's mouth goes on one end of the tube and baby's nostril is at the other end with a filter in between.  Once you get over the sucking concept, you get on the sucking wagon.  It works much better than the bulb syringe you get in the hospital or whatever nasal aspirator you get at your baby shower.  It's much more gentle and much more productive.

Cloth Diapers - I do not use cloth diapers on my baby's bum...maybe next time.  But, I do use cloth diapers as burp clothes.  This is a staple usage for cloth diapers and for good reason - they're soft and absorbent.  I registered for them, but not nearly enough.  Cloth diapers/burp clothes are good for everything.  They soak up spit up, wipe off drool and are the perfect tool to remedy a diaper disaster.  So, get a lot.  I got a dozen.  I wish I got two dozen.

Wipe Dispenser - I didn't register for this because I thought it was unnecessary.  I was wrong.  The plastic containers that the wipes come in are cheap and don't work.  I frequently found myself wrist deep in poop with my naked, screaming cherub on the changing table as I tried to pull out another wipe that just wouldn't come.  Finally, I got on board and it's been smooth sailing ever since.  I went with the OXO wipe dispenser on the recommendation of a friend, it's great.

What products should you have included on your registry?  

What did you discover to be indispensable after the little one arrived?

A Real Conversation

And now, I interrupt my previously scheduled post about more things I did when I was pregnant to bring you a real conversation...that happened yesterday.

First, I'll set the stage: I am sitting in a cafe with my bundle of joy, who is sleeping in the stroller and looking quite angelic.  I've just sat down with a hot bowl of soup (it's cold in NY these days) and I'm about to take my first warm spoonfuls.  Enter woman with a coffee and cookie who takes a seat at the table next to mine.

Woman - Your baby is adorable, so tiny.  How old? 

Me - Thanks!  Around 3 months. 

Woman - I've seen so many tiny babies lately.  I saw a really small baby in the diner the other day, even smaller than yours.  You baby is big for 3 months, right? 

Me - Actually, yes.   

Woman - I have to make a call to my husband. 

Me - Okay.  (I smile and assume that the conversation is going to end here) 

Woman - I have to call my husband about my son.  I got called into his school yesterday and they told me that he has (she starts poking around her scalp)...LICE. 

Me - I'm sorry. 

Woman - I was picking through his head last night and he asked what I was doing and I didn't want to tell him, so I said nothing.  I have to call my husband and tell him that I got the special shampoo.  I'll have to pick through his head again tonight.

Me - Oh. 

Woman - It's so gross. 

Me - Yeah.

Finally, the woman reaches her husband on the phone and proceeds to discuss the gross lice situation, including the special shampoo.  I am left staring at my soup and unsure whether my appetite is fully gone or just partially.

While I was pregnant I found myself the victim of similar type conversations where a stranger divulged very random and often very awkward information to me.  Yesterday's conversation reminded me of those pregnancy days.  Somehow they already feel a light year away.  Time flies once the baby arrives.