Things to have at grandma's house

spano41

This is my mom's first grandchild so she doesn't have any baby stuff for visits.  We visit about 3-4 times a year, sometimes drive but usually fly.  I'm just wondering what you would suggest she have at her house that would make it easier so we don't have to travel with everything every time we visit.  She will probably have more grand children in the future so we would be fine investing in a few things, also, storage is not an issue.

KatieKim0815

I usually bring everything with me. A pack in play is really all she needs. The only thing the grandparents keep at their houses are a little basket of toys for the boys.

spano41

toothpastechica said:

I think I would be prepared to take everything baby needs with me to grandparents house, and not ask them to buy/keep anything if they don't suggest it. If she asks what she can buy to keep there to make it easier I would say a playpen and highchair (can just be one of those little seat ones that attaches to a chair).

That said, my MIL already bough a playpen to use for naps, etc at her house, and my mom has everything because of having custody of one of my nephews for a while...so she has a crib, high chair, toys, baby gates, all her furniture is babyproofed etc.

 

Oh she wants to buy baby stuff.  The lady is going baby crazy....she is already planning the kids first trip to Disneyland haha!  Believe me, I'm not trying to inconvenience her.  She has a 4,000sq ft house plus a 2 car garage for just her.  She has 5 bed rooms so she is going to turn one of the guest rooms into a nursery whether I like it or not.

EDT: when I say nursery....I mean a guest room with crib type thing.....not a room exclusively for the baby.

WhiMiMa

My mother has a pack n play, blankets, high chair seat, baby wash, towels, wash clothes, books, and a few toys. Diaper and wipes, you go through more than you expect!

We visit almost every other month (she's 500 miles away). She also has a lightweight umbrella stroller, but I prefer mine, so I usually bring mine.

ksr53777

All of our grandparents bought a crib for their house, which was so wonderful!  It doesn't have to be anything expensive, one from Walmart is fine.  My babies hated sleeping in a pack and play and the crib was a lifesaver.  They also all had a highchair eventually, as well as an exersaucer and other little toys.  I would have never asked them to buy these things, they just did it.  Other than the crib, the other items can be picked up for very little money at yard sales, consignment shops etc.  Oh, also eventually they all had some plastic cups and bowls, a few sippy cups just in case - things like that were helpful.  It was so nice to get somewhere after a 4 hour drive and know we didn't have to do a lot of set up just so we could sleep that night

Rrrrrachel

My in laws are a plane flight away and they borrow the big stuff when we visit. They have a little stash of toys and that's about it.

AcaAwkward

If y'all visit for extended periods of time and especially since you plan on having more kids, a crib would be really great to have. A PNP would also be fine too, but since you said she has the space and is willing to buy things, a crib would awesome - my DD sleeps so much better in a crib than a PNP. Inexpensive ones are available at Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco, IKEA, etc. A high chair would also be great - a booster that attaches to a regular chair with a tray or one that clips on to a breakfast bar or table (the Phil & Ted Lobster is great) is all she needs.

Other than that, my parents usually pick up a lack of diapers / wipes before we visit so we don't have to haul those or we just pop up to Target and buy them ourselves upon arrival. They also keep a few toys and books at their house.

ksulli

My parents are 5hours away. They have a PnP, stroller, high chair, infant tub, and some toys. It makes it SO easy. She got it all at a school fundraiser where moms bring their old stuff to sell & benefit the school, so it's all used, but in great shape, and was really cheap.

snowbound

I'm currently living with with my MIL and plan to leave behind the PNP when DH gets home. I can't see why she would need anything else? I feel like babies just need the basics which are easy to travel with. I guess the only exception would be a car seat if you plan to visit often and aren't driving. I assume grandmas house will "accidentally" accumulate stuff over time so having stuff shouldn't be an issue over time and as the children age.

summershanty

My mom started with a folding portable crib when I had her first grandchild (I think by Dream on Me - she got it off Amazon), and then when my sister had a baby, she got a full size folding crib by the same company.  She loves both of them so definitely worth getting (and she gt mattresses for them too).  She also got a swing (a less expensive one than a snugabunny), a PNP for the downstairs, a monitor, a stroller that worked with our infant seat, and a convertible car seat so they had one for an emergency if for some reason they were watching LO and I had my car with the car seat in it (although really if you take your infant seat you should be able to install it in any car without a base).  My mom tried to make it as easy as possible for us to come visit without having to bring a bunch of stuff.  And, she now has it for her 2nd grand kid and the third one on the way!

Cribs:
Full Size Folding:
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-On-Me-Folding-Stationary/dp/B0030E9VK8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383331177&sr=8-1&keywords=dream+on+me+folding+crib

Portable Crib Folding:
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-On-Me-Portable-Stationary/dp/B0035ER8L2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1383331177&sr=8-3&keywords=dream+on+me+folding+crib
(She did buy the 3" mattress that is suggested for it too, which is much better than what comes with it).

AcaAwkward

Ooo! My parents also had a base that matched our infant seat and now they have a convertible car seat as well. They keep DD when we go out of town some, too so they keep all the basics.

joyfullyfound

Well, a crib or pack n' play is great, as is a high chair (there's these great little ones that just strap onto a normal chair, and then pack away easily for storage).

Toys-wise, it's best to get some toys that are good for a variety of ages. A big set of wooden blocks is great, and a set of megablocks, etc. Something that an infant could suck on, but that an 8 year old would still enjoy. A variety of plastic animals would be good too, and any little people sets (like the farm yard, school bus, etc). A rubber ball or two. Some toy cars. Oh, and some books. 

Tell your mom to keep an eye on her local buy & sell website. She can pick up some near new stuff for a 1/4 of the price. 

jenskurn

Both set of DD's grandparents live within 10 minutes of us.  LO goes to my parents every Friday night for a sleepover (yes, DH and I are incredibly lucky).  They have everything there.  The spare room is "Lily's room" and has toys, a pack n play, clothes, diapers, etc.  Most of the stuff came from yard sales and didn't cost much at all.  My in laws have nothing and not to sound like a brat but it is a pain in the a** to have to bring that stuff every Sunday when we go to dinner.  I would say at the very least a pack-n-play and a high chair.  LO will use those for multiple visits and they aren't easy to travel with.  I would advise against diapers.  Kids grow so fast that she will most likely be in a different size every time you come.

tidymonster

We usually brought what we needed when the kids were babies, but my mom bought booster seats to attach to a dining chair when we visited once. I'm not gonna lie; it was a hassle packing the entire house, driving 6+ hours, and then trying to make our stuff fit in their house after we'd been driving all the livelong day...

If I were to do it all over again (haha! That's what I'm doing now with #3!), I'd buy each set of grandparents a PNP from once upon a child or something, a high chair seat that attaches to a regular chair, and (if any long visits were planned pre-sitting up days), a cheap tub. They both have toys already for all ranges of ages, so that's not a problem. We also used to take our travel swing. Best investment ever.

Even though both sets live 500+ miles away, they each have their own set of car seats, too, to stave off moving those giant suckers from car to car when the kids want to ride with Granny & Papa.

spano41

summershanty said:

My mom started with a folding portable crib when I had her first grandchild (I think by Dream on Me - she got it off Amazon), and then when my sister had a baby, she got a full size folding crib by the same company.  She loves both of them so definitely worth getting (and she gt mattresses for them too).  She also got a swing (a less expensive one than a snugabunny), a PNP for the downstairs, a monitor, a stroller that worked with our infant seat, and a convertible car seat so they had one for an emergency if for some reason they were watching LO and I ahd my car with the carseat in it (although really if you take your infant seat you should be able to install it in any car without a base).  My mom tried to make it as easy as possible for us to come visit without having to bring a bunch of stuff.  And, she now has it for her 2nd grandkid and the third one on the way!

ooohh....folding crib.  That would probably be good.  It would probably be easy to move so we could sleep in which ever guest room we wanted or she could have it near her room if she was alone with LO.  I think my mom is trying to make it as easy to visit as possible too.  So I can say, hm....I have no plans this weekend, I'm going to hop on a plane and go to grandma's house.  At least that's what she hopes will happen.  She also has dreams of watching LO while we go vacation somewhere even though we spend all of our vacation time visiting her or other family. 

momofmanyinthemitten

PnP w/sheets, booster seat with tray, books, a few toys, stroller

RedDawnsRevenge

We have a pack and play at my parents house and a sack of toys, that's all