@stokesm21 and @Xath thanks. I had a Vera Bradley that I got used and the strap recently broke. But I only use it when we're out of the house for a full day or more. So I want something good but not extravagant.
@stokesm21 and @Xath thanks. I had a Vera Bradley that I got used and the strap recently broke. But I only use it when we're out of the house for a full day or more. So I want something good but not extravagant.
I have a petunia pickle bottom bag in black and gold that looks like it's my purse. I've had it a year and half and no issues, also it's super light and has the pullout pad attached to the bag for changing baby. I only just started carrying my own purse this last semester when I returned to work.
I wanted the Kate Spade bag as a first time mom not wanting to carry a diaper bag but it was too pricey - some had success on eBay and the like.
Also, I remember ladies mentioning JuJuBe bags when I lurked June15/July15 boards.
@carribeanmama I got the solid black Kate Spade diaper bag, I was able to buy it off the website on clearance, with an additional 30% off. I think the final price was about $130. They have additional discounts on clearance items every holiday throughout the year. For how much I wil carry it I felt it was worth the splurge.
I think what you will need is very dependent on how your home is set up and the specific needs that arise for you and your baby. For example, I see lots of people saying they didn't get much use out of their bottle warmer but we used ours every single day, multiple times a day, because I had to exclusively pump and we needed to reheat the milk without the microwave! I'll say we got a lot of use out of our pack and play, swing, we actually still use our changing table a lot (because of the way our house is set up its just easiest), crinkle books (the first toys he loved), stroller, sterilizer (I still use it to sterilize sippies), Gerber or Carter's white onesies, pacis (same brand as bottle worked for us, a soft blanket for tummy time, lot of birth cloths, baby bullet, rock and play, sun hat for going outdoors since we have summer babies! As for things to avoid, since we have July babies we can worry a lot less about keeping them warm so no need for tons of hats or thick blankets, cotton will be fine. We didn't use our jumparoo much at all, wipes warmer (he couldn't care less), baby shoes lol.
@caribbeanmama I had a PPB Boxy Backpack for a few months, but I didn't love it. I had a brocade one, and it started to pull and snag really quickly. My friend had a glazed canvas one and hers held up amazingly well; I liked it a lot better. So for anyone looking at PPB, I'd go with the glazed designs.
@carribeanmama I got the solid black Kate Spade diaper bag, I was able to buy it off the website on clearance, with an additional 30% off. I think the final price was about $130. They have additional discounts on clearance items every holiday throughout the year. For how much I wil carry it I felt it was worth the splurge.
I have this one too! 14 months later and still use it daily.
@carribeanmama I got the solid black Kate Spade diaper bag, I was able to buy it off the website on clearance, with an additional 30% off. I think the final price was about $130. They have additional discounts on clearance items every holiday throughout the year. For how much I wil carry it I felt it was worth the splurge.
@caribbeanmama I had a PPB Boxy Backpack for a few months, but I didn't love it. I had a brocade one, and it started to pull and snag really quickly. My friend had a glazed canvas one and hers held up amazingly well; I liked it a lot better. So for anyone looking at PPB, I'd go with the glazed designs.
@ACharnelle please educate me if I'm wrong but you shouldn't warm breast milk in the microwave
Yeah she was saying she considers the bottle warmer a necessity because she needed to warm her breastmilk and couldn't use a microwave. It's not good to warm breast milk in the microwave.
I still never used a bottle warmer the few times that I did use stored breastmilk, just let the frozen bag of milk thaw in warm water. Works just as good and only takes a few minutes.
@carribeanmama I got the solid black Kate Spade diaper bag, I was able to buy it off the website on clearance, with an additional 30% off. I think the final price was about $130. They have additional discounts on clearance items every holiday throughout the year. For how much I wil carry it I felt it was worth the splurge.
I have the Kate Spade leopard purse diaper bag, spent something like $150 on clearance! I love the bag (going on 15 months of use with no complaints)...But, I might consider getting a cheap backpack style bag for this round, because when the bag is full, the thin handle/strap really kills my shoulder.
@morgarita exactly. I was saying we had to use a warmer a lot, because we couldn't heat the milk in the microwave. @mrscate88 I tried that several times...he hated room temperature milk. He would take maybe 2 ounces room temp and 8 warmed. It made traveling so difficult, now that he's a toddler he isn't nearly as particular about his temps.
@morgarita exactly. I was saying we had to use a warmer a lot, because we couldn't heat the milk in the microwave. @mrscate88 I tried that several times...he hated room temperature milk. He would take maybe 2 ounces room temp and 8 warmed. It made traveling so difficult, now that he's a toddler he isn't nearly as particular about his temps.
Oh I totally get that, babies can be so fickle. And you are right, necessity depends on you and the baby. There are things I didn't think I would need that we ran out and bought when she was two weeks old, and things we thought were necessities that we never used haha.
@ACharnelle my child is exactly the same. It drives me nuts. We had such a hard time traveling and going out when she was still just on breastmilk because she only liked her milk scalding hot. I had to ask at so many restaurants for boiling water to heat up her bottles. She still won't drink lukewarm or cold milk, and she's 18mo
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
@stokesm21 and @Xath thanks. I had a Vera Bradley that I got used and the strap recently broke. But I only use it when we're out of the house for a full day or more. So I want something good but not extravagant.
I have a petunia pickle bottom bag in black and gold that looks like it's my purse. I've had it a year and half and no issues, also it's super light and has the pullout pad attached to the bag for changing baby. I only just started carrying my own purse this last semester when I returned to work.
I wanted the Kate Spade bag as a first time mom not wanting to carry a diaper bag but it was too pricey - some had success on eBay and the like.
Also, I remember ladies mentioning JuJuBe bags when I lurked June15/July15 boards.
edit: year
I tried to keep my diaper bag ... gender neutral. Not because of baby but because I wouldn't want DH stuck with some uber girly bag if he has baby out alone haha! MIL bought me this huge purse for my birthday one year. I'm short so it literally covers like half my body lol! I might use that occasionally just to get some use out of it.
@stokesm21 and @Xath thanks. I had a Vera Bradley that I got used and the strap recently broke. But I only use it when we're out of the house for a full day or more. So I want something good but not extravagant.
I have a petunia pickle bottom bag in black and gold that looks like it's my purse. I've had it a year and half and no issues, also it's super light and has the pullout pad attached to the bag for changing baby. I only just started carrying my own purse this last semester when I returned to work.
I wanted the Kate Spade bag as a first time mom not wanting to carry a diaper bag but it was too pricey - some had success on eBay and the like.
Also, I remember ladies mentioning JuJuBe bags when I lurked June15/July15 boards.
edit: year
I tried to keep my diaper bag ... gender neutral. Not because of baby but because I wouldn't want DH stuck with some uber girly bag if he has baby out alone haha! MIL bought me this huge purse for my birthday one year. I'm short so it literally covers like half my body lol! I might use that occasionally just to get some use out of it.
Uhm, my husband had never been out with the baby alone until baby was maybe 15 months old or something. Not that I'm controlling or anything... So, I absolutely considered the diaper bag a 'my' purchase versus 'ours'. I remember from June15/July15 BMB that some ladies did separate diaper bags for themselves and hubby. So he could have a dude diaper bag. I offered my husband that option - he declined.
As for the birthday gift, is it heavy? The nice thing about diaper bags is that normally they try to minimize weight - it can get really old lugging it around unless you will have hooks to hang it from your stroller or if you buy a stroller with a big enough undercarriage to fit the bag.
As for the birthday gift, is it heavy? The nice thing about diaper bags is that normally they try to minimize weight - it can get really old lugging it around unless you will have hooks to hang it from your stroller or if you buy a stroller with a big enough undercarriage to fit the bag.
No it's really not all that heavy although the more I think about it the more I don't think I'll use it at all. I should probably just sell it or regift haha!
Re: STM's advice on Baby Gear
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
I wanted the Kate Spade bag as a first time mom not wanting to carry a diaper bag but it was too pricey - some had success on eBay and the like.
Also, I remember ladies mentioning JuJuBe bags when I lurked June15/July15 boards.
edit: year
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
The glazed ones certainly looked easier to clean- but I haven't had any messes requiring any real cleaning.
I still never used a bottle warmer the few times that I did use stored breastmilk, just let the frozen bag of milk thaw in warm water. Works just as good and only takes a few minutes.
I have the Kate Spade leopard purse diaper bag, spent something like $150 on clearance! I love the bag (going on 15 months of use with no complaints)...But, I might consider getting a cheap backpack style bag for this round, because when the bag is full, the thin handle/strap really kills my shoulder.
@mrscate88 I tried that several times...he hated room temperature milk. He would take maybe 2 ounces room temp and 8 warmed. It made traveling so difficult, now that he's a toddler he isn't nearly as particular about his temps.
Met: 08/2001 ~ Dating: 07/2004 ~ Engaged: 11/2009 ~ Married: 06/2011
TTC: Since 09/16 ~ BFP 10/28/16 ~ EDD 7/5/17
Team Pink * Canadian Bumpie
As for the birthday gift, is it heavy? The nice thing about diaper bags is that normally they try to minimize weight - it can get really old lugging it around unless you will have hooks to hang it from your stroller or if you buy a stroller with a big enough undercarriage to fit the bag.
Met: 08/2001 ~ Dating: 07/2004 ~ Engaged: 11/2009 ~ Married: 06/2011
TTC: Since 09/16 ~ BFP 10/28/16 ~ EDD 7/5/17
Team Pink * Canadian Bumpie