Help me do my homework! (Baby Gear Related)

toomanycats1 · August 2014

Hi ladies!

I'm a STM due in October, but my son is 7 years old now, so there's a lot of new baby stuff out there for me to choose from. I've honestly been avoiding buying anything because I didn't feel secure in my pregnancy due to repeat losses. Well, that and we don't have a place to store baby stuff because we haven't started the babies room yet... eek!

Anyway, so we have a crib and a new carseat (done!). I have clothes and things too, but what new baby gadgets could you "not live without". I need to get on buying things, and now I'm totally overwhelmed with all the decisions.

What's a good "natural" mattress?

Diaper pail?

Natural lotions/creams/wipe recs?

I will be formula feeding (medical reasons), so any recommendations between Enfamil and Good Start would be appreciated. Also, I used Dr. Brown bottles with my DS, but there are so many new ones out there, I'm not sure what to do!

I'm leaning towards the Baby Jogger City Mini so unless anyone strongly has an opinion against that, then that's a done deal.

Give me your guidance please! What would you be unable to live without, or what would you consider your best/favourite purchase?

Thanks!

BootsOrHearts · August 2014

Naturepedic makes a good line of organic and natural mattresses and mattress covers and sheets too!

We use mostly honest co. lotions, body wash, diaper cream, etc. all their stuff is good for babies and adults, their shampoo/bodywash is tear free too. You used to only be able to get stuff online from their site and the best price is still to do their monthly bundle but you can get their stuff at target and Bed bath and beyond, probably some other retailers too. All natural, huge list of things their products don't contain.

We use mam nipples I really like their stuff, and pacis too! Don't forget the pacis!

Do you have a swing?

This is making me want another baby haha!

ball.and.chain · August 2014

We tried Avent, Medela, Lansinoh, Tommee Tippee and Dr. Brown's bottles and ended up liking Dr. Brown's wide bottles the best -- but my impression is that every baby is different.

Aden & Anais burpy bibs. Soft, absorbent, and can double as a (big, curved) burp cloth for you or a big cape-style bib for baby. They are on the pricey side ($22 for 2) but I constantly choose them over all our other burp cloths and am disappointed when they are all dirty.

We have a Diaper Genie. I have nothing to compare it to, but it seems to work well. With dirty diapers in an un-air-conditioned room in the summer, it is usually full and needs to be emptied anyway before the smell gets too bad (that includes smelly formula poops). That's assuming you are using disposables, though.

Are you only considering Enfamil and Good Start for formula? Baby Bargains recommends buying the cheapest formula you can find, since the nutritional profile is all federally regulated anyway. A friend's pedi gave the same recommendation. There may be other reasons not to do this, but I haven't done much research on it. We supplement and use the BJ's house brand (Berkeley & Jensen), which is $8/lb versus $14/lb (at BJ's) for the brand names. Even with Enfamil coupons, the house brand is cheapest. I know others who are very happy with the Target generic. That's assuming you aren't looking for something special.

Summer Infant SwaddleMes have been great for us -- easier and more secure than a swaddle blanket and they keep him calm and happy while he sleeps. They were the only easy-swaddle product that fit our little baby when he was born (early/small for gestational age; 5 lbs when he came home from the hospital).

We like the Boon Lawn countertop drying rack for drying bottles and parts, and the OXO Tot Dishwasher Basket for washing them. I thought both were superfluous until we actually started using bottles!

We have the Summer Bentwood Bassinet. In general our son would rather sleep in our bed but I don't think it's the bassinet that's the problem! It's cute, sways silently, and plays music and other sounds.

I read Baby Bargains and Lucie's List for recommendations. Both were super helpful! Congrats and good luck!

toomanycats1 · August 2014

@BootsorHearts - Thanks for the recs! I'll have to do some googling to see where I can buy Naturepedic near me. I have heard of the Honest Co. and have actually checked out their website. I never thought to look at Target! I'll have to check it out :-) I do have a swing. I splurged and ordered a Mamaroo swing. I also have DS's old front to back swing as well, so that's at least covered.

@Ball.and.Chain - Oh my goodness, you've helped so much! I'll have to check out Baby Bargain s and Lucie's List. I tend to second guess things, so I love recommendations and honest reviews! I saw a sale on Aden and Anais somewhere online... now to remember where?

For the formula, DS had issues so we ended up trying quite a few until we found Enfamil. I loved that it was a lighter colour, and didn't stain his clothes as much as the other brands. I know I really should entertain trying a cheaper brand, but I tend to go with what I know. I have considered trying the Target generic, but I don't know how you know what brand it's similar too? Honestly, I haven't looked into this that much yet, I've just signed up for the samples and coupons!

With DS we tried a bunch of different bottles as well, and finally settled on the Dr. Brown's. I guess I should maybe just start there again. I have no way of knowing if this LO is going to have spit up/colic issues, but Dr. Brown's is a good place to start if they are still considered a top contender.

Thanks so much for the info guys... I'm off to finally start my homework!

FmrAFBrat · August 2014

DS2 loved Tommee Tippee only. DS1 would take anything. I think the wider bottles like Tommee Tippee, Playtex, & Nuk are easier to clean. Tommee Tippee has formula dispensers that are handy.

Things I love:

A&A swaddles & sheets

Valco Snap stroller (12 lbs and bigger basket than the city mini, as well as bonus pockets on the back for storage) I have the double & love it.

I'm actually thinking is selling my G-luxe for a single snap.

https://www.valcobaby.com

Mamaroo: for a swing

Aquaphor for diaper cream & rashes

Delta Fun Time Playard (square full size)

Cradle with a 20lb weight limit...room in longer.

Stainless Steel trash can....doesn't hold odor like a plastic pail.

linzeeh80 · August 2014

Things I couldn't live without are tiny loves take along mobile, sleep sheep and rock and play!

We also formula feed and my son has done great with Enfamil. It is the only formula we tried. We also use playtex ventaire bottles and they are awesome! We started with Tommee tipee but he was spitting up a lot so we switched to the ventaires and the spitting up stopped

We cloth diaper now, but we did do disposables and we had the arm and hammer diaper pail and it worked great. Held tons of diapers. In the beginning we changed it twice a week, but when he was older only once a week. No stink either

Good luck!

MrsWallick · August 2014

The only thing I was going to suggest has already been suggested! So I second Honest Co and Aden & Anais. The Honest Co lotions/ soaps have been lifesavers for us... Ok maybe that's a little dramatic. But it was amazing for cradle cap and baby acne. You can order free samples of their diapers, wipes and other baby products and I really liked them but I couldn't sell DH on the diapers, mostly because we already have about 1,000 diapers in the house that were gifts.

I also agree with Lucies List! Happy shopping!!

toomanycats1 · August 2014

MrsWallick said:

The only thing I was going to suggest has already been suggested! So I second Honest Co and Aden & Anais. The Honest Co lotions/ soaps have been lifesavers for us... Ok maybe that's a little dramatic. But it was amazing for cradle cap and baby acne. You can order free samples of their diapers, wipes and other baby products and I really liked them but I couldn't sell DH on the diapers, mostly because we already have about 1,000 diapers in the house that were gifts. I also agree with Lucies List! Happy shopping!!

Free samples? I love free samples! Definitely going to check out the Honest Co and Aden and Anais. Thanks so much!

toomanycats1 · August 2014

linzeeh80 said:

Things I couldn't live without are tiny loves take along mobile, sleep sheep and rock and play! We also formula feed and my son has done great with Enfamil. It is the only formula we tried. We also use playtex ventaire bottles and they are awesome! We started with Tommee tipee but he was spitting up a lot so we switched to the ventaires and the spitting up stopped We cloth diaper now, but we did do disposables and we had the arm and hammer diaper pail and it worked great. Held tons of diapers. In the beginning we changed it twice a week, but when he was older only once a week. No stink either Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendations. Now that you mention it, I actually have a sleep sheep somewhere! Now where to find it :-/ I'll have to check out the mobile though, and the Rock and Play since @Kountingsheep mentioned it too. I was going to order one before, but read some reviews about babies ending up with flat spots... that scared me off shopping for awhile.

SunshinyLees · August 2014

Congratulations!
My suggestions are:
Diaper pail-Diaper Dekor ( did a lot of research on this and loooove it)
Stroller- We love our City select and Uppababy gluxe umbrella stroller.
Waste of money- baby baths ( I just got in the bath with dd and by 6 months she could bathe on her own once she could sit up). Nursing pillow ( not sure if you would use it anyway if u are formula feeding. But if you do just use a regular pillow)
Baby monitor. Unless you live in a gigantic house you can pretty much hear when baby cries from all over the house. If you must get a monitor don't get the ones with the sensor pads. False alarms way too often!!
Must haves for newborn- for us I liked having a little Moses basket so I could place dd in it for naps when she was an infant and carry it with me wherever I was in the house. Watching tv in living room, outside deck etc...
Sound machine!! Or just get an app on your phone, does the same trick
Wubbanup infant pacifier! So much better than a regular soother. Very easy for DD to find and put back into her mouth if it falls out
Miracle blanket swaddler- amazing for that first month
Get a wrap. Personally I loved my Nuroo pocket. Best purchase ever! Get it on amazon! I would put dd in it and instantly she'd fall asleep and I could do errands around the house! For me definite must have for 0-3 months.
Good luck!

twotexans · August 2014

What's a good "natural" mattress? We have the Sealy Nature Couture Cotton Bliss Mattress.

Diaper pail? Diaper Dekor Plus

Natural lotions/creams/wipe recs? I use Mustela wash. I love, love, love Arbonne ABC Baby Diaper Cream. We use either Pampers Sensitive on Lansinoh wipes.

I will be formula feeding (medical reasons), so any recommendations between Enfamil and Good Start would be appreciated. Also, I used Dr. Brown bottles with my DS, but there are so many new ones out there, I'm not sure what to do! We used Enfamil GentleEase for supplementing. M likes Tommee Tippee bottles best.

I'm leaning towards the Baby Jogger City Mini so unless anyone strongly has an opinion against that, then that's a done deal. I love our City Mini GT! I use it almost daily.

Give me your guidance please! What would you be unable to live without, or what would you consider your best/favourite purchase? Loved our rock n' play sleeper, Hava ring sling, and the Woombie ventilated swaddle.

KikiCohen · August 2014

We could not live without:

PNP (We have the Chicco Lullaby LX. DS is 14 months and we still use it every day.)

Swing (We had the FP Little Lamb Platinum. We used it for about 7 months.)

Highchair (FP Spacesaver. We're still using it.)

Diaper pail recommendation: Diaper Genie Elite. Target makes a generic refill for it which makes it much cheaper! (Playtex refills are about $14 for two; Up & Up are 3 for the same price.)

I didn't buy any "natural" stuff, but have had absolutely no problems with Johnson & Johnson brand stuff, Pampers wipes, and Huggies wipes. I -think- Huggies has a Natural Care line.

We used Similac formula. We started out with Similac Neosure due to DS' birthweight. He was switched to Enfamil Enfacare at 2 months and was on that for about a month (We're still not sure why the pedi switched him b/c we went right back to Neosure about a month later. Oh well, he didn't have problems with either one.) From 6 months to one year we used Similac Advanced. No problems with any of the three.

We went through several types of bottles before we found one DS liked. He did perfectly fine with the Gerber disposables in the hospital. We ended up using Avent (the original, not the Naturally line). I recommend buying a bottle or two of different brands till you see which one your LO will like.

Serenla · August 2014

I will second honest co but I also like earth mama angel baby products as well, their diaper rash cream goes a looooooooooong way.

Swaddle me was amazing, you just have the velcro to snap it all together and you're done, great at 3 am lol.

We still prefer doc Brown's bottles, they work well.

I could not live without my swing or rock and play, I call them baby holders. Need to pee? Put child in baby holder and go.

I love my boppy, I do BF but I actually used it as a portable seat for me the first two weeks pp. It helped me to deal with the pain of sitting but I also tore badly so there's that.

GL sweetie!

linzeeh80 · August 2014

Oh also I couldn't live with out my ERGO! It has been a life saver! When Zaiden was fussy or wouldn't nap I would stick him in there and he was out like a light! I would have never gotten anything done in the beginning without it! They are a little pricey but imo it's a good investment! Also swaddleme's when LO is small and sleep sack when older.

toomanycats1 · September 2014

Oh my goodness, I can't thank you all enough. I was getting overwhelmed again just reading the recs, so I'm incredibly relieved and grateful for the help.

Now I just have to find some of the stuff! I think I'll be doing a fair amount of shopping online... not that that's a problem :P

2redtulips · September 2014

Our Homemedics sound machine is the best thing we have bought. We have one that's not specific to babies and it plays six nature sounds. Very soothing for R.

I walk every day, so our Jeep jogging stroller (a hand-me down from a friend) and the Carseat Canopy have both been perfect. The stroller has fat, nubby tires for dirt trails, but also does great on the sidewalk. The canopy is perfect for blocking the sun, but you can position it to let air flow in.

MAM pacifiers have been much better than the Avent ones we bought originally.

For a diaper pail, we just use a tall stainless steel trash can by Simple Human. You can use regular trash bags with it, and it blocks the smell great (I only smell it when I open the lid to drop in a diaper).

SwaddleMe swaddle blankets or newborn sleep sacks have been lifesavers.

2redtulips · September 2014

Oh, and someone sent us the board book "White on Black" as a gift. It is perfect for tummy time - he will stare at the simple white images for ages.

toomanycats1 · September 2014

Awesome @2redtulips, thanks! I'll have to check those out :-)

Junebug060609 · September 2014

First off, HI!!!!

I'm so excited you're so close to meeting your little pumpkin!

Now, to business...

Someone else mentioned the Naturepedic. I think Serta has a natural/organic one as well for mattresses.

For a diaper pail, we have a Diaper Genie. In all honesty though, you don't *need* one. We could just as easily have used the regular trash can. I generally do that with DS's diapers (he's almost 3), and with him I run the stinky diapers out to the outdoor can directly. Pretty much I just use the diaper genie with DD because we have it and it's handy when she's on the changing table.

I like Burts Bees diaper cream and baby wash. California Baby is another one I've heard is good.

Not a bottle feeder, but Doc Browns are still spoken highly of. I've only really used Similac for formula (had to supplement both kids). Don't forget to get on the formula makers mailing lists to get coupons and such sent to you.

I've heard good things about the Citi Select and Citi Mini. We went with the BOB (single and a double) and love them. We also have a cheap umbrella stroller and have a sit & stand enroute.

As for random recs:

A swing. We have the snugabunny, I think the new one is a snugamonkey (same swing, different theme). It's been a lifesaver with DD.

Baby wearing. I'd recommend either an Ergo or a Beco

toomanycats1 · September 2014

Thanks @junebug060609! So nice to hear from you :-)

I appreciate you taking the time to share your recommendations with me! I'm sure your kiddos are keeping you pretty busy these days.

I've used California Baby products before, and they are pretty good. I had to order them though. Not sure if it's at Target here or not (Canada), but I know we have the Burt's Bees! I'll go check it out.

I think you're right about the Diaper Genie. I remember we used it with DS, but when it wore out we just switched to a normal can. Probably going to split the difference and just go with the Dekor pail since it's stainless but you use normal bags.

I've had a few people recommend the Ergo now, so I'll probably give it a try. Haven't heard of the Beco before, so I'll have to do a little googling on that.

Anyway, today is my shopping day. I've got to at least get a few things ordered/bought today. I'm running out of time!

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions, I truly appreciate the help :-)

twotexans · September 2014

We love our Ergo now, but M hated it early on. She did much better in a ring sling, until she was big enough to use the Ergo without an insert. We use it now fairly often.

kimmyberly26 · September 2014

I absolutely love our swaddlemes, Fisher price swing, and Ergo. I can't live without those. This time around I got a Homedics(I think) portable soothing sounds that clips to the car seat and a sound machine for her bedroom that has a timer and a projector. Also, don't forget a cool mist humidifier.

HorseLover11 · October 2014

Swaddle me didn't work for us as she broke out easily. I love the ergo baby swaddle. I also love the ergo carrier with the infant insert. I second the crib sheet savers!! I also love our peg perego book popup stroller and the basinett collapses so you can easily bring the baby to a friends house during nap time or going on walks. I did not like the idea of having my baby in the car seat all the time - especially on walks from the house.

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