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North Carolina Babies
Recommend your baby gear
So which video monitor do you love? We got the Summer Baby Moments (7" color flat screen)- does anyone have this or would you recommend another one?
And whats up with the City Mini car seat adapter bar? I got the 2011 City Mini and the bar, but the car seat does not feel secure at all. (Graco Snugride- no#, just plain snugride). Should I just return the bar and get a snap n go to use during the first few months?
We got the FP Rock n Play, that gets rave reviews from all my "IRL" friends.
What other baby gear is a must, or really really love to have?
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Re: Recommend your baby gear
I think it is all relative to what your baby is like. What is great for one baby may not be great for your baby. I've learned this with having 2 babies and one being very laid back and this one being very fussy/colicky/reflux and just plain screaming all the time
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I did get the FP Rock and Play for DS and he slept in it rather than a bassinet, it was great because of the reflux issue. He is a big baby so around the 2 1/2 month mark he was started to fuss in it. I do like it though and hope once he is a little older and mellows out a bit I can use it again just to put him in while I do stuff in the house.
I have the City Mini Double and did not get the car seat adapter for the reason you stated, it gets HORRIBLE reviews about it being very unsafe. I already had a Chicco Travel System so I use that just for DS. When we do go out in the City Mini DS still needs a snuzzler in it to be comfortable. I do love the stroller though.
I could not live w/out my bouncy seat, once that bounces and vibrates. I have the FP Rainforest one and both my kids like/liked the FB Jumparoo. Of course you need a Boppy for just resting the baby in if for nothing else, I use it all the time. I have a Bumbo I like, a play mat may be good as well. I pretty much own every type of baby item and use them all so I may just be crazy!
ETA: Ditto on the burp cloths. I used Gerber ones (not cloth diapers but the Gerber brand like these) for DD and love them, and I got some fancy ones for DS and really don't like them as much so I scrounged up some of my old Gerber ones to use again.
That monitor looks like a good one. My only issue would be with the fact that it looks like it doesn't have a handheld receiver? We have the Summer Best View-- It's our second one--we had the Summer day & night one, but the Best View pans and zooms.. we got it when Holly started her getting out of bed shenanigans. :-) But her room is upstairs, so I like to be able to bring the receiver downstairs after we put her down. But I'm a monitor stalker, even still. People clearly get by without a handheld receiver, or a video monitor (for us it was a must have though).
I have the 2008 City Mini and I LOVE IT. :-) Didn't have the carseat adapter though. We used a Graco Snug Ride + snap'n'go until she could ride in the City Mini. I loved this setup. But people are pretty divided on the issue.
That FP rocker thing looks great. Will that be her bassinet? Looks very handy!
The other must haves for us were a PNP with changing table (kept this downstairs as our changing table for over a year), a bouncy seat (we had two--one by Boppy that vibrated and had heartbeat sounds, and FP aquarium one from CL we got at about 6 mos, when she'd kind of outgrown the Boppy one), and about 500 (ok, maybe a dozen or so, but it felt like we used hundreds. hehe) of the cheap Gerber cloth diapers for burp cloths.
I'm sure there's more, but I'm drawing a blank!
Thanks yall! Yeh the only thing I'm still questioning with the monitor that we got is that I can't pan and zoom. As for the portability of it, we can still move it from the living room to the bedroom easily.
I'm thinking we should go with a snap n go vs the adapter bar. Sounds like the adapter bar might be a p.o.s.
We have a bassinet as well as the Rock n Play. Our house is just a one story, so no problems just running into the nursery to change her. As for other gear, we have it pouring out our ears. Bouncy seats, activity mats, jumperoos, exersaucers, etc. We do have a TON of burp cloths too. So maybe we're good to go!
I second the monitor that can pan and zoom. We have the Summer Best View for Keira (the older model that weighs a ton!) but LOVE it. The handheld devise is what I could not live without. I take it everywhere.
For Callie we got THIS Summer monitor---the best view w/o the pan and zoom. I don't like it. We got a brand new one off Ebay for $40 and I may resell it and buy a best view. She's not moving so much in the crib right now but when she is I won't be able to pan the crib or zoom for a better view of her. Would not recommend it!
Ditto on the Citi Mini adapter. I have the double and LOVE the stroller but the reviews were terrible. Go with the snap'n go for now. Also products I can't live w/o are:
Cradle Swing Like THIS --our life saver. Also, get one that plugs into the wall. I wish they had these when Keira was born. We are using batteries like crazy.
Ergo carrier
Bumbo
Play Mat
Bouncy/papasan lounger
Boppy
Pack 'n play
Jumparoo
Here is a general list that I found helpful compiled from experienced moms in my family:
Lap pads for the changing table and other places
multiple cloth diapers for burp cloths
wow! What helpful replies! If they're not helping you-they're definitely helping me!!
I don't know a thing about the video monitors-we're trying to figure out if we need one and which one too. I tried to look yours up on Consumer Reports but it hasn't been reviewed (CR really hasn't done much investigating or testing of video monitors because none are really rated yet).
The city mini is at the top of my wish list but DH's includes the chicco travel system. We went to the store and tried the chicco keyfit 30 carrier with the city mini w/ adapter rail and it snapped snug. I don't know how top-heavy that would be with the city mini's lightweight design though. DH also thinks we don't need to get the city mini. (I'm in love with it though.) We'll register for it and see what happens
)
By the way, I believe the City Mini has a strap that buckles around the carrier with the bar. See how you feel with that. I really don't know if I would be comfortable with just the strap. I think I'd feel better if the car seat snapped and had a strap for back-up. I know we're getting the Chicco keyfit 30 so...I know it snaps. Have you already purchased the snugride? Are you opting out of the travel system or is the city mini the second stroller choice?
I love the list the last poster posted! Good luck!
I heard the same thing about the City Mini car seat adapter. I fell in love with it though and kept it on the registry. I also registered for the snap 'n go in case I don't feel like it's working for us.
To those with the City Mini, was the compartment on the bottom of the stroller ever an issue for you? It seems like that bar doesn't give much clearance for a big diaper bag to be stowed down there.