Registry Recommendations w/o 11/4

knarlytaurus

Hello all! A few of us thought that with the holiday sales season on its way, we might start a general registry recommendations thread. It's a bit early, but there may be some great deals to be had in the next month or two! This can be a place to ask those STM+'s for their advice on all sorts of things. Thanks! 

knarlytaurus

I will start it out - are there any down sides to getting an all-in-one car seat? Are there any out there that really good or have a good car-to-stroller system? Thanks! 

eatinwatermelonseeds

@knarlytaurus do you mean a full travel system? Or a convertible car seat?

knarlytaurus

@eatinwatermelonseeds I don't know! Lol! I've seen systems where the car seat can be placed right into the stroller, but I don't know if that is for infant car seats only. I saw a brand (baby trend - I have no idea if it's a good brand or not) where they had an infant through booster car seat, and it looked like you were able to set the carrier in the stroller. I guess I have to do more research! 

eatinwatermelonseeds

Can you send me the link for that? Most convertible car seats (can be used from infancy to toddler) do not fit in a stroller, and I imagine would be terribly inconvenient to frequently take it out of the car and put it back in properly. Otherwise you would have to wear or carry baby until they are big enough for the stroller. Unless you have one of those little bassinet type strollers.

knarlytaurus

@eatinwatermelonseeds You're 100% correct. I just looked it up and it seems like although that brand does make convertible car seats, only their infant-only cat seats click into the stroller. That makes more sense, too, since I've seen my nephew's convertible car seat come in and out of their car and it looks to be a bit of a pain. 

eatinwatermelonseeds

@knarlytaurus it's seriously the biggest ass pain lol. 

kvh22

@knarlytaurus Travel systems are usually a great deal. I had the Chicco Bravo + keyfit for DD and my only regret is that it doesn't transform into a double. The carseat clicking into the stroller is great for sleeping babies! If I spend $500 on a double stroller (stroller, second seat kit, adapter to fit the infant car seat we have), our travel system plus this new stroller is still $300 cheaper than doing the same set up with the UppaBaby Vista which is top of the line, but I know people who love it. My mom, Nana, sister and I got it for SIL's shower (just the regular stroller, none of the extras since itsitheir first). I'm looking at the Baby Jogger CitySelect for our double. And I love the Bob jogging stroller we have. Got it last black Friday on an amazing sale!

mcewen3

@kvh22 we have a City Select (circa 2013) with a second seat (added in 2015).  I still love that stroller.  After all the years, flights and pulling it in and out of my vehicle on the daily (for about 3 years, then less frequently after that) it is still in amazing shape!! Highly recommend the BJ brand

brie_and_almonds

@knarlytaurus I think the closest thing to what you're describing is the Chicco fit2 -- it can be snapped in and out of the base and into the stroller, and adjusted in the car to fit your kiddo until ~age 2. The only downside would be weight -- the thing is heavier than other infant seats, and an older child would be heavier to carry around inside it.

There are also convertible seats that can fit from infancy through booster-age (the Graco 4ever and the Diono Radian come to mind, but I'm sure there are others), but you lose the ability to easily click the kiddo in and out of the car/into the stroller, etc.

brie_and_almonds

Once you get what you want figured out, I recommend the website camelcamelcamel.com -- it tracks prices on Amazon so you can see a graph over time to see what a good deal actually is, and you can set it up to send you email notifications when there is a price drop on what you want.

expandcontract

Kohl's is having a sale right now which includes maternity clothes. 
@knarlytaurus I have the Chicco Bravo and I seriously love it! Just like @kvh22 said,  the only thing missing is a double stroller.  The infant car seat was a must for us as we didn't have to wake up the baby everyone we got in and out of the car.  There's actually a base for the car seat that always stays in the car and you just snap the seat into it.  So it's really not a hassle at all putting in and removing the seat.  We actually ended up buying an extra base for husband's car so that if we didnt have to move that either if we were to switch cars.  I highly recommend Chicco! When my daughter weighed too much for the infant seat,  I got another Chicco convertible.  Love this one, too!

mrskoz428

As a FTM, I’ve been trying to find things that will last for years! My changing table is also a dresser, my crib converts into a toddler bed and a full size bed headboard, my high chair will turn into a booster seat at the table, etc. the one thing I’m struggling with is finding a convertible car seat that you can buy extra bases for. I can find it for infant seats, but not for convertible seats. Any suggestions or am I SOL.

lappymom2019

@mrskoz428 My understanding is that you don't take them out for the convertible ones so you need one for each car. I may be mistaken though since I am also FTM.

chloe97

@knarlytaurus I would recommend getting both a convertible and infant bucket car seat. The reason is simply as a newborn to 6 month old it’s sooooo much easier to cart the baby around in the infant car seat. They sleep a lot and you don’t want to wake them up after a long car ride to get them out of the car seat. You will need to convertible seat when they outgrow the bucket seat around 1.

As a STM we are in the market for a new video monitor. We had 2 and they both broke (the power source no longer would work in both) ! The 2nd one we splurge on one that allegedly worked on our phones- but we could never get it set up. Our house is smaller so we’ve gone without a monitor since DD was 10 months old but we are traveling at thanksgiving and would like to get one.. please give me your rwccomendations!

mcewen3

@mrskoz428, convertible seats won’t come with a separate base.  However, if you anticipate you will be moving the car seat between vehicles often (rather than buying two separate seats) I would highly recommend the Britax ClickTight series of car seats.  We are currently using the Boulevard for my 3yo and the Frontier for my 5yo.  Regardless of whether I install the Boulevard rear facing or forward facing, it only takes about 1 minute with the seatbelt and is totally foolproof. I feel completely confident allowing the grandparents to move the seats around because it’s damn near impossible to get an incorrect install.  

Something I’d also like to point out for FTMs is in respect to using LATCH (UAS anchors) to install your car seat.  LATCH is a wonderful tool, but many people are not aware that there are weight limits to the LATCH anchors.  It varies from vehicle to vehicle and from car seat to car seat.  We have 2 GMC vehicles (2015 Sierra and 2015 Yukon XL) and previously had a Nissan Pathfinder.  In all 3 vehicles the LATCH weight limit was 65lbs child and car seat combined.  For some kids that is never an issue, but my kids have always been consistently above the 65th percentile for weight.  The car seats are built like tanks too, so we haven’t used LATCH since they turned 2.  All of this to say, when shopping for car seats please do not rely solely on an easy LATCH install.  Ensure that you are also able to get a good seatbelt install should you ever reach the limit of your car/car seat and also so that you don’t feel limited in where you can place the car seat in your vehicle.  

mcewen3

Following for video monitor recs too @chloe97.  We had a Summer Infant monitor previously and it worked great for years, but the screen is severely cracked (not from kids but from my zombie-ass just randomly releasing my hand as I was walking through the house 🤦‍♀️) and the battery won’t hold a charge.  Is Summer Infant still recommended or is there a new one that people love more these days?

anonellis

@knarlytaurus if you drive (even if you don’t) a travel system with an infant car seat is worth the money, even though you have to buy a new carseat like a year later.  If you have more kids you’ll get more use out of the infant seat — they expire, but as long as they aren’t in an accident they last for many years.  

We went with the UppaBaby Vista and love it although there are less expensive (and more expensive!) options. 

My #1 baby product rec to everyone I know is the Keekaroo peanut charger as a changing pad instead of a changing table.  It wipes clean; you don’t put sheets or covers on it, so there’s no fuss when the baby pees on it in the middle of the night.  And I don’t see the point of a piece of furniture just for changing the baby — we have ours on top of their dresser.  But we also live in a small apartment so space is at a premium. 

lappymom2019

I am really looking forward to hearing what you all recommend. I went to buybuybaby on Saturday and felt very overwhelmed looking at strollers and carseats. I have no idea what I am going to want and they are such expensive purchases that i want to be satisfied with what I pick.

DuchessOfCambridge

For any FTMs feeling overwhelmed (bc I sure did), I'd recommend either the BabyBargains book or website. They do a lot of research for you and still provide a range of recommendations for each item, but they're greatly narrowed down. There is soooo much out there. BabyBargains looks at safety, practicality, and tells you budget vs high end and what's in the middle. They also tell you what you need and what you don't, but if you want something you don't really need (like a wipe warmer), they provide options for what they think is the best. It was a great resource for me.

As for me, I LOVE my UppaBaby Vista, but I know it's not for everyone. I use it as a jogging stroller as well and won't be buying a double stroller since the Vista can fit up to three (two seated, one standing). I had the Mesa car seat for it as well and loved that too. I also grocery shop with my Vista which is convenient since that's how I bring groceries into our home as well, and that's something to consider if you're between Vista and Cruz. They are similar, but the Vista has a LOT more basket space.

Convertible car seats - I loved having an infant seat, especially when DS was a newborn. It was so easy to click in and out and allowed him to stay asleep rather than fussing with straps. If you want to save money though, I do think a convertible car seat is the way to go. I personally wouldn't want a car seat that clicks in any older than 1 yo. DS is on the small side and I was really struggling with the weight of the infant seat, though he still fit within the limits. We have the Diono Radian convertible car seat which we chose because they can fit three across a back seat (we have a Honda CR-V).

anonellis

Oh about the three across car seat thing — the Car Crash Detective website will show you your options for your specific car in terms of what will fit.  We specifically looked at car seats that would fit 3 across in our car, in part in case we were gonna have 3 kids but also as sort of a proxy for being able to fit an extra adult back there (figure if a toddler car seat can fit back there, an average sized adult probably can too).

i found Lucie’s List to be helpful when checking out gear and what to buy. I would NOT trust the actual registry you set up with (for example, Amazon) — they are going to tell you you need absolutely everything in order to sell more stuff.  

coffeeislife

I second the Baby Bargains book. I built my registry based on that book. Yes- I did return/exchange a lot of things in the end but I still felt it was a good book to get the different products narrowed down.

GeorgiaGirl1230

I highly recommend an infant car seat that clicks in. We had the Chicco KeyFit with DD and it was great. Our only trouble was that she was always 90-100th percentile in weight and height and she outgrew hers much quicker than I wanted. Then we moved to the Chicco convertible seat, and it was wonderful too. Ours haven't expired and haven't been in wrecks, so we are using them again with this LO. Big fan. We also had the Chicco click in stroller, so it was so east to wheel her around. Very light stroller just to pop open and put the car seat in. We also have a BOB jogging stoller with the car seat adapter. I loved that thing.

We are also in the market for a new monitor now. We had a great Summer Infant one, and same as you @mcewen3, ours just had enough of my midnight drops. We stopped using it about a year ago. I have no idea what's good on the market now.

I am a huge adovate for the premade SwaddleMe swaddles. They were a lifesaver! I will be scooping some up on clearance or holiday sales.

DuchessOfCambridge

I love our infant optics monitor. It's worked great for a year so far with no issues, and it's one of the ones that can't be hacked. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541434371&sr=8-3&keywords=infant+optics

sleepy33

I'm thinking of this for the new babe, as my infant seat from DS is expired: https://media1.tenor.com/images/260cb14f8ea477cd078235c08229fdcf/tenor.gif?itemid=5092585

Also, another rave for the ClickTight from Britax once you are ready for a convertible seat, 100% worth it for ease of installation and secure install. And I second or third the assertion that an infant seat will prove worthwhile the very first time you don't have to move a sleeping baby out of the car seat, sleep is precious. Many a time I circled the block or sat with the engine running to allow naps. 

laeberge3

Seconding the SwaddleMe swaddles -- these were our go-to pretty much right out of the gate. I believe they make them for newborns, too. 

We have the Infant Optics monitor and it was recommended last year, so not sure if there's something better on the market.  The battery life, after a year, isn't that great, but otherwise we've really like it. Planning to add a second camera to it for this LO.  

Small registry rec:  Nosefrieda - this thing is disgusting and incredibly effective! 

DuchessOfCambridge

I'm sure it varies baby to baby but DS loved the Halo swaddle sleepsacks. He ran cold so they were awesome for us, and the hospital sent us home with one. We use the normal Halo sleepsacks now too and will until he's at least 1.5 yo because I have major anxiety with putting anything in the crib.

mrsdee15

For the discussion on bucket seats vs convertible - we got a Graco Modes travel system, it was freaking amazing when DD was born.  We would just click the bucket into the stroller and go, she wouldn't wake up.  We are getting a two-baby stroller when DS comes along and will be able to use the Graco Click Connect 35 that came with it (and DD loved her carseat).  We now have a convertible for DD, she grew out of the bucket - we have a Maxi Cosi we got on Amazon Prime Day.  We like it a lot.  I 100% recommend the travel systems and a bucket seat for a newborn.  

For swaddles, I felt like we tried every swaddle under the sun.  The only ones that really worked for us were the HALO and Aden & Anais (both pre-positioned swaddles with the snaps, and the regular muslin blankets).  DD haaaated the rest of them.  We still use HALO sleep sacks for DD now (with arm holes).  Also, they zip from the bottom for easy diaper access.  I saw on the Instagram that HALO is coming out with a new model of swaddle that has arms positioned up, which DD really did prefer, so I plan to grab one when they are released in January (also has suck pads on it).  I think swaddles are trial and error, but I will recommend muslin blankets because they are so useful and machine-washable.  We still use ours to cover the stroller (they're nice and breathable) for DD when she naps in her little traveling comfort pod.

ETA: YESS to @laeberge3's recommendation of the NoseFrida.  It sounds gross, but it's really not - and when you're desperate to get your little one to breathe well, it's a godsend.  

eatinwatermelonseeds

@laeberge3 honestly I don't think ftms will want to actually get them until they really need them. I offered to buy my cousin (ftm) one and she was so incredibly disgusted, refused and said she'd rather try everything else first 😂 okay lady. Super gross, but when your baby can't nurse/eat because they can't breathe, you'll want it for sure. I tried multiple electric nose suckies, I tried the bulb syringe, the only thing that worked was nose Frida. 

laeberge3

@eatinwatermelonseeds You might be right! My H wouldn't even come close to the thing and had to leave the room when I used it.  FYI to all FTM -- it definitely sounds grosser than it is, and you won't get any snot in your mouth. But you'll have a happy baby who can breathe! 

eatinwatermelonseeds

@laeberge3 not going to lie, my husband had to do the bulb syringe the first time ever while I stood outside the room gagging at the sound.... Yes, I'm a nurse now 😂😂 but really, I HATE snot and spit. Puke, poop, pee, bleed on me, but please blow your nose somewhere else 😂😂😂 but even so, I used the nose Frida. I got used to it for him. Still can't with anyone else 😂

troystory17

haha my husband is the official nose frida sucker in our house, and yes I tried everything else first 

merrylea

Defiantly an infant car seat that clicks in.  Our babies will still be (relatively) small during the winter.  It’s so nice to be able to keep them warm and cozy, especially if you live in a cold climate. Also, when you are out and about, it is so nice to keep them sleeping!!!   Totally totally worth it. 

One of my fave things (that I got for free actually) was a stroller caddy.  It’s super lightweight, and the car seat just pops on top. Those travel systems can get HEAVY and mine was like 4 pounds and I just kept it in my car trunk for shopping and the like. The one I have is a McClaren Easy Traveler, but I know they have been discontinued.

missy052819

*ordering my nose sucker now*

DuchessOfCambridge

I got my nose sucker as a FTM and registered for it myself but I make H do it 😂

RoseShadow873

I got the snot sucker last time. My husband won't do it but I never minded. It's no big deal!

mcewen3

Ooh, I have another ST+M tip for car seats.  Weight limits are important but height limits mean very little in the grand scheme of things.  An important rule of thumb to follow is that when rear facing (like in an infant bucket seat) the top of their head should be at least 1” below the shell of the car seat.  My husband has a ridiculously long torso, as does my brother, and both of my girls inherited that.  They outgrew the infant seat by torso height by 6 and 7 months respectively.  We had the Peg Perego infant seat which had pretty high limits. This time I will be measuring all the harness and shell heights to find the one that may actually last me through next winter.  If you have long torsos in your or your spouse’s family, it’s definitely worth considering when you’re making your purchase.  Our seat was quite expensive and it got very little use.  

aels12

@laeberge3 our infant optics battery was pretty bad after a year too so my husband found a replacement battery for about $6 on amazon abc it’s been perfect since we switched it. 

laeberge3

@aels12 Excellent - I am looking into this!

peachy13

We use the snot sucker all the time and DH is the best at it.

Also love our Dohm white noise machine (it was so good that we bought a second one for our room once DD moved into her crib), and second the infant optics monitor. Would also recommend your basic audio monitors if you plan to travel with your LO.

kvh22

+1 for Lucie's List.

@mrskoz428 Dresser/changing table and crib/toddler bed options are great! Our high chair turns into a booster but I'm realizing we won't use that. I didn't think as much about the kid spacing as maybe I should have but (as I said above that really only affected the stroller). We won't end up turning the crib into a toddler bed since this next kiddo will need it and it makes more sense to get a kid's bed around 3yo than to switch the crib to a toddler bed and buy a new crib. Same with the high chair/booster seat. This LO will need the high chair and we'll have to transition DD to the booster on the early side of the recommendation and I'll just buy a separate booster cheaper than the high chair cost. No idea if you want more kids but the double duty of many items seems wasted on anyone in the 2 under 2 club. The convertible car seat will also fall into this category for us as we want a 3rd and will need to fit 3 carseats across which can be limited. Trying to plan ahead with what we buy but without thinking, got a convertibel on sale for DD in one car that is super wide and definitely won't work 3 across. The convertible I got for the other car is super narrow but has top safety ratings (although is $$$). Not a huge deal about the one wide one as they expire eventually but I'll be a lot more thought through with any future purchases.