Team glider (actually wish I would have gotten a glider recliner). Although I like the look of a rocker I didn't want to catch a kitty tail or little finger under the rocker, also they tend to inch across the room while you are rocking. I too like the ability to swivel toward things. Also IMO rocking ottomans are hard to use especially while holding a baby and I should have went with something stationary.
@JenGrl8503 Thank you for the review! That was very useful (even for a STM)!
Team glider (actually wish I would have gotten a glider recliner). Although I like the look of a rocker I didn't want to catch a kitty tail or little finger under the rocker, also they tend to inch across the room while you are rocking. I too like the ability to swivel toward things. Also IMO rocking ottomans are hard to use especially while holding a baby and I should have went with something stationary.
@JenGrl8503 Thank you for the review! That was very useful (even for a STM)!
I also dislike rocking ottomans. I used a small footstool (I'm not the tallest person in the world) and it worked great. You need something to push off of when gliding.
Team Rocker over here! Ours is a rocker/recliner and is actually in our master bedroom now as our kids rooms are just too small for it. I also don't have a cat or dog to worry about catching under the rocker.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
*lurker* Any thoughts on the Dock A Tot? I thought it was a ridiculously priced giant boppy, but I went to a sleep training seminar yesterday and it was very highly recommended. Has anyone heard of any cheaper alternatives?
Highly monitored internet and no cell service in the office, so I'm postin' and ghostin' while I'm workin'
*lurker* Any thoughts on the Dock A Tot? I thought it was a ridiculously priced giant boppy, but I went to a sleep training seminar yesterday and it was very highly recommended. Has anyone heard of any cheaper alternatives?
We briefly talked about it here before, but not sure if it was this thread. I really kind of want one. I feel like it'd be perfect in the garden tub while I shower and while hanging out in the living room, etc. They're just so $$$.
I've had some IRL friends who swear by them. I was a rock n play lover last time but since recommendations around sleeping have changed, I need a new go to. It is expensive, but I also know it's hard to put a price on a baby sleeping. Pretty sure I'm gonna go for it! I'll let you know what I think once I do
I have two IRL friends who swear by the dock a tot. One so much that she claims she's buying me one as my baby present! Both had difficult babies who wanted to be held 24/7 and both had much better sleep once they purchased it. It seems pricey to me but I know if I'm sleep deprived I'd probably give up all the money in my account for a few extra hours!
*lurker* Any thoughts on the Dock A Tot? I thought it was a ridiculously priced giant boppy, but I went to a sleep training seminar yesterday and it was very highly recommended. Has anyone heard of any cheaper alternatives?
We briefly talked about it here before, but not sure if it was this thread. I really kind of want one. I feel like it'd be perfect in the garden tub while I shower and while hanging out in the living room, etc. They're just so $$$.
I just put baby in the bouncy seat in our bathroom. Between the shower noise and the vibrating seat baby was *almost* always quiet! Not that the Dock a Tot doesn't look awesome, but if keeping baby occupied while you shower/get ready is your main reason to get one, there are definitely other options!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
I'm really interested in the Dock-A-Tot. I don't know if I will splurge on it though. Probably not.
I figured I would post this here as a reminder that baby clothes are SO different depending on the brand you buy. This is 2.0 so I haven't been as picky about clothes this time around and everything I bought has been clearance clothes. I just have a mash up from everywhere. I was going through today counting what I had in what sizes and look and the size difference here! Both these shirts are 0-3 months. The green is from OshKosh and the tag says 9lbs-12.5lbs and the shark is Gerber and the tag says 8lbs-12lbs. Just remember this when you're shopping for clothes!
I'd probably seriously consider the Dock a Tot, but since this is our last baby I don't know if I can justify spending that money for something to be used one time rather than handed down to the next baby. Plus, is it really useful after a certain age? I think I read it's only for 0-8 months?
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
As a sleep surface, the dock-a-tot is not considered safe. The base isn't firm and the sides are like pillows. As a baby jail, go for it.
Yep, I think for nap time/supervised sleep only. My first wanted to be held for every nap, but I know with a busy toddler that's not gonna happen. I've heard it's great for tummy time too.
As a sleep surface, the dock-a-tot is not considered safe. The base isn't firm and the sides are like pillows. As a baby jail, go for it.
Another reason why there are better options and not to spend that money! I mean if you can't even safely use it as a sleep solution, then the baby jail use would definitely not last til 8 months. Both of my DDs would have crawled out of that well before 8 months!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
One thing to keep in mind when looking at sleep surfaces, if the item is labeled "bassinet" than it meets certain safe sleep guidelines. Anything labeled as a "sleeper" (ie the inclined RNP) or a "positioner" (the DAT) do not meet the guidelines.
ETA: As if parenting wasn't scary enough, positional asphyxiation can occur without any outward signs, aside from the lack of breathing. So you could be awake and in the same room as a baby that is suffocating without noticing anything.
Any opinions on high chair vs space saver or particular features that you find helpful? Do you need it to recline if you won't actually be using it for the first months?
My favorite high chair is the $20 high chair from IKEA. It's all plastic so you can hose it off if needed. And you can remove the tray so it sits at booster height up to a regular sized table. DD still uses it at 3yo sometimes.
@starphish18 we have a space saver and love it. Just think though, if you have a table that only seats 4, you basically only have a chair for 1 guest. That was nbd to us and of course eventually the baby will have a chair at the table anyway.
@starphish18 we have a space saver and I love it. Yes, we have one less chair at our table, but I just don't have the space for a separate high chair. We took the tray off once DD turned one and just pushed her up to the table. I put another one on the registry for this babe.
@starphish18 Not sure if a FTM opinion counts, but we choose the space saver. I was torn between that and a high chair, but H choose the space saver because we would be, well, saving space. We have a large dining table with 6 chairs so we aren't too concerned with loosing one. Whenever we need all the chairs, we don't have enough anyways, so now 2 people can sit at the card table instead of just 1! Also, like pp have said, once you have a kid, you pretty much loose that chair anyways when the kid is big enough to sit at the table.
That's my one reservation about DockATot. Everyone I know has used it as a sleeping surface and I'm just not sure I can get on board with it. I know it has been approved for sleep in Europe but not in the US. I'm too ignorant to understand all the nuances as to why that is - is it truly different standards or have they not applied/petitioned to the powers that be to have it "approved"? I need to do more research!
We're not too concerned about space, so I'm leaning towards a standalone high chair now for situations where we would have more people over and need the chairs. Does anyone have the Ingenuity 3-in-1? You can pop off the booster and still attach it to a chair (would be more convenient for travel), and the bottom half becomes a toddler seat. Looks like potentially a nice option.
Any opinions on high chair vs space saver or particular features that you find helpful? Do you need it to recline if you won't actually be using it for the first months?
We had a highchair journey to find the right ones (thank god I bought them used), we started with the Chicco polly ones with extra trays and I loved them but our house is just too small. Then we went to the IKEA ones, I loved that they were easy to wipe down but to snap the tray on and off was a PITA, DS also has a special need issue regarding his spine and they weren't cutting it so we sold them after a month. We ended up with space savers (I was anti-space savers at first) but I loved them and will use one again for #3, for the passed few months we've had them pulled to the table and just now moved to lower profile booster seats. The only thing I would look for is the type of straps on the chair, can they be removed, are they easy to wipe down, or are they going to end up stained and unable to be removed and will that bother you?
@ShadeofGreen816 Generally the surface must be firm & flat and the sides must be breathable. I'm sure the "standards" are much longer than that, but that's the gist of it.
Dockatot - this is new since my third and unless this kid is my worst kid yet (unlikely since #2 had extreme gas issues which led to extreme sleep issues) I don't plan on spending the money since we should be done after this one. As far as sleep safety, the cushioned sides make me nervous but I also know the RNP isn't recommended for sleep (although at least the sides are mesh on mine) and my 2nd and 3rd both slept in the RNP for months bc of gas issues. A lot of parenting is weighing risk with reward, trust your mommy gut.
Highchair - I highly recommend the space saver....it served our first 3 kids well and is easy to put away when guests are over. The only reason I'm looking at a free standing high chair this time is that we now have a table with 2 benches and only 2 chairs...I don't want to sacrifice a chair and I'm definitely not ok strapping a seat to a bench shared by multiple kids.
Glider/Rocker - I say go with whichever motion you prefer. It will get used! Our glider has been well loved/used with all 3 kiddos so far from nursing, to story time, to snuggling a sick kid...we even diaper change in it. The only thing I strongly recommend is that you absolutely want a foot stool/ottoman. Mine moves and I like that but I can see the arguments against as well. My BRU has a whole glider/rocker section where you can try them out. Even if you aren't planning on buying from them, it's at least a good place to go try the different options and see what you like.
Regarding the high chair, space isnt an issue for us. We got a graco blossom and DD still uses it at almost 2.5yo. I love that there are three trays total so I just wash them all once a day. We did take the cover off around 1yo and it was way easier to wipe down if she spilled anything into the seat. The blossom also came with a booster seat that can be attached to a chair so she will use that at some point and LO can use the high chair when hes ready to start solids.
One thing that's nice about more traditional high chairs as opposed to seat toppers is they are portable and a convenient kid holder. Our high chair is on wheels and we could wheel it over to the dining table for dinner and weekend meals but also roll it into the kitchen for morning prep. He would sit in his chair and snack on Cheerios or whatever while we made coffee and got ready to head to work, it was super convenient.
Having wheels on your highchair is a handy feature. I don't think the recline feature is necessary. For the first 6 months or so DS just sat in his fisher price seat on the counter and it was perfect. When he got bigger we put him in his boon flair high chair. The boon is nice if your wheeling it up to an island.
if your in the market for a baby seat I highly recommend this one. It has a slight recline and my baby loved sitting in it starting around 2 or 3 months.
I broke down and made a spreadsheet of high chairs so I could see which ones had the features I wanted. I was able to rule out most of them that way and am down to 3. The Graco Blossom has most of the features I want with the exception of being able to fold away for storage. The Graco Duo Diner folds, but doesn't have the benefit of being able to be used for two kids at once. The Ingenuity SmartClean is the other one I'm looking at because of the ease of cleaning it (wipeable foam), but it doesn't fold either and also doesn't have height adjustments.
@pshaortao, before you took the cover off the Graco Blossom, was it difficult to clean? Mostly, I'm wondering if a wipe down will suffice or if I'd be throwing it in the wash often. Do the straps come off?
@starphish18: I have a Graco Blossom high chair also. I recommend it. It is a little bit bulky but makes up for it in the other features: the adjustable back and footrest height, the ability to have the child in it from really early on (we started using it around 4-5 mos maybe) and up through the ages (he's 3.5 years and in the toddler booster part of it), and the various trays that come with it. There's a little infant insert/backrest that gives extra vertical support (holds him in there) which is nice. It wipes clean very easily, for crumbs and spills, and I think the only times we've thrown it in the washer have been for vomit incidents. Cleans up fine. Pretty sure the straps detach when you take it all apart. Oh, and as far as it being on the bigger side, we have a teeny dining room, with an oval table and 4 chairs on the two long sides, and we put the high chair on the very end and could still walk past it easily. Plus, the wheels are a helpful feature.
One thing that's nice about more traditional high chairs as opposed to seat toppers is they are portable and a convenient kid holder. Our high chair is on wheels and we could wheel it over to the dining table for dinner and weekend meals but also roll it into the kitchen for morning prep. He would sit in his chair and snack on Cheerios or whatever while we made coffee and got ready to head to work, it was super convenient.
Oh yes I did this a lot in the early days with DD. It was nice to roll her into the kitchen and she could eat and watch me at the same time while I did a meal prep or dishes and I could keep an eye out for choking (which never happened)
@starphish I think it depends on the kids. Theyre easy to wipe off, I just got sick of it after awhile since stuff would get stuck in the folds over time. The straps are also removeable so we throw them into the washer occasionally. We rarely used the shoulder straps so they got removed for good pretty early on and are shoved in a cabinet somewhere lol.
Has anyone heard of, or used, the ZOE brand strollers? My mom needs lightweight and this (while a bit expensive) seems to fit that criteria....any thoughts appreciated!
@chickyclgBoth H and I agreed it's something we could see ourselves using, so we're going for it. It'll also double as baby's bed for the first 6 weeks ish.
I love the look of the bassinettes on strollers. However I never got one for mine because I thought it would be a waste of money for the following reasons.... If your child is sleeping in the car seat I wouldn't want to move them into the bassinet into the stroller and risk waking them up. Much easier to click the car seat into your stroller. Also, we often go for long walks around our neighborhood and I wouldn't want to have baby be in the bassinet which doesn't offer much support incase you hit a rock or crack in cement. Lastly, it would only be used for a very short period of time.
I love the look of the bassinettes on strollers. However I never got one for mine because I thought it would be a waste of money for the following reasons.... If your child is sleeping in the car seat I wouldn't want to move them into the bassinet into the stroller and risk waking them up. Much easier to click the car seat into your stroller. Also, we often go for long walks around our neighborhood and I wouldn't want to have baby be in the bassinet which doesn't offer much support incase you hit a rock or crack in cement. Lastly, it would only be used for a very short period of time.
For the exact same reasons she said, we never got a stroller bassinet either. It just seemed like an "extra" for us and we are more about just the necessities.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Our stroller came with the bassinet and my last kid was a winter baby so I didn't use it much but I think I will this time around. if she is sleeping I can click in the carseat but if not it does seem like a much more summer friendly option.
I would double check using the bassinet from a travel system as a bed though, ours specifically says not to do that.
Re: Baby Gear and Baby Item Recomendations - attempt #2
@JenGrl8503 Thank you for the review! That was very useful (even for a STM)!
DS2 5/17
#3 Due 9/20
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Any thoughts on the Dock A Tot? I thought it was a ridiculously priced giant boppy, but I went to a sleep training seminar yesterday and it was very highly recommended. Has anyone heard of any cheaper alternatives?
Highly monitored internet and no cell service in the office, so I'm postin' and ghostin' while I'm workin'
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
I figured I would post this here as a reminder that baby clothes are SO different depending on the brand you buy. This is 2.0 so I haven't been as picky about clothes this time around and everything I bought has been clearance clothes. I just have a mash up from everywhere. I was going through today counting what I had in what sizes and look and the size difference here! Both these shirts are 0-3 months. The green is from OshKosh and the tag says 9lbs-12.5lbs and the shark is Gerber and the tag says 8lbs-12lbs. Just remember this when you're shopping for clothes!
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
ETA: posted before I finished.
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
ETA: As if parenting wasn't scary enough, positional asphyxiation can occur without any outward signs, aside from the lack of breathing. So you could be awake and in the same room as a baby that is suffocating without noticing anything.
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
Highchair - I highly recommend the space saver....it served our first 3 kids well and is easy to put away when guests are over. The only reason I'm looking at a free standing high chair this time is that we now have a table with 2 benches and only 2 chairs...I don't want to sacrifice a chair and I'm definitely not ok strapping a seat to a bench shared by multiple kids.
Glider/Rocker - I say go with whichever motion you prefer. It will get used! Our glider has been well loved/used with all 3 kiddos so far from nursing, to story time, to snuggling a sick kid...we even diaper change in it. The only thing I strongly recommend is that you absolutely want a foot stool/ottoman. Mine moves and I like that but I can see the arguments against as well. My BRU has a whole glider/rocker section where you can try them out. Even if you aren't planning on buying from them, it's at least a good place to go try the different options and see what you like.
May '17 labor memes
Having wheels on your highchair is a handy feature. I don't think the recline feature is necessary. For the first 6 months or so DS just sat in his fisher price seat on the counter and it was perfect. When he got bigger we put him in his boon flair high chair. The boon is nice if your wheeling it up to an island.
if your in the market for a baby seat I highly recommend this one. It has a slight recline and my baby loved sitting in it starting around 2 or 3 months.
https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-BFB07-Sit-Me-Up-Floor-Seat/dp/B00F2MQ5SC/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1486563287&sr=1-1&keywords=fisher+price+sit+me+up+floor+seat
@pshaortao, before you took the cover off the Graco Blossom, was it difficult to clean? Mostly, I'm wondering if a wipe down will suffice or if I'd be throwing it in the wash often. Do the straps come off?
@starphish I think it depends on the kids. Theyre easy to wipe off, I just got sick of it after awhile since stuff would get stuck in the folds over time. The straps are also removeable so we throw them into the washer occasionally. We rarely used the shoulder straps so they got removed for good pretty early on and are shoved in a cabinet somewhere lol.
Would you splurge for the "deluxe " or the go for the "kit" that is half the price?
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
May '17 labor memes
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
I would double check using the bassinet from a travel system as a bed though, ours specifically says not to do that.
May '17 labor memes
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry