The Munchkin Wish List

Baby Gear

As a general rule of thumb, I like block solids as opposed to busy prints and brighter non-garish colors to cutesy pastels. I am rabidly against hot pink and hot purple, but nice rich purples and deeper rose pink are quite nice if one feels inclined toward those colors. I also prefer all-natural materials, especially cotton as it tends to stand up to wear and tear better than synthetics and just plain feels nicer next to the skin.

• Clothing
  Thank you Florence for getting us started on baby's warddrobe, all of the cute things from France are very much appreciated -- the fabrics are wonderful!

• Onesies: We're going to need a lot of these, as they're such a practical piece of clothing which goes on and comes off easily and can get tossed into the wash. I figure we probably need 6-10 each in three sizes from size 0-3 through 12 months.

• Rompers: With or without footies, I figure these are the second most valuable player pieces of clothing in a baby wardrobe. I really like some of the ones that Jockey has designed and picked some out on the Amazon.com site. Again we'll probably need a spread of sizes from itty bitty up through a year old.

• Hats: Probably only need one or two of these per size, but it can get cold in winter even in California and Munchkin will be 6 months old to a year through the Fall and Winter of 2002. I like the kind that fit pretty closely or that tie on so they're harder for baby to rip off in a fit of pique.

• Socks and booties: I love baby socks. They're just the cutest little things. Any colors but orange and hot pink in many sizes more than welcome.

• Sweaters and button up tops: Early on, we'll probably only need a few of these, for variety and for keeping warm as it gets a little bit chillier. As munchkin grows and we go to visit the Grandparents in the colder part of the country, we'll probably need a good set of shirts and cotton sweaters to keep Munchkin warm and looking adorable in.

• Diapers: 100% cotton, absorbent, cloth diapers, with velcro tabs or pins and rubber pull-up pants. I'm trying to avoid disposables as much as possible unless we're traveling. For organics, try Many Moons or GladRags. I'd love some lengths of the organic cotton for sale at Many Moons too to make some additional clothing pieces for Munchkin by hand.

• Shoes: I love baby sneakers. I'm particularly fond of the gear at Baby Gap in terms of footwear. Once Munchkin gets beyond booties, I'd really love to get a little pair of those sneaks.

• Pants and leggings: Need a couple of pairs of these in a variety of sizes to go with the sweaters and tops. Leggings are nice because they're very interchangeable with other things.

• Crib sheets: Our bed set theme is a sun, moon and stars theme, in navy, gold and white. It's called "Twilight" and is by a company called PatchKraft. I've also registered for some things at Pottery Barn in a similar theme that are somewhat cheaper than the PatchKraft items but still look nice and will coordinate with the blue/white/gold color scheme.

• Baby monitor: Everyone needs one of these for nap times. I'd like one of the ones with a tv screen, but they're kind of expensive, so a regular old sound kind is fine too.

• Feeding Gear: We need bottles, plastic baby cups, bowls and plates and bibs, of course. Have fun with the bibs, there's lots of cute and quirky ones out there.

• Sleeping Gear: Thank you Edward and Sheryll for getting us an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper! We appreciate it very much especially for the early months when we really want to keep Munchkin close at night to maximize our potential to rest.

• Bath Gear: Thank you Roni for the baby tub:) Munchkin'll be all safe for baths now since our claw foot is so deep and none of our sinks are really suited for bathing babies.

• Blankies and Burpies: Thank you Cindy for making all the lovely moon and stars burpies and matching blankets. Also thank you to Florence for the receiving blankets!

• Binkies: Also known as pacifiers. A couple of these will no doubt be de rigeur as time goes on.

• Childproofing: One of those home childproofing kits would be great, to include outlet protectors, table corner softeners and cabinet door latches.

• Catproofing: We could also really use something like this to spread over the crib to keep cat hair and felines out of the crib. We've already barred the cats from the bedroom, but I'd like to have some kind of protective net or something to pull down just in case.

• Changing table: Either a full-blown table or a small dresser would be fine. Either must have drawers as the open sided variety simply will not work in a house full of cats.

• Books: The Tall Book of Make-Believe, by Jane Werner, Garth Williams
  Mom, is our copy of this still in one piece? If not, I'm crossing my fingers that it's been reprinted. I can't imagine not singing the "Zoon, zoon" song to Munchkin the way Dad did to me.

• Toys: We'd like to stick to simple things as much as possible, stuffed animals, puzzles, games, things that will be entertaining and stimulating for Munchkin at various stages of development. Thank you to Cat, Tom, Ted and Florence for the teddy bears, squeeze toys and mobile.

Mama Gear

• Digital Camera: For all those cute pictures you know I'm going to be posting here.

• Maternity Clothes: I didn't wind up needing any maternity-wear since I lost so much weight during the first trimester. I've started a wishlist at MotherWear though for nursing-friendly clothing. A few shirts, maybe a dress, would be nice. Click on the link to "Find a friend's wish list" then put in my email address: owl@littleowl.com to view.

• Breast Pump: I'm going to breastfeed and once my maternity leave is over I'm going to have to head back to work, so one of these is a necessity for keeping Munchkin happily fed.

• Relaxation: If anyone is inclined to get me a spa day with a masseuse, I will you kiss you. I'm more tense than a laundry pole.

• Rocking Chair: Thank you Tina for the glider and ottoman.:) Our backs will thank you when Munchkin is having bad nights.