We need your help!
June 28th 2008 by Jen in UncategorizedSince we’ll be registering soon for baby things, we really need to know what people who’ve used the stuff think about the stuff. So we need to know about your favorite (and despised) strollers, carseats, jumpers, walkers, toys, dirty diaper managers, breast pumps, bottles, diapers, diaper rash products, clothes, etc. Please leave us comments about what you like and what you don’t and why, your experiences, so we can make some really good decisions. Thanks!
Posts
June 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Strollers: Love the Chicco but the car seat does not fit into the seat in the carts at Kroger you’ve got to put it inside the cart.
Carseats: Again, love the Chicco but you don’t really have to have a travel system. They don’t use ‘em for all that long. The Britax carseats are absolutely the best but they are a little on the pricey side.
Toys: Emma absolutely loved the Kick ‘n Play (you’ve got to have one!). It saved my life the first several months. I loved the fact that it was so portable. We have the Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing and have been really impressed with it too. It has a higher weight limit than the Papasan cradle swing which was important to me. If I’m gonna spend that much money on something I want it to last a looonnngggg time. The Bumbo chair has been fun too, especially when they get a little older and want to see more but can’t sit up by themselves yet but I don’t think it was a must for us. My sister has the Jumparoo and Emma seemed to think that was pretty fun but since we’re in an apartment, it kinda came down to what we could fit space-wise.
Diaper Managers: I’ve been really impressed with the Diaper Champ. You can use regular trash bags with it which I really liked. Money saver!
Diapers: I swore by Pampers Swaddlers initially, then switched to Huggies, then switched back to the Pampers and finally settled on Luvs which are essentially the same as the Pampers Baby Dry.
Wipes: Love the Pampers Sensitive ones.
Diaper Rash Ointment: Everyone seems to have one that works best with their kid. A&D has been ours.
Bottles: I know a lot of people use the Playtex ones, but I have been just as impressed with the Avent bottles and they have fewer parts to clean, still keep the air out, AND are less expensive. I’m all about that!
Breast Pumps: Okay, I do think I can share more than some about these, seeing as how I pumped for 3 months at work
The Medela Pump in Style is a great pump and really comfortable to use too. However, I actually switched to the Ameda Purely Yours because I found that I could pump faster with it thought it wasn’t quite as comfortable as the Medela nor as easy to use initially. It really just depends on how often you’re going to need it.
So there ya have it! I hope that it’s some helpful into for you. Have fun picking out all of your stuff! Fee free to ask for clarification on anything.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Car Seat/Stroller: We have the Graco Safe Seat and the Graco stroller frame. We love it. Less bulky than a travel system and lightweight enough for little me!
Toys: Zoe loves the Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe play mat. She can spend a long time playing on that thing. She also cannot live without her baby Einstein Octoplush, affectionately known as “Octy” in our house (we’re so original, aren’t we?)
Mobile: We love the Fisher Price Ocean Wonder’s Mobile. Music is decent and it has cool lights. It also has a remote control. I also just found the Fisher Price Ocean Wonder’s Aquarium at a garage sale for $4. I think that will provide lots of fun for Zoe when we take the mobile down.
Diaper pail: We use the Diaper Champ also and highly recommend it. It’s cheaper than buying the Genie and keeping up with refills. It does a good job of keeping odors at bay.
Diaper bag: make sure you get a small one and a large one or else you’ll get stuck lugging the big one around everywhere and it just gets tiresome.
That’s it for now! I’m sure I’ll have more suggestions as I think of them. Have fun registering and preparing for your little one!! Can’t wait till the 11th!!
June 30th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Hey guys!
We’re so excited for you! Here are some of my thoughts:
Diaper Champ–absolutely! Ours has lasted through two kids and is still working like a champ. And I understand that the new ones are even better than the one we have.
Bottles: I’d go ahead and stay away from things that contain pthalates and BPA. Glass bottles are safest, but Medela and Born Free make some plastic bottles that are meant to help with gas and that do not contain the potentially hazardous ingredients. Playtex drop-ins are also safe, but they end up being very expensive. Best recommendation–do not stock up on any one kind of bottle. Just buy a one of a couple different varieties and see what your baby will take. Then buy more when you know.
Olbas Oil: A must-have for every person in the family. It’s a mix of essential oils you can find at Whole Foods. It will be great for your night-time congestion later in pregnancy (almost a guarantee you’ll have this problem) so you can sleep as much as possible. And then, when the baby is born, you can put a drop or two in the corner of the crib or on the back of his/her pjs to help clear congestion. This has been a lifesaver for every person in our family for a host of reasons!
Diapers: We used Huggies in newborn size, but then we switched to Luvs as soon as our kids got into size 1 (Luvs don’t come in newborn). Luvs are cheaper and are amazing! They actually work better than any other kind for us. Of course, some kids are different sizes, so you’ll have to test and see if it works for your baby. We used cloth diapers with Ladan but couldn’t use them as well with Gabe for a variety of reasons. If you want to know more about that, let me know.
Monitor: We’re happy with our Fisher Price Private Connection monitor (the 10-channel, two receiver model). However, I see that there’s a Sony double-receiver 27-channel monitor that may be even better. Worth a shot, it seems. I’d just stay away from the receivers with the long flexible antenna design if possible–they seem to get more shorts in them and don’t last as long. Our long-antenna design FP monitors still work after 4 years, but they’re MUCH fuzzier than they should be. It’s my understanding that Babies R Us doesn’t carry the Sony 2-receiver model (only the single receiver model). However, you can find the 2-receiver model at Target.
Diaper bag: I have appreciated having our Mountainsmith day pack and have used it as a diaper bag. Amber had this idea with Titus, so we followed suit. We can fit a ton in the bag, it’s great to have the waist strap so you don’t get slapped in the head or drop the bag every time you bend over, and it’s great for guys and gals to carry. Additionally, you can use it for MANY things after your baby(ies) are done needing a diaper bag. It seems like the cheapest place I’ve seen them is on Campmor.com. I have the smaller version. Amber has the larger. I’d go ahead and spend the extra $10 or $15 for the larger bag if you can. The small one works just fine, but when you need an extra change of clothes and additional items for the first few months, it’s a VERY tight fit.
Burp cloths: We just used plain white cloth diapers for puke rags. They absorb very well, are pretty inexpensive, and can be bleached if there are stains.
Diaper changing mat: Do you know those waterproof lap pads that are like 12×15 inches? Well, there’s a larger variety (forgot the name of them) that are about 24×18 inches. We used these as diaper changing pads. They cover much more of the surface you’re using to change your baby, they’re less bulky in the diaper bag, and they wash really well. Let me know if you can’t figure out what I’m talking about and want to know.
There is a book called Baby Bargains, and it is amazingly helpful with the preparation and registry process. It talks about all categories of baby stuff and basically helps you to determine which products are best/safest/easiest to use/worth the money/etc. We read through it and then took it with us to the store to register. Super-helpful because otherwise, you could be choosing some really cruddy product just because it looks the coolest. It’s also regularly updated to include information on new products.
Please feel free to call or e-mail any time!
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
okay…here goes.
car seat/travel system…chicco..its AMAZING. we had evenflow with titus and this one is SO much better. as for carseats when they are out of the carrier…we use alpha omega elite and have loved it…we got another one for justus we liked it that much.
diaper champ for sure. we used the diaper genie first and HATED it. but honestly, the diaper champ didnt make the move with us from midland to fort worth so we just use a target sack. it holds lots of diapers and you can knot up the bag to seal off the smell.
Luvs are so great. We have tried them all and come back to Luvs they work great and are cheaper!
Bags: I love love love my Mountain Smith, I got it at REI and now I have two. It is useful for many different reasons and you can use it for other things later in life.
I agree with Phyllis on the Olbas Oil you will get great use out of it.
Wipes: I make my own wipes…it is SOO much cheaper. I have the receipe. It only requires Bounty paper towels, water, baby oil and baby wash. (with Justus I bought a 12 pack of Bounty for 10ish dollars and had all the rest of the stuff…this will last me about 6 to 8 months) i do have a pack of regular ones for the diaper bag.
Bottles and pacifiers…you might want to buy one or two of a variety of them and see what the baby takes the best. Both of my boys have ended up using NUK pacifiers. and Playtex (dropin) Bottles
We use the FisherPrice Space Saver High Chair because we dont have a very big dining area. With Titus we had a Fisher Price High Chair with Titus and it was HUGE and in the way all the time.
Carriers: I love the look of slings but neither of my boys liked the sling style carriers. I have the Chicco front carrier and it is great.
As for other things…a bouncy seat is great, you will atleast want some where to sit them…and all the new ones are so cool…we just kept the one we had from titus. A play yard…we use it all the time…they have all kinds now. we have a Jumproo for our jumper and Titus loved it and used it so much.
PackNPlay- we had the evenflo brand with Titus…we decided not to get one with Justus because everyone we would visit to need one, they have one. So unless you are using it in your home as your bassinet you wont use it much.
Bassinet…we love ours. I am not sure what the brand is…the reasons i love it are: It has wheels so we can wheel him around if needed. It is as high as our bed so i can sleep him right next to my side and just roll over to check him and grab him for feedings. It breaks apart and the bottom is useful for storing blankets or toys once they are out of it.
okay that was way long sorry. HAVE FUN! and remember…the people in sudan dont have any of this and do just fine…so dont get overwhelmed!
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Best advice any one gave us was that you do not need everything they say you do…it is SO true… you can get a pac n play for traveling (if you think you will travel much) and also put it in your room vs buying a cradle or bassenet… you can also save alot of money by buying a “travel” swing vs a real swing, travel swings are around 30 while real swings are closer to 75 if not more… One thing Averi LOVES is her play mat…we have the rainforest one but the baby einstein one is supposed to be good too… we NEVER use our boppy but I know some moms REALLY do… we also bought our travel system at a consignment shop… if you do this you will save a ton but try to find one with a latch system and that has been made in the last three years or so… Our crib and changing table were given to us and I just stripped them and painted them, if you buy one consignment or get one given to you and want help refinishing it just let me know, I have now refinished four peieces of furniture in our house! One thing that is worth spending money on is a good breast pump, especially if you plan to work… I have the Medela and LOVE it… I also work twp doubles a week and therefore it gets a lot of use… if you are only going to pump so you and dan can go on a date or something you probably wont need something so pricey! Biggest thing is DO NOT GET OVERWHELMED!!! Just buy what you can, your baby really wont know the difference! If you want to go consignment/ yard sell hopping one day just let me know!
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 am
as far as diapers go we hated the pampers swaddlers and I know some other moms that did too… we use white cloud which is at walmart, one case with like abillion diapers is 16 bucks and they work better then anything… and wipes we just use the off brand, I think averi has a pretty resilient behind though… when she does get a little rash we use “butt” paste to clear it up and after one use it is usually gone!
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
one more thing… the bottles that come with the medela pump will not work for feeding the baby… I pump into them and use Avent bottles to feed her when she gets a bottle… the medela would only flood her… Last thing i SWEAR… we got a swaddler and it has worked magic at keeping her to sleep!