Last week I mentioned I was going to begin stocking up on wipes (I went with Pampers sensitive) and received great feedback.
This week I decided to start stocking up on Diaper Genie refills as well. I searched the threads and didn't find much discussion on the topic. Would you recommend the brand name refills or are the generic refills sufficient? Or would you completely skip the Diaper Genie? I've heard mixed reviews and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Also is there anything else you would recommend stocking up on now? (I know diapers, formula, and bottles can be tricky though.)
I love our diaper genie! we are getting a second for this one. Can't really help on refills, we just get the brand name ones. I can't think of too much else that you could safely stock up on you sound on the ball already! edited bc reading
@christac1010 Just thinking of things we keep stockpiled in the house I came up with batteries (all different sizes), tylenol and motrin. I say this because these are the things that really suck to run out of and are all things that I have driven to the store in the middle of the night for, even the batteries.
@christac1010 I love our Diaper Genie so I fully support getting one. Refills are a great idea to stock up on. I used both brand name and Target's brand and both worked just fine.
Last week I mentioned I was going to begin stocking up on wipes (I went with Pampers sensitive) and received great feedback.
This week I decided to start stocking up on Diaper Genie refills as well. I searched the threads and didn't find much discussion on the topic. Would you recommend the brand name refills or are the generic refills sufficient? Or would you completely skip the Diaper Genie? I've heard mixed reviews and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Also is there anything else you would recommend stocking up on now? (I know diapers, formula, and bottles can be tricky though.)
Thanks in advance!
I loved our diaper genie when we were in our apartment, but now that we've moved to a 2 story house, I don't use it nearly as much as I used to. DD and I spend most of our time on the first floor and the genie is in her room on the second floor and it's such a pain to run up there just to throw away a diaper when there's a garbage can in the kitchen and for pee diapers, that works just fine (with poop I do run them upstairs because they smell worse). Just something to think about depending on your living situation. Also, I never used a changing table; I just change her wherever I feel like it and I've always done things that way. I think that if I did use a changing table religiously I'd use the diaper genie more regularly because it would be right there when I needed it.
As for the refills, we just use the Target brand. Much cheaper and work just as well! My only complaint is that sometimes it can be hard to tell where to pull it from the ring if the tabs are caught up in the ring (hard to describe unless you've seen them, sorry!), so I've ended up wasting like 10 feet of the bag because I pulled out at the wrong spot. I don't know if this problem happens as easily with the name brand; once we ran out of what came with the diaper genie we switched to the Target brand because of the cost.
I am a big fan of our diaper genie as well. We usually stick to name brand refills, but we did venture once and buy no name brand and they were horrible. They didn't keep the stink in at all.
I love our diaper genie, but like @karaelaine1991 we've gotten lax over time with where we change her and end up throwing away wet diapers in whatever garbage can is closest. I definitely run to her room to dispose of the diaper in the genie when she has a bowel movement.
BJs has coupons for the refills that make them affordable, but if we don't have a coupon we buy generic. Generic works just fine for us.
@christac1010 I think it really depends on your house and garbage and such. We just have a small garbage pail in the nursery and put a lot of grocery sacks in there. Then wet diapers go in there and when there is a dirty diaper the bag goes out to the garage. When my son was younger and his diapers didn't smell, they just stayed in there and we took the bag out about once a day. We live in a ranch style house so the trip from the bedroom to the garage is nothing. If we were in a two story house with bedrooms on the second floor I'd probably consider it, except I also don't think I'd be changing as many diapers in his room so it's a toss up. I think that's something else to take in to consideration, will you always be changing diapers in the room with the diaper genie? Just some thoughts, I know some people that love them and some people that think they are a major waste of money. Stocking up on much else is tough since you don't know what brand/size you will prefer until baby arrives. With that said, we actually accumulated a variety of bottle types ahead of time (1 each) so we had them to try when we needed them. We used most of them at some point but definitely had a preference toward the Dr. Browns.
@christac1010 we love our diaper genie, but we use scented glad trash bags instead of the refills. They smell great, hold more, and are WAY less expensive. I found the idea on Pinterest!
Our RainbowBaby H arrived at 37 weeks on 12/20/16!
Baby E arrived at 37 weeks on 01/31/15!
Married my Marine 05.23.14
*TW* TWIN LOSS 7.2.15 BFP 9.7.15 CP BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16 BFP 10.14.17 CP BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
Looking for some advice from STM+'s that have moved their older children's rooms prior to baby arriving. Any tips to make for a smooth transition? We are moving DS to what is currently our guest room. Over the next 2 weeks we are going to be touching up paint, cleaning it out, and putting new bedding/curtains up. Also, doing some rearranging. I'm trying very hard to make it his room with touches of him (Mickey decals on the wall, and a Mickey blanket for example). I also want to get this done before the end of September so he has plenty of time to assimilate before baby arrives as I don't want him to associate moving rooms with the new baby arrival. I'm just interested in tips for what's went well or things you suggest avoiding when going through this transition. I should mention, he is going to move from a toddler bed to a full size bed because he moves around too much for a toddler bed.
@Carly79 We moved about 5 or 6 weeks before I had DS2. I was worried about the transition but DS1 handled it like a pro. We tried to make him a part of it as much as possible. He helped me unpack and put his things away. We also talked about it a lot leading up to it. I used to have him come over to the new house with me while I was cleaning it before we moved in and let him explore and wander. Maybe something similar to that would be to have the room set up for a bit before you move him in so he could check it out a bit first and see all of his toys and clothes etc.
Another idea worth mentioning. We had a really easy transition from crib to full bed and I attribute it a lot to the amount of choice that we gave DS during the change. We would give him the option every nap time and bed time "do you want to sleep in your crib or in the bed?" That is something you could duplicate with the new room if you choose to. "Do you want to sleep in your new bed in your new room or do you want to sleep in here?" It might give him some confidence and "control" regarding the transition which is always a good thing.
@Carly79 After having just been through this, I have to say that I was shocked at how well my DD handled the transition. I think it's very smart of you to get him moved well before the baby arrives for the exact reasons you mentioned. Some things we did to prep DD:
Talked up the new room for the few weeks leading up to the move. "No more baby room" and "You're getting a big girl room"
Talked about her new big girl bed she would be getting (we moved her from her crib into the queen bed that was our guest bed). This was probably the most exciting part to her.
We let her watch us paint, rearrange and put together the room. This was strangely interesting to her and I think got her pumped about it.
We NEVER mentioned that her old room would be for the baby. We also started keeping the door closed to the nursery after the move so she wouldn't be tempted to go back in or to miss it.
My DD will be 3 in October (can't remember how old your DS is?) but hopefully he adjusts well! It's stressful, for sure. If I think of anything else, I'll report back
@Ellemf728 and @LastMango Thank you. That is reassuring to know your kids did so well. My DS is 21 months and I think will do ok so long as Mickey is in the room somewhere. And he generally takes his naps in our bed right now so I think he will like having his own big boy bed. I hadn't thought of some of the things you guys suggested so that's great to have some more ideas.
I'm certain that we've discussed this but do 2 infants make a difference? Do I need a swing and a rock and play and a exersaucer and and and? (Even worse- do I need 2 each of these things??)
I'm certain that we've discussed this but do 2 infants make a difference? Do I need a swing and a rock and play and a exersaucer and and and? (Even worse- do I need 2 each of these things??)
Not a mom of twins but if I were having twins, my instinct would to be get one of whatever I felt was needed (I personally don't think a swing & rock n play is necessary but perhaps other moms have different experiences) and then as I got to know my babies, learned their preferences, and started to establish a routine, I'd order extras of whatever I felt I did, in fact, need 2 of. The tricky thing with any baby, twins or otherwise, is that they're all different, so what works for one won't necessarily work for another. I think the only big ticket items that are universally pretty necessary/helpful for every baby are the crib, highchair, car seat, stroller, and a pack n play. Beyond that, it's going to differ. Thankfully, with Amazon, once you realize that you need something you don't have, it's a 2 day turn around. So, me personally, I'd focus on having 2 of the above items (or having one of those that can fit 2 babies, such as with the stroller and the pack n play), and then anything else I'd want to get I'd just get one to start and get more as needed. That's just my opinion after having one baby, but that is what I'd do.
ETA wanted to clarify that I don't think that a swing AND a rock &play in combination is necessary. I do think that having at least one or the other of them is a good idea.
I'm certain that we've discussed this but do 2 infants make a difference? Do I need a swing and a rock and play and a exersaucer and and and? (Even worse- do I need 2 each of these things??)
I'm not a twin mom but my sister was. From my second hand knowledge she didn't need any more gear than I did really. I have both a swing and a rock n play (and a bouncer lol) mainly because I don't like to cart a bunch of stuff from one floor of the house to another. In my sister's case one of her kids liked the swing, the other liked vibration so he napped better in the little chair. The kids took turns in her jumper/exersaucer, one would have floor time while the other played in it and then they switched. She definitely didn't have two of everything.
I can see running into a problem if both of your little ones prefer the swing. You may end up buying two then, but that is probably something you will be able to decide once they are here and only if you are desperate.
Diaper genie hater here. We much preferred our Simple Human garbage can when we used disposables. Nothing better than a foot step, toss and done. The genie is such a hassle. I can't seem to sell a genie used. We used it for 3 weeks before shoving it aside.
@Wholesome Do you have an old model diaper genie maybe? The Elite is literally a foot step, drop, and done. Changing the bag insert took me a few tries to do well, but I find it simple now. Plus, it's only 1-2 times a month task for us.
@Wholesome Do you have an old model diaper genie maybe? The Elite is literally a foot step, drop, and done. Changing the bag insert took me a few tries to do well, but I find it simple now. Plus, it's only 1-2 times a month task for us.
This is what we have; I agree that it's pretty easy to use, it's just a pain to get to now since we are in a story house... Basically, I'm lazy
Anyone have any good tips on getting the baby to move for an ultrasound? My NT ultrasound I had to go twice because he was upside down with his legs over his head, then our gender reveal I was doing jumpjacks to get him to move and then for our 18 week anatomy scan last week he was upside down!
I have my repeat scan Friday and I've tried drinking OJ and candy before going but that doesn't really seem to move him. I do love getting to see him more times but he's being so stubborn!!!
@BriannaE129129 I've noticed my own babies move more often when I'm hungry than after I've eaten no matter how sugary/cold/caffeinated/bubbly whatever it was I ate or drank. At 18+ weeks though your baby has enough nerve endings and enough light sensitivity that you might get some wiggles by poking and pushing on your baby or shining a light on your belly. All that being said, some babies are really active and some are just chill and some babies just really like to mess with mom haha
I've had the same experience as @katesmama0706 - my daughter and now this baby both start bopping around more when I'm hungry than when I've eaten recently. I can't seem to get any food or drink to entice movement.
Our ultrasound tech during the NT scan was having trouble getting the measurements she needed, so she had me lie on my left side for 5 minutes because increasing circulation and blood flow to the placenta can sometimes make baby more active. It worked for us and we got the measurements we needed.
This is what we preferred. It blocked the diaper smell just the same, held more diapers, didn't need to touch more than necessary, and uses normal tall kitchen garbage bags. When we switched to cloth, we put it in the kitchen.
I loved our diaper genie. I have friends that hate them but it worked perfectly for us and I thought it really helped with the smell. We used both the brand name and generic refills and never had an issue. Although, be prepared to see something that resembles a sausage link chain filled with dirty diapers when going to change it
For movement, I was told by my doctor that drinking some orange juice helped bring on some movement. I thought she was crazy but tried it and it seemed to do the trick.
Pumpkin Spice Gone to Far| Jan '17 September Siggy Challenge
We used a Diaper Dekor and were happy with it. I only used this during the first few months when DS was going through a million diapers a day and it was reasonable to empty it daily. Once he started daycare, we were only changing a few diapers a day and would forget to empty it since there weren't many in there and just started tossing them in the kitchen trash since that gets emptied more frequently. Once he started solids, all poopy diapers immediately go outside to the trash bin...way too gross to stay inside my house.
Has anyone used the Ubbi? I think that's what we are going with since it uses regular bags and the reviews are good but I haven't heard anyone mention it on here that I know of!
Has anyone used the Ubbi? I think that's what we are going with since it uses regular bags and the reviews are good but I haven't heard anyone mention it on here that I know of!
I'm certain that we've discussed this but do 2 infants make a difference? Do I need a swing and a rock and play and a exersaucer and and and? (Even worse- do I need 2 each of these things??)
Like PP said, I think just getting one of certain things is better and then buying a second one if necessary. We plan on buying a second car seat, pack n play, a double stroller and a structured twin carrier (since the moby will only hold two for a short time). We're going to see what each twin likes of the other stuff we already have and go from there. You just never know what a kid is going to be into until they're here and it would suck to buy a bunch of stuff and never use it. It's hard because you want to be prepared but you also don't want a bunch of unnecessary stuff.
On sale, diaper genie bags are never less than $5, usually closer to $7. That is $5-$8 every 22-28 days. I buy garbage bags from Sam's club which come out to $.03/each and you need 8-10/month. Massive savings. I used a diaper champ, and the smell was insane (we only put pee diapers in there too, so I was floored). Back to the diaper genie for now, until my pregnant nose subsides. I'll pay the extra money for my house to not smell like a port a potty. Considering the ubbi.
We have a diaper genie upstairs but do most changes downstairs so they go in the kitchen trash- if we don't fill it and the trash sits longer than a day or two before it needs taken out our entire downstairs smells like poop. I love the genie for the smell prevention
We love our diaper genie and ready to use it again with this one. We bought the genie refills at Sam's Club and honestly never knew Target had a brand so I'm kind of excited to try. We live in a small one story house and religiously used our changing table so it worked perfectly for our needs. Find something that works for you guys which may be trial and error at first!
Ok I have one for second timers further into this than we are- my LO's will be 16 mos apart. In regards to strollers- i know some in the 18 month range like to still be pushed a lot and some are more into walking.... So do I buy the double stroller now or wait and see? I'm happy to get one, just don't want to spend the money if the older child really isn't gong to participate... what have been your experiences?
Ok I have one for second timers further into this than we are- my LO's will be 16 mos apart. In regards to strollers- i know some in the 18 month range like to still be pushed a lot and some are more into walking.... So do I buy the double stroller now or wait and see? I'm happy to get one, just don't want to spend the money if the older child really isn't gong to participate... what have been your experiences?
My kids will be about 20 months apart and I was wondering the same thing. I've decided I'm going to get this; a friend whose kids are about 26 months apart has it and she loves it. It's super convertible and can be used 12 different ways. One way is as a sit n stand, which I think will work well in the event that DD does want to walk around sometimes- it'll be easy for her to get out, but little legs tire easily, so it'll be nice for her to still have the option of riding when she doesn't want to walk anymore. Best of all, it's compatible with my infant car seat!
@Parley I'm going to wait and see how it goes. Mine will be 27 months apart but my daughter has never really liked the stroller. I plan to wear baby most of the time but I know there are situations where it would definitely be helpful to have both strapped in.
Re: Ask a STM+ Week of 8/22
This week I decided to start stocking up on Diaper Genie refills as well. I searched the threads and didn't find much discussion on the topic. Would you recommend the brand name refills or are the generic refills sufficient? Or would you completely skip the Diaper Genie? I've heard mixed reviews and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Also is there anything else you would recommend stocking up on now? (I know diapers, formula, and bottles can be tricky though.)
Thanks in advance!
edited bc reading
As for the refills, we just use the Target brand. Much cheaper and work just as well! My only complaint is that sometimes it can be hard to tell where to pull it from the ring if the tabs are caught up in the ring (hard to describe unless you've seen them, sorry!), so I've ended up wasting like 10 feet of the bag because I pulled out at the wrong spot. I don't know if this problem happens as easily with the name brand; once we ran out of what came with the diaper genie we switched to the Target brand because of the cost.
BJs has coupons for the refills that make them affordable, but if we don't have a coupon we buy generic. Generic works just fine for us.
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
Looking for some advice from STM+'s that have moved their older children's rooms prior to baby arriving. Any tips to make for a smooth transition? We are moving DS to what is currently our guest room. Over the next 2 weeks we are going to be touching up paint, cleaning it out, and putting new bedding/curtains up. Also, doing some rearranging. I'm trying very hard to make it his room with touches of him (Mickey decals on the wall, and a Mickey blanket for example). I also want to get this done before the end of September so he has plenty of time to assimilate before baby arrives as I don't want him to associate moving rooms with the new baby arrival. I'm just interested in tips for what's went well or things you suggest avoiding when going through this transition. I should mention, he is going to move from a toddler bed to a full size bed because he moves around too much for a toddler bed.
Another idea worth mentioning. We had a really easy transition from crib to full bed and I attribute it a lot to the amount of choice that we gave DS during the change. We would give him the option every nap time and bed time "do you want to sleep in your crib or in the bed?" That is something you could duplicate with the new room if you choose to. "Do you want to sleep in your new bed in your new room or do you want to sleep in here?" It might give him some confidence and "control" regarding the transition which is always a good thing.
Talked up the new room for the few weeks leading up to the move. "No more baby room" and "You're getting a big girl room"
Talked about her new big girl bed she would be getting (we moved her from her crib into the queen bed that was our guest bed). This was probably the most exciting part to her.
We let her watch us paint, rearrange and put together the room. This was strangely interesting to her and I think got her pumped about it.
We NEVER mentioned that her old room would be for the baby. We also started keeping the door closed to the nursery after the move so she wouldn't be tempted to go back in or to miss it.
My DD will be 3 in October (can't remember how old your DS is?) but hopefully he adjusts well! It's stressful, for sure. If I think of anything else, I'll report back
ETA wanted to clarify that I don't think that a swing AND a rock &play in combination is necessary. I do think that having at least one or the other of them is a good idea.
I can see running into a problem if both of your little ones prefer the swing. You may end up buying two then, but that is probably something you will be able to decide once they are here and only if you are desperate.
I have my repeat scan Friday and I've tried drinking OJ and candy before going but that doesn't really seem to move him. I do love getting to see him more times but he's being so stubborn!!!
Our ultrasound tech during the NT scan was having trouble getting the measurements she needed, so she had me lie on my left side for 5 minutes because increasing circulation and blood flow to the placenta can sometimes make baby more active. It worked for us and we got the measurements we needed.
For movement, I was told by my doctor that drinking some orange juice helped bring on some movement. I thought she was crazy but tried it and it seemed to do the trick.
Pumpkin Spice Gone to Far| Jan '17 September Siggy Challenge
https://www.amazon.com/Ubbi-Steel-Diaper-Pail-White/dp/B00821FLT4/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1471979075&sr=8-1&keywords=ubbi
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
BFP 2/3/16 --> MC 2/13/16
Graco Ready2grow Click Connect LX Stroller, Glacier 2015 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UVW3PSQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_jCBVxbB3D1KVP