[Coffeegal1]

Just thought I'd start a thread to add comments about your favorite baby products. What are your MUST HAVEs and CAN’T LIVE WITHOUTs? No advertising or soliciting, obviously, but I’m a first time mom and am struggling with what we really need. So many of the new products come with bells and whistles … are they really necessary or “value add?” Does you baby just LOVE a certain kind of music or toy?

Maybe you could provide your tips for purchasing the big items (e.g.; Make sure you buy a light weight stroller.)
Any thoughts on the following? What should I look for when purchasing a:
1) Stroller
2) High Chair
3) Car Seat
4) Bath Tub
5) Crib
6) Diaper Pail
7) Carrier
8) Breast Pump
9) Pack n’ Play
10) Bottles / nipples

TIA!

P.S. … administrators – I hope I’m not breaking any rules with this one, but understand if its border line and you need to take it down.

[Breezy2305]

Originally Posted by Coffeegal1

Just thought I'd start a thread to add comments about your favorite baby products. What are your MUST HAVEs and CAN’T LIVE WITHOUTs? No advertising or soliciting, obviously, but I’m a first time mom and am struggling with what we really need. So many of the new products come with bells and whistles … are they really necessary or “value add?” Does you baby just LOVE a certain kind of music or toy?

Maybe you could provide your tips for purchasing the big items (e.g.; Make sure you buy a light weight stroller.)
Any thoughts on the following? What should I look for when purchasing a:
1) Stroller
2) High Chair
3) Car Seat
4) Bath Tub
5) Crib
6) Diaper Pail
7) Carrier
8) Breast Pump
9) Pack n’ Play
10) Bottles / nipples

TIA!

P.S. … administrators – I hope I’m not breaking any rules with this one, but understand if its border line and you need to take it down.

I really hope nobody takes this down, i dont' see why they would!

I would love to know also!! This is my first & I don't want to go over board buying useless things..

[kekepania]

I don't think this is a bad post! I asked mom's about their favorite products when figuring out my baby registry as well. I'm happy to share what has worked well for us


1) Stroller
We have a graco lightweight travel system (not the huge systems) to work with the graco snugride 30 infant seat. This was great so I never had to wake him up when moving from car to store to house etc.

Worth every penny was our Bumble Ride indie jogging stroller. We walk in a national park 5x's a week with 2 dogs and this stroller manuvers like a breeze! It's light as far as joggers go, and easy to open/close. He has lots of room in it and loves walks all year round.

We loved it so much we got the Bumble Ride flite as an umbrella style stroller now that he's getting older. It takes up a lot less trunk space and works well for mall style outings.


2) High Chair
We have a Graco. I say test them out. We went to Target/Babies R Us and basically tested each one to see what was easiest to use. We went middle of the road as far as price, and it works fine. We like that it can be lowered so he can sit up to the table with us, and ease of washing the seat cover is a must!


3) Car Seat
Infant - Graco Snugride 30 -loved it!
Convertible Britax Boulevard - fabulous - fits in the backseat of our civic, and this was no easy task. Great safety ratings, and he seems very happy to be in it for minutes or hours.

4) Bath Tub
Not sure the name of it, but just choose something that will fit in your sink (we liked the whale shape one on account of cuteness but it wouldn't go in our sink). Ours has an infant sling which I found helpful in the early days.

5) Crib
If you plan to spend a lot of money here know that your child may eat the crib! We didn't spend a fortune on the crib and I am glad. Our son gnaws on it all the time. Tons of teeth marks on the railing! I'm really short so something I could reach into easily was tricky. This is mostly personal preference I think.

6) Diaper Pail
Munchkin Arm&Hammer diaper pale. Love It.
It was in our living room when he was very young and you never even knew it.

7) Carrier
Baby Bjorn Original Carrier worked well for us. My husband used it more than me and never had problems with it. We're looking into backpack style carriers now that our son is 1.

8) Breast Pump
Formula Fed, so can't help here!

9) Pack n’ Play
Again, I think this is preference on what you think you'll need. This graco is what I have: Graco Pack 'n Play Playard - Chadwick - Graco - Babies "R" Us
We like the side thing for storing extra diapers, and lotion etc. We changed him in the bassinet style thing when he was very young and it worked well. He still plays in it at a year, and will occasionally nap there too.

10) Bottles / nipples
We used the Avent brand. I liked them because not only do you have the various flow nipples as they grow, but you can transition to sippy tops for the bottles when it's time to use them. All I've ever had to purchase as he gets older is faster flow nipples, or sippy tops. He did really well with the bottles in terms of gas issues, and we never had leakage problems with them. Also very easy to clean.


Life saver for us:
Fisher Price Rocker/Sleeper for infants. My son had reflux problems and refused to sleep in his crib. This was the only thing he'd sleep in for a good 10weeks. It keeps them at a slight angle which helped with his reflux. Portable so easy to bring him upstairs or downstairs with us. This or some kind of vibrating chair was a must have for us. He also slept well in his swing.

He didn't really get into toys until 6months. Our activity mat for tummy time was a waste of money. Many kids love them, but our son loved to just hang out on his belly and watch our dogs. At the 6month mark he got into toys, and favorites are walker style toys, and any sort of activity table type toy.




hope this helps!

[Ronidog]

Nap Nanny!!! This was one of the best items I had for my baby. I highly recommend!
Our baby took great naps in it and it is a great position for them to sit-in. I loved putting her in it and just sat there talking to her. She loved it.

[Coffeegal1]

Kekepania - ADORE you for providing this awesome list! EXACTLY what I needed! Thank you so much!

Thanks to Ronidog too! I love the idea of the Nap Nanny but wasn't sure if it was worth the price. It certainly would be if baby has GI issues like momma!

[kekepania]

Originally Posted by Coffeegal1

Kekepania - ADORE you for providing this awesome list! EXACTLY what I needed! Thank you so much!

No problem at all! I needed the same type of list when I was trying to wade through the billions of baby products!

Things to keep in mind are, if you live on a multi-story house what will be easiest for you so you aren't running all over the place (very important for me since I ended up with a c-section). The pack n' play with storage worked great in the livingroom. We kept diapers on the side, changed him on the bassinet, and stored extra clothes under the bassinet as you WILL be changing the little one a lot in the early days! Anything that kept me from having to run upstairs while recovering helped.

Also if your little one struggles with sleep, be ready and willing to accept that she may only want to be in a sleeper, swing, etc. the early days. This caused me so much stress and I have no idea why. Plenty of babies do fine in a crib, but just as many need the elevation for reflux. You both getting sleep is the key here!

I can't really think of much else. If it feels overboard then it probably is.


Also for everything you see at a store you like, check amazon's prices! We got his humidifer, jogger, car seat, and high chair at far cheaper prices on there than in any store.


best of luck and congrats!

[HopefulinCO]

In general I LOVED the Baby Bargains book - it really gave a good balance of telling you what you need versus what's a complete waste of money.

Breast pump: I got a Medela Pump In Style from a friend (I know, that's a no-no, but we've known each other since we were 9 and I've known her husband just as long...) and really liked it. I think the key is electric and double pump so can do both breasts at once. I also bought a pumping bra at Bed Bath and Beyond which saved me. It's basically just a strapless bra with elastic lined holes in the cups to hold the pump flanges in place - if you're handy with a needle and thread you can make it yourself. But especially once I went back to work I had both hands free to work on the computer while I was pumping. Total lifesaver.

Books: I know it's not really thought of as a newborn thing, but I started reading to DD as soon as we got ome from the hospital and having those familiar stories memorized saved me a few times when she got cranky out in public - I could recite Brown Bear Brown Bear or Goodnight Moon and she'd calm right down. Now at 27 months she'd rather read than ANYTHING else. Other early favorites: Bunny's Noisy Book, Runaway Bunny, Good Night Gorilla, Priddy Baby Touch and Feel Books or the series that's Baby's First 100 ___ (we have Words and Animals)

Otherwise, we just went with the Baby Bargains recommendations and for the most part we've been happy with them. We find we hardly every use our umbrella stroller - the Graco one that held the carseat but also has a seat for older infants has fit all our needs, but we're pretty much using it for paved paths, shopping, etc.

For carriers, the Moby wrap was HIGHLY recommended to me. DH and I liked it, it was nice that it was adjustable easily since you just tie it around, but honestly for #2 I'd like to find a good front carrier that's a little quicker to set up. Just thought I'd pass the Moby wrap idea along though because many friends have just LOVED theirs.

Congratulations!
Heather

[kekepania]

Yes, yes, yes to books! Completely left that out. He didn't care much for them in the early days, but he brings me books ALL the time to read to him now. He loves the short board books, and loves to flip the pages for me.

I had a thing at my baby shower where each person brought a book to start his collection. Then I drew a name from all the people who brought a book and that person got a prize. Great way to start up a collection

[essemkay]

1) Stroller
We have the Graco Snug ride stroller and car seat system -- they're fantastic ... but the stroller with the car seat in it is a bit heavy. I also have a Snap and Go which is awesome and lightweight, it only works with a car seat, so once you move to a convertible car seat it's useless. But for the first 6-12 months (depending on the size of your baby), it's terrific!

2) High Chair
We have a Chicco high chair. It's a slim fold model that also adjusts height to nearly on the floor up to regular high chair height -- really awesome for when you give your baby his or her first finger foods to have them close to the ground. It limits their throwing range a bit. However, we didn't put our baby in the high chair until she was 6 months old, so for the first 6 months, it just took up room in the corner.

3) Car Seat
(see above)

4) Bath Tub
We got the first years tub with sling. The sling is great, but you probably will only use it for the first couple of baths. My baby is almost 7 months old now and has pretty much outgrown the tub -- we've been alternating just putting her in the kitchen sink (she's been able to sit on her own for a few months now) or putting the infant tub in the regular tub.

5) Crib
We went with a convertible crib, it will grow with her. It converts from a crib to a toddler bed, to a single bed and then with converter rails and a new mattress, to a full bed.

6) Diaper Pail
We have a diaper genie and a diaper genie II. The diaper genie II is far superior (it's bigger and has a foot pedal). Love me a diaper genie!

7) Carrier
We tried lots. I have a Baby K'tan, a one-armed sling, a Baby Bjorn and a couple more no name backpack carriers. My baby was very tactile and needed to be held constantly at the beginning, so putting her in the sling was the only way I could get anything done. We have never used the Baby Bjorn and have used one of the no name carriers once.

8) Breast Pump
I have a Medela In Style Advanced -- I pump twice a day and so far, it's held up perfectly and does a primo job.

9) Pack n’ Play
We use the Pack N Play for diaper changes and toy storage. When she was smaller, we took it with us on trips for her to sleep in.

10) Bottles / nipples
We use MAM bottles at daycare. I breastfeed, so we don't use bottles at home. It took quite a lot of experimentation to find bottles she would take, so we have Tommee Tippees, Dr. Brown, Avent, Playtex (nurser and drop-ins). If you're planning on breastfeeding, you should never need anything other than slow flow nipples. On the same vein, I bought 7 different types of pacifiers and never could get her to use one until she started daycare -- and, of course, now she doesn't care which kind of pacifier it is, they're all fine.

**My suggestions for must haves**
1. A co-sleeper. What a wonderful thing! Despite how the name sounds, the baby isn't IN your bed, it's basically a pack and play that cozies up right next to your bed and has a side that goes down so you can just scoop the baby up and feed her and slide her back during those middle of the night sessions. Soooooo awesome. We only used it until she was 12 weeks old and then moved her to the crib, but even though they're pricey, I feel it was well worth the money!

2. A good diaper bag. Ask around what other people you know use and what they feel are the pros and cons. I went with a designer bag because that's how I roll, but I picked one that sits open (rather than a messenger bag with a flap). Again, I nurse, so I didn't have to worry about bottle storage or space for formula, which opened up a lot more options for me.

3. Speaking of nursing, if you plan to nurse, get yourself some motherlove nipple cream and some lansinoh gel pads for the beginning. Although breastfeeding should never hurt, your nipples WILL get sore at the start and these will so help!

I'm trying to think of other things I can't live without, but I'm drawing a blank. Newborns are so different than 6 month olds, I can barely remember!

[essemkay]

Oh! I forgot, yes -- humidifier! Must have!

And swings!! We have two -- one we spent money on (a Graco), which she hated initially but now loves and one we got a garage sale (a Fisher Price), which she absolutely adored for the first 5 months and now hates.

Nursing pillows! I have a boppy, a Gia and a My Brest Friend. All of them have their pros and cons and I used all of them depending on the situation.

[bittybaby]

Although it's not an absolute necessity, my DD loved her fisher-price papasan cradle swing. I think a swing or a vibrating/boucy chair would be great to add to your list (even though they aren't necessary, My DD absolutely loved her swing).

One thing I wish we wouldn't have bought was a changing table. We never changed DD on that changing table. We always just changed her on a mat on the floor. A friend advised me not to buy one before I had DD, but I didn't listen to her, and now I wish I would have taken her advice and not purchased the changing table.

I breastfed and pumped a lot, so if you are going to purchase a breast pump, I would definitely buy an electric one. I used the Medela brand (and don't forget to get breast pads for inside your bra). I used the Lansinoch brand for a very long time because I was like a leaky faucet for the longest time

The stroller and car seat were a Graco travel system, and we were very happy with both. We didn't even worry about a highchair until DD was old enough to use one (we then bought a cheap Cosco high chair, and we're perfectly happy with it). The bathtub was the First Year's Infant to Toddler tub, and my DD could use it as an infant, and she can even still use it now - It's great! The crib we bought was a convertible crib, and although I think we spent too much on it, it's nice because it turns into a toddler bed, so she will be able to use it as a toddler bed too. We bought a diaper pail, but never used it - we just ended up using our trash cans that you push with your foot to open the lid. We bought a Baby Bjorn, and it's nice, but we hardly ever used it. Our pack n' play was a regular bassinet/pack n' play, and we loved it. Lastly, We bought the cheap Gerber bottles and nipples (slow flow nipples at first), and my DD was perfectly happy with the cheap Gerber bottles and nipples!

One thing I know for sure is that I bought way too much clothing, but it's so hard to pass up all of the adorable baby clothes. My DD probably had more clothes before she was born than my DH and I combined

Hope this is somewhat helpful!!

[GWU1991]

Originally Posted by Coffeegal1

P.S. … administrators – I hope I’m not breaking any rules with this one, but understand if its border line and you need to take it down.

It is absolutely fine. I am actually really curious to see what people have to say. There are so many cool things out now that weren't around when my kids were babies. That said, three kids later, there is SO much I wouldn't bother with if I were to have another. I can't tell you how many things I thought I absolutely had to have and then never used or my kids didn't like. A good car seat, a good diaper bag, and a place for your baby to sleep and you are ready to roll. (Oh, and of course lots of cute clothes! ) Other things you can buy as you find you need them.

Happy shopping!!

[kashiruvana]

I'm really interested to hear what people have to say, too! I've gotten a bunch of suggestions from random strangers in public, but the ones that I've actually taken are the ErgoBaby carrier and the Moby wrap (we're not buying a stroller at this point; not really likely to use it anyway) and the Bumbo baby seat. It's a little molded seat for babies who are starting to be able to sit on their own, and the woman who recommended it said it was her son's favorite place to be for eating and playing with toys. Plus it's soft and goes right on the floor, which is a plus for us--we're real floor people. :.) I can't say whether it's good or not, though, since we don't have our LO yet!

Oh, and I've been super interested in a thing I just found called the Piggyback Rider. I'm thinking I might get it for when the baby's older, because it just looks so darn useful...

[bittybaby]

Originally Posted by kashiruvana

I'm really interested to hear what people have to say, too! I've gotten a bunch of suggestions from random strangers in public, but the ones that I've actually taken are the ErgoBaby carrier and the Moby wrap (we're not buying a stroller at this point; not really likely to use it anyway) and the Bumbo baby seat. It's a little molded seat for babies who are starting to be able to sit on their own, and the woman who recommended it said it was her son's favorite place to be for eating and playing with toys. Plus it's soft and goes right on the floor, which is a plus for us--we're real floor people. :.) I can't say whether it's good or not, though, since we don't have our LO yet!

Oh, and I've been super interested in a thing I just found called the Piggyback Rider. I'm thinking I might get it for when the baby's older, because it just looks so darn useful...

The Bumbo is great! My daughter loved her Bumbo! I think we bought it when she was around 2-3 months old, and she continued to use it until she could no longer squeeze into it anymore We brought it with us everywhere too since it's so easy to transport. We often fed her baby food etc. while she was in her Bumbo on the floor (you can buy a Bumbo tray too for feeding etc.). We never put the Bumbo anywhere but on the floor due to several reports of babies squeezing out of their Bumbo and falling off of tables onto the floor. It's totally safe though as long as you keep it on the floor. I would definitely recommend the Bumbo. I think my DD started to sit in hers at around 3 months, and she really loved it!

[HopefulinCO]

What great suggestions! I agree with the changing table - we had my old long low dresser we were going to use in DD's room anyway, so we just put a changing pad on top of it. The diapers and wipes were in a top drawer and she could look at the mirror while we were changing her.

I have friends who loved their Bumbo chairs too, but we didn't use ours very much. I guess when we were on the floor we were using the blanket or play mat more - if we wanted her upright we used the swing.

Also, I have no idea what kind of tub we have, but it's been perfect. I'll try to describe it (it was a hand-me-down and the label's worn off...). The tub itself is about 2 feet long and about 9 in deep and just a molded plastic tub. But then there's an insert that snaps in that has a molded plastic seat with really thin non-slippery padding that is great when they can't sit up yet. We had the sling-type but I really didn't like it - DD never felt stable in it to me. Since the insert on this other one fits inside the larger tub, there are actually sides that help hold her up. One thing I did do was put non-stick adhesive strips in the botton of the larger tub once she could sit up, otherwise she just slid around too much. You can buy them at Walmart for $2 or so. The insert, though, has the padding that prevents sliding.