@SarahFoley725 Thank you for that Nose Frida advice. I keep hearing it's a must have. Also I heard about some kind of "butt whistle" that relieves gas (speaking of gross things). Does anyone have one? Is this actually a helpful necessity or OTT? It sounds weird but I get how it could be helpful too.
It's called Windy or Windie I'm not sure on the spelling. It's made by the same company. We never used one with DD. I have some friends that have used it and they all said it works. I would just lay DD across my leg and pack her back and that seemed to help with her gas pains.
First time mom here! Any recommendations for the best city stroller? I live in Boston and am interested in something heavy duty to get through uneven sidewalks and snow, but also something that folds easily and can be stored on the main floor of my condo building. Everyone in my neighborhood seems to have the Uppababy Vista, so I'm leaning that way, but open to suggestions!
If you are hoping to have multiple kids and fairly close together, I would recommend making sure to get a stroller with a good double option. I've heard the uppababy vista is ok but I've heard several say they prefer the set up of the city select by baby jogger. I just got a used city select and I definitely should have gotten it sooner. (TTM) I love it so much! Just my 2 cents.
Ok moms who also live in small places, what would you recommend for a crib after the bassinet? Almost every wooden crib seems huge or one that will convert to a toddler bed later. We have limited space and are seriously considering just using a potable crib since it's a reasonable size & we'll need one for visits to grandma.
****TW Signature****
DD born 04/28/2002 Married DH 03/25/2017 1st MMC 08/13/2016 2nd MMC 02/14/2017 BFP 06/16/17 Rainbow DS Born 02/05/2018
Ok moms who also live in small places, what would you recommend for a crib after the bassinet? Almost every wooden crib seems huge or one that will convert to a toddler bed later. We have limited space and are seriously considering just using a potable crib since it's a reasonable size & we'll need one for visits to grandma.
We are in a fairly small house at the moment. (We are in the process of moving) but right now our four month old is sharing our very small bedroom with us and I have found that the pack and play option is awesome right now! If we were staying here for a longer period of time I would definitely be sticking with it.
As a STM, the best piece of registry advice I can give -- although it's hard to actually put to use meaningfully -- is that you frankly have no idea what your baby will like until they're here. Everyone swore up and down that the Rock and Play would be a lifesaver. My son HATED it, hated the swing, hated the bouncer, basically hated everything that I would promised he would love (including his car seat/being in the car). Suffice to say I had a lot of equipment that basically gathered dust. On the flip side, he LIVED in a carrier and was really only happy to be held, so it was worth it for me to have several options (as some have noted, both unstructured carriers, like the Sakura sling and k'tan, both of which I can't recommend highly enough, and a structured carrier like the ergo for being out and about for longer periods of time). Had I known what my son's attitude would be, I would've saved the cash on the bigger pieces of equipment and put it all towards baby carriers.
The best way to implement this advice is: (i) borrow what you can, (ii) if you're willing to wait and have friends with little ones, try out their gear with your baby when he/she arrives to get a sense of whether they like them, (iii) check out good quality second hand baby stores to save cash where you can, and (iv) accept that you'll spend money on things your kid won't use, as much as you'll wind up having to buy things you never thought of ahead of time (thank you, Amazon Prime, for existing).
@rainafire77 we have a mini crib (the Babyletto Origami) and it's more than big enough for our now toddler. Just couldn't justify how much space a full size convertible crib took up in our small home where space is at a premium. We used the Lotus bassinet (converted from the portable crib) as our bassinet, so that when we no longer needed the bassinet we didn't have an extra piece of equipment laying around.
@aos620 I have the uppababy vista and I recommend it to everyone. The cruz is very similar but the wheels are a lot smaller and the wheel base is a lot shorter so maybe not as maneuverable in the snow? The vista folds great, the wheels even come off easy if you need to make it more flat (like to fit under a bed or something), steers like a dream and the basket underneath is huge. Plus the bassinet is handy for LO to sleep when you're out and about not even necessarily with the stroller (like at the grandparents). Oh and it turns into a true double. The other stroller we were looking at (and the only comparable imo) was the bugaboo but it couldn't fold with the seat attached, the basket underneath is smaller and to go from seat-basinet you have to unzip the fabric and attach it to a separate frame.
I live in a city too, and the vista performed well on gravel river valley trails and sidewalks.
Andrea (31), married Aaron (36) September 2012
Parents to fur babies Tiki and Gizzmo and 2yr old Georgia IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI EDD: Feb 5, 2018
@rainafire77 the pack n play with bassinet is great bc you can use it for a long time after baby has outgrown bassinet. There is also a smaller version of a pack n play. I'd never seen one but my sister in law had one with her baby. If space is a big issue one of the smaller ones would be nice and if I remember correctly it was like half the size of a regular pack n play, maybe a little bigger than half.
And pack n play come with a fold up board for the bottom. It has a little bit of cushion to it but it's pretty hard. The bassinet part is about the same but even crib mattresses aren't super soft.
FTM here, but we plan on using the Snoo for bassinet option, we live in a small apartment and it will be the main sleeping place until the baby is 5 months or so and needs crib.
Anybody have feedback on Peg Perego stroller (the book cross one)? I like the handle extensions for my tall H.
Any moms use those magnetic PJs? I had gowns (Carters) for DD and I hated them. The elastic was difficult to deal with. I played with the magnetic PJs in the store and they seemed great. Wondered how they held up over time, specifically with washing.
Need advice from people with pets re: baby gates. We have a 2-storey house and a dog who is used to having the run of the house. She'll sleep upstairs sometimes, and then move downstairs as needed, etc. If she has to go out in the middle of the night (rare, but it does happen), she'll come up and wake us up. I don't want to block her from going up and down the stairs, but baby gates are a must eventually so.... thoughts?
P.S. I'm guessing she could jump a gate at the main level and head up the stairs, but I don't think she can safely jump over the gate when going downstairs.
Need advice from people with pets re: baby gates. We have a 2-storey house and a dog who is used to having the run of the house. She'll sleep upstairs sometimes, and then move downstairs as needed, etc. If she has to go out in the middle of the night (rare, but it does happen), she'll come up and wake us up. I don't want to block her from going up and down the stairs, but baby gates are a must eventually so.... thoughts?
P.S. I'm guessing she could jump a gate at the main level and head up the stairs, but I don't think she can safely jump over the gate when going downstairs.
Our dog mostly stays on the level we are on--when we are upstairs, she's there, etc. We have gates at every level of our house and this hasn't ever been a problem. Your dog will adjust and be fine I believe they do make gates with pet doors---but if your dog can jump a gate, I am assuming it is a big dog and those are usually for small dogs.
@magnolia305 - Yeah, she's a border collie, so definitely too big for the pet gate or an opening. I'm going to look at the gates with the small openings for our cats, but mostly just concerned about them being able to get to the basement (where their litter boxes are). I know they'll have no issues jumping the other ones.
Need advice from people with pets re: baby gates. We have a 2-storey house and a dog who is used to having the run of the house. She'll sleep upstairs sometimes, and then move downstairs as needed, etc. If she has to go out in the middle of the night (rare, but it does happen), she'll come up and wake us up. I don't want to block her from going up and down the stairs, but baby gates are a must eventually so.... thoughts?
P.S. I'm guessing she could jump a gate at the main level and head up the stairs, but I don't think she can safely jump over the gate when going downstairs.
We have two dogs and a split level house. At one point he had 4 gates!
My dogs would just bark or whine when they wanted to go through a gate. At night time, we just left the gates open. Baby will be safely in a crib till he or she can climb out... and by that point, I wasn't too worried about the stairs anymore. They were older and good at stairs.
Did anyone use an IKEA crib? What model do you have if so? There is one opening here in October so it'll be so convenient and $100-200 sounds way better to me than some of the prices on baby-targeted retailers' websites. If so did it hold up ok and do the job? Or leave you wishing you had something better? I shop there for some other furniture/home stuff and I know some of it I wouldn't touch because it just looks and feels cheap and flimsy, but a lot of things have held up really well for me and I'm happy with them. I just don't want to buy baby furniture that costs more than my actual furniture. Thoughts?
@alice0218 have you checked out Facebook yard sale groups or the Facebook marketplace? I see high quality newish cribs there for $60 - $150 very frequently. That said, I'd probably also get an IKEA one as long as I could inspect it in person before purchasing and looked up online reviews. They are a large chain and I'm sure are up on safety standards. Having lots of adjustable height options, and the ability to set it pretty low is great as the higher it is the less stress on your back, but it also needs to be below the child's armpit height. The lower it can go, the longer they can't crawl out of it and come wake you up staring at your face an inch away at 2am.
@alice0218 we have the IKEA sundvik crib. It's been perfect for us and its pretty easy to put together and move up and down, just make sure you really look at the instructions, haha. We got the crib at IKEA but bought a nicer mattress from a baby store because the IKEA ones just didn't feel that great. The sundvik can also be converted into a toddler bed, DD is still sleeping in it as a crib though.
We got a mid range priced crib for our first, I don't regret the $600 at all. It will last into her teenage years as it converts into a double bed and is good quality that shouldn't break/splinter
we will do the same for this baby.
Andrea (31), married Aaron (36) September 2012
Parents to fur babies Tiki and Gizzmo and 2yr old Georgia IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI EDD: Feb 5, 2018
@alice0218, we got the gulliver crib for my inlaws house. We use it when we visit. It converts into a toddler bed and that is how it is set up now. It has held up very well and we have been using it for 5 years. Granted it is not used in a daily basis. For our crib at our house. We went with one from amazon that cost $125 (5 years ago) and converts into a toddler bed and full size bed. We had to rebuy some of the hardware because the bolts got stripped from adjusting the height and changing into a toddler bed, but it is still in great shape and the new bolts were only like $5 from Home Depot. My son is in a twin size bed right now, so it is not being used. We are planning on using it again for the baby. Check Amazon as well. Just read the reviews.
@alice0218 we also have an IKEA sundvik and an IKEA crib mattress. I went with an IKEA mattress because the measurements were so slightly different than standard mattresses and I wasn't going to gamble with gaps along the edging.
My daughter is 15 months and has slept it since day 1. It's still in perfect condition and my next child will be using the same crib. My sister also has an IKEA crib that has lasted multiple children.
I am very happy I spent under $200 on my crib set.
@Ashoes123 I haven't looked into buying anything off Facebook before but good idea. I never think of it. That is good to know about height too: lower it goes = longer until you need a stop using it. Thank you for tips!
@mbirdie Thanks for sharing the experience I am eyeing that one too or the Gonatt since it has drawers. Maybe just some storage boxes or a tote under the Sundvik? Trying to think of space maximizing ideas since we have a a small space.
@lainikins I will def check out amazon! Do you remember the brand? I guess I can just look for top rated in the price range I want too.
@sabriel1 you don't happen to mean the store in Noblesville, IN do you? That is the one I'm talking about. Excited not to drive to Cincinnati for Ikea runs anymore!
@fishyfishfish234 I'm glad to hear they are working for you and your sister too. I will probably end up just going the IKEA route for this stuff too. I just wanted to make sure people were happy with the things they got. I don't want to spend too much either since babies grow so fast and I think we didn't even spend more than $400 on our own bed!
@hms1219, I highly recommend the double city mini gt! It's the only side by side (when I did my research a year ago) that fits through a standard size door frame. My only gripe is the storage basket is not great, but I hang my diaper bag on the handle bar with some hooks instead.
re carriers: I have both the k'tan and the Beco Gemini. What I love about the Gemini is it can be worn 4 ways (front facing, inward facing, hip, and back) AND does not require a newborn insert like the ergo does. K'tan is great for wearing while they are smaller, especially around the house. Only thing about it is it's not one-size-fits-all.
re swing/ RNP/ bouncer: we skipped the massive swing and got the 4moms Rockaroo for DD, and she loved it! It takes up less space than a swing and is easily transportable around the house. DS also loved it. We used the Graco Little Lounger for DD instead of the RNP because it has the option to recline flat, which I used much more than the incline. I heard stories of babies not transitioning well to cribs after sleeping inclined for so long. The vibration feature was a godsend! We love the Baby Bjorn Bouncer, although the price tag had me hesitating for a while. It folds completely flat and can be used as a toddler seat later. We used it every day with both kids for at least 6 months as infants and again as toddlers! Found a tiny love toy bar to attach to it that is much cheaper than he baby bjorn add-on.
re video cameras: I've had good luck with the samsung brightview. The best part is the split screen function that allows you to pair with 4 cameras and see all at once! Our Samsung safeview crapped out on us after 2 years.
STMs- how often do you really use the stroller? Before we invest $700-1000 (or beg our families to chip in for one...) I want to know how much use strollers actually get. I'm a city mama BTW and I think that matters, but I live in Chicago and the weather is yucky a solid 4 months a year. I also feel like I'm going to be more of a carrier type person but who really knows? Thank you!!
STMs- how often do you really use the stroller? Before we invest $700-1000 (or beg our families to chip in for one...) I want to know how much use strollers actually get. I'm a city mama BTW and I think that matters, but I live in Chicago and the weather is yucky a solid 4 months a year. I also feel like I'm going to be more of a carrier type person but who really knows? Thank you!!
Every day i live in a city too but don't do public transit, but if i did I couldn't imagine not having one. Carriers are great, but then you have no place for shopping/diaper bag etc.
Andrea (31), married Aaron (36) September 2012
Parents to fur babies Tiki and Gizzmo and 2yr old Georgia IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI EDD: Feb 5, 2018
I mostly used a carrier at first, but the stroller is nice when they get a bit bigger. You start to feel like a pack mule with the diaper bag and a 20 pound baby. Plus if you plan on having two, you'll want to baby wear and have a stroller to push one along with the stuff. That being said, I don't use mine all that often. I have a cheapie for the car and a Bob. I wouldn't spend a grand on it
STMs- how often do you really use the stroller? Before we invest $700-1000 (or beg our families to chip in for one...) I want to know how much use strollers actually get. I'm a city mama BTW and I think that matters, but I live in Chicago and the weather is yucky a solid 4 months a year. I also feel like I'm going to be more of a carrier type person but who really knows? Thank you!!
As PP said I baby wore till DD could sit better (6ish months old) then used my double. Now that DD is two and DS is four I never use my double. DS walks. It was very needed when he was 2 1/2 though. So basically I used it for 18mo TOPS. Because of that, I'm glad I didn't spend a lot on our double.
Honestky though, I think it's better to wait and see what kind of mom you'll want to be with multiple kids. I didn't buy my double till DD was 4mo old and I'm glad.
I live in a city with terrible sidewalks, and I see most moms either using the UppaBaby Vista or the City Mini GT. Huge price difference, but I do like how the Vista has a large basket underneath to put all the stuff you need! I am not sure which one we're going with because I want to try and compare different brands in store vs. what I see online.
I bought out first stroller second hand and I'm so glad! I looked around for a long time and found one in perfect condition, it saved me a lot of money.
I used Lucie's List to build my registry. It has links to everything on Amazon so if I liked it I could just click "Add to Registry" and boom, done. I like how she has reviews at various price points and is honest about what you need and what's "nice to have" and products that have mixed reviews.
@lucylou214 I registered for the Lillebaby based on the review in Lucie's List. I'm also looking at getting a wrap for a newborn because the Lillebaby looks like it will swallow a newborn. One of my friends raved about her Ergo though.
This is the most helpful thing I've ever read. As a FTM I was too overwhelmed to even start my registry. DH and I went to Lucie's List last night and now we have the big ticket items picked out. THANK YOU!
IMO, you need a stroller. I wouldn't spend a ton, unless you know you will be jogging regularly with it. I found my stroller most useful when shopping. The carseat doesn't fit inside carts at a lot of places (Kohls, JoAnn's, Michael's, Marshall's, etc)--so it was easy to just click my carseat into my stroller and use that as my cart. When it is cold and your baby is sleeping--you aren't necessarily going to want to wake him/her up to put in a carrier.
As a STM, I can't decide if I should get the double or just figure out how to make it work with the single stroller...
@jennifer_m21 I'm looking specifically at the uppababy vista! It has capability to change into a 2 kid stroller someday plus options for car seat and bassinet. With all the gadgets it's a lot though.
It sort of depends where you go. Malls and stores with no baskets it's nice to have one. But if you shop places with baskets, and carseat will typically fit inside the basket (not all do though just fyi!). What's really nice though is when the baby is asleep in the carseat and you can just click it in the stroller and go. I've used one less and less over the years. I also got a double not long ago that any carseat will fit in and that's been wonderful! I can actually fit 3 kids in it so places like the mall are much easier with it!
Re: Baby Gear/Registry Q&A + Tell All
I just got a used city select and I definitely should have gotten it sooner. (TTM) I love it so much!
Just my 2 cents.
DD born 04/28/2002
Married DH 03/25/2017
1st MMC 08/13/2016 2nd MMC 02/14/2017
BFP 06/16/17 Rainbow DS Born 02/05/2018
The best way to implement this advice is: (i) borrow what you can, (ii) if you're willing to wait and have friends with little ones, try out their gear with your baby when he/she arrives to get a sense of whether they like them, (iii) check out good quality second hand baby stores to save cash where you can, and (iv) accept that you'll spend money on things your kid won't use, as much as you'll wind up having to buy things you never thought of ahead of time (thank you, Amazon Prime, for existing).
I live in a city too, and the vista performed well on gravel river valley trails and sidewalks.
IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI
EDD: Feb 5, 2018
DD born 04/28/2002
Married DH 03/25/2017
1st MMC 08/13/2016 2nd MMC 02/14/2017
BFP 06/16/17 Rainbow DS Born 02/05/2018
Anybody have feedback on Peg Perego stroller (the book cross one)? I like the handle extensions for my tall H.
P.S. I'm guessing she could jump a gate at the main level and head up the stairs, but I don't think she can safely jump over the gate when going downstairs.
My dogs would just bark or whine when they wanted to go through a gate. At night time, we just left the gates open. Baby will be safely in a crib till he or she can climb out... and by that point, I wasn't too worried about the stairs anymore. They were older and good at stairs.
ETA- updated price range
we will do the same for this baby.
IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI
EDD: Feb 5, 2018
My daughter is 15 months and has slept it since day 1. It's still in perfect condition and my next child will be using the same crib. My sister also has an IKEA crib that has lasted multiple children.
I am very happy I spent under $200 on my crib set.
@mbirdie Thanks for sharing the experience I am eyeing that one too or the Gonatt since it has drawers. Maybe just some storage boxes or a tote under the Sundvik? Trying to think of space maximizing ideas since we have a a small space.
@lainikins I will def check out amazon! Do you remember the brand? I guess I can just look for top rated in the price range I want too.
@sabriel1 you don't happen to mean the store in Noblesville, IN do you? That is the one I'm talking about. Excited not to drive to Cincinnati for Ikea runs anymore!
@fishyfishfish234 I'm glad to hear they are working for you and your sister too. I will probably end up just going the IKEA route for this stuff too. I just wanted to make sure people were happy with the things they got. I don't want to spend too much either since babies grow so fast and I think we didn't even spend more than $400 on our own bed!
re carriers: I have both the k'tan and the Beco Gemini. What I love about the Gemini is it can be worn 4 ways (front facing, inward facing, hip, and back) AND does not require a newborn insert like the ergo does. K'tan is great for wearing while they are smaller, especially around the house. Only thing about it is it's not one-size-fits-all.
re swing/ RNP/ bouncer: we skipped the massive swing and got the 4moms Rockaroo for DD, and she loved it! It takes up less space than a swing and is easily transportable around the house. DS also loved it. We used the Graco Little Lounger for DD instead of the RNP because it has the option to recline flat, which I used much more than the incline. I heard stories of babies not transitioning well to cribs after sleeping inclined for so long. The vibration feature was a godsend! We love the Baby Bjorn Bouncer, although the price tag had me hesitating for a while. It folds completely flat and can be used as a toddler seat later. We used it every day with both kids for at least 6 months as infants and again as toddlers! Found a tiny love toy bar to attach to it that is much cheaper than he baby bjorn add-on.
re video cameras: I've had good luck with the samsung brightview. The best part is the split screen function that allows you to pair with 4 cameras and see all at once! Our Samsung safeview crapped out on us after 2 years.
i live in a city too but don't do public transit, but if i did I couldn't imagine not having one. Carriers are great, but then you have no place for shopping/diaper bag etc.
IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI
EDD: Feb 5, 2018
Honestky though, I think it's better to wait and see what kind of mom you'll want to be with multiple kids. I didn't buy my double till DD was 4mo old and I'm glad.
As a STM, I can't decide if I should get the double or just figure out how to make it work with the single stroller...