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July 2019 Moms
Panaceia
member
Loves/Hates/Recs?
Panaceia
member
I noticed a lot of FTMs mentioning that they are getting stressed thinking about gift registries and what they need to buy. There was a thread like this on my old BMB that I found hugely helpful when deciding what I wanted/needed to buy as a FTM.
I thought we could list the baby stuff we loved and couldn't live without, the things we hated and would not purchase again, and maybe the things we need and might want recs for?
I thought we could list the baby stuff we loved and couldn't live without, the things we hated and would not purchase again, and maybe the things we need and might want recs for?
Re: Loves/Hates/Recs?
Ergo (the thing I used the most)
Halo sleep sacks
Peg perego convertible car seat
Hates:
Bouncy seat (DD hate it)
My Baby Trend infant car seat (luckily it is expired so I don't have to use it again!)
Needs:
Halo bassinet (just while recovering from RCS)
New car seat (I think I'm going straight to the peg perego convertible that I have for DD).
big swaddle blankets
white noise machine
rock n play
hate-
diaper genie
recs-
tommee tippee pacifiers are the only ones my kids would take. When My other friends babies are struggling with their baby taking a paci, I always tell them to try tommee tippee and their babies end up loving it
- Graco Baby Swing (that swings side to side) - Both my kids preferred this to anything else and it saved us from a lot of sleepless nights.
- Swaddle me originals (my kids lived in these as newborns)
Boppy (even not breastfeeding, we used it daily for 6+ months)
Hate
- Bumbo (or other similar seat things)
- Full size high chairs (waste of space)
- Wipe/bottle warmers (I never bothered but I had friends who did and when they were not home to use them their kids went into panic mode).
Recs
- Sleep sacs
- Mam pacifiers (only one's both my kids used)
- Dr Brown Bottles (lots of parts to clean but if you have spit up issues they were the most helpful for us and we tried a lot of bottles).
MamaRoo
Rock N Play
Avent bottles
Ergo Carrier
DockATot
Bonds Wondersuits (hard to find in US/Canada but if you can ship them from Australia they are simply the best!!!)
Hates:
Over the shoulder/purse diaper bags. This time forsure getting a diaper backpack!
Any sleeper that snapped/ buttoned up. Zippers ALL. THE. WAY.
Baby shoes - just not necessary in newborn stage
Angelcare bath support- much prefer the baby bathtub with a sling or built in support.
Reccomends:
All the products in my Loves is rec!!
Also for FTM Id reccomend investing in a stroller that can convert into double easily when baby 2 comes. Like City Select or Uppa.
Halo Sleep Swaddles (velcro swaddle!)
Graco Swing
Joovy Glass Bottles
Kindle Fire for white noise
Frog sit me up chair (lifesaver)
Rock n' Play
Hate:
Mamaroo swing (total waste of money for my kids, they hated it)
...still thinking about things I disliked, but that's hard. I love wipe warmers and never had any problems with my kids being spoiled because of them. I also love bottle warmers and a lot of stuff people hate on.
Moby wrap. Very comfortable and my son loved being snuggled and close to me. It was perfect for shopping or going out to eat. It also kept people from touching him.
Aiden and Anais muslin blankets. Light weight, they will be perfect for our summer babes. Plus they double as swaddles, burp clothes, floor blankets, and whatever else.
breast pump both electric and hand pump. I ended up exclusively pumping so I spent a lot of time with mine.
Glider in the nursery. I’ve used it everyday since he was born.
BOB stroller.
Maxi Cosi convertible car seat. My son loves this seat and is an excellent traveler.
Hate
Diaper Genie. Such a pain. I just wrap dirty diapers in a grocery bag before tossing now.
Some babies never ever want to be swaddled (both my boys hated it) so I wasted all the SwaddleMes. Some babies (also mine, haha) never fit in newborn clothes or diapers. And so on and so on!
My loves:
bouncy seat. They loved it and it gave me a break.
Ergo!
Graco Infant Seat
Diaper Genie
Nose Frida
Hates:
SwaddleMes only because they weren’t fans
Bamboo blankets
Need:
A new infant seat
hmm...
LOVE:
Moby Wrap - I preferred this one for the first three months
Ergo baby carrier - I preferred this one for months 3-6
Boppy - A MUST if you are breastfeeding
A cheap umbrella stroller to keep in every car. So handy when you go to the mall or park or wherever
A great stroller - Go to a store and try them out to see what you prefer. Consider how well it will fold up into your car. Base your carseat on what fits in the stroller
Rock n' play sleeper - The only thing our daughter would sleep in for the first month. Great, because it folds up small.
A bassinet with wheels - I loved being able to easily move our bassinet to whatever room
A baby monitor with video - It still comes in handy when she is playing alone in her room, and I can watch to ensure she isn't getting into trouble.
Doggy poop bags - Sounds weird, but we keep these in our diaper bag for when we have poo diapers while out and about. So great for when you are at someone else's house and don't know what to do with a nasty poop diaper
Travel wet bag - Even if you aren't cloth diapering, these are great to have in your diaper bag in case an outfit gets soiled.
Disposable baby food mats - Great to keep in diaper bag for restaurants
Silicone bibs and baby plates that stick to the table, so they can't throw their food
Bottle warmer - Some people hate them, but I loved it!
HATE:
Safe sleep alert system - We were too exhausted and life was too chaotic for us to put it on her or worry about false alarms.
I second the hatred of diaper bags with one shoulder strap. I'm going for a backpack this time too!
Baby food maker - ... just use your blender and put the food in an ice tray in freezer. But I definitely recommend making you own baby food. It is really easy, and then you don't have to store 3,230,302,20384 baby food containers.
Diaper Genie - If your baby is breastfed, then their poop won't even stink until they start eating solid foods. After that, we just started putting the poo diapers in doggy poop bags.
Fancy bottles - We bought all these fancy bottles and never used them. Our daughter was just fine with the Medela bottles, and it was so much easier to feed her in the same bottle that I pumped into.
Bras designed for pumping - I just hated the way they felt when not pumping. I also hated the things that you put on just to hold the pump in place. I usually ended up just pumping one boob at the time to avoid all of this. A friend suggested buying cheap sports bras and cutting a small hole in them. That is probably what I'll do this time.
Cloth bibs - NO, and YUCK! Get yourself a couple of silicone bibs that you wash in the sink.
Any kind of bottle cleaner - ..... just boil everything in a giant pot. No need for special microwave pan things.
Stokke highchair - I bought one used (they are crazy expensive new). It looks "pretty" compared to other highchairs, but don't let that and the high retail price distract you. They are awful! Baby did not seem secure at all. I much prefer the giant, chunky ugly highchairs. haha.
Toys that have a million plastic pieces, make loud noises, and are bright colored - This is inevitable, but I hate it. I wish we could have stuck to just a few wooden beautiful toys that allow her to use her own imagination, but alas.. everyone gifts you the plastic stuff. It doesn't even matter though, because the kid just ends up playing with random household objects like spoons, water bottles, the toilet brush...
uppababy mesa infant car seat
naty diapers
aden and anais bamboo swaddle blankets and muslin swaddlers
baby k’tan wrap
beco Gemini carrier
Levana baby monitor
4moms breeze + bassinet - it was so heavy but it was used right away In our room and later we ditched the crib for it because it was roomy, comfy and sturdy up until the bed switch
hate
buying a Britax convertible car seat first, it didn’t fit DS well as an infant, did not recline enough, was so big and heavy to take on a plane and when we did it broke.
Mamaroo - paid for it with gift cards and still a waste. DS did not really like it. It wasn’t soothing.
Prefold cloth diapers- too many leaks on a skinny baby
recs
convertible cribs aren’t necessary, your tastes or your kids tastes may change by the time they are ready for a bed
buy second hand for 0-12 basics, they grow fast, save some money and don’t feel bad if things get stained.
Buy a few different bottles, baby’s preferences change and we went thru phases with born free, joovy boob, dr brown and a few others and all nipple flows are not alike across dif brands
you don’t need a sterilizer
I must add I borrowed a Bumbo and also hated it!
I second @nicholeL16 and @strickland8052 on the Diaper Genie. The filter broke and wouldn't stay on the lid so we ended up keeping in the garage because the diapers would still end up stinking. I don't think you even need a genie for the stink. Whether breast or formula fed (other than for convenience) until 6 months. If anyone recommends a different kind where I don't have to push the diaper down into the can (EW) I'd maybe try another brand.
Hates:
Needs:
Fisher Price swing (my number one must have!!)
Dock a tot
Cotton swaddle blankets such as Copper Pearl (they are big and stretchy so you can get a really tight swaddle)
MAM pacifiers
Ring sling (Wildbird)
Backpack style diaper bag (I love my Fawn)
Haakaa silicone breast pump/milk catcher ( my number one for breast feeding mamas! catches your letdown on opposite side you are nursing from... great to build a little freezer stash!!)
City Select stroller
Hates:
Mamaroo (I still use it, but mine both preferred the swing)
muslin swaddle blankets
Moby wrap (never got a good fit)
We were not minimalistic at all with our baby stuff lol. But honestly we use almost everything! Different things are great for different stages. I dont think we need anything for this one except some attachments for our stroller, another convertible carseat, and I'd like to get the skip hop activity center instead of our current exersaucer.
Recs: If you register at several places you'll get little welcome bags which usually have small bottles in them. I'd recommend collecting a bunch of sample size bottles before buying a ton to see what your baby prefers if you plan to use a bottle!
aiden and anis swaddle blankets
sleep sacks for later on
chicco keyfit infant car seat
ergo baby carrier
eddie Bauer backpack diaper bag
Hates
moby carrier, felt it was difficult to put on. Returned it
Boppy. I preferred using a regular pillow for breastfeeding. It felt too small to go around my waist. My SIL loves it for a tummy time assist though.
I've been tempted to get it many times with my daughter.
- boppy! Used it all of the time, even when not nursing!
- muslin blankets
-k’tan & ergo carriers
-frog sit me up chair
- gerber cloth diapers for burp cloths
- pajamas that zip up from the bottom!
- BOB Stroller
- Red Bordeaux butt paste (has worked the best on my boys for any rashes)
- infant car seat (when your baby falls asleep and you have to run in somewhere, it’s so convenient to just take the whole car seat and let baby sleep vs having to take them out and potentially wake them up)
Hate:
-momaroo swing (my son hated it)
- baby socks (i know babies need to keep warm, but my kids constantly kicked them off and we always lost them. Sleepers or pants with feet on them worked better for us)
Need:
-I recently got a Hatch night light for my boys’ room and love it. Will definitely be getting one for the nursery
- trying to decide on what type of high chair to do down the road
Like @happyin14 said, so much of what you love and hate will depend on tour baby. My boys were in newborn diapers for about a week. My first loved his pacifier and the second couldn’t care less about it. Neither of my boys liked to be swaddled, but I know plenty of babies who love it. A lot of trial and error!
SwaddleMe sleep blankets, both my boys loved these!
Moby
Playtex drop in bottles - couldn't afford the fancy ones, my boys easily switched back and forth between breast and bottle.
Birdseye cloth diapers - for diapering and messes, and burping and everything!
Baby trend jogging stroller - even if you are not a jogger! It maneuvers around all sorts of terrain and is more affordable (at least it was for me) than any of the BOB strollers. I had the double for my 2 under 2 and it worked great for a couple years for us.
Hates:
Pacifiers - my boys hated them. Every brand.
Needs:
A swing with a plug or battery option. Can be a lifesaver!
Bassinet perfect for c-section mamas, in room sleeping, co-sleeping, moving from room to room, small spaces... I will be using a bassinet for at least 6 months.
An assortment of bottles, your baby may hate the first ones you try!
-Hands free pumping bra (I had the Medella one)
-Ergo 360
-Boba fleece vest (over baby carrier, under coat in winter)
-Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets (didn’t swaddle but loved them for wiping spit up, covering for sunlight, protecting people’s clothes, cover when BF in public...)
-Bugaboo Bee stroller + cybex infant car seat that clicked in and worked with just a seat belt (city mom so car seat was almost exclusively for uber)
-many many more things
Hate:
-0-3 month pjs with lots of snaps
-Stokke foldable bath
-Bathtub thermometers
-Avent handheld pump (my body didn’t respond well -preferred using batteries in my double electric pump even if it was a bit heavy)
-K’Tan (although I know many other moms loved it!! Possibly an issue with sizing and should have gotten a size down)
Need:
-At least a couple newborn size clothes. Didn’t have any for DD and she swam in 3 month things for over a month...all my first photos of her look silly!
-Better infant bath solution than with DD (didn’t have a tub for DD but do now so that may be the solution
Love: simple cheep IKEA high chair
Hate: expensive beautiful stokke high chair
(that one pains me still...and my bank account
@ketomommy I really like my diaper genie and my DD is 2.5 and we just stopped using it because she poops in the potty now. Will definitely use for the next baby.
1. Doesn't take up much space (folds up)
2. Doesn't strap to an existing chair (we don't have spare dining chairs anymore!)
3. Is easy to clean because those things can get so filthy.
I will for sure check out the Ikea one that a few of you mentioned.
TIA!
With DD I was a bit obsessive about reading blogs and choosing products without caring about prices (stupid stupid FTM)...and mostly i was very happy with my purchases other than the damn high chair! We nanny shared at our house so I had to have 2 high chairs so got the IKEA one as a backup and of course both girls fought over who got to sit in it...
@rgn12 I was thinking of you:)
LOVE the IKEA highchair (yes, the $20 one) - you have to wait until baby is a little older to use it, because it doesn't have shoulder straps like some seats for little babies, but it is such a well designed product. No fabric. No crevices. You can remove the tray and pull it right up to the table. It's PERFECTION!
This is probably a bit of a splurge, but depending on where you live (and what you drive) I'd call it a NECESSITY...
THE NOGGLE!!!!! Never heard of it? It's a simple yet magical tube that you attach to the air vent in the front and the head rest in the back to bring cool air directly to baby in their seat. Those car seats are like OVENS in the summer, and I was so tired of getting my first out SWEATY! The Noggle was a game changer in the summer (and spring and fall) in Georgia. When we had #2, we got a second. And my car looked like an octopus but it was worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/Noggle-Backseat-Conditioning-Comfortable-Traveling/dp/B00LXT23RA/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1546649689&sr=8-2&keywords=noggle
Loves:
comotomo bottles - easy to clean, not plastic
velcro swaddles
boppy - bring this to the hospital
swing and/or bouncer (bring the bouncer in so you can shower!)
fisher price bouncy saucer (neglecto-saucer)
Phil & Teds Lobster high chair for going out (we like breweries and understandably they don't usually have high chairs. This clips to the table and folds up really small)
Crib clip on electric/musical mobile (I rolled my eyes when DH bought this but omg it was the only thing that would put her to sleep)
Latched mama nursing tops/sweatshirts
Chicco keyfit car seat and bob adapter
ALL of the burp cloths
Ubbi diaper pail (better than genie imo)
Hates:
Pacis
Long wraps (never felt secure)
shoulder diaper bags (also going backback for this one)
normal swaddles (my kid was a ninja)
bumbo chair
Recs:
glider chair
snoo???!!