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Nurseries and Baby Gear
christinetaylor994
member
need advice on some baby products: strollers, etc
christinetaylor994
member
Hello Ladies!
I am new to this site and really excited to get advice from other moms to be. My husband and I are the first of our friends and close family to have a baby so we are looking to others for any advice. I'm only 14weeks along but we want to start looking at and pricing out items we need so we can set up a baby budget.
I just wondered if you could tell me about some of the most useful, and not so useful things you may have used with your children, or have heard from friends and family about.
For instance, I've heard a lot of different reactions to Travel Systems verses smaller strollers and snap ons for car seat bases. Also heard that change tables are a waste and dresser top pads are better? What about those plastic Bumbo chairs.
Just looking for any good advice about the best way to get ready for our little baby.
Thanks
Christine
This discussion has been closed.
Re: need advice on some baby products: strollers, etc
Emily 8.8.08
Madeline 1.2.11
William 8.5.12
med-free birth x2, breastfeeding, baby wearing SAHM
My BFP Chart
I agree with Baby Bargains! I got my copy from the library and was able to renew it several times.
As far as a changing table, I don't like them because after your LO is out of diapers (or even too big to change up there), the table is basically useless and it (usually) looks obviously like a changing table! I prefer doing a changing pad on top of a dresser so you can just remove the pad and use the dresser for a much longer time!
Travel systems have pros and cons. I didn't want something huge, heavy and bulky. I ended up getting the Britax B-Agile Stroller w/ the B-Safe carseat. I guess it's sort of a travel system but it is much smaller, lightweight, and still has the convenience factor!
Definitely check out the book Baby Bargains, it is very helpful and I like their theory that the cheapest way to do something is to buy the right thing the first time! Here are some things I really like:
My video monitor- SO glad I went against my mom's advice on that one. I have a Motorola, it was about $150 on amazon, no complaints!
Rock'n'play - do not have a baby without having one of these, babies live them and they can be easily carried into any room you need to be in!
Chicco Keyfit carseat with the Keyfit Caddy- love my carseat and the easy drop in frame stroller is safe, light, and fits in the back of my car. I keep that one in my car for errands and then have the big stroller in the house for walks with the doggies ( its a Chicco cortina, don't like it, wish it was an uppa baby)
Other things that are helpful- baby Aquaphor, lots of bins to store things in, I like my changing table personally, pampers swaddlers with the wetness indicator, lots of burp cloths, waterproof multi use pads ( from bru) for the changing table.
Good luck!
Some things I love when they're little:
snuzza go, rock and play, snug a bunny swing, boppy, chicco key fit 30 with snap and go stroller, pnp
I'd recommend getting a snap & go stroller to use with the carseat until you decide what kind of stroller you really need. I bought a stroller adn then realized I really eneded a jogging stroller with bigger wheels for my neighborhood's bumpy sidewalks so I wasted time and money. The snap & go works great still, adn my LO is 5 mo.
We love love love our video monitor - SO worth the money to be able to see if she is awake or just making noises in her sleep, to see if she lost the paci, to make sure her sleepsack isn't covering her face/whatever else you worry about at 2am.
Love our Chicco Keyfit carseat, zero complaints.
I'd suggest getting a variety of swaddle blankets and then you can buy more of the one that works for your baby. We loved the halo swaddles and thought the swaddleme blakents were ok, and didn't like to swaddle with a recieving blanket, but everyone is different.
Baby Bargains is great, and I found this post really helpful: https://alphamom.com/pregnancy/our-ultimate-baby-registry-checklist/
Bottom line: Something one person finds unnecessary may be something someone else can't live without. Try to be realistic about your lifestyle when considering an item. (We didn't need a second carseat base, but parents who alternate drop-off/pick-up at daycare probably would.)
Our approach was to hold off on anything we weren't sure we would need. If you decide later you just have to have it, Wal-Mart/Target/Babies-R-Us are usually close by and Amazon has great two-day shipping. We didn't buy a swing or a video monitor and haven't missed either one.
I also bought lots of nursing supplies just in case - I left everything in the packaging until I needed it and then returned the rest once I made it through the first few weeks. (Nothing like sending your DH to Target to buy a breast pump...)
A few of my must-haves: side-snap shirts for the first few weeks, A&A swaddle blankets, Boppy, Rock-N-Play, Sleep Sheep, lots of cloth prefold diapers to use as burp cloths (they're super-absorbant).
Happy shopping!
ETA: Definitely get some sort of video camera. We just got an inexpensive flip cam, but it is PRICELESS to have a record of those sweet newborn sounds, daddy holding her for the first time, all sorts of random moments. Make sure it's something you can easily pick up and use.
The two best places to start your reserch is LuciesList.com and purchasing/borrowing the latest edition of the Baby Bargins book. These are great resources for FTM like yourself who don't know where to start. Once you have a good idea of what you might like, then you can always come back here and ask for more specific advice on the items you're interested in. There are great choices at almost every price point so it really all depends on your budget you know. Hope this helps! Congrats and GL
!
Get the newest Baby Bargains.
I personally really don't like the travel systems. I think they are really big & bulky. My best advice is to get a snap & go stroller for the first few months. Then you can determine what type of "real" stroller you will need once baby is here. You may find you do a lot of long walks and trips to the park, so some sort of 3-wheel jogging type stroller would be best. You may find you spend more time shopping and going to restaurants, and therefore a smaller/lighter umbrella type would be best.
Some other things I found invaluable:
- the Angel Care monitor (particularly when they are really young) and our Summer video monitor (which has been invaluable in particular as she has gotten older)
- Summer SwaddleMe's - these are SO MUCH EASIER than trying to swaddle with a recieving blanket!!!
- Sleep Sheep (or other white noise machine)
- gerber cloth diapers to use a burp cloths
- Medela PISA breastpump
- Fisher Price Rock N Play - ideal for naps, also great for them to sleep in your room in, super light & portable
- exercauser & jumper (yes, both)
- footed pajamas (that is pretty much what she lived in for the first 3+ months; I think they are also called sleep & plays)
- target nursing tanks
I don't think that my changing table has ever been used for much more then a catch all.
I kept my monsters in my room untill they were a few months old. So for me a really good pack n play is a must. I love my Graco with the flip up changer. I used that while the were tiny and I love the compartments to hold things you need to have on hand. Once they got bigger we just kinda changed them where ever was convient at the time.
If you have a multi level home it is also really nice to have a small caddy to have on the floor opposite of where your bedrooms are. I hated carrying a stinky baby upstaris to get a diaper.
But really it depends on your baby's needs. All of mine have hated the swing, and saucers. 3 loved their jummpers.