- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
2nd Trimester
Tell me what you know...
About baby stuff. I must be clueless, or dumb, or just well Im not sure. Ive been looking on the net on and off, at stores like BRU, Walmary, Shopko, whatever I can find that is somewhere I can get to. I dont know the first thing about any of this, What bottles are good, what to stay away from, strollers, car seats, anything. So I want to know what is the essentials, what are the cute but we really dont need things, and what was the huge waste of money. I live 3 hours from the nearest BRU and on the 20th Im headed there to hopefully start a registry. I am hoping to have a clue about what to put on there. Other than that the clostest thing I have is a Walmart and a Shopko an hour from me, so I only have the chance to get to these places once a month. TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Tell me what you know...
ditto baby bargains...get it...read it...love it. it is the bible of baby crap.
i also recommend printing out the BRU registry checklist to take notes on. cross out the stuff you don't need and narrow down what you do need.
DD - February 2011
For me it was very learn as you go. Lol. I didn't like the avent bottles, I ended up using soothie bottles. I got a graco carseat and the only thing I would tell you is to get one that doesnt weigh 20 pounds without baby in it. Lol. It will bite you in the a$$. When registering, I looked a lot at reviews of other people who had bought the item. That seemed to help me. And make sure you get a diaper champ! They are awesome! and unlike the diaper genie you dont have to buy filters or whatever, they just take bags, you can just use trash bags...that is what I do and it doesnt smell and I have not had any problems. I hope this helps at least a little..Lol. You can always message me if you want to ask about something.
I second the Babies R Us registry checklist, that thing was a life saver!
these are the staples that i think i'll need:
stroller (easy walker sky - comes with attachment for car seat)
car seat (maxi cosi mico)
place for baby to sleep (arm's reach beautiful dreamer cocoon sleeper)
bouncy seat
boppy and cover
package of diapers and wipes (i'm starting out small - i'll take some home from the hospital and see if baby likes pampers swaddlers before i buy a whole lot of them)
sling (hot slings, dr. sears balboa sling)
changing pad and cover
diaper genie elite II and refills
manual breast pump (i'm going to try BFing and i'll be a SAHM so i don't know if i'll need a more expensive pump), also lanolin breast cream and nursing pads but you might feel more comfortable not putting these on your registry
mam's 4 oz. baby bottles, set of 3 (i don't know what bottles baby will like or if i'll even bottle feed so i'm just registering for one set)?
first aid kit
grooming kit
nursing stool
baby aquaphor (for diaper rash)
a & d ointment with zinc oxide
little remedies baby travel kit (has nose spray, aspirator, gas relief drops, etc)
these are the things I think I might use the most but who knows! ?we'll also be in the middle of a move so i'm not doing a nursery yet so that might something you consider for your registry. ?hope this hopes a little!
?
The big stuff like this I already have. My dad built my crib, and is working on a dresser at the moment. The big stuff I have down packed, its the small stuff that gets me!
<--- first time mom, but also a nanny, and I have been researching a lot. So here is what I know:
1. the bottle warmer is a waste, the microwave is faster and just as effective.
2. The Playtex ventair bottles have CHANGED... I was going to use them because I loved them for the twins. But I have been reading reviews and I bought them for my niece and my SIL said they leaked (which is exactly what the reviews said). And sorry, I don't know of any other bottle that is good.
3. I am going to need the sterilizer because I don't have a dish washer. The Sterilizers that go in the microwave are Dangerous, just think if you were to drop it after the bottles have been sterilized and that hot water would go everywhere. So I am going to use the one that you set on the counter, I've used the older version and it worked well so I am expecting this one to be the same.
4. The twins used huggies diapers and I felt like they held a lot. One time I had to use pampers and they leaked.
5. I liked the Diaper Genie 1 until the twins started on table food and than it smelled. my SIL uses the diaper genie 2 for my niece (who is eating "people' food) and she said it works fine, no smell. I bought the Diaper genie 2 elite.
6. Boppy -- many days, the boppy saved my life. :-) It is great to help the baby sit, you can use it for support while bottle feeding, or you can lay the baby back in the boppy (still propped up) to bottle feed. I heard it is great for breastfeeding, but I haven't used it for this. ((obviously))
7. Burp cloths, bibs, and white onsies are something you can always use.
Hope this helps...
Get BPA free bottles, supposedly they cause cancer, and well, since my DS has brain cancer, I'd suggest avoiding that if all possible.
Don't buy a ton of one particular diaper brand. In the beginning I liked Huggies Gentlecare, then I liked Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers for sizes 2-6. We still use Pampers Sensitive wipes because they are gentle on DS's frequent chemo poops.
You'll need an infant seat, I suggest whatever is safest and easiest to use. We had a Graco Safeseat and I liked it pretty well.
We used our Graco stroller that came with the travel system, but it was obnoxiously huge. We have a Chicco Cortina and a Baby Jogger ATS now. I love both.
Get something you can sit baby in. For the first 3 months, my son lived in that Graco Soothing Motions thing.
Aveeno diaper rash cream is awesome. DS's chemo makes him go and go, when we were in the hospital he got a horrible rash and this was the only thing that would cure it.
I loved Carter's creepers and sleepers.
Two bottles of Baby Magic. We have about 15 bottles, but I'm just now working on bottle number two. A little goes a long way.
Things I had but rarely used: Changing table/hutch, crib (that's right never been used, went from pack n play to bed with us), hardly used my boppy or bumbo (DS's legs too fat), Diaper Genie II( we take our trash out daily so it's not an issue), FP rainforest swing and bouncer (he used the bouncer more than the swing though), Pack n play (only used for the first 3 months or so)
So that's all I can think of. Good luck!
You will want to get a few different kinds of bottles and find out what DC likes...they tend to like one kind and not necessiarly what you pick out. DD likes the Nuk bottle but she squeezed the top and makes a mess. She also likes the soothie bottles (which is weird because she hates soothies pacis).
Travel srollers are heavy and bulky. Try to find something light weight but sturdy...I actually borrowed my brothers stroller and he used it for 3 kids and it's 12 years old but still in good condition...it's Graco brand.
We have a Graco carseat. DD outgrew the height requirement at 6 months and we had to get a convertible...so don't spend outragous amounts of money on a seat. We have the Evenflo Triumph convertible seat and it's good from 5-50 lbs (something to think about registering for). We hated the eddie bauer version of the Alpha Omega convertible carseat (but they look the same so I give them the same rating)...we couldn't get in installed in my car properly...carseats shouldn't be that hard to install.
Changing tables have a short life too...DD has been changed on the floor since 4 months since she was too wiggley for the changing table.
DD loved the bouncy chair and the swing...we actually had a forward only swing that she hated and had to go buy a side to side swing...again limited time use but such a life saver.
We rarely used the boppy. It just sits on the floor now.
Register for older toys, bowls/plates, spoons/forks, sippy cups (gerber with soft top are good. We also use the Nuby soft top but she spills a lot more with those).