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Dallas-Fort Worth Babies
Stroller recommendations
I'm starting to research for everything I need to register for and would love and appreciate your recommendations for anything and everything you want to tell me.
.... especially:
- strollers
- car seats
- place to buy cribs/furniture in north Dallas area
- infant carriers/slings
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Stroller recommendations
I am pregnant with my 3rd and I think I can offer some pretty sound advice. Now I don't know what your budget entails, whether you're looking into strollers and equipment such as BugaBoo or whatever, but I know nothing about those.
I have learned that Evenflo stroller and infant seats (travel systems) aren't all that great. I have had two different ones and found both to not be of the quality that I would have thought they should have been. Both were on the flimsy side. This time around I have decided to go with Graco. I just bought today the Graco Melbourne Travel System. I am quite satisfied by it so far. The infant seat is their SnugRide, fits up to 22 lbs and 22inches. The pattern is cute and up to date. The stroller is a Literide, meaning that it's smaller and lighter weight then the traditional Graco or the Graco Quattro. It doesn't have as many features as those, but it definitely is better then the Evenflo strollers I have had in the past. If you're interested in it, look it up on Target.com, it's on special on their website now...but I got it in store today for $79.98! Graco also has another infant carrier, the SnugRide32, it goes up to 32 lbs and 32 inches.
In regards to slings I have a Moby Wrap and I love it. I will definitely be using it again this time around. With my first I had a front carrier and he hated it. The Moby Wrap can be worn in more then one way and my second son loved it.
In regards to furniture, it really depends on your budget. A few places to consider looking at are: Babies R Us, Lonestar Baby and Kids, and Baby Depot. And believe it or not Walmart. Our crib we got this time we bought at Walmart (a Storkcraft), which we could have bought at Babies R Us if we wanted to spend an extra $125.
I'd strongly recommend buying a crib with a stationary side/no moving parts. Drop side cribs have continuously been recalled over the past couple of years due to mechanism failures. Ours was recalled, we got the replacement parts, it was recalled a second time and the company went out of business leaving us with a crib we could not use.
Hope some of this helps. Baby stuff is overwhelming!
Congrats! Picking baby gear is overwhelming. You should definitely buy Baby Bargains...it has everything imaginable rated in it and educates you so you're able to compare and make decisions.
We have the Graco Snugride 32. Any of the Graco Snugrides are highly rated. I can't remember the others that were also, but the BB book will list them. The pros to our seat is it holds up to 32" long and 32lbs, so it can be used longer than the typical baby carrier. The cons is because it's bigger, it's heavier and sometimes a struggle to get out of the car (I have a tahoe, so I have to lift high to get it out). Britax are highly recommended for use when the baby is older and no longer in a carrier.
We bought our crib from Lonestar Baby. We also looked at Baby World. I went with an upholstered rocker/ottoman for comfort which was custom made by RioRocker (got to pick the fabric, extend the height of the back, etc) and paid about the same as if we bought one in store which weren't nearly as comfy, limited fabric selection and no changes able to be made.
I have a Moby wrap, a Maya sling with padded shoulder and a another ring sling by Rockin' Baby. I love to wear the Moby at home (it gives better back support), but isn't as convenient for outings, so I use the ring slings when out of the house. I've also heard good things about the Mei Tai and want that one next.
I probably am not much help with strollers, but we have an UppaBaby Vista and I love it. It has larger wheels which is great for outdoor walks/uneven surfaces, strolls and turns smooth, the bassinet was great while she was smaller, it also comes with an upright seat and you can use it as a snap and go. It has the option to add on an extra seat for a 2nd child. The other stroller I like is Phil & Ted.
Other baby items I love:
Jumperoo - the Rainforest Jumperoo is the best IMO. My DD loves it, but hasn't liked others that are at my parents and friends.
Swing - love the FisherPrice Zen Swing It plugs in which saves LOTS of batteries. The music is more zen like and not annoying. My DD loves to stare at the mobile that can also be pushed out of the way. It also has 2 pieces of fabric that fold over to keep baby warm so you don't have to cover with a blanket. The seat detaches from the swing and can be used as a seat somewhere else in the house. Swing front/back and side/side.
Monitor - I was on the fence about a video monitor (DH really wanted it), but I now am really glad we have it. I love that I can just look to see what she's doing or if she's moved her lovie in her face without having to get out of bed, stop cleaning the kitchen, jump out of the shower, etc.
Diaper Bags - I have quite a few, but Petunia Pickle Bottom are my favorite. Lots of compartments and easy to find things. I use the shoulder bag for longer outings and the touring tote for quick trips.
Swaddlers - Miracle Blanket is a must! Get 2! Others I like are the Aden and Anais muslin blankets for summer/warmer days and the Swaddle Designs for cooler days. Both are larger so baby can't get out of swaddle like they can with the smaller receiving blankets.
Bottles - Favorite are Born Free.
If you're breastfeeding, the Lansinoh milk bags are the best.
HTH you get started.
Baby Bargains is a book and is awesome. I have really liked everything I have had:
stroller - LOVE the snap n go (when he was still in the infant car seat) LOVE the BOB revolution
Baby carriers - I had a moby for when he was little and got the ergo when he was about 3 mos old. The Ergo is by far one of my best baby purchases ever. I really liked the moby though too.
carseat - I got the chicco keyfit 30. It is a good carseat and was rated really high as far as safety, but I think next time I will get the graco snugride. I was not a fan of the chiccos sunshade and it was REALLY heavy to lug around.
For cribs and such, I remember the graco lauren being really highly rated and they were very inexpensive. (you can get them at target or walmart.com) We ordered one from walmart.com that i really like as well, i think it is by safety 1st? cant remember.
Well first and foremost Congrats!
This is my 4th pregnancy and I have a lot of insight on different sorts of products as I've had to buy a lot of different items for different needs for different children 
(what a mouthful! haha)
strollers - as far as strollers go, i have a bugaboo frog that i LOVE and 2 maclaren umbrella strollers. I typically use the maclaren strollers bc I carry DS in the Ergo (which answers your question down below) The bugaboo is a great purchase if you plan on having multiple children, downside, not all kids like to stand all the time. But it was great for the baby car seats - we had a carrier for DD (almost 4) and it was a pain to lug around and carry so for DS (almost 16 months) we just bought a britax and since i LOVED the Ergo for DD, I just carried DS in the ergo and walked with DD (we are proud owners of Britax Boulevard and Marathon and HIGHLY recommend it) place to buy cribs/furniture in north Dallas area --we did a lot of research as far as pricing on cribs....but luckily for us my in laws paid for our cribs so sorry I am not any help on that particular item infant carriers/slings-i highly highly highly recommend the Ergo and purchase the separate newborn slip...this is a life saver and would not recommend any other carrier...i have a front carrier, a moby wrap (which i actually do like) but I have thoroughly enjoyed this carrier the mostIf you plan on bfing...i had the best luck with the Avent bottles and Breastflow bottles (DD and DS did NOT latch to the bottles well) for "nipple confusion" though i would wait to purchase any bottles until after DC is born to see what you think would work best for them.
I invested in a video monitor just for peace of mind, especially the first couple of months! Also it is good for when they are mobile and are able to move around the crib (trust me, i always got DS' leg out of the crib before he would wake up from trying to roll over LOTS of times!)
Just a store I would highly recommend in general to shop at for larger items would be BuyBuyBaby bc you can use your Bed Bath and Beyond coupons for certain items! I always tossed them before and now I snatch them fast and hang on to them! I also shop on diapers.com and manage to find good deals on there as well!
Anything else, feel free to PM (just let me know you do!) or page me on here! the ladies on here are very resourceful! H&H 9 months to you!
Def get a copy of Baby Bargains - it will be very helpful.
We have the BOB revolution stroller, and I love it. We use it for running and for everyday use. I'm just now to the point that I'm thinking of getting something smaller (only because we're flying next month and I don't want to have to check or gate check it). I highly recommend going to a store that carries a wide variety of strollers and testing them out for yourself. Ultimately, it really depends on what you want in a stroller.
We have the Chicco keyfit 30. Couldn't be happier. Their customer service is awesome, too. We bought our seat in the Extreme color, but once we took the infant body support out, DD began to get bad friction rashes on her elbows and legs where her skin rubbed against the material. I contacted Chicco and they sent an entire new cover (in a different material) for free, and we haven't had any problems since. Oh, and we started off with a Graco Safeseat (BOB strollers are only compatible with a few brands, Graco being one), but we hated it. Found out from a friend that the Chicco keyfit fits into the BOB, so we went out and bought a new seat when DD was a week old.
My father made DD's furniture, so I'm not much help, there. We did get my rocker/recliner from The Dump. I didn't like the usual gliders that are out there, plus I'm sort of tall, and none of them were very comfortable. Ours is a big leather recliner/rocker, and I love it. DD and I can curl up together, and I slept in the chair many nights when she was really little! I love that it goes with the decor in her room, and we can move it to the living room/game room when we're through using it in her room.
I have a Baby Bjorn carrier and a sling I won at a Metro Moms event, but I've used each only a handful of times. I just never got into the baby wearing thing.
Other things:
If you are planning on BFing, I would highly recommend the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. I'm still BFing and pumping through the day, and it was a great investment. I waited to purchase it until I was sure BFing was going to work for us - probably when dd was a month old or so. We use Dr. Brown's bottles and have had no problems. They are a pain to clean though, because there are "guts," as we call them, to the bottles. I honestly don't even know what kind of parts other bottles have. I can pump directly into the Dr. Brown's bottles, though, with my PISA pump, which is helpful.
If you can find things (like JFarmer's swing) that plug in, go for it! We use rechargeable batteries, but it's still a PITA when you go through a full battery in a few days.
Good luck! This all can be overwhelming, but just keep it simple. Figure out what features are important to you, and then go from there.
Strollers - I have four. ?I can honestly say that my favorite stroller is my Phil & Ted's. ?Its a single stroller, but has a doubles attachment that you can buy later when/if you want another baby. ?Its light, its a jogger, it fully reclines, it has a nice basket, the handlebar is adjustable, etc. ?I absolutely love it and its the only stroller I use anymore... at some point we'll be selling our other three because they are just hanging in our garage and haven't been touched in over a year.
Car Seats - Graco Snug Ride for the beginning and then a Britax when they grow out of the Snug Ride. ?They are both the safest on the market.
Furniture Stores - I would narrow your options first by deciding if you want a lifetime crib that can be converted to a bed later. ?Then, decide what color you want and figure out our budget. ?With that info, you can go to just about any store and your options are already narrowed. ?I've had success at Babies R US - I think they have a good selection. ?Lone Star Baby is also supposed to be good. ?FWIW, I didn't want a lifetime crib because I wanted to pass the crib down and have big kid furniture that hadn't been chewed on, etc.
Infant carriers / slings - The Graco Snug Ride is a great carrier as far as maneuvering in and out of stores, going to restaurants, etc... I have the Peanut Shell sling and I love it. ?I have used with my babies and then when I was 8 months pregnant carrying a toddler in the sling. ?Its fabulous and affordable.
Also - as far as high chairs go, its personal preference, but I love having the space saver because I can pull the kids up to the table and let them eat with us and I can easily put it away when company comes and we need more adult chairs and I can take it with us to a friend's house if we'll need a high chair. ?Best money spent on a high chair for us.?
I second the BOB and getting a Graco car seat. I have a Chicco travel system and like it ok, but would prefer a BOB. The Chicco car seat was very heavy to lug around. I love my Moby wrap, but it's not a quick on-the-go type thing b/c it takes a few min to get it on.
my $0.02:
Stroller: I love love my snap n go - I didn't want a travel system bc they're so big. Snap n go is perfect for when they're tiny and are happy in their car seat or sleeping. I have 2 other strollers and like them both: red castle whizz & an umbrella-type small one: Combi
Carrier: I have a Pikkolo and LOVE it!! It's a mei tai style one and the only one that baby can ride front facing too. I have a hotsling too & it's OK
Baby Bargains - it's great! worth the money