OOOOh, babies are so exciting! Let me see what I can think of
receiving blankets. have LOTS of these.
Playtex bottles with drop in disposable liners. These were FABULOUS! always a fresh one, and they reduce the amount of air baby swallows. Less air + less burps and barfs. (didn't use with first two, did use with second two, DEFINITELY thought they were better)
lots of sleepers
lots of onesies
lots of fitted cribsheets (at least 4)
shoes are purely cosmetic until they start to walk, and then get them GOOD walking boots like we had when we were kids. I just had to put both my younger kids in orthotics because they never wore walking boots as babies.
Soothers...personally I would recommend NUK brand, they are the best shape for baby's mouth. Don't buy more than one until you know baby will take it. Once baby takes it, if he/she really likes it, buy several, you don't want to get stuck without one
infant towels with hoods. wet babies are slippery.
CD's classical music, nature sounds, lullabies. I always have soft music in my children's rooms.
a good stroller is a must. Go to the stores and test them out for YOUR comfort, them request the one you like best. Things to keep in mind...terrain, are you walking on trails or only in the mall and on sidewalks? Speed, are you casually walking, or are you a jogger? a cup holder is very handy. Is the handle tall enough for you or do you have to hunch over? do the wheels turn or do you have to tip the stroller up to make a turn? does it corner smoothly? Can you puch it with one hand? Does it collapse/fold easily?
If you are into bicycling, do you want a bicycle trailer? If so, it is often worth buying a carrier system that converts into a stroller/jogger etc. I have a chariot and would recommend them in a heartbeat.
http://www.chariotcarriers.com
a digital ear thermometer. again something I bought for baby #3 and wondered how I survived the first two without. They are so much cheaper now too. A good investment, they last for years and make life so much easier.
a decent backpack/diaper bag. Pick something that works for you, even if it isn't labelled a diaperbag.
A disposable camera/cheap camera with flash for the diaper bag. You never know when you're going to have a Kodak moment
carseat cuddlebag. I have been making these forever, and they are finally starting to be mass produced. They have a liner that fits right into your infant carseat with a cover that zips up and over, like a sleeping bag. Allows you to minimize bundling baby in bulky clothing which reduces the effectiveness of carseat harnesses.
baby-view mirror. about $3 at walmart, it's a convex mirror that suction cup mounts to your windshield under your rear view mirror. Allows you to see baby/backseat effortlessly.
battery operated swing. 3 of my kids loved this, one d it. was a godsend for 3 LOL.
portable playpen/crib. we had one from the getgo. Very nice to have the playpen for the once in a while that we used it at home, but hwat a blessing to know that wherever we went baby always had a safe, comfy and familiar place to sleep.
For you, you will most likely want to make sure you have a good firm support bra for that first month, even with not nursing. Depending on baby, you might also need to make sure you have plenty of quick change comfy outfits available for you. Unfortunately, sometimes a barfy baby results in frequent clothing changes for both mother and baby.
Now this last piece of info is going to sound bizarre, but bear with me. Many babies get diaper rash. Fact of life. Penaten and Zincofax are two favorite brands of bum cream, and very effective on basic diaper rash. HOWEVER, many babies get what appears to be a really bad diaper rash, but it won't go away. Putting regular bum creams on it will only make it worse. This is because more and more babies are getting not diaper rash, but yeast infections. A standard diaper rash is slightly red, irritated skin. There should be no breaks in the skin, and no raised bumps or areas.if there is any raised or broken skin, and/or the skin is an angry flaming red or hot to the touch, it is most likely yeast, not diaper rash. Treating it with bum cream will worsen it, because you will be sealing in the yeast and bacteria in it's warm moist environment and helping it to grow. You need to treat it with a topical yeast cream like NYSTATIN/NYADERM, available over the counter at your pharmacy. Yes, this is the same topical cream many women will purchase for themselves. There is also an over the counter cream called CALMOSEPTINE, your pharmacist may have to order this in for you. Mix equal part of these two into a small clean container (if you ask your pharmacist, he should give you one) and apply to your baby's sore areas at every diaper change (after cleaning well, of course) and you will see dramatic results. Visible healing with each diaper change. If your baby has broken skin, you can add an equal part polysporin to the mixture to help pormote healing of the broken skin as well.
My first child had diaper rashes so bad she would bleed. I thought I was a terrible mother, my doctor thought she might be allergic to her own . She was toilet trained at 20 months and of course that all stopped, but while she was in diapers...I was pulling my hair out over this! My second child was not so bad, he always had a mild bumpy rash, but no bleeding, so I was relieved. Then my third was born and we were back to this horrendous rash...looked like acid burns. I went into the pharmacy with a prescription for this calmoseptine bum cream, and the pharmacist laid Nathan out on the counter and opened his diaper up and said it was yeast, told me to buy the nystatin and mix it with the calmoseptine. I did, and his open bleeding sores had stopped bleeding and started to heal over in one diaper change. In 24 hours he had no open spots on him and all the lumps, bumps and raised areas were smoothed back down, and the hot flaming red was just pink. by the next morning he was back to perfect. Paula was the same, and many of my friends children...even one that I babysat. I swear by the stuff. Just keep it tucked away in the back of your mind
I will post more if I think of anything.
Good luck,