@marajay6 Oh wow, I didn't even think of getting anything snug like that. Thank you. It does get chilly where I am so I need to look into that. Or maybe for the stroller. I've seen some snug kiddos in strollers around here now that I think about it. Seriously this baby things industry is a whole new world. And worth billions of dollars.
They have stroller covers that wrap all around the baby and keep them nice and snug. They fit into infant car seats which makes me cringe because you are not supposed to put anything between baby and seat unless approved by the manufacturer.
People have mixed reviews on this, but I personally LOVED mine and it was free!! A car seat liner (according to the police officer that helped me install my car seat) is usually a no-no bc it can mess with the seat's safety
Yes, no after market products for car seats! Canopy is fine but anything that goes under baby or around the straps is a big no.
@PSUBecky23@marajay6 Yes. I'm part of the Facebook group "Car Seats for the Littles" and have seen people get reamed for that stuff. I've been taking notes but didn't see any harm in a canopy since I figured it would be for on top of the stroller when it's attached?
@marajay6 Yes! I love my high chair. I have the same one. Although we didn't get the cushion. I didn't know they had a cushion! I had a cheap highchair from walmart before. I didn't like how the seat didn't sit up all the way so the baby was kind of reclined, and it was really hard to clean. I got it out for my third and realized there was still food stuck in cracks from months before. I threw it away and bought the Ikea one.
@mom2adoodle we also have a similar winter cover, forgot to mention that as well! DS was a June babe and I keep forgetting it's going to get much colder faster this time around!
YES, @marajay6 -- we started with a pretty Eddie Bauer wood high chair. With railing along the sides. And about a thousand crevices for food to get stuck in. Got rid of that and bought the Antilop and tray (no cushion for our poor kiddo) and it is AWESOME. Super light weight, super easy to clean, and small so it's great for our small house, but still comfy for my big (36", 32 lb) 2 year old. We use a booster at the dining room table, but I love the high chair for in the kitchen when I need to get things done. I've even moved my makeup and such to the kitchen so I can just do all of that while he eats.
@mom2adoodle We had the cover marajay shared as well as the canopy cover. I loved having both. And I would fold up and cover her in the A&A swaddle blanket under the cover as well. Coats are a no-no in a carseat, and I wanted her to stay warm in the winter. I plan to do the same with this one.
@frogdog06 we had 3-4. You can definitely reuse a couple nights in a row as long as there isn't a pee/poop/puke explosion on it. That wasn't a nightly occurance for us, but if you have a reflux baby I'd assume you need more.
we had several of the A+A muslin swaddle blankets at first, then when those seemed too small we moved to the Summer Infant swaddles with velcro and found that they weren't constructed well/secure enough to hold our baby in securely, then moved to the Miracle Blanket. We loved it and used it for several months. We had at least 4 of each at a time, our BF baby had poop-splosions and dribbled a lot. Didn't ever try the woombie, but might start out with that this time, maybe over a muslin swaddle in the winter months.
+ 6/1/11, due 2/12/12. natural m/c @ 8wks + 9/3/11, due May 2012. overdue baby born healthy!
+ 8/3/15, natural m/c @ 5wks
+ 1/4/16, due 9/14/16
I agree 3-4, but I wouldn't get or open/wash more than one until you know what will work for your LO. We had 3 different types of swaddlers, and the only thing my DD liked was being swaddled in an A&A blanket.
The only thing that was a waste for us was those vibrating chairs. DD loved her swing so we never used anything else. Also I guess those cheap cotton swaddling blankets. I ended up switching to A&A ones after and used the cheap ones for cleaning up messes so they weren't a total waste.
I used a change pad all the time, loved my wipe warmer (maybe because I CD'd?), used my co-sleeper constantly, loved my bimbo.
I think we had around 10 swaddle blankets total because we were gifted so many, but 3-4 is all you need as long as you don't mind keeping up on laundry (mine got breast milk/ baby spit up on them constantly in the first few months). I love that A+A swaddle blankets so much more than any Velcro contraptions. If you don't know how to swaddle, be sure to ask the hospital staff to teach you - best. thing. ever.
Also agree with the high chair - we have one with a removable cushion and that cushion hasn't seen the light of day for 6 months. It's way too annoying to clean. We will be ready for a booster seat soon but I am quite worried about how my upholstered chairs (that I just bought) will take the potential abuse from dropped food. Any suggestions?
@mom2adoodle We had the cover marajay shared as well as the canopy cover. I loved having both. And I would fold up and cover her in the A&A swaddle blanket under the cover as well. Coats are a no-no in a carseat, and I wanted her to stay warm in the winter. I plan to do the same with this one.
This is what we're doing! We got the "free" canopy and are getting the plushy cover as well since winter will be right around the corner when baby's born. My niece was very little during her first winter and the blanket they put on her carseat was constantly on the floor either from her kicking or just because. We'll use the canopy for windy, snowy days. Edit words!
I'm going to be obnoxious about car seat safety even though no one asked me, just based on some of the above discussion regarding canopies, covers, etc, and I'm sure there are many FTMs who just don't know (I know I didn't). Not positive what each person is referring to so I just want to make it known that many products that are meant for car seats but don't come with the car seat are not considered safe because they were not tested with the car seat. I'll just leave this here and step off my soap box, now: https://csftl.org/non-regulated-products/
The only thing that was a waste for us was those vibrating chairs. DD loved her swing so we never used anything else. Also I guess those cheap cotton swaddling blankets. I ended up switching to A&A ones after and used the cheap ones for cleaning up messes so they weren't a total waste.
I used a change pad all the time, loved my wipe warmer (maybe because I CD'd?), used my co-sleeper constantly, loved my bimbo.
The only thing that was a waste for us was those vibrating chairs. DD loved her swing so we never used anything else. Also I guess those cheap cotton swaddling blankets. I ended up switching to A&A ones after and used the cheap ones for cleaning up messes so they weren't a total waste.
I used a change pad all the time, loved my wipe warmer (maybe because I CD'd?), used my co-sleeper constantly, loved my bimbo.
I'm going to be obnoxious about car seat safety even though no one asked me, just based on some of the above discussion regarding canopies, covers, etc, and I'm sure there are many FTMs who just don't know (I know I didn't). Not positive what each person is referring to so I just want to make it known that many products that are meant for car seats but don't come with the car seat are not considered safe because they were not tested with the car seat. I'll just leave this here and step off my soap box, now: https://csftl.org/non-regulated-products/
Thank you for saying this. I've been thinking that I need to say something. Car seat safety is so important and a majority of car seats are installed incorrectly. Please, read your manual!
Also, on the topic of carseats, I went to a safety check at my local children's hospital. Even though I had read the manual thoroughly, watched a million youtube videos, etc., there were still tweaks that they made to make sure it was installed correctly, and that I was using it correctly. Chest clip at the armpits! Gotta have it over the sternum so that it doesn't squash the squishy bits if an accident does happen.
I will agree with the ladies above. Even if you follow all the steps properly it still helps to have someone who is a professional really crank it in tight for you. It took less than an hour out of my day and it's worth it to make sure baby will be as safe as possible. A little tip I learned was they recline the seat a little bit, THEN tighten the straps as hard as you can, when you put the seat back upright the base will be in way tighter than you could get it on your own. So easy, but makes such a difference!
faeriem can you tell me your system for cloth diapering? We are going that route (or are going to try our best) and I have been wondering about nighttime changes, what sort of wetbags you use, etc.
I've got multiple shirtless Ryan Gosling memes regarding car seat safety to share. We'll definitely have to do a car seat safety thread as we get farther along. It's so important but unfortunately so many people don't take the time to learn the proper use/install.
I've got multiple shirtless Ryan Gosling memes regarding car seat safety to share. We'll definitely have to do a car seat safety thread as we get farther along. It's so important but unfortunately so many people don't take the time to learn the proper use/install.
This is so true! I can't stand looking at babies in their car seats with those fluffy liners or cushions under them. I feel that if the parent had any idea that it could potentially be unsafe, they would remove them in a heartbeat. I've said this before but some parents seem to take their kids' safety for granted.
For the ladies wondering about the cover linked to and mentioned above fron Amazon (JJ Cole brand), that one wraps around the outside of the car seat, doesn't go under baby or the straps.
Another thing that I returned was the double breast pump bra. I simply cut holes in an old sports bra and that did the trick. Just be careful to not cut the holes too big. It was nice being hands-free while pumping, but I was never productive as this lady:(I wish I could change this to my April fool's siggy)
I just want to pop in and say that I had a December baby last time, and I live in Maine. It's a frozen Tundra at times. We never used an cushy covers/canopies and baby was fine. On days that the windchill was below 0, we didn't walk, or I got baby all dressed up and we walked in the stroller that held his carseat (I'm ok with baby in a snowsuit in the carseat if it's clicking into the stroller, not for car rides), the carseat faces towards me in the frame stroller so baby was not susceptible to wind with a blanket thrown over the top. Or I would dress baby up for the cold and wear him in the ergo with a big winter coat over the both of us.
My kiddo runs hot. There were many times he was way too warm in his winter getup, and tended to be more comfortable in a heated car in regular clothes in his carseat without any sort of cover. I would then throw a blanket over it to block out wind as we hustled into doctor's appointments or wherever we were going.
faeriem can you tell me your system for cloth diapering? We are going that route (or are going to try our best) and I have been wondering about nighttime changes, what sort of wetbags you use, etc.
Sorry, just saw your tag. I'm on mobile. I use mostly thirsties duo wrap snaps with pre folds and during the night put in a hemp liner to catch the extra. I also have a couple all in ones for quick night time changes if we do get a leak, which happens every couple weeks for us. I love the planetwise wet bags, but haven't really tried any others. I'd do a bit of research, there are a lot of resources out there, including a forum here on the bump, and what works for one mom may not work for another. Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.
@RedMar I just saw this and it NEVER occurred to me to just cut holes in a sports bra - I love that tip so much, thank you!!!! A pumping bra was a must for me because it for some reason encouraged let down more and I was having a hard time pumping enough. This is a great way to reuse the sports bras I had to buy for this pregnancy since my boobs decided to get humongous.
sorry to bump this, but we just started working on our registry so I'm thinking all things baby items lately!
I've decided I'd like a changing table/dresser combo thing and I was curious if you all think a contour changing pad is necessary or just a waste of money?
@PoodleDoodleOoo- we use a changing table with a contour pad on top - it works great. Not sure what people use other than the contour pad - but we got one that was maybe $15-20, bought a couple covers that I thought were cute and have made new covers as well (we don't change it often, especially past the infant phase since he doesn't pee when we take off his diapers anymore - thank goodness!)
@marajay6 - the day care centers all change the babies on a hard-surface counter top/changing station for sanitation reasons - they can just spray and wipe it with disinfectant. I wasn't sure if anyone here did the same thing - used a changing table but without a changing pad.
@RedMar I just saw this and it NEVER occurred to me to just cut holes in a sports bra - I love that tip so much, thank you!!!! A pumping bra was a must for me because it for some reason encouraged let down more and I was having a hard time pumping enough. This is a great way to reuse the sports bras I had to buy for this pregnancy since my boobs decided to get humongous.
I did this and it was an epic FAIL. my dh was rolling when he saw my experiment :P
@PoodleDoodleOoo Get the contour changing pad. They're nice and inexpensive. I worked childcare for 10 years before DD was born. The three centers I worked at all used a thin changing pad without a cover on them for the sanitizing purposes. Even compared to the thin pads, the contoured is better. More comfy for your child, and still no worries about sanitizing. It's only your child using it, so you don't have to worry about communicable diseases and can still wipe it down when you change the cover.
@PoodleDoodleOoo I also worked childcare and the hard-surface counters are SO uncomfortable for the kiddos.A lot of them would end up trying to squirm around, sit up, and try to get out of getting their diapers changed. I had to create a crafty mobile to hang over the changing tables in order to get them to lie still. I definitely wouldn't recommend it.
Re: Well that was a waste of $$!
+ 9/3/11, due May 2012. overdue baby born healthy!
+ 8/3/15, natural m/c @ 5wks
+ 1/4/16, due 9/14/16
I used a change pad all the time, loved my wipe warmer (maybe because I CD'd?), used my co-sleeper constantly, loved my bimbo.
Also agree with the high chair - we have one with a removable cushion and that cushion hasn't seen the light of day for 6 months. It's way too annoying to clean. We will be ready for a booster seat soon but I am quite worried about how my upholstered chairs (that I just bought) will take the potential abuse from dropped food. Any suggestions?
Edit words!
Anyway. Here's a site that will help you find a safety check in your area: https://www.seatcheck.org/
For the ladies wondering about the cover linked to and mentioned above fron Amazon (JJ Cole brand), that one wraps around the outside of the car seat, doesn't go under baby or the straps.
My kiddo runs hot. There were many times he was way too warm in his winter getup, and tended to be more comfortable in a heated car in regular clothes in his carseat without any sort of cover. I would then throw a blanket over it to block out wind as we hustled into doctor's appointments or wherever we were going.
I've decided I'd like a changing table/dresser combo thing and I was curious if you all think a contour changing pad is necessary or just a waste of money?
@poodledoodleooo - we have a contour changing pad on a dresser and like it. And they aren't too expensive - what kind of alternative is there?
I did this and it was an epic FAIL. my dh was rolling when he saw my experiment :P