Thursday, April 9, 2009
Cyber Plea....
Hello all. I need advice. Good advice. You see, the ladies at work are throwing me a baby shower and they are insisting that I register. Problem is.....I have NO idea what to register for. I am completely out of my element here. Would you mind leaving me a comment listing the things that you absolutely couldn't do without as a young mom? What are your preferences when it comes to the different brands? What is your opinion about car seats, breast pumps, strollers, pack 'n' plays, baby bath products, binkys, bottles, etc? Do you like the ones you have? Why or why not? Many thanks!
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18 comments:
I totally know what your going through! I remember feeling the same way when I was pregnant!
We got this car seat:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2452267 I like it a lot!
If you're going to breast feed, then this is a MUST!!!:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3922518 This cream is a life saver!
Many mothers have boppys:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2507965
I didn't get one until my boy was a few months old, and I wished I had one from the beginning, because they are fabulous!
And these binkys are good:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2792577
Apparently the silicone binkys taste better to babies.
Anyway, I hope these things help. I know I never leave comments on your blog, but I saw this post, and thought maybe I could help. I remember feeling completely out of my element, and not having a clue as to what to get for our baby! I even cried over car seats in Babies-R-Us when I was 8 months along. :)
Ok, this is a long post. I hope you get the help you need! And I hope your family is well. Good luck with your little one Laura!
-Emily (Ancell) Hartvigsen
Ok Laura- We both know I'm not a mom however, when I read your post I thought of something you might be interested in... The other day in language acquisition class we were talking about a study that showed strollers facing the mom were better for language development than strollers that faced away (but after they get a little older the ones facing away are better because they experience more of the world). I looked on baby's-r-us website and it looks like the name for these kind are travel systems-- the kind that the carseat snaps into the stroller. Anyways, I thought you might be interested in this even though I have NO real world experience :) Haha, sorry it's a novel!
Are you sure you want that many opinions? :) My only thing is BPA-free everything. Just in case. I am so happy for you!
My experience says get baby spoons that are all metal, not the ones with the rubber end. That way you can use them to scoop out the grapefruit easier.
Hey Laura! I keep running into all your Walker inlaws, firstly because Alan and Kyle are painting my house, but I saw Jordan at the bank too, it's about time I run into you too! Okay, so my only advice is a couple things: buy gender neutral on the expensive necessities (car seats, strollers, etc) and don't register for too many toys...they always accumulate over time. But good luck and do what you want...girls are way fun to doll up in every way!
We already chatted on this very subject but I have a few more items I liked...Nuk binkies/bottles. They have the same nipple and my pediatric dentist brother in law (aka wade) says they are the absolute best for your babies mouth. Also Gerber brand onezies. You can get them at walmart. Your child will definitely have a power shot and you will go through a lot in the beginning! They keep their shape and can be used as shirt. Love them. Also bag pjs for the first few months. Trust me the last thing you want to do seven million times during the night is snap buttons!
Okay, I love the diaper champ. Can't smell any nasty diapers and it takes a normal garbage bag so you don't have to buy expensive ones. Other than that, we got a gracco safe seat with the stroller combo and we really like it. Other than that...I loved the gown PJS with the hand covers for infants. We got a pack 'n' play and he slept in our bedroom for the first few months. Hope this helps! So exicted for you! Baby showers are great!
What to say, what to say ...
I definitely agree about going gender neutral on all the expensive stuff. You don't want to have to buy a new swing/bouncer/playpen when you have a boy. You can buy new covers for the carseat, but I went gender neutral on the infant carrier that they use the first year too. And I do recommend getting an infant carrier. It's much easier to keep a sleeping baby asleep when you don't have to take them out of the carseat. Also, make sure the carrier is pretty light because those things get heavy once your baby starts packing on the pounds.
I don't think they recommend registering for too many clothes in case they're not available in the store for long, but I LOVED any outfits with hand covers on them. Babies are always grabbing at their faces and Grace still has a tiny mark from mauling herself as a newborn. :( You can buy little hand covers/mittens, but they don't stay on very well.
I decided to skip the travel system and bought a jogger stroller instead. I can count the number of times I took Grace out shopping with me in the infant carrier and could have used the travel system stroller on one hand (not including the grocery store or places like Target and BabiesRUs because they have shopping carts), so I don't feel like I missed out. I didn't know about the whole language development thing Kalli talked about though. The few times I would have used it were at the mall, so if you're a big mall shopper then maybe it'd be worth it for you. Grace was born at the end of September and I didn't take her on many walks until the next Spring when she was older and could sit in the jogger stroller, but you can always bundle the baby up and go out when it's cold too (when we did go on walks with her as an infant she was usually in the Baby Bjorn). It really depends on your habits, I guess. Anyway, we decided to skip that kind of stroller and thought we would buy a double when #2 came along. Now that #2 is here, though, we went for a double jogger instead so I still don't have a 'regular' stroller. We did get an umbrella stroller, but that's also for babies that are a little older (not newborns). Also, if your baby is really tall, she could grow out of the infant carrier pretty fast, which kind of defeats the purpose of the travel system. I don't mean to be so negative about the travel system ... I'm sure they're great ... we just knew we wanted a jogger stroller and didn't want too many strollers sitting around, and money was tight too.
For breastfeeding, get a boppy (with a removable cover so you don't have to wash the whole boppy every time your baby spits up on it) and Newman's cream (prescription only ... ask your doctor). It's WAY better than the Lanolin Breast Cream, but if you don't want to pay for a prescription then the Lanolin Cream is good too.
I'm sure I could say more, but this comment is already breaking records for being the longest ever. Good luck!
It looks like you got a ton of good advice. I'll tell you what my 2 favorite big purchases were.
Stroller- I love our stroller. It's called the Phil & Ted stroller. This is in all in one stroller. It has a swivel wheel for easy maneuverability, and the wheel can be locked for jogging. It also has a little bar you can click on to put the baby car seat on the stroller in the new born stage (so the baby is facing you). It also has a second seat that it attaches on when you have a second kid (this was the selling point for us). Anyway, we figured instead of buying 4 strollers we got this one, and we love it. It is expensive, but I think its worth the money.
A good swing was a must for us. We got the fisher price cradle swing (the cradle makes them feel like their being held). Brooklynn loved it and it was a life saver for the first few months of her life.
Good luck and Happy shopping!!!
Hey Laura ...
Wow, lot's of advice already!
Strollers: I have a travel system stroller and really like it. It's been great! I know Dax will grow out of it quickly, but I still think it has been worth it since I'm taking him out everyday. He falls asleep in it and doesn't even know I've taken him out of the car and I love looking at him in the stroller.
Binkies: I use the Avent ones, but I'm sure there's a lot of good ones. You'll get the Soothies in the hospital which work fine, but Dax has a harder time sucking on them. I hear Nuk is good, too.
Bottles: I've tried every kind! I use the Avent ones, the Dr. Johnson Drop ins, and a few other random ones. I just bought a few different ones and tried them to see how they affected his stomach (gassiness) and if he liked them. I have a Nuk bottle and for some reason it's harder for him to get very much out of the nipple so it takes forever to feed him when I use it. You can also (with some bottles like Avent) get nipples with different flows on them (newborn, slow, fast). You'll probably want a newborn/slow flow at first. I would suggest getting a few different ones and just see how she likes them.
Pumps: I use the medela double electric. I got the Metro Bag because it comes with soft-fit pumps which I think conform to the breast better and are more comfortable than the hard plastic ones. I also like that you can separate the pump motor from the bag which I don't think you can do with the backpack one. I also bought some more medela bottles and nipples in addition to the ones that come with then pump because you'll go through them quickly if you pump a lot. (You can also just pour what you pump into a different bottle I guess).
Nursing: Boppy pillow with removable cover. A breast shield (it was a total must for me!), and breast pads because you'll leak.
Clothes: ONESIES!, gowns are wonderful. That's what they'll live in for the first little while! And socks for their little feet.
Swings: I have the sweatpeace which I like, but it's pretty pricey! My parents have a cheaper one and he likes it just as much or more.
A bouncer is a must for me! He can sit in it while I'm pumping or cooking or showering. It's been a lifesaver!
Oh, don't forget a thermometer, bulb syringe, and those little necessities too! I'm so excited for you!!
I don't know if you remember me! I'm Kalli's cousin. I found out I was pregnant a week after Kalli and Steve's wedding, and I remember being exactly where you are now.
Get the lightest/safest infant car seat possible. We had baby trend jogging stroller travel system. I really enjoyed it, but the seat wasn't as light as Graco seats. The Phil & Ted stroller mentioned sounds awesome because when you start thinking about baby number two, you'll look at the big hunk of travel system stroller and wonder what you're ever going to use it for again.
We love our Baby Bjorn carrier. I also had a hotsling. Cora (my baby) would wake up every time I put her down, so being able to carrier her around and still use both my hands was AMAZING!
Breastfeeding supplies: (This is the thing that I didn't give a lot of thought to because "it's natural"...it will take up a lot of more time and energy then you can fathom, so I reccomend getting a head start by reading a lot about it now). I loved my Medela double electric. I worked for about 9 weeks (I was a teacher and finished out the school year after maternity leave), and the pump was a life saver. I also had the Avent Isis hand pump, and it's totally decent for occasional pumping, but nothing compared to the Medela. I learned the hard way that you should have a pump waiting for you because when your milk comes in, you will need it. The one thing I haven't read is Lansinoh breast pads. I've tried a lot of different ones, and these ones are by far my favorite.
Here's a list of my other favorites:
Bumbo
Diaper Genie
Nuk pacifier
Hoohobbers diaper bag (I have the tote)
Britax Marathon (her big girl car seat...it's WONDERFUL!)
Pampers Swaddlers (Pampers have less chlorine - one of two diaper brands Cora wasn't sensitive to, the other was Seventh Generation)
Carter's Onesies
Boppy nursing pillow
Boppy travel swing
All of these comments are stressing ME out! It's been awhile since I had Lucas and I'm feeling like I'm having my first again. When David and I had Lucas we were really young, we didn't have a whole lot of money and just sort of went without all the things that everyone was talking about. Looking back I don't have any regrets...I was the happiest little mom around. I never felt like I was going without. I remember hearing about all the "must-have" items when Lucas was young and thinking...you totally don't need that. Don't go run out and buy every little thing that people recommend. Some babies love swings and others hate them...same with binkis....the list goes on and on. There's always someone you can borrow stuff from (like a swing) for a little while before you decide it's something you can't live without. Then you know what your baby likes before you make the investment. I remember every one telling to stock up on a certain brand of diapers, so I did. Turned out the fit didn't quite work for Lucas. I borrowed a few diapers from a friend and they didn't leak at all-- unfortunately I felt like I needed to use up all the diapers I already had. Eventually I switched and didn't have any more blow-out problems. Try a few different brands before stock piling. There are definitely some items suggested that are wonderful to have...just don't get overwhelmed and stressed by the list. My best suggestion would be to keep a good record. There are things that you swear you'll never forget...but you will. Find a great baby book...one with a little calendar where you can jot down what happened each day. THEN MAKE YOURSELF DO IT! It's SO FUN to look back and remember the day to day happenings with your baby. Write in your journal and take lots of pictures and video. I remember shooting video of Lucas just sitting there and thinking how boring it was...I pulled it out the other day and I almost melted. It brought tears to my eyes. You might feel like your being a bit too excessive in the picture/video department..but you're not. Plus, you might figure out that you're not so bad with a camera and go on to shoot weddings for the next six and half years....I know a girl that happened to ;)
Somewhat larger sized lingerie
hi laura,
i can't resist commenting since i'm still figuring out my favorites with our baby. I've read your other comments though and agree that the boppy is a must-have. I also love pampers diapers. we called the lactation center and found out what their recommendations were on the best breast pumps--we were told the Philips Avent double breast pump. It's a bit pricey, but I consider it an investment and I really love it. And my other must-have items are a bouncy seat that vibrates, and sleep sacks. Sleep sacks are a life saver in the night because they keep their feet warm and they are so much easier since they zip up--putting on pj pants multiple times a night is a hassle :) good luck!
Instead of a cute bassinet, we got Hattie a pack n play with an attachable bassinet. She slept in their for a few months and now we can still use the pack n play whenever we travel, which we have done quite a bit this last year of P.A. school. Plus it's cheaper and you'll use it a lot more. Pampers are a must, they smell soooo good. A bouncy seat is a must have, you'll use it more than anything. Also we have loved our stroller, it has a carseat attachment and you can face her front or away and it moves like a gem! Anyway, hope this helps. Have fun shopping and getting gifts.
heather garner williams
Hey Laura, this is the fun part of having a baby! All the swag they come with. The only "must have" I would recommend is the diaper duck. It is a little holder of plastic sacks that you keep in the diaper bag that is invaluable when you are out on the go and the baby has a blow-out. You can use them to tie up a poopy diaper when you can't find a garbage can so you can dispose of it later, and throw the clothes in another so you can wash them later instead of throwing them away or risking poop getting all over the inside of your diaper bag.
Oh yeah, and a binkie leash or two will always come in handy so that the baby's first words won't be swear words learned from you the 5th time they spit their binkie out on the floor of the grocery store or in the park where you can't wash it off right away...
And my last recommendation is if you have two cars it is really nice to get two bases for the infant carriers so you don't have to change it back and forth.
My best piece of motherly advice is to relax and enjoy it as much as you can, and don't read the what to expect in the first year book. Every baby does things in their own way and their own time and you and she will both be happier if you don't get caught up in comparing and worrying if she is on schedule. Having said that, it is next to impossible for a new mom to not worry... so don't worry too much about worrying. And ask your mom for lots of advice and babysitting!
Sorry to get to this so late. Hope you haven't had your shower yet.
I agree on gender neutral, but I also keep saying that if I had known with Emma that I would have to buy all new stuff this time, I would have gotten her everything cute and pink and flowery. Odds are (hopefully) that you won't have twins next, so do what you want.
THE PUMP: Again, got a new pump when the boys came along. Insurance covered it, so why not? It is the Medela pump in style (backpack) double electric pump. Expensive, but totally worth it. That thing went through 8 months of pumping every 3 hours, and still works like a champ! I couldn't live without it!
BINKIES: The hospital gave the boys Gumdrop pacifiers (with plenty of extras to take home with us.) They love them and I love them. http://www.gumdroppacifier.com/index.htm
BOPPY: get one. love them. washable cover.
BOPPY BOUNCER: We used that for the boys instead of a swing. They have already outgrown them. You can find them everywhere on Craigslist.
BABY BJORN: keeps other people from touching your baby if you don't want your baby touched! (i am so mean)
LANSINOH NURSING PADS
Keep any receipts so you can take stuff back. You never know if the baby will use or not use something. This whole mommy thing is so trial and error.
And one more thing: Don't listen to Mike. This is the ONE time in your life that you can get away with being "left alone." Use is wisely, very wisely!
Hey Laura,
So you've gotten a lot of comments, but here are my two cents:
Boppy- yes
Diaper Genie- no. Maybe people are more talented than me, but I chucked mine because I just couldn't do it with one- hand, which is a must when you have a squirmy baby on the changing table. I opted for a simpler one that I could open with my foot, and that you could put normal bags into.
I also agree with Rachel- don't by toys! I am constantly throwing/ giving away perfectly great toys!
Also, Shana gave me one of these:
http://www.babydagny.com/category.aspx?cId=24&p=2
It is a binkie attached to a stuffed animal, and I know it looks weird, but it is all Will has used. When he spits it out it just sits there on his chest and he learned really fast how to reach his head forward and put it back in his mouth! It is also easier to keep track of because it is big and doesn't roll away. I never used the binkie chords because I heard they could strangle your baby, but I suppose if you got one short enough you wouldn't have to worry about that.
I am so excited for you good luck!
Love,
Mary
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