Baby space and stuff

wildtot · October 2015

I will be 13 weeks on Sat. Just wondering when is the right time to start getting baby stuff like crib, car seat, etc (the big stuff). This our first and we will be sharing our 1 bedroom apartment with the baby till next fall when we can get a 2 bedroom. We just got a new bedroom set for ourselves to start making space for the baby stuff.

pinottoparenthood · October 2015

A few factors...

Are you going to have a shower? Any way that people will give you some of these things? If so, maybe don't buy too much yet.

We bought our crib maybe halfway through my last pregnancy? I liked being able to work on the nursery gradually over time. We had it painted first, and then I had several months to decorate, etc.

As for the car seat, you really don't need it until a month or so before your due date (and that's just in case baby comes really early). You can install the base in your car, but don't drive around with the carseat in there until you go to the hospital.... if you get in a fender bender, the seat will need to be replaced.

At the end of the day it's sort of up to you... but again, if you're having a shower, don't buy too much now! Maybe the furniture, but i would hold off on other stuff.

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

Car seats expire so it's actually better to wait to get the car seat until a month or two before due date so it has a later manufacturer date.

RoseShadow873 · October 2015

NachosAndPeaches said:

Car seats expire so it's actually better to wait to get the car seat until a month or two before due date so it has a later manufacturer date.

How do they expire? I'm confused.

wildtot · October 2015

Yeah im sure im having a baby shower, but i would hate to have the expensive stuff on there. Our parents might pitch in for the bigger stuff, but for now I am assuming its on us. I would rather leave all the small stuff for the shower. I was thinking maybe get like the crib and bigger stuff closer to the holidays (discounts!) and give me some time to set it up and have fun with it.

mrstrax · October 2015

Knottie2891384 said:
Yeah im sure im having a baby shower, but i would hate to have the expensive stuff on there. Our parents might pitch in for the bigger stuff, but for now I am assuming its on us. I would rather leave all the small stuff for the shower. I was thinking maybe get like the crib and bigger stuff closer to the holidays (discounts!) and give me some time to set it up and have fun with it.

That seems super reasonable, especially with Black Friday deals around the corner. If you have a relationship with your parents/ILs where it wouldn't be weird, you may want to talk about that you're starting to research cribs/car seats so that they have the chance to say "we'd like to get that for baby" if they want since its before shower(s).

Ready4theParty · October 2015

Agreed. We waited until after the showers to purchase the big stuff. My parents bought our pack n play and baby monitor. Our families were very generous and bought us some big items. Also don't rule out a work shower if you work. My job likes to do card showers or will buy a bigger item off a registry for weddings and babies.

misstopsail · October 2015

RoseShadow873 said:

NachosAndPeaches said:

Car seats expire so it's actually better to wait to get the car seat until a month or two before due date so it has a later manufacturer date.

How do they expire? I'm confused.

They all come with expiration dates... It's a safety thing.. Older car seats have a higher likelihood of having been in an accident (and like a helmet, need to be replaced after that). Plus the plastic can start to break down over time (they're exposed to lots of hot and cold in the car).
Car seats are best purchased new.

momofmanyinthemitten · October 2015

Baby gear can take up a lot of room. If you're already cramped for space, you might want to hold off. We got cribs a month before babies were due and didn't even assemble them until after they were born, since they were in PnPs in our room to start. I'd definitely put everything (big and small) on your registry. You never know what people will buy.

pinottoparenthood · October 2015

RoseShadow873 said:

NachosAndPeaches said:

Car seats expire so it's actually better to wait to get the car seat until a month or two before due date so it has a later manufacturer date.

How do they expire? I'm confused.

Yes, the plastic/materials break down over time, so they are all stamped with expiration dates. Check the date before you buy though... they can last 5-9 years from the date they are manufactured,but some can sit on the shelves for a year or longer, so it's something to be aware of, especially if you hope to use with multiple kids over time!

spatter1 · October 2015

I think we are going to set up at least part of our registry in late November, but will just share it with our parents. They're already asking what we want for Christmas and all we want is stuff for the baby. It's the first grandchild on both sides so everyone is very excited. We're extremely lucky! Also hoping there will be some good sales around Thanksgiving/Christmas.

mojomama6 · October 2015

I've never personally seen the plastic in a car seat degrade... But I have seen the straps disintegrate before. Car seat expiration is a real thing.

RoseShadow873 · October 2015

Does it really expire sooner if you buy it a few months early and leave it in your house though? Is that really going to make a big difference?

eastdurian · October 2015

We were in a 1BR until DD was 5.5 months old. I wouldn't get a crib but a pack n' play with a bassinet top.

If you're going to have a baby shower, I'd register for everything you want and then wait until after the shower/Holidays. A lot of times people might go in together to get you some of the bigger items like the car seat/pack n' play.

Amazon wish lists are great because you can email them to people. Currently, we keep three going constantly for DH, DD and myself. That way when grandparents ask "what does LO want for Christmas/birthday... etc" it's easy to email the list.

Achieverjo · October 2015

I bought the crib as soon as I heard the heart beat. Last week I bought fabric to make curtains and a dust ruffle and coordinating items from the Kirklands outlet.

I plan to leave items like the car seat, tub, toiletries, swaddlers diapers sizes n-3, pack-n-play, etc on the registry for the shower.

But I'm already buying diapers and wipes. If you coupon you can get a better deal if you buy them before you need them. So I am stocking up on the bigger sizes, like size 3, which other moms told me is the size you will use the longest.

Check out the Krazy Coupon Lady app. It breaks down all the best combinations for coupon deals.

Sarcasm101 · October 2015

If you are cramped for space, I would skip the crib all together. Get a rock n play. It is a huge space saver and most babies prefer the RNPs since they are inclined and snug.

wildtot · October 2015

Our bedroom is pretty big and with the new bed set we got we are minimizing a lot of furniture we currently have so I think a crib will fit just fine. My HB wants a crib and nothing else. I like the idea of stocking up on the wipes and diapers. Thanks for the app suggestion!

RoseShadow873 · October 2015

I'm planning to wait until the baby is a couple months old to buy a lot of stuff because I am moving across the country in June. I hope I can figure out what I need right away and what can wait.

vtmomin12 · October 2015

Another good reason to register for the big stuff too is that you'll get a coupon at the end to complete your registry.

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

We are a "crib on day 1" family so we definitely wanted it set up in time. Room sharing just did not work for us and I never had to have a 4 or 6 month sleep transition.

cmjenkies · October 2015

I always figured crib would be it for us from day 1 too. He didn't touch the thing outside of *sparse* naps until he was almost 1 yo. Maybe this time around..

But really, the only piece of baby gear that I will ever recommend to anybody without question is a rock n' play. It saved my sanity and is great for space saving and portability.

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

Lol @cmjenkies we never even had one! But I know people swear by them. We did love our fisher price swing though!

cmjenkies · October 2015

@NachosAndPeaches and see.. my weirdo DS absolutely HATED swings - much to my dismay. What kind of baby hates swings?!

I'm so hesitant to buy one again for fear of this one being the same!

cmjenkies · October 2015

@NachosAndPeaches PS: BUY A ROCK N PLAY! PEER PRESSURE!

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

Hahahha. I'm gonna see how ds2 is (weird that he's officially ds2). Henry was a unicorn. Sttn at 5 weeks in his crib. If ds2 is different as I'm sure he will be (read: I'm so screwed) I will absolutely buy one!!!

cmjenkies · October 2015

@NachosAndPeaches praying for my own unicorn this time around in that case! Lol

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

@cmjenkies we were super strict with his schedule. Like I was kind of obsessed. But he also took to it. Message me if you want the "secret" lollllll. Also he was EBF so people are really surprised to hear this.

cmjenkies · October 2015

@NachosAndPeaches I don't know how to send a message but maybe send me one and I will see it? Lol. SHARE YOUR WISDOM!

PS: Sorry for hijacking your post OP. Promise I'm done now

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

Basically I did EAS (eat awake sleep) every 3 hours no matter what til he regained birth weight. While I know some babies want to eat more often, this is actually the schedule most babies will naturally go toward. If he fussed in between we used a pacifier, swing, holding, rocking, swaddling, etc to soothe him. If those didn't work THEN I fed him off schedule. But no matter what, I woke him at the 3 hour mark.

Once he regained birth weight (I believe 8 days, so he was thriving!), I cut the interval back to 2.5 hours. So at that early breastfeeding stage it took about 30 min to feed him, then I'd keep him awake for an hour or so, and put him to sleep for an how. And wake him up no later than 2.5 hours, until around 11 pm. Then at night I let him go as long as he could and he would cry to wake me up. I got a LOT of shit from people, especially my moms friends, for waking a sleeping baby, but it WORKED.

At five weeks he slept from 11pm-5 am consistently. At 7 weeks he woke up at 5 am and I asked DH "go take care of it" (aka give him some pumped milk bc I was exhausted). He misinterpreted and gave him the paci, and he slept til 7!!! For that week he slept from 11-7 consistently. Then each week until 10 weeks I made his bedtime an hour earlier, so by 10 weeks he was sleeping 8 pm-7 am (with the 2.5 hour intervals starting based on his wake up, and still super strict).

I tracked EVERYTHING on my app and was obsessed. I think I finally stopped tracking his feeds and sleep at 9 months Hahahhaha.

He did have a small sleep regression at 4 months, he still fell asleep on his own, but had a MOTN wake up. During this wake up I would only feed him as a last resort. We tried comfort tools first. By 5.5 months he was semi consistently sttn again and we did CIO for two nights when he wasn't, and he has sttn ever since, with a few minor exceptions like teething or travel.

Like I said, I was super strict, but he was also receptive to it.

pinottoparenthood · October 2015

RoseShadow873 said:

Does it really expire sooner if you buy it a few months early and leave it in your house though? Is that really going to make a big difference?

Obviously it's a guideline and it's not like the seat is perfect the day before it expires and immediately becomes physically defective on that expiration date... but still, my child's safety isn't something I want to roll the dice with, and I wouldn't use an expired car seat regardless. So if you can get one with a later expiration, why wouldn't you?

pinottoparenthood · October 2015

If you want your child to STTN, don't nurse him or her to sleep. I learned the hard way, haha. Put your kiddo down awake starting from a very early age! Sleepy but awake.

AmadorRose · October 2015

@NachosAndPeaches what app is this? And did you learn about this schedule in the book-that-shall-not-be-named? I'm going back to work at 6 weeks and if there's a chance I can get some solid sleep, I'm gonna try it.

NachosAndPeaches · October 2015

I agree with Pinot (and most experts) on sleepy but awake as well! But I know some moms just love the nursing to sleep feeling and the cuddles. Every once in a while I'll still sneak in some pre bedtime cuddles.

@AmadorRose kind of, yes and no. I definitely used it but also made it my own. To be honest I don't remember if it says to do the earlier bedtime thing. A lot of moms start out with a set bedtime and then try to extend wake time by an hour, but I've found for many it works better the other way. Plus I'm a night person so it's easier to do a feed at 11 for me than at 3 am. I also read "contended little baby" but didn't use their schedule, just sort of used the info from the info chapters.

I did really like the merge principal and age guidelines in the book that shall not be named. It's definitely important to take the baby's needs into consideration when making your general routine. At one point later (I have no idea how many months he was, maybe 4-5?) I remember the "schedule" I set being something like 7, 10, 1, 330, 6, 8. So I sort of learned he could go longer in the morning between feeds and more clustered at night etc.

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