Dr. Carole Keim talks about baby furniture in today’s episode. She summarizes the furniture needed for your baby as a place for your baby to sleep, a place to set your baby down in each room, some stuff to care for your baby’s everyday needs, stuff for travel, and some babyproofing items. But there are so many things on the market, how can you know what’s useful and what isn’t? That’s what this episode is about.

Dr. Keim talks about cribs and how 3-in-1 cribs are very useful but for the first 12 months of life, you don’t need that crib. You need a bassinet. So you can wait to buy the crib. She talks about what travel bassinets to invest in, what crib sheets work best, and even what kind of light works best in your baby’s room. For every one of your baby’s needs, Dr. Keim sorts through the furniture you need and when you actually need it, advising on what things can wait and what things aren’t even important. This guide will ensure you get the most useful things first and help you sort through all the furniture on offer.

In this episode:

Newborn sleep

• crib
• bassinet
• travel bassinet
• sheets
• Don’t get: any mesh for the crib, bumpers, pillows, blankets, white noise machine, blackout curtains, music for baby to fall asleep to, anything that hangs over the crib 

Furniture parents will use

• glider
• Boppy nursing pillow / nursing pillow
• changing table
• baby monitor - video type / walkie-talkie type
• Don’t get: baby bathtub, mobile

Places for baby to sit

• mamaroo
• baby swing
• bouncy chair
• exersaucer
• johnny jumpup
• bumbo seat
• Don’t get: activity mat, baby loungers that are a round or u-shaped pillow (suffocation risk), don’t leave babies unattended in any of these 

Travel

• playpen 
• portable seat with tray for feeding
• muslin baby blankets
• Baby carriers - ring sling / clip carrier
• Portable changing pad
• Don’t get: playpen with bassinet 

Babyproofing items

• outlet covers
• wall anchors
• baby gates - stairs and pools
• table corners
• other items - cabinet locks, doorknob covers, toilet seat locks
• Don’t get: those backpack things with a pillow behind their head for in case they fall backwards 

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Dr. Keim has extensively researched the information presented in this episode. She is pulling on the knowledge of hundreds of thousands of new parents, other pediatricians, doctor moms, the Academy of Pediatrics, and breaking pediatrics news sites. Her insight and knowledge on alternative and holistic treatments can be found in her book Holistic Mamas Handbook, and her first book, The Baby Manual, covers year one of a baby’s life. Follow Dr. Carole Keim on her TikTok and YouTube channels for additional tips and advice on babies and toddlers.   

Resources discussed in this episode:

• The Holistic Mamas Handbook is available on Amazon
• The Baby Manual is also available on Amazon

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Dr. Carole Keim MD: linktree | tiktok | instagram