I say get a excersaucer. The baby loves it and when it starts holding its head up, its the prefcet thing to have when you have to make supper, wanna take a shower or just relax on the couch. They are safe and the toys on them keep the baby busy. My son was in it from 5 months until 8. Also get a jumperoo when its old enough for that. Kids LOVE to jump. Sometimes though you might be mistaken for the jumperoo and they will start jumping on you!
My husband and his first wife lost a child. Taryn was only 3 months old when God took her, she had a lot of health problems. So my husband is really nervous about this one. He doesn't want him to sleep in his own room at night so we are going to get a basinet to put beside the bed, but I did found this wonderful gadget that we can put in the basinet or the crib.....It's a monitor that actually monitors the babies movements encluding the chest rising or falling when the child breaths. If the baby doesn't move for 20 seconds then an alarm goes off to let you know that something isn't right. I found it on Target.com and its about $100.00 but its worth the price for securlity!
I wasn't so worried about those things with my son so I didn't know that something like this exsisted!
the only thing i know that you HAVE to have is a carseat lol... i'd also say clothes... bottles.... toys.... stroller.... a crib/bassinet/cradle (somewhere for baby to sleep)... a monitor... blankets... DIAPERS and WIPES! lol um, those are the "must haves" but i'm not really sure yet, this is my first! and i can live off what we have so far... cept we need a carseat right now... the hospitals wont let you leave with out one!
I decided not to get a wipes warmer and one was given to me - I still dont intend on using it. I think it is unnecessary. The wipes are more likely to dry out, and if the baby gets used to the warm wipes s/he may be fussy when you have no choice but to use a "cold" one. Save the money, hold the wipe in your hand for a few seconds to warm it up before wiping baby with it. Just my opinion though.
I have worked with kids for 2 years, and with infants, a swing was a life saver! I also suggest getting stuff that will grow with your baby! Buying everything separate costs a lot more money!