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June 2016 Moms
vintagevix2016
member
Heroes & Zeros: 6th Month Edition
vintagevix2016
member
As we reach the 6 month marker for our LOs, are there products you bought or received that you feel were totally worth it or a waste? Perhaps there are new items you needed since your LO is older and absolutely swear by or were totally disappointed?
Re: Heroes & Zeros: 6th Month Edition
- Boppy Best Latch nursing pillow: I still love it for feedings. It makes feedings so much more comfortable...well when he isn't being a squirmy-wormy.
- Rock-n-play: Damien loves sleeping in it and if he is having trouble napping, I can put him in it since it usually guarantees at least a 30min nap. More often than not he can nap 1.5 - 2.5hrs in it.
- Sports bras (nursing): I have no idea why they still fit but they do nd they are SO comfy. I wear them all the time!
- Grass drying rack: This was a great gift and is uses all day everyday!
- Zipper onesies: Just so easy to change diapers, I love them.
- Carter's/OshKosh: Afforable and adorable clothes!
- Umbrella stroller: Graco breaze
- Spoons: Munchkin hot safety spoons are awesome. They turn white if the temp of the food is too hot.
- Bibs: I didn't think we would ever use the huge piles we received but man am I glad for them now!
- Baby sleigh: Tis the season for snow and ice so most parents uses sleighs to get the kiddos around. We just bought one for Damien so it isn't technically a hero yet but I'm hopeful!
Zeros:- Baby carriers: I have yet to use my Moby Wrap, K'tan, or Ergo 360 for longer than 15 minutes. Damien just hates them so much and I honestly haven't figured out the Moby to even use it...too much wrapping for me.
- All things breastfeeding related: I'm sure they would be in the "Heroes" category if I didn't have all that trouble awhile back and switched to formula. I feel a little sick just seeing the expensive double breast pump that my Mom got me just sitting there.
- Tommee Tippee: It doesn't keep water hot very well anymore so I usually have to boil a fresh pot to heat up bottles. That said, it gets used a lot so I'm not surprised it is starting to fade.
- Bouncer: He never liked it so it just sat in the closet collecting dust. It's in storage now.
- Pacifiers: He used it for about a month and was then over it, I think it's a blessing in the long run though.
The sleigh:playmat/gymini. We put it away every so often and then get it out again and he loves it all over again
Exersaucer: the kid is obsessed. Also he poops almost every time we put him in it so it's helping with tummy troubles LOL
fisher price bouncer: we put him in this the minute he was old enough and he loved being a little up and looking around
swing: at first I thought this was a bust because he didn't like it as a newborn. But for about two weeks it was the only way to get him to nap. And now it's the fastest way to calm him when he's having a meltdown. So not so great for chilling in, but awesome as an emergency measure.
Magic Merlin sleep suit: this might have saved my sanity
Zeroes:
My Breast Friend feeding pillow. I always found it awkward. But I never even used the Boppy much. Mostly I squished up a regular pillow or two for a custom fit
Halo Bassinest: it was fine, but pointlessly fancy. Luckily we got it as a hand me down. I would be annoyed to pay $250 for it.
k'tan wrap: he hated all carriers as a newborn, and now that he's older the Lillibaby is more comfortable and supportive for me. We used the k'tan maybe twice. He doesn't seem to like being so smushed in, even now
Meh: I'm still not sure about our chicco bravo travel system. I've never used any other stroller so I can't tell if something else would be better. It just seems heavy, and the bottom part isn't designed super well. But it wasn't super expensive either so...what age can I use an umbrella stroller?
I should have added the Baby Einstein activity center and Jolly Jumper to my "Heroes" list since those are his two favorite activities.
We've used the Graco umbrella stroller since he was a newborn since the Graco car seat just snaps into it. When he outgrows the car seat, he can use the stroller as-is. It's good for a few years so it will grow with him.
- Swing
- bouncey seat
- regular bassinet (rock n play is probably even better but i was hesitant to use the one given to us bc i heard too much of it can cause flat head? so I saved it for desperate times which never came)
-tummy time playmat with support pillow (ours is from target, pillow shaped like a crab). LO could NOT do tummy time before we got this.
- baby einsteins aquarium (it's meant for the crib but we use it for tummy time)
- halo sleepsacks
- for breastfeeding/ pumping: storage bags, disposable breast pads, extra pump accessories.
- LACTATION CONSULTANT!!!
Zeroes (for us, at least):
- pacifiers
- buying every type of bottle saying it is similar to the breast. It doesn't matter, baby will not be fooled!
-our stroller is kind of the worst. it's a cheapish graco shell that the car seat clicks into. It doesn't always open or collapse on the first try. But it's a hand me down and I figure we'll wait until she needs the next size to spend money.
BOB Motion stroller (not the jogging stroller): nice and light yet still high quality. And GREAT customer service. I had a small piece break off the frame when it fell out of the back of my SUV and they replaced it no questions asked.
Ergo360: love it. I've used 3 of the 4 positions so far and Jackie loves it.
Halo sleep sacks
Jumper: we got one free from a friend and she LOVES it!
Baby monitor app: Makes a great travel monitor and I use it to check on her to see if I need to walk upstairs. Great if you have old iPhones lying around like we do.
Zeros:
Snuza breathing monitor: used it our first night home. Got a false alarm and never used it again. I guess I ended up not being as paranoid of a new mom as I thought.
Halo swaddle sacks: I love the regular sacks, but the smaller ones with the Velcro swaddle are impossible to deal with. We used a "snug and tug" for swaddling.
I was pretty minimalist with things, so there wasn't much that we had and didn't use.
Heroes:
-pack and play - we had it set up in our room for the first 4 months or so, and we still use it for travel. I loved having S next to me for those first months, and it made for a lb easy transition to the crib.
-Water mat - we bought one for tummy time, and it was one of the best $15 investments I've ever made. it took S a little while to warm up to it, but now he stays captivated by that toy for 15 or 20 minutes at a time.
-Sophie the Giraffe - we have several teething toys, but this one definitely gets the most use.
-Jogging stroller - we bought the baby trend brand, with the infant car seat. It was relatively inexpensive, it's pretty light, and we've gotten tons of use out of it for the farmer's market, walks, and jogging now that S is getting big enough.
-Mirror - I bought one of those long door mirrors from target, which we set up on the floor so that S can see himself during tummy time. The kid loves mirrors.
Zeroes:
-Fisher Price sit-me-up seat. I think this is the only thing I bought that we really haven't used. S just never really wanted to be in it, and now he can sit on the floor. We've gotten maybe a total of 45 minutes out of it.
-Boppy - We received this as a hand me down, but I'm sure I would have bought one if we hadn't. I think because S has always been a fast nurser, I never really needed the extra support.
-Moby - this was a gift that I was so excited to use and then never got much use out of. We were always so paranoid about S overheating when he was a newborn, and the Moby is a ton of fabric. Once he got a little bigger, the ergobabywas more comfortable. Like @adiaz132003 I'm planning to get the Moby back out now that we're ready for a forward facing carry.
Heroes-
1. UppaBaby Stroller & Car Seat- this was a huge splurge but it has been worth every penny. It is the easiest, smoothest stroller set. I absolutely love everything about it. She slept in the bassinet on the stand for the first 3 months. After she outgrew that bassinet she never slept the same way again.
2. Boppy- Couldn't live without it! Sometimes Savannah nurses for a long time and I don't know how I would hold her up without it.
3. Carter's- adorable and cheap!
4. Aden & Anais Sleep Sack- was the best thing ever until we stopped swaddling
5. Walker- She loves the independence!
6. 4Moms infant tub- I love it! It tells you the temperature which is awesome and fits perfectly in our kitchen sink (no back pain from leaning over the tub)
7. Avent Natural bottles & pacifiers- by far her favorite
Zeros-
1. Owlet- I'm way less paranoid than I expected to be and the alerts that it fell off in the MOTN are super annoying
2. MommaRoo- Savannah was not a fan, I wish I had gotten a swing instead
3. Britax mirror for the car- it always moves positions which is super annoying so i never have a great view of Savannah.
4. Dr. Browns bottles- too many pieces and not natural latch at all. Although the fact that the hook into the Medela pump is nice.
Baby #2 Due 3/7/20
Spectra S2 pump: our LO was in the NICU for 3 weeks and this pump allowed me to establish my supply so that I was able to breastfeed
Lillebaby carrier: We love this incredibly versatile and supportive carrier
Aden and Anais swaddles
Exersaucer
Bob Revolution SE- Marathon training has resumed!
Wubbanub- the only way we could keep a pacifier in his mouth
Guava Lotus Travel Crib- SO easy to set up and pack up. We travel a lot, so it's a godsend
Diaper Genie- I thought this was unnecessary until we started solids and the poop got stinky! Now I'm so thankful for it
Zeros:
Bouncy seat- our baby was bored in less than 5 min
Dr Browns Bottles- my kid liked them, but good god they are a massive pain to wash. Too many parts. I made C get used to Avent so I could stop washing those things
Soothers and Mobiles- waste of money
Take it or leave it:
Halo Bassinest- I loved this thing for the two months we used it. But we only could use it for two months
Swing- yes, it put our baby to sleep, but it was a b*tch to break up with
Baby Bjorn- this carrier is great until baby is 15 lbs. After that it's too painful to wear
-Rock n play
-chicco keyfit 30 car seat(or I'm sure any car seat that you can carry your infant in). So convenient for the time being.
-Halo sleep sacks
-baby Einstein toys in general
-Fisher Price rainforest jumperoo- HUGE hit day after day.
Zeroes:
-Pacifiers
-the Velcro swaddles (used them maybe a weeks, but he just hated it unless his arms were out anyway)
-elastic bottom sleep gowns (give me zippered cooties)
-Playtex drop ins
-mamaroo
- exersaucer
- dr. Browns bottle sterilizer
- baby breeza formula pro
- seventh generation diapers
- babyganics wipes
- honest company bath/lotion products
- dr. Browns bottles (yes they have a million parts but Ethan never had issue with gas or spitting up)
- babys only formula
- baby Einstein aquarium
- 4Moms breeze play yard
- bugaboo stroller (expensive but awesome)
- BOB revolution jogger
- Graco 4ever convertible car seat (we never used an infant carrier)
- swaddles and sleep sacks
- Dekor diaper pail (we have 2!)
- baby walker -- he loves zooming around the house.
- Dex infant seat
zeros:
- honest company diapers (except for the overnight diapers which we love). I found that they run small so we always had to be up a size to prevent leaking.
- wipe warmer
- pacifiers (we ditched these at 2 months but he wasn't very interested to begin with).
take it or leave it:
- 4Moms Mamaroo (he used it a lot when he was first born but I wish the weight limit was greater considering the price -- I bought mine used so don't feel so bad).
- ergo 360 carrier. It's more "complicated" then the baby bjorn carrier we have so I have only used it once.