Baby Gear
asm07
member
My husband and I are expecting our first baby and have started looking into all the baby gear we'll want/need. After many trips to Babies R' Us and a few other places, we've narrowed down our options a bit, but we're still unsure of a few things. I've also worked with children for many years, so I have an idea of what brands I really like. Price and space aren't an issue, we just want to be sure we have something that is sturdy and will last through a few children down the road. Thanks in advance for your help! (And sorry this is so long!!!)
Pack n' Play:
We really love the Chicco Lullaby Magic Play Yard-Rattania (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12319168). We plan on using it in our living room for diaper changes/naps. My husband liked how sturdy it seems, especially the changing table. I like the color/look and functionality. I've read that it can be heavy to tote around, but we're not too worried about that. The other option is the Graco PNP Newborn Napper Station LX-Caraway (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15262786). A friend of mine recommended it to me, but we're not sure if we need the napper, since we're also planning on getting a swing/bouncer for the living room.
Glider/Swing:
The next thing we can't decide on is the swing/bouncer/glider. I've read a lot of great things about the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny/Snugamonkey swing and bouncer.(https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4360510&prodFindSrc=search) But we're also debating on the Graco 2-in-1 Glider Elite Swing.(https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=17197676&prodFindSrc=search) It's a glider, but the seat also serves as a bouncer. There are more reviews for the Snugabunny than for the glider, and I've read a few things about the glider not working very well once the baby gets a little bigger. Then we also wondered whether it's worth it to buy the glider for our second floor and have the snugabunny swing/bouncer for downstairs. Thoughts?
Bassinet/Co-sleeper:
Since I plan on breastfeeding, we'd like to have the baby sleep in our room for the first few months. We've been looking at the Arm's Reach mini co-sleeper (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=21910606&prodFindSrc=search) or a smaller Graco PNP (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13069717). We have a very tall bed, so from our measurements the PNP will come right up to the top of the mattress. We also weren't planning on attaching the co-sleeper to our bed, which makes us wonder if it's worth the extra $$. But then we don't want it to be over kill with two PNP.
FINALLY comes the stroller. We definitely want a Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat and plan on getting a Chicco Liteway Plus (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15854036) (Instead of a caddy) to keep in the car for shopping, quick trips, etc. What we can't decide on is whether we want to get a Chicco Cortina Stroller (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3155364&prodFindSrc=search) to go with it (I'm thinking the cubes pattern/color will go best with the Pulse Carseat?!) or a Baby Jogger City Mini GT.(https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12546357) I don't see us using the car seat with the BJ (Since I know it needs an attachment, plus we'll have the liteway.) But I have heard a few things about issues with it tipping over, the front wheel locking, and the seat not sitting up enough for the baby to sit forward as much as he/she would like. We live in the north east, so we'd like a sturdy stroller that works on all terrains in all kinds of weather. (We do plan on trying for more kids within a couple years, but since I had to do IVF to get pregnant, it's hard to say how long it will take. So if we end up needing a double stroller, we'll just buy another one.)
Also, is it important that all of the gear (PNP, Swing, high chair, carseat, stroller, etc) match? The play yard/high chair/swing we like all have the browns/greens/blues that go with our living room area, but I wasn't sure if the red car seat/stroller is too much. Yes, I know the baby won't care whether it matches, but I'm very OCD! :-)
Again, sorry this is so long. I'm sure I've over thinking this as a FTM, but I and just want to be sure we like everything we get! Thanks!!
Re: Baby Gear
PNPs - We had the Graco & love it. I haven't tried the Chicco, but have heard that most people who have it love it. It just depends on whether you want to spend the extra money for it or not. FWIW the Graco is plenty sturdy, but I do get what you mean about the Chicco being sturdier.
Swings/Glider - We had a Graco swing (although not the one you're looking at) with my oldest son and the Snugabunny with DS2. I hated the Graco, but love the Snugabunny. Snugabunny swings both front to back & side to side. It is plenty strong, so strong in fact that we had to slow it down by letting a blanket drag the first month or so since LO was so light. I don't think you'd regret getting it.
Bassinet/Co-sleeper - we started out with a FP Rock -n-Play when I was BF'ing. I loved it, but we didn't really plan for it to be a longer term bed for LO. We were thinking a few weeks max. Once it was clear that LO and I both wanted him by my bedside a bit longer, we shopped for a bassinet/co-sleeper. We read a ton of reviews and decided on the Arms Reach & bought it. It was easy to set up & very sturdy. But....LO wouldn't sleep in it. He wanted the incline of the RNP. So, we returned the sleeper & stuck with the RNP until 4 months when we transitioned to the crib.
I decided on the Chicco play yard over the Graco because I looked at both in the store and the Chicco seemed much sturdier. The Graco I considered had the napper and changing table where you press a button to flip it over and that mechanism seemed really flimsy. Also the changing table on the Graco was spot clean only and had fabric on it. After a couple of blow outs from my baby, I was pretty grateful that the Chicco changing table just wiped off. Now, I do use the Chicco play yard as a crib substitute in our bedroom since his nursery is upstairs and my room is downstairs so I didn't mind paying more for it. If you are planning to use the pack n play just as something to travel with, then you might be able to get away with something cheaper. Oh and not having the Graco napper was not a big deal because the Chicco has a bassinet.
I'm not familiar with the glider you mentioned but we have the Snugabunny swing. My baby slept in it/used it for maybe 3 months. He wasn’t a big fan of it after that. With swings/bouncers etc, keep the receipt just in case your baby isn’t a fan, then you can return it for something else.
I did look into the Arm’s Reach co-sleeper but the deal breaker for me was that it attaches to the side of the bed so to get out of bed, you need to move down before you can swing your legs to the floor. We just used the pack n play in my room and I got out of bed to nurse him in the middle of the night. Even with a c-section, this wasn’t a big deal but I also fall asleep pretty easily so had no problems falling asleep after getting up to nurse. I know a lot of people love the Rock N Play as somewhere for the baby to sleep in their room but I didn’t get one because I read reviews that it could cause a flat head (which several people dispute but I didn’t want to take a chance) and I did not want my baby to get used to sleeping on a recline. If he had reflux (which he didn’t), I might have gotten a RNP after he was born.
Strollers are tough. I got the Chicco Caddy (but I don’t think the Liteway was available when I had my baby last year) and it was a great option since I had a c-section and couldn’t lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for the first 6 weeks. I debated between the BJ City Mini with adapter bar or the Caddy and chose the Caddy because there were a lot of complaints about the adaptor bar for the Chicco keyfit (I think BJ released a new bar since then) and the price was somewhat comparable. I also wanted to delay on buying the City Mini in case the 2012 model went on sale when then 2013 model came out (which didn’t happen but I didn’t know that a year ago. J)
I didn’t care about matchy matchy but I’m also the sort who wouldn’t care about making sure all my luggage matches when I travel. J
Congratulations on your pregnancy – IVF is tough and I’m glad that you were successful!
Disclaimer – these are all my personal opinions based on the research I did.
I can offer insights into two of your potential choices.
We used the Arms Reach Mini Co-sleeper. We used it like a bassinet and didn't attach it to the bed either. I liked it a lot for two reasons - its size (we had a separate PNP in our family room and didn't want a large PNP in our bedroom) and I liked that it allowed DS to sleep on a flat surface. We had no issues at all transitioning him to his crib since he was used to sleeping flat (thankfully he didn't have any reflux issues that could have made sleeping flat a challenge).
We have the CM GT. I love this stroller for many reasons - it's fairly lightweight, super easy to fold, so smooth to push, great for walks in our neighborhood (to inlcude over grass and gravel) and small enough that it's easy to maneuver around the mall, Target, a museum, etc. We've never had a mechanical problem with it - such as the wheel locking up. But, you've actually touched upon the two challenges I find with it.
1) We did use the attachment for the carseat and, in retrospect, while it wasn't dangerous because the carseat was strapped on to it, we definitely felt like we had to be very careful going around corners because it felt top heavy. If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought a snap n go for those early months before we felt comfortable placing DS directly in the stroller.
2) A little while ago, I started to feel like DS was slumping over all the time in the seat and was not able to sit up straight enough. I though I might want to get another stroller for times when maybe he would want to sit up to see better. I'm glad we didn't make that investment. Three months later, DS is able to hold himself more straight when he wants to and then kicks back when he's done.
Forgot to mention that the front wheel locking is a common issue with the GT and if you keep the receipt when you buy it, you shouldn't have any issues getting a replacement wheel from Baby Jogger.
Incidentally this is the stroller I ended up getting but haven't used yet since my baby is still is his car seat and we just use the Chicco Caddy. I love the Caddy since it is so light weight and will probably hate the weight of the full size stroller once I have to start using it.