@meanjellybean I'm trying to be positive about the loss of our RNP (but I'm still not happy about it lol). I keep reminding myself that moving from RNP to crib took some adjustment time and, at least I won't have to deal with that this time around lol
I still think the rock n play is fine for baby to hang out while supervised and awake, but I did have a scary experience with my younger son. My mom had put him down for a nap in the rock n play in the bedroom and when I went to check on him, he had managed to flip over but was stuck and seemed like he couldn't move or breath. She didn't strap him in, but also we shouldn't have continued using it once he learned to flip. I think I'll skip it altogether this time just to be safe.
@zande2016 so scary! I tend to agree about the awake/supervised use... but I also only ever used it for sleep so we'll probably just try to see if Target will still take ours back and give us money. Otherwise, we'll chuck it. I miss it already lol
PRO TIP:: don’t buy a pump - you can get a free one through your insurance every year. I’ve done it twice now. Spectra S2 is definitely better than Medela.
This will be our third and something I’ll buy a third set of are the swaddle blankets. My girls still sleep with them and use them to cover up stuffed animals or dolls. This one will need its own set! I feel like they can be used for so many different things... swaddles, burb rags, nursing cover...the list goes on.
I am also a mamaroo lover. It was a life savor with our second. I could put our first down to nap while she swayed in it and usually was out on her own. I did quickly switch to just laying her in her crib with the baby Einstein music box (another recommendation). This way she didn’t get used to the swaying. She would watch the music box and fall asleep.
We loved the rock n play with our first two but now with the recall we will be trying something else for night sleep.
I also rebought a boppy but I’ve never tried the other options.
I have an ergo and loved it but I’m kind of wanting to try the Tula or lillebaby this time. I’m not a huge fan of wraps and ring slings.
Loving all these recommendations! Definitely going to try some of the ones I haven’t!
Edit to say- the 3 s’s were a life savor as well and we loved our sound machine.
If you're formula feeding - Baby Brezza Formula Pro. Its basically a Keurig for baby bottles. Didn't have it with my first, now I don't know how I lived without it. My second will ONLY drink a warm bottle. If its even luke-warm, he will spit it out and refuse it. So being able to press a button and have it make a warm bottle in 5 seconds at 3am is priceless when you are sleep deprived. No more going downstairs, scooping formula, microwaving, etc. I actually ended up buying 2 - one for the kitchen and one for upstairs, I think its that great. Ive had both for about 6 months and haven't had any issues with it getting clogged or not making the right size bottle (some reviews say they have this problem). Mine have worked perfectly.
Second thing I loved is the Docatot - that thing is a life saver when baby won't sleep, we used it with both babies until about 4-5 months and will be using for this baby as well. We did use it for overnight sleep in their cribs, I don't think its "recommended" but it worked for us!
If you're formula feeding - Baby Brezza Formula Pro. Its basically a Keurig for baby bottles. Didn't have it with my first, now I don't know how I lived without it. My second will ONLY drink a warm bottle. If its even luke-warm, he will spit it out and refuse it. So being able to press a button and have it make a warm bottle in 5 seconds at 3am is priceless when you are sleep deprived. No more going downstairs, scooping formula, microwaving, etc. I actually ended up buying 2 - one for the kitchen and one for upstairs, I think its that great. Ive had both for about 6 months and haven't had any issues with it getting clogged or not making the right size bottle (some reviews say they have this problem). Mine have worked perfectly.
Second thing I loved is the Docatot - that thing is a life saver when baby won't sleep, we used it with both babies until about 4-5 months and will be using for this baby as well. We did use it for overnight sleep in their cribs, I don't think its "recommended" but it worked for us!
i just looked up the Baby Brezza Formula Pro. WOW!!! that looks awesome, thanks for bringing this up. it seems like a no brainer for formula feeding and i saw amazon has $50 off at checkout too.
@smpic2287 I always felt like that thing was so extra. If you are a MoM, sure. But for one? I feel like a bottle warmer doesn't take long (or you could just run warm water from the sink?) and is pretty easy. That said, DD would take a bottle straight from the fridge. She could care less about temp so we almost never used our bottle warmer.
@rachstar18 My friend from DD's BMB haaaaated the S2 with her twins she recentlly had so she's going to send me that pump to try. I really loved my Medela though.... as much as you can love a pump when you EP for 9 months I'm going to get a Medela from insurance and try her S2 as well. I just want whatever will get me the most output.
I want to get a Willow. I've done so much research between the Willow and Elvie and I think the Willow is where it's at for work and on the go pumping!
@blaf322 my DD also took bottles straight out of the fridge. Truly the best! haha I'm hoping this next one also isn't picky about temperature, but we'll see. Also, you're a rockstar for EP for 9 months. It became apparent pretty quickly with DD that BFing wasn't working for either of us, and I pumped while she was in the NICU of course, but when she was home and it came down to the option of EP or switching to formula, I switched to formula without a second thought. I'm always so impressed with people who EP.
@smpic2287 we used the dockatot with my 1st inside the halo bassinet and it was amazing, he slept for like 10 hours straight as early as 10 weeks with that thing. I didn't do that with my 2nd because I read it wasn't safe. But, the dockatot now resides in a tent in my older son's room and sometimes when we go in to check on him before we head to bed we find him asleep inside it, in the tent. So he still loves it now at 3.
@blaf322 it’s one of those to each his own’ type of products. I hated Medela because the flanges just never fit either and it hurt me. The spectra yielded way better results for me so I used it longer and was more comfortable.
I used Medela last time, and I had fine enough results, but people rave about the Spectra, so I definitely want to try that this time.
Along the lines of the DockaTot is the Snuggle Me. I used it a ton for when my son napped downstairs in the living room. I will definitely be breaking it out again this time around.
I found the spectra to be more comfortable and quieter, but the medela parts easier and cheaper to replace. I had one spectra at home, one at work, and used my medela to pump in the car. Yes I have 3 pumps due to 2 kids plus changing insurance partway through one pregnancy. Yes I will probably get a 4th this time through insurance. Maybe the willow if it’s covered!
@blaf322 I thought the same with DD, who would drink a bottle from the fridge, my bag etc. By DS will only and I mean only drink it if it warm bordering on hot. No idea why, but thats the case.. The difference between making a bottle and putting it in the bottle warmer (4 mins+) or even in the microwave VS pushing a button and having a warm bottle in literal second makes a WORLD of difference when you have a screaming child at 3am (and other children sleeping in the room next door )
pretzellover so funny - we bought that same little fridge for upstairs, but see above haha, so now DD uses it to keep a water in overnight
@zande2016 & @kristinl492 im thinking about getting the Specta this time as well, I also heard friends say it was much better than the Medela so well see ..
@smpic2287 my bestie's DD was the same about bottle temp. So tough when you're out and about.
@rachstar18 my insurance doesn't cover a Spectra this time so I'm excited to try my friend's. Whatever gets the most output!
@stlbuckeye132 it was so tough! I EP but didn't quite make enough so it was extra challenging b/c I was eating all the steel cut oats, taking all the supplements, power pumping, etc... just doing everything I could to increase my supply and it just didn't work. I won't be able to do that this time b/c I don't WFH anymore. I'm hoping to hang in there and EBF for as long as I'm making enough. I'm hoping I just didn't respond to the pump as well as I would if I'd have hung in there with nursing. But, if that isn't the case, it is what it is... fed is best!
I had both the medela (which was covered by insurance) and bought a spectra s2. I took the medela to and from work since it came with this nifty backpack and bottle cooler thing that was super convenient. The spectra was my pump at home. I know people looove the spectra, and I thought it was fine, but my nips were always super sensitive and the weird "vibrating" stimulation always made me feel weird and I didn't necessarily see more output from one or the other. But I also could never really figure out the settings on the spectra compared to the medela so maybe I'm just not a spectra pro!
ETA: I don't know what I'll do this time. Maybe I'll see if a portable (non wall plug-in) one is available through insurance.
@meanjellybean that weird vibrating is exactly what my friend hated about it too!! And, good luck with the portable option. I wiiiiish it was covered on my insurance. I'm totally forking over the $300 or whatever it costs for the Willow.
@b_1029 btw. feel free to revive the thread. Really. Zero judgement from me b/c I totally get the overwhelmed feeling and I'm super happy to help! Especially if folks have specific questions outside of what's already been discussed here
I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned, but I subscribed to the Bump Box and it's been amazing. This past month I got a high-end stretch mark cream, one of those jade face roller things (feels amaaaazing), an adorable water bottle, a delicious nutrition bar, and something else I totally can't remember right now. The first month I got a nice set of those pressure point Sea Bands (they're actually really pretty), a gorgeous pregnancy journal, some morning sickness tea and drops. LOVE this. I haven't invested in too many products otherwise other than gentle cleansers but this box always sends awesome stuff.
@meanjellybean wait, why is this the first I’m hearing about the weird nipple feeling from the Spectra?? I had the medela last time and it worked fine for me, but the way people rave about the Spectra had me wanting to get that this time. Wish I could test drive it 😂
@kristinl492 lol I think it's just me! I still like the Spectra better than the medela probably. Most of my friends who also had the spectra liked the nipple vibrating thing lol.
FWIW I had a Spectra and the "massage mode" wasn't noticeable to me in terms of vibrating or whatever. It's a faster cycle speed to use for letdown.
I liked the Spectra a lot; I also had a Hygeia with DD1 and it was very similar in features. Hygeia wasn't an option for me the second time around (I could have reused mine, and I'd planned to leave one at work and one at home, but ended up not needing to.) I'd recommend it to anyone who has it offered to them. I'd probably choose the Spectra over Hygeia, just because the Spectra is quieter. But with both of those, being able to adjust the strength and speed separately is really nice.
2/13 Blighted ovum, D&C -- 6/13 MC -- 8/14 DD born -- 3/17 MC -- 9/18 DD2 born Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
I have a Willow that was handed down from a friend... but I'll be its 3rd user so I kind of want to get a new one (assuming I like it) because of loss of suction and such. My biggest concern with is is not being able to get as much output b/c you can't do any sort of massaging during pumping. I'd love to hear thoughts if anyone has tried one of these.
Random thing I thought of to tell you guys as I was digging through baby clothes yesterday. I LOVED the Cloud Island Footie PJ's from Target. They have an inverted zipper which is amazing for diaper changes. (Basically it zips down instead of up). A Pack of 3 is like 13 bucks typically and DS wore those a ton and they held up great.
@JessDG YES those are the only ones you need when they are newborn to like 3 months. We brought DD home from the hospital in them, and then she lived in them my entire maternity leave (March baby). You are reminding me I should inventory ours to see how many were lost to blowouts and whether we need more
@meanjellybean I didn't discover them until he was in 6-9 month clothes last time. I'm totally going to stock up on 0-3 and 3-6 this time! They are super nice when you are changing a diaper every 5 minutes!
@JessDG Thanks for the reminder! I just ordered some. Everyone gives you PJs... but most of the time they're snap pjs... which are garbage.
I ordered a zipadee zip swaddle that has a zipper on the bottom so you don't have to unswaddle for MOTN diaper changes. I'm hoping it works well. I like the design better than most swaddles (I prefer to just use a blanket b/c DD couldn't bust out of those as easily) based on the video on FB they lured me in with b/c it seems like it'll hold their arms in better. We'll see!
I was mainly looking into the sleep dress type things that don’t close on the bottom and have hand covers. my sister just got some for my new nephew coming in February and she says they are wonderful to not have to fuss with zippers or snaps in the middle of the night
1. Has anyone used the Nested Bean swaddle- they have a weighted area?
2. Any monitor recs? I want a video monitor with good range so I can take it outside. Our Motorola was great for 5 years but the wire on the monitor frayed. I could replace just the monitor, but am wondering what my other options are like.
@nursejenn5 I feel like the way to go is to get a few types of things (instead of a bunch of one thing) and then when you figure out what works best for you and your baby, just Amazon prime the shit out of that one thing. Kind of joking, but not really. Everyone will have different preferences on what worked for them.
@nursejenn5 surprisingly, I didn't love those gown things as much as I thought I would. Maybe that's just me though.
@MrsTiger123 I HIGHLY recommend looking into a Nest cam. You'll need wifi, which we already have so it's NBD. I think the one down side (that hasn't been an issue for us) is that I don't totally trust something running on wifi for when we're sleeping so we use a cheapy, sound only, monitor at night/for travel and the Nest cam is mounted in her room. The picture is clear, sound is good, and you can look in if you're away.... so when we were vacationing in Jamaica when she was still young, it was super nice to be able to peek in and see that she was happy and things were going well We used an old cell phone as our "monitor." It just stayed plugged in on the couch downstairs and, when she was younger, it stayed on and playing, just like a regular monitor, when she was sleeping. LMK if you have any specific questions!
@nursejenn5 I really like the sleep gowns for the first few months at least. They have a lot more MOTN changes early on, and one less thing to fiddle with in the dark was really nice. With sleepers, you have to unsnap/unzip, pull legs out, change diaper, shove legs back in, re-snap/zip - and all in the dark/semi-dark, plus un-swaddling and re-swaddling. And they tend to have froggy little scrunched up legs for a while, and you might be trying to keep them asleep or mostly asleep through the change, so the easier the better IMO. Like others mentioned, different things work for different people, but I will definitely use gowns again.
Plus, when I first pulled those tiny newborn gowns out of storage before DD2 was born, they had such strong memories of DD1 attached to them for some reason. It was so nice to unexpectedly feel that sweet feeling of her newborn days again. Not that it has anything to do with the gowns in particular, but I'm sentimentally attached to ours.
2/13 Blighted ovum, D&C -- 6/13 MC -- 8/14 DD born -- 3/17 MC -- 9/18 DD2 born Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
Re: Product Recs from STM+ Mamas
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
Second thing I loved is the Docatot - that thing is a life saver when baby won't sleep, we used it with both babies until about 4-5 months and will be using for this baby as well. We did use it for overnight sleep in their cribs, I don't think its "recommended" but it worked for us!
That said, DD would take a bottle straight from the fridge. She could care less about temp so we almost never used our bottle warmer.
@rachstar18 My friend from DD's BMB haaaaated the S2 with her twins she recentlly had so she's going to send me that pump to try. I really loved my Medela though.... as much as you can love a pump when you EP for 9 months
I want to get a Willow. I've done so much research between the Willow and Elvie and I think the Willow is where it's at for work and on the go pumping!
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cooluli-Electric-4-Liter-Portable-Cooler-Warmer-Mini-Fridge-Cow-Print/446727609?
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
pretzellover so funny - we bought that same little fridge for upstairs, but see above haha, so now DD uses it to keep a water in overnight
@zande2016 & @kristinl492 im thinking about getting the Specta this time as well, I also heard friends say it was much better than the Medela so well see ..
@rachstar18 my insurance doesn't cover a Spectra this time so I'm excited to try my friend's. Whatever gets the most output!
@stlbuckeye132 it was so tough! I EP but didn't quite make enough so it was extra challenging b/c I was eating all the steel cut oats, taking all the supplements, power pumping, etc... just doing everything I could to increase my supply and it just didn't work. I won't be able to do that this time b/c I don't WFH anymore. I'm hoping to hang in there and EBF for as long as I'm making enough. I'm hoping I just didn't respond to the pump as well as I would if I'd have hung in there with nursing. But, if that isn't the case, it is what it is... fed is best!
ETA: I don't know what I'll do this time. Maybe I'll see if a portable (non wall plug-in) one is available through insurance.
I liked the Spectra a lot; I also had a Hygeia with DD1 and it was very similar in features. Hygeia wasn't an option for me the second time around (I could have reused mine, and I'd planned to leave one at work and one at home, but ended up not needing to.) I'd recommend it to anyone who has it offered to them. I'd probably choose the Spectra over Hygeia, just because the Spectra is quieter. But with both of those, being able to adjust the strength and speed separately is really nice.
Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
I have a Willow that was handed down from a friend... but I'll be its 3rd user so I kind of want to get a new one (assuming I like it) because of loss of suction and such. My biggest concern with is is not being able to get as much output b/c you can't do any sort of massaging during pumping. I'd love to hear thoughts if anyone has tried one of these.
https://www.target.com/p/baby-boys-3pk-sleepy-tides-zip-up-sleep-n-play-cloud-island/-/A-78307778?preselect=76822909#lnk=sametab
I ordered a zipadee zip swaddle that has a zipper on the bottom so you don't have to unswaddle for MOTN diaper changes. I'm hoping it works well. I like the design better than most swaddles (I prefer to just use a blanket b/c DD couldn't bust out of those as easily) based on the video on FB they lured me in with
@MrsTiger123 I HIGHLY recommend looking into a Nest cam. You'll need wifi, which we already have so it's NBD. I think the one down side (that hasn't been an issue for us) is that I don't totally trust something running on wifi for when we're sleeping so we use a cheapy, sound only, monitor at night/for travel and the Nest cam is mounted in her room. The picture is clear, sound is good, and you can look in if you're away.... so when we were vacationing in Jamaica when she was still young, it was super nice to be able to peek in and see that she was happy and things were going well
Plus, when I first pulled those tiny newborn gowns out of storage before DD2 was born, they had such strong memories of DD1 attached to them for some reason. It was so nice to unexpectedly feel that sweet feeling of her newborn days again. Not that it has anything to do with the gowns in particular, but I'm sentimentally attached to ours.
Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20