oh my goodness i'm actually making progress on baby gear decisions! i never thought this day would come! laugh all you want, but i've been so stressed out (i blame it on pregnancy screwing up my head) about stupid stuff like carseats, strollers, baby carriers, cribs, etc. well, i've actually been able to make decisions about some things AND feel peace about it! oh my goodness, my honey would be so embarrassed if he knew i was writing about this... mr. doesn't get stressed or think twice about anything and just always happens to make the right decision and never look back (i'm too lazy to insert all those hyphens). anyways, to all four or so readers i have out there, what baby things do you recommend or not recommend?!?! or what features of things have you found to be especially essential?
ps- i just started reading the help. i'm loving it.
6 comments:
go with simplicity!! most everything tries to have all the bells and whistles and the more basic i can get something the more benjamin likes it! plus it's a lot cheaper!! forgo the travel system...and get a nice umbrella stroller!!! she won't need much as a baby and then let her play with other people's stuff and see what she likes before you start buying things!! we just bought a second jumperoo thing because he hated the one we thought he should have!
Amen to the above. We went a year and a half without a rocking chair -- too expensive -- until we found one super cheap at Costco. Really, a steal at $150 with ottoman. Now, we don't know how we lived without it. So, keep your radar on, but don't spend a ton of money for it -- Craigslist has great deals.
I am selling two old strollers -- a Graco Metrolite that works as a travel system with a Graco stroller and a Baby Jogger, a very simple jogger. $20 and $30 respectively, if you're interested. We got a BOB Revolution from a friend for super cheap and are downgrading.
Oh, and this is Emmy's old roommate, Jen, by the way . :) So excited for you to be a mommie Carrie!!
If you don't mind the emails, sign up for as many baby things as you can and you'll get a ton of free samples and coupons. (Huggies.com, pampers, gerber, beechnut, parents.com, babycenter.com) and any others!
I love the velcro swaddlers--they helped me not worry as much about SIDS and having blankets in the crib.
I love my boppy!
Lucy slept in her carseat for the first few months so don't stress about a crib or anything! :)
We love our Chicco carseat/stroller travel system
Not sure if you already have a baby bathtub, but we had one, but also had one of those sponges that she can lay in so it's much more comfy and now she uses the sponge in the real tub. (you can get them at target)
I still don't have a diaper bag (I'm using the free enfamil one), but i'm on the look out for a good one, but I just can't decide. All I know is that it needs to be big!
Make sure you have headbands--you gotta make sure she is girly!!
Lucy never really liked the baby swing although we didn't get one until she was a little older because I thought we could get by with just the bouncer. So you never know what they'll like.
I know those slings are popular, but I borrow one from a friend and could never get it to work right. So I'm not a fan. but the baby bjorn is great--they are pricey, but you can almost always find them cheaper online or at a garage sale.
I love my nursing cover--I use it ALL the time!
Don't buy too many bottles because you may need to try out different ones and don't wait to long to give her one. We gave Lucy one at around 6 weeks and she took it no problem and went right back to nursing, but I didn't keep up the bottle thing, so now she won't take one at all. So it's good to at least give them 1 bottle feeding a day i think.
And look for the big ticket items on craigslist--that's where we got our crib and we love it!
This is getting too long, if I think of anything else I'll let you know, but we are so excited for you!! Call me with any questions!
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I do agree with sticking with more basic items. However, I also firmly believe in "investing" in a few key items since you will be using them for more than 1 kid (assuming you want more than 1). And alot depends on your space-available. We used a pack-n-play (I would recommend buying the cheapest one new, you never know what sickness someone's kid had in their bed) in our room for the first 4 months. Then transistioned her to her own crib/room. But if that's not an option no big deal. A good set of monitors are nice. We have the $70 ones from Target by Sony I think...they're fine. A good fan is nice to block out the weird little noises the baby makes as they sleep and makes nice white noise for them (think dark swishy noised womb!) so they sleep better. I didn't use my Boppy much at all, but a Baby Bjorn is priceless (and again new cuz they slobber all over them). I don't get much into the travel systems...expensive, cumbersome. I do recommend a good infant carrier car seat with a click-n-go stroller for it. I liked the baby trend ones they were relatively cheap, the handle is nice for switching arms. and they're light. We found our click in stroller for $10 on criagslist or a consignment store. PS the base comes with the seat...you don't need to buy it separately. http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Single-Snap-Stroller/dp/B000BMKEVC/ref=pd_sim_ba_3
lots of pacifier clippy things! they're good for clipping on all kinds of things...burp cloths, toys, etc.
as for diaper bags I like my Skip-Hop Dash. It has little clips to clip it on a stroller handle...nice. I bought an umbrella stroller (Maclaren) for post infant carrier stage and like it. It's easy to open and close and light. I found it at TJ Maxx for about $60 less than I would normally pay...look at consignment or Criagslist. Bathtub...I liked out First Years Sure COmfort it had a sling in it to hold her. You also need need need a Little Munchkin temperature duck. Saves you from worrying if you're scalding your kid. http://www.target.com/First-Years-Comfort-Newborn-Toddler/dp/B000067EH7/ref=br_1_4?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&qid=1276534678&searchView=grid5&sr=1-4&node=13866681&searchRank=pmrank&searchPage=1&rh=&searchSize=90&searchBinNameList=purchasing_channel%2Ctarget_com_category-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin
A trash can with a lid to prevent stinkiness everywhere.
A humdifier to help them not get congested and a wedge pillow (I found one at Toys R Us for $14). And a glider with an ottoman...craigslist.
If you're wanting to splurge adenandanais.com have some nice sleeping bags and swaddlers a bit expensive but they're really nice.
That's my 5cents. And a swing (craigslist) is nice to soothe them or set them down when holding them is impossible (ie when you have to use the facilities or eat).
OR a bouncer. My kid hated it but loved the swing...it's hit and miss. I found all my nursery furniture on craigslist for cheap. and yes, bottles, pacifiers and such are trial and error. Some babies have strong preferences but you won't know til she's here!
So exciting!!! Good luck! Can't wait to see pictures!!
You have to share everything you buy. I am 22 weeks and I'm already starting to get worried about what to buy and what to spend my money on. I want name brands, stores, and prices of everything you buy so I will know what to get :)
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