Things You Must Get For Your Nerdlings

Do you have a nerdling and/or have friends who have nerdling(s)? Does your nerdling live in the vicinity of Nerdvale, Nerdain View, Nerdo Alto, Nerdotino? Is he/her going to be surrounded by other nerdlings in a highly competitive school and fear that he/she will not be able to out-nerd his/her schoolmates? Fear not! Here are some must buy items if you want your kid(s) to grow up to be well adjusted and successful nerdling(s)!

1) Hi-tech ABC Poster.

 A is for Apple. B is for Blogger. C is for Cisco. I originally made this for a friend of mine who moved to the Bay Area, now I will donate to the public for free! I printed this on a 16x20 poster at Costco, it is pretty cheap to print there and the postboard is professional grade. FREE download the high-res file (2MB) and print it. There's also a 8MB version if you can handle it. Your nerdling will love it!

   

2) Star Trek book of opposites. 

Remember those Happy<->Angry, Empty<->Full books you read as a toddler? Now it is available in Star Trek edition! Get it now!

Available from Amazon.com.

3) Input Output baby shirt.

You can get it from ThinkGeek.

4) The book of Ping. 

As well educated nerds, we all know that it is really the story about the network stack/TCP/UDP/IP. This is a must have item! Here is a review from one of the online reviewers: "Using deft allegory, the authors have provided an insightful and intuitive explanation of one of Unix's most venerable networking utilities. Even more stunning is that they were clearly working with a very early beta of the program, as their book first appeared in 1933, years (decades!) before the operating system and network infrastructure were finalized. The book describes networking in terms even a child could understand, choosing to anthropomorphize the underlying packet structure. The ping packet is described as a duck, who, with other packets (more ducks), spends a certain period of time on the host machine (the wise-eyed boat). At the same time each day (I suspect this is scheduled under cron), the little packets (ducks) exit the host (boat) by way of a bridge (a bridge). From the bridge, the packets travel onto the internet (here embodied by the Yangtze River)."  Buy your copy now!

Buy your copy now!

5) Nerd rubber ducks. 

Cute!!! Your baby will have lots of fun with it in the shower!

Get it from Amazon.com.

Did I miss any other must buy item for your nerdlings? Please let me know.

Things you didn't know you need - Part II

Before buying anything, throw baby showers, lots of it. Chances are, your friends (many are existing parents) already know to get you important items you didn't know you need. It's that simple. Now, on to Part II of "Things you didn't know you need" for newbie parents.

Keyless entry cars. When you have a baby, you will constantly be moving in/out of the car and moving the stroller, carrier, bags, and all the stuff left and right. It is very inconvenient trying to find a key/remote in your purse and wallet. However having a keyless entry car where you can open doors using your bare hands makes your zombie life (from lack of sleep) 10X easier. Just make sure to tell your parents that you need a new car before throwing your baby shower.

(Another one that will make your life 10X easier for city folks: living on the first floor and make sure you have at least 2 bedrooms with in-unit washer/dryer. Living on the first floor will make your life easier because you will be carrying your baby and purchasing tons and tons of stuff (diapers, formula, calming toys, rocker, etc) in and out of the car almost every day. Having 2 bedrooms, well, this one is obvious. One of you needs to sleep through the night so he/she can go to work right?)

Medela Freestyle Breast Pump

This is the most compact and portable pump out there today. We've looked at many different pumps and this is the top of the line. The older pump (Pump In Style) is really out of style as it is heavy and big. When you hold the FreeStyle, you'll be surprised at how light it is. Give the gift of freedom. Give Freestyle. It is the best.

Bright Starts Comfort and Harmony Portable Swing, Biscotti Baby

In the old days, people lived in close quarters with other family members. When the baby starts crying, people played "hot-potatoes" and passed the baby from one person to another. Come 21st century and gone are the days of living with other family members. Modern parents have no one else to rely on except themselves (and technology).

This particular swing is very very compact, making it very handy as a carry-along-swing or a secondary (backup) swing. We love it. It's cheap. Give the gift of portable baby swing. Give the gift of giving a new couple some break that they dearly need. Give the gift of the portable swing.

Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile

Babies need attention, lots and lots and lots. Keep your baby occupied with the mobile. It'll buy you a little bit of time (to go to restroom or take quick 1-2 min cat-naps). Get it. Every minute of rest you can get is a pound of gold, and this mobile is worth every penny.

Lutron TT-300H-WH Electronics Plug-In Lamp Dimmer, White
This is my favorite and the most over-looked item. A baby starts to distinguish light/darkness by 3-6 months. This is the right time to regulate his/her sleep schedule using light/darkness. The earlier you start sleep training, the earlier the baby learns that darkness=rest, and light=wake. This means MORE REST for you in the future.

This dimmer is a perfect tool to use at night when you breastfeed (but don't want to wake up your baby), or need to turn the light down to calm down the baby before he/she sleep. This dimmer is CHEAP and worth every penny.

Baby Einstein Caterpillar and Friends Play Gym

At about 2-4 months you'll need to put the baby down (belly on floor) to build his/her neck muscle for a few minutes at a time. This is a really really great exerciser and mind stimulator.

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Whale of a Tub

Well, this is just nice to have. By about 4-6 months the baby will have enough muscle to sit, and that is when you can safely put him/her in the water.

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo

By about 5-7 months or so, your baby will know how to play the jumper. My baby could be here for 30 minutes or so. These are really really really precious 30 minutes that you can use to nap (and every minute of rest you can get seems like a pound of gold!!!)

Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether
Your baby will start teething between 6-12 months. He/she will cry frequently because teething hurts! This is a really great teether, superior to the other cheap Made In China teethers.

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Sky Blue High Chair
By 6-12 months you should be able to sit your baby on the chair and start training how to eat.

Dreambaby F160W Swing Close Gate with F159W Extensions, White
By about 8-15 months, you'll need a gate. The baby/toddler is curious and will try to go everywhere. We've looked at MANY gates. This gate is better -- it opens both ways, and it requires a special way to open that toddlers have problems with (but easy for adults to open). The other brands suck because they're too easy to open by toddlers, and/or only opens one way.

Vital Baby Unbelievabowl Set, Blue
By 8-15 months your baby is curious and wants to play with food. Food training is difficult because of all the mess a baby makes. This unbelievable bowl sucks to the surface very very well. We've tried other brands with cheap suction cups, but this one has a very specially engineered suction base, making it impossible for a normal baby to grab and toss the bowl. This bowl is truly unbelievable. It is cheap, and worth every penny.

That's it for now! Next post: Completely useless things you don't need.

Things you didn't know you need

These items were lifesavers for us:

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Newborn Starter Set
If you're a hardcore "breastfeed only, nature is best" nazi, skip this section. Otherwise, if you're like most modern working people who don't have infinite time and energy, then you're probably going to (at some point in your baby's life) bottlefeed your baby. In my opinion, there's nothing better than a set of bottles where the nipples actually mimic the natural breast. By using Tommee Tippee, our baby never had "nipple confusion" and could switch back and forth easily. Highly recommended.

Zojirushi Tuff Slim 17-Ounce Stainless-Steel Vacuum Bottle

If you happen to have the world's most perfect baby (<1%) then skip this section. But if you happen to have a normal baby that is picky about the temperature of the milk (fresh 98.7F), then this is for you.

Normally a new baby will wake up every 2-3 hours (around the clock) and by the time you're done heating up the water/milk, the baby is furious and screaming for milk. By pre-mixing the right temperatures, you can just pour water straight to the bottle without having to worry about temperature. This is a time and scream and stress saver. Must have. Get the best. Zojirushi vacuum insulated ones are the top of the line. Tiger brands (Korea) are decent too. American brands just don't cut it (most don't give you the exact temperature retention ratings).

Munchkin Formula Mixer, Colors May Vary
Have you even spent over a minute mixing the formula and still see clumps on the bottom? Have you ever endure your baby's screaming cry for milk while you shake shake shake shake shake the bottle and yet it's still not read? You must get this mixer. In 10 seconds, the milk is ready. Scream and stress no more.

HDE Temperature Gun Infrared Thermometer w/ Laser Sight

and the

MicroTemp MT-100 Digital Infrared Thermometer

I don't need to say how great it is. You already know how great it is. You can use it to measure the temperature of the milk (INSTANTLY) and approximately whether he/she is having a fever. You can use it to measure the temperature on the floor (ambient temperature) and temperature outside. This device is amazing. It is not as accurate as basal or armpit methods (to the closest 1 degree), but it is FAST, and accurate enough. Just get it.

Summer Infant 2 Pack Cotton Knit Swaddleme, Green/White

An infant has no hand-eye coordination. He will sleep, wave the arms randomly and hits himself and starts crying furiously. Why torture your baby when you can give him a sense of peace and tranquility with the swaddle? Please swaddle your baby so that he will sleep better. No, swaddle him/her so the entire family can live in peace. Just get it.

P.S. Please spare me the "I want to give my baby freedom! Swaddling looks so cruel!" and go take a parenting class before lecturing me about how evil it is to swaddle children.

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 8 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries

You'll notice that baby toys use batteries. Lots and lots and lots of batteries. Get the rechargeable ones, they're worth it in the long run.

La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger

You'll need a great battery charger with the expensive Eneloop batteries. These are amazing. They will tell you how much charge you've used, voltage, refresh (memory effect), so on so forth. Just get it.