Nursery Furniture/Bedding
My step-mom bought our crib, but honestly, we rarely use it. We regret the fact that we didn't start baby sleeping in the crib, because now he has no interest in being in it. We are still trying and eventually I'm sure he'll be sleeping in there. Regardless, it's a beautiful crib! We didn't buy the matching dresser and nightstand (way too expensive), so we found a dresser with changing top and a nightstand at a local antique mall for $120 (for both). We painted them both white and they've functioned very well for us. I also bought a white, 4-drawer cabinet from Target that sits right next to the dresser/changing table. I use that to stock diapers, wipes, burp/spit rags, bibs, etc. The rocking chair we got from my dad (used to be my grandpa's). I used it for the first couple weeks, but honestly, now, it just takes up space in Brady's room. I think it's time to move it to the basement. The crib bedding my mom bought - and like most people say - pretty much a waste of money. It's cute, but most of it was never used in any sort of way, but my mom wanted to buy it, so I let her. The lamp matches the bedding...it's cute and overpriced, but it was a gift and we do use it early in the morning when I don't want to turn on the bright overhead light.
Carseat/Stroller
I bought the Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat. We've gotten our money's worth out of it, but at 9 months, he's only a couple weeks away from outgrowing it. It HAS been useful and I'm glad we decided to go for an infant seat to start instead of a convertible. He sleeps very well in the car and it was nice to be able to remove the seat and let him continue to sleep.
As far as strollers go, I have 3. I bought a Graco frame that worked with the carseat for $20 on a local sale site...used the heck out of that thing, especially when he got too heavy to carry around in the seat, which was pretty early on (that seat is unwieldy). My father in law splurged on the City Mini and I'm so glad he did. It's so lightweight, easy to fold and unfold, and steers amazingly! Can't wait to actually use it now that this crappy Michigan winter seems to be over.
My mom also bought an umbrella stroller from a rummage sale. I don't really care for it...I'd rather use the City Mini...but she likes it.
We just recently bought a Graco Headwise 70 convertible seat for my car and a Safety 1st Easy Fit for DH's car. I like the Graco so far...and we have yet to install the Safety 1st.
Portable Crib/Pack 'N' Play
My mom bought us the Rock N Play Sleeper and we used that thing SO much! He slept in it almost exclusively for the first 3 months of his life. He loved it...and we loved how easy it was to sleep next to him and feed him while he was still in it.
We also got a Pack n Play. I didn't want it at first because it was so large, but of course, now that he's bigger, he needs it. I admit he still sleeps in it at night in our room. So definitely glad we got it. We bought an expensive one and it was housed at DH's mom house until she bought an actual crib. Now I think it's in DH's trunk still lol. My mom got one for $25 at a mom2mom sale that she had planned to keep at her house...however, Brady is rarely ever over there, so that's the one we use at our house. I recommend buying one locally for way less. The one we use has sounds and vibration which is nice, but it doesn't have a changing thing or anything else extra, and it works perfectly for our needs.
Swing/Bouncer
I had no idea what to do on this one originally. We ended up getting both as gifts at our shower. DH's grandma bought us a Graco 2-in-1 Glider Elite. LOVE THIS THING! And Brady did too for his first 3 months. When he was super fussy, sometimes only the swing would calm him down. And he napped in it a lot, too. It was pricey, but definitely worth it. We're saving it for our next baby. Here's the one we got:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=17197676&cp=&parentPage=search
Brady hated the bouncer early on...I think he didn't feel swaddled enough in it. But by about 3 months, he started to enjoy it. He slept in it A LOT and sometimes just relaxed in it. We had this one. And even bought the same one as an extra at a mom2mom sale for $10. So if you can get one of these at a garage sale or local site, definitely do so. They don't used very long and you can save a lot of money by buying a used one.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4449502&cp=&parentPage=search
Baby Carrier
I had no idea what to do on this one either. I ended up buying an Ergo on eBay shortly after he was born, but after putting him in it one time, he hated it. I wasn't overly fond of it either, so I ended up selling it. Never bought anything else. I'm good with either just carrying him or using the stroller.
Bathtub
We used the large plastic whale tub for the first 4-5 months and it worked great because it had a hump in the bottom for him to sit on. Once he started sitting up by himself, we moved to a similar type plastic tub without a hump in the bottom. He's still using that now and probably will for a little while longer. Will probably move to just using our tub sometime after he's 1. The Puj tub I originally wanted would've been too expensive and wouldn't have lasted very long.
Changing Pad
We bought a changing pad with removable covers and also changing pad liners so we don't have to remove the covers as often. Works great and still using it, but he likes to roll around a lot now, so we will probably stop using it soon. But definitely necessary (IMO) with a newborn.
Clothes
I wasn't sure what to buy. I hadn't planned on buying any newborn sizes as I thought he'd be able to fit in 0-3 months right away. Wrong. Luckily DH's mom went out shortly after he was born and bought a ton of newborn sleepers. That's pretty much what he lived in for 2 months. After that, he moved almost right past 0-3 months and straight to 3-6 months. He almost skipped 6 month sizes entirely and went to 9 months. He's 9 months old now and wearing 12-18 months tops and 18 months bottoms. I'm lucky that I have a co-worker with two boys, 2 yrs and 4 yrs, and she's not having any more kids, so she's passing everything onto me. I also pick up a lot of stuff at Salvation Army and eBay. I never buy brand new baby clothes.
Safety
I ended up not registering for this stuff (with the exception of a $100 extra wide gate, which my work family bought) and just recently bought most of the rest myself. I already bought door knob covers, drawer and cabinet latches, and a gate around our huge living room tv/entertainment stand. We got a baby monitor from DH's mom. Had we not gotten it from her, we wouldn't have bought one. We have a small house and all the bedrooms are right next to each other. We honsetly don't need one. He's just now starting to crawl and get into stuff, so we shall see just how useful most of this stuff is in the coming months.
Feeding
I had planned on breastfeeding but by the time he arrived, I changed my mind. I wanted DH and other family to be able to help with feedings. And I'm so glad I chose this route. I ended up dealing with postpartum depression and issues related to that, so I ended up going on meds and wouldn't have been able to BF anyway. I got bottles from my shower (Dr. Browns) and although they have a lot of parts, I love them! We decided to use Up & Up brand sensitive formula from Target. Brady tolerated it well and it's cheaper than Similac. Bottle warmers - didn't buy and wouldn't use. Money saved!
Diapers & Wipes
We didn't get near as many diapers and wipes as I thought we would at the shower. Which was good because it gave us the opportunity to try out various brands. We had Pampers (Swaddlers) in the hospital, but tried Huggies when we got home since we already had a pack. The very first one leaked urine all up his back. So we went back to Pampers (Swaddlers) and stuck with those while he was in newborns and size 1s. After that, family stopped buying them, so we moved to Luvs or Up & Up...whichever ones happen to be on sale when we buy. We are happy with both brands. Wipes we've tried Pampers Sensitive and Huggies and Babies R Us brand, and they all work well. Probably will stick with BRU brand in the future since they are cheaper. Or Up & Up.
Diaper Bag
I had planned on a Vera Bradley one, but ended up getting hooked on Ju Ju Be bags...I now have 4-5 diapers bags and some matching accessory bags!
Other Useful Stuff
There are some things that I would've never thought to buy beforehand that have been useful:
Formula Dispenser - We bought the Munchkin one!
Diaper Organizer - We bought the Prince Lionheart Table Top one. I still use it and it just keeps my diapers and wipes in one location and all organized :)
Bibs - Can never have too many!
Jumper - He got one for Christmas - he still loves it. The boy seriously loves to JUMP!
Waste of Money (for us)
Humidifier. I admit we should use it, but we just don't. It just sits in the corner.
Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail. Great at first, but then the lid decided to make this awful noise any time you tried to close it, even if it wasn't too full. We chucked it and got a Diaper Champ. Also buying the A&H refills was getting costly.
Pacifiers - Great at first! (but he did grow out of it and now we have a ton of pacifiers that he won't use)
Shirts that you have to pull on over his head - Especially when he was a newborn, but even now - he hates it. Prefer button or zip ups...and most onesies where the necks are super stretchy.
