Things To Buy/Things You've Bought

STM2017 · August 2016

Thread to chat about purchases for baby. Things you've bought, things you're planning on buying, recommendations from STM+ to FTM's of things you can't go without/things to not even bother registering for!

STM2017 · August 2016

Any recommendations for double strollers? DS will be 23 months when LO arrives. He's a pro walker already now (14 months) but I do think we should get a double stroller for when we are out and about. I'm worried he'll take off running on me otherwise, and I'm not a fan of the baby "leashes". Any STM+ have recommendations??

Note: We already have a Graco infant seat so I'd like something that's compatible with that for the bucket seat stage. It's a Click & Connect.

Magheeta · August 2016

We are considering buying a co-sleeper this time around because we ended up co-sleeping with DS from 6 weeks until he was almost 1. Any recommendation on types (side vs. in-bed) would be helpful.

Watch, we buy a co-sleeper and this one will sleep by itself no probs.

NESeattlite · August 2016

Magheeta said:

Watch, we buy a co-sleeper and this one will sleep by itself no probs.

In that case I would consider the $ spent on a co-sleeper very well spent!

pammasu0909 · August 2016

@STM2017 I have a City Select and I love it. I love that it can be a single or a double. I love that you can have 2 seats or a seat/car seat combo. I love that it comes apart super easy to fit in my tiny trunk. I love that it's stadium so one kid isn't under the other. I love the huge storage basket.

I don't love the weight now that my kids are 3 and almost 2, but I think any stroller would be heavy with 55 lbs of kid in it

My kids are pretty laid back, but occasionally the one in the back will kick the one in the front, or try to "steal" their sun shade.

Otherwise it's great, and I'm planning to buy the glider board to have all 3 on board!

STM2017 · August 2016

@pammasu0909, thanks! I'll look this one up! Do you know if there are adapters to make it compatible with Graco seats??

pammasu0909 · August 2016

@STM2017 Definitely! I have a Graco

It is a little pricey, but I saved money by getting a floor model at a store and comparing prices on amazon and in store.

STM2017 · August 2016

@pammasu0909, thanks so much! Will definitely check this out!

akslevin · August 2016

I couldn't help myself this weekend. Keeping the secret whilst my husband is out of town is nearly killing, so I decided retail therapy would help.

I bought some paci clips from Madeline's box, a few gender neutral outfits from a baby retailer in France Bebe Organic, and a Solly Baby Wrap -- I've heard the wrap is amazing!

BluesGal10 · August 2016

Thus far, the only thing we've purchased is a little hockey jersey. And by we, I mean me, as that's how I planned to tell DH we'd succeeded, but I let it slip before the jersey arrived. Damn excitability.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/60/0u8xk4049t43.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/wv/y9r4v1oejlv8.jpg

TheJerilu · August 2016

I've not made any purchases besides pregnancy books yet, but I've been eyeing up some mighty cute onesies.

@STM2017
This seems like it would be a great weekly thread if you'd like to keep posting it on Mondays

smesonesalvarado · August 2016

I've only bought pregnancy books too @TheJerilu but its going to be hard to not buy stuff!

kmleon83 · August 2016

I haven't bought anything yet but I have started looking into double strollers, too. My son will be 2 when this one makes it's appearance but no way can I trust him to walk freely around haha.

housewifehobbyist · August 2016

I've bought some onsies, but that's it.

I'm curious to hear from STMs- what items are better to borrow/buy second hand? Which ones would you never do that with? I'm thinking I want a cosleeper AND a crib and I'm wondering if its kosher to get the cosleeper second hand.

I also second @TheJerilu's suggestion to make this a weekly thread!

Neikoda · August 2016

@TheJerilu I have so many digital pregnancy books that I've read it's sickening. I think I'm through at least 4 already.

STM2017 · August 2016

@TheJerilu - good idea! I'll try to remember to post it on Mondays!

@housewifehobbyist, I guess it depends on who you're borrowing it from and if you trust them. We borrowed a lot of stuff from my sister but I fully trust that she used things properly (ie. Didn't mess with anything to make it unsafe). Toys definitely, clothing as hand me downs, yes. The only thing I definitely say no to is purchasing a used car seat just because you don't know if it's been in any accident that could compromise the integrity of the seat. I am all about car seat safety as much as possible.

We tried to borrow a lot of bigger things that we knew we'd use for a short time period - baby bouncer, little push car to learn to walk, etc. These are things we used for a couple of months but then he outgrew them. No sense in keeping them around, and there was a lot of other stuff we would rather store in our limited space.

The only other thing I'm a bit of a snob about when it comes to used things is cloth diapers. We don't cloth diaper, but my cousin was given cloth diapers that a relative bought at a garage sale. That really grossed me out.

schef070911 · August 2016

I am interested to see what others have to say about this. All I've got currently is the 2 pregnancy books I've bought (one for me, one for DH) and the onesie I used to tell DH. I'd like to see what friends/family have that we can borrow before I start hitting the stores. I'm honestly waaaaaay overwhelmed by the thought of creating a baby registry at the moment but I know I'll get there in time.

TheJerilu · August 2016

@Neikoda I did bite the bullet and get a paperback copy of that Emily Oster book - about halfway through and I give it a thumbs up!

Has anybody found a not obnoxious book for dads during pregnancy? My partner wants to be prepared and help me when he can without being either overwhelmed with too much info or pandered to with "hold the baby like a football, your wife can't have her wine but you can have your beer hurr hurr" genderbullshit (which a lot of dad books have).

Magheeta · August 2016

schef070911 said:

I'm honestly waaaaaay overwhelmed by the thought of creating a baby registry at the moment but I know I'll get there in time.

I will be honest with you, it is extremely overwhelming. I would suggest to start small, like setting something up online and you can add to it as you learn about things you may need. You can add and delete over time. DH and I tried to do everything in one trip to the store, and I was so overwhelmed, I gave up quickly. It was not fun like our wedding registry. Oh! and snoop on other people's registries to see what they're buying. I did that, too.

STM2017 · August 2016

@schef070911, my biggest suggestion with a registry, is don't tell people you have one yet! DH and I started ours pretty early with DS. We would scan anything and everything in the store. Then go home and research/compare products and delete what we no longer wanted. Once we knew our list was more solid, we told people about it. That way we could work on it whenever we had time at home after scanning stuff in at the store so we could see it in person. And no one bought us stuff before we had a chance to delete what we changed our minds on.

catem07 · August 2016

@TheJerilu I bought DH "The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dad's to Be." He hasn't started it yet. A small number of reviewers said it was condescending but most of them gave it 4 or 5 stars. We DID NOT want a dude-bro-dad book, of which there seem to be many.

holzie-2 · August 2016

We have been shopping clearance sales and buying a lot of cute outfits really cheap. My SIL also said she would give us all of our nephew's things, so that's really helpful.

bwo · August 2016

Won't be buying anything this time around until we find out the sex. For my first, Lucie's List was a lifesaver. Great product reviews, and you can have a pdf registry cheat sheet emailed to you that has specific brand recommendations on that too. Made it really easy.

schef070911 · August 2016

@STM2017 Thank you - that is an awesome idea!!

schef070911 · August 2016

@Magheeta I like the idea of starting one at home with basics.... baby stores can be so overwhelming and that sounds much more relaxed.

Blueberry85 · August 2016

If this is helpful to anyone, here is a link to a "registry" I put together for my cousin when she wanted recs for all the baby stuff. There are notes on some of the items, too. https://babyli.st/e-fave

As for me, I doubt we'll have anything to buy, thankfully. We were Team Green with DD, so all the big stuff we have is gender neutral. I did order a new pair of maternity jeans and a sweatshirt in the Gap friends and family sale this weekend, though, and a couple t-shirts from Old Navy.

TheJerilu · August 2016

Jumping in to say that the registry on Amazon is actually pretty good at breaking down the categories into subcategories (plus you can some free goodies as well), and then the subcategories gives you market listings.

Breesy14 · August 2016

housewifehobbyist said:

I've bought some onsies, but that's it.

I'm curious to hear from STMs- what items are better to borrow/buy second hand? Which ones would you never do that with? I'm thinking I want a cosleeper AND a crib and I'm wondering if its kosher to get the cosleeper second hand.

I also second @TheJerilu's suggestion to make this a weekly thread!

I buy about half of R's clothes at resale shops. They are in great condition, barely worn, and a bit more unique since not ever kid is wearing that outfit. I also enjoy our BOB stroller which was a hand me down and made it through two other boys before mine. I plan to buy a crib second hand this time around. I bought tons of baby toys at resale shops too! Bouncers and baby seats as well. I felt like I was getting a good deal because I paid less than half price for these items and my child used them for several months. Sometimes he only used or played with something for a few weeks or a month. I didn't mind though because it was all so cheap! I also bought cloth diapers from ebay. They were in good condition. Of course I cleaned them very well anyway, despite them being clean when I got them or "rarely used." I've also seen some Pack N Plays that were in great condition, though I bought ours new because I knew we would use it for more than one kid.

I would never buy a crib mattress, car seat, or co sleeper second hand. The co sleeper only because the ones I looked at that were second hand looked like they had been well used. I remember the time when my son baby puked on the co sleeper we had. There were crevices that held the stain no matter how well I cleaned it. Breast milk leaves special stains that only blue dawn dish soap can tackle. But this one was especially tough because of the location and fabric. Ick.

runningpenguin · August 2016

I've picked up two onesies and two sleepers. My list of things I won't be bothering with is way longer than my to buy list this time. Unless I see some amazing deals at our baby resale place, I will probably put off most purchases and until it gets closer and even until after baby is here.

lovelongdog06 · August 2016

I really want to buy an Owlet monitor for this baby. I don't remember seeing anything about it when I was pregnant with DS. It's basically a pulse ox meter in a sock that links to your phone.

I have about 11 baby carriers but I'm sure I'll shop/sell/trade a couple to see some new ones. A baby carrier is my single most important piece of baby "gear" other than the car seat.

mrsstuessy · August 2016

If this baby is a girl we are set on clothes. We have so many from DD. Almost all of our big stuff we loaned to my SIL back in the fall and the vast majority of it is totally trashed. So, that is fun. Avoid loaning baby stuff to people. Learn this lesson from me, while you can. We will end up getting a bunch of it again probably. But, if this baby is a boy I am stealing all her baby boy clothes, so there is that.

I have been buying some maternity clothes here and there the last 5 or 6 months when I see an awesome deal. I got a pile of stuff from Old Navy at the end of the winter season for like 85% off in March. I am pretty excited to finally use them.

mrsstuessy · August 2016

@lovelongdog06 Baby carrier lover here too. Wraps or SSC? I have a pretty lovely stash I can't wait to use with a new baby. I probably care about them way more than the car seat, but obviously a car seat is necessary.

SnarkasaurusRex · August 2016

STM2017 said:

Any recommendations for double strollers? DS will be 23 months when LO arrives. He's a pro walker already now (14 months) but I do think we should get a double stroller for when we are out and about. I'm worried he'll take off running on me otherwise, and I'm not a fan of the baby "leashes". Any STM+ have recommendations??

Note: We already have a Graco infant seat so I'd like something that's compatible with that for the bucket seat stage. It's a Click & Connect.

@STM2017 We're looking at the Graco Ready2Grow. My SIL has one and loves it, and TBH I'm pretty intrigued since these two will only b 21 months apart. There are a lot of different options for the kiddos to ride, and it works with the infant carseats we already have (bonus!). We played with one at Target this weekend, which was fun.

SnarkasaurusRex · August 2016

For the FTMs setting up registries and feeling overwhelmed...the best piece of advice that we got when setting ours up was to go to the store and scan everything that you're interested in (so, if there are 4 strollers that you're looking at, go ahead and scan them all) and do the research to pick the 'winner' at home, where you can break it down into smaller chunks. We started doing this fairly early, so by the time we knew the sex and people were asking about the registry for my shower, it was all good to know.

(DH is a ridiculously huge planner who must research everything on multiple sites before selecting one, and even then he wanted to see all of the strollers/cribs/highchairs/play yards anyway, so our registry process was probably more ridiculous than most peoples, haha.)

mrsstuessy · August 2016

As a STM... honestly it doesn't really matter as much as you think it does what you end up going with. Honestly. I get it, I will still be researching a few things. But don't let it overly stress you out. Whatever you get will probably work just fine. Breath. But that do I know? I am just someone who is a fan of "baby leashes".

lovelongdog06 · August 2016

@mrsstuessy I have a little bit of everything. Woven wraps, SSCs (soft structured carrier or buckle carrier for those of you reading who don't speak babywearing yet), mei tais, and a ring sling. When I typed 11 of them I wasn't so much joking as I was taking a quick mental tally. I may have problems! I also care much more about my carriers than the car seat, but the car seat is necessary. I like it...in the car! I like wrapping little squishes but I'm not a great wrapper and I'm impatient (and it's Phoenix and it's hot), so I reach for SSCs the most these days.

Neikoda · August 2016

So I went to the thrift store and found an awesome pair of maternity jeans for $1. They're super comfy and you can't even tell they're maternity. I also got a black shirt for my progress pictures.

mrsstuessy · August 2016

@lovelongdog06 I have majorly slimmed down my stash over the last year, since DD is almost 3 and we don't wear much anymore. I think I am down to 5 wraps, 3 ring slings and 2 SSC. I am mostly a wrapper. I love ring slings with tiny babies though and now DD mostly lets me use the buckles. Can't wait to browse for some new squish wraps.

STM2017 · August 2016

@SnarkasaurusRex, thank you! I'll check that one out too!

catem07 · August 2016

@mrsstuessy Also a fan of "leashes". If the alternative is to put your kid in a stroller, isn't a "leash" better, because the child has at least some freedom of movement? I'm not saying people who put their kids in strollers are bad, but it's certainly no better than using a "leash." My colleague and I had a lengthy debate about this after the gorilla incident.

TheJerilu · August 2016

As a child who grew up on a leash, I support them 100% and plan on using them with my tot(s). I was an unexpected bolter and gave my mom a lot of grey hair. Had nothing to do with my discipline, I just would see something that was interesting and my default speed was as fast as possible.

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