I know, I know - it seems too soon. However, in order to have a baby shower back home, I must fly. In order to fly comfortably and with the full support of my doctor, I must fly by a certain time. Therefore, my back home baby shower will be held in about a month. Little Sis is sending out invites this week, and on them will be our registries. Freak out time! I've started two registries, but each only has a handful of things on it as we haven't looked in depth yet. Plus, decor will depend on gender for us.
And finally I get to my point. What are your top 3 must haves for those Moms & Dads out there? Also, the things I'm struggling with specifically are:
1. Do we need a boppy pillow? What about that plastic foamy type chair thing I see all the babies sitting in? What IS that called? Do we need it?
2. Stroller recommendations? I mean the heavy duty kind in this instance. I want something that comes in an offbeat color as well if possible.
3. High chair recommendations? We were thinking of Ikea or Target. Any thoughts?
4. Same as the above for cribs. Thoughts?
5. Hub is kind of obsessed with a changing table. I'm not so convinced we have the space for it. Thoughts on that?
6. Should we register for the higher weight car seat? Or is that just not done? We were given an infant car seat.
7. I hope to breastfeed. HELP! What do I need?? Pads? Pump? What brands? I do need a pump of some sort as I'll have to go back to work early enough. What bottles work best for a breast fed baby? Should we do a little of both (if breastfeeding works) from day one so as to make sure we can switch when we have to?
Oh, I'm sure there are many many more questions. But these will do for now. :)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
About Me
- Barb
- Lots of trying, angst, sadness, pain and procedures mixed with the happiest marriage and most fulfilling life I could hope to have. Now, after 4 years of hoping and praying, our little man is here - delivered Jan. 4th, 2010. Disbelief, craziness and joy. This blog serves as my outlet and record of my daily life - whether it be infertility related or not.
Infertility Awareness and Explanations
Blog Archive
-
▼
2009
(252)
-
▼
August
(28)
- Happiness
- Good Health Care Debate Article
- Bleary
- Octopus Helper
- Sick
- Anatomy Scan Results
- First Registry Gift
- I Read it! (And BOY is it dry, just like this post)
- 21 Weeks
- Healthcare Revisited
- This Made Me Happier
- Anxiety
- Half Baked
- Reading List
- Annoying Things Post
- Five Months
- Happy Anniversary to Us!
- First Purchase
- Project House
- Barbette or Hub Jr.?
- 19 Weeks 2 Days
- Hijack!
- Bullet Point Laziness
- Check-Up
- Quickie
- Registry Help
- Hello?
- 17 Weeks 3 Days
-
▼
August
(28)
Find your way...
adoption
(17)
baby gear
(23)
birth
(5)
book learnin'
(19)
books
(48)
crazy sh*t
(97)
cycle annoyances
(33)
decisions
(23)
dreams
(11)
Feeling crappy
(90)
food
(67)
good news
(37)
happy times
(233)
Hubs POV
(7)
I
(1)
IF education
(10)
introduction
(2)
Me - Pregnant?
(88)
medical history
(7)
musings
(165)
my sweetest
(152)
opinion differences
(29)
other infertiles
(38)
parenting
(36)
PCOS
(36)
politics
(24)
scary stuff
(31)
sonogram
(4)
summer camp
(7)
thyroid
(26)
treatments
(64)
20 comments:
I really want to be of help here, but keep in mind that what is "necessary" for two, may not be for one. :)
1. boppy pillow? I couldn't have survived without mine (two). The Bumbo - eh, we could have done without.
3. High chair recommendations? The Fisher Price Rainforest chair is gaudy as all get-out, but incredibly functional. And the toy it comes with has been great. I also recommend a Fisher Price booster for restaurants as baby gets older. It straps on to almost any chair, and the tray is great to ward off germ concerns. :)
4. cribs - we bought ours at a local Amish place - sorry, no help there.
5.Changing table - I have loved having one. In fact, we just got a second one for downstairs. But I know people who have done the pad on a dresser, and it's been fine for them.
6. Should we register for the higher weight car seat? Do it. :)
7. I hope to breastfeed. We used the Avent pump and bottles. It worked for us. I'd say you want pads and cream, but you can always buy them yourself later, too. I recommend the purple box of pads - sorry, can't remember the brand!
good luck!
I can help on a few of these... I have a twin stroller so no help there. Registering for the higher weight car seat is DEFINITELY OKAY!!! High chair we inherited (it was my hubs and his dads). Crib- we have a Jardin Olympia which I think may have been discontinued, not sure. I love it. It is very sturdy. And I am known for breaking things. Changing table. We have one by the bathroom but not in the nursery. If you buy a good sized dresser, you can use that. Again, ours is part of the Jardin Olympia series and it has the little holes so that you can use it for double duty. For breast feeding, I registered for glass bottles, a Medela dual electric pump, pads, and extra pump pieces.
it's definitely not too early, I registered earlier than you are now.
1. My boppy hs been used more as a cushion but I was not successful at breastfeeding. I am not a big fan of the Bumbo and Z has doen fine without it.
2. Stroller- I love our travel system from Graco, but it is heavy. You might just want a snap n go to put the carseat in for now. Very easy to use.
3. For a high chair, I would recommend actually starting with feeding chair which you can strap onto an adult chair- first years has one that we used for months and got baby used to being at the table long before he was ready to eat. We have now moved onto our graco contempo high chair whic is nice b/c it is fairly compact.
4. Love my Babi Italia crib, but the Ikea cribs are well-recommended in the Baby Bargains book.
5. Get a pack n play with a changing table and see if you realy need a separate one. If you have two stories, it is nice to have something on each floor.
6. Absolutely the higher weight car seat. In fact, register for everythign you might want so you can use your registry coupons on it even if you don't get it. But be careful getting a convertible too early because they do expire and if you get it too early you have kncoked six months off its use.
7. Pumping- I really liked my Pump in Style for the nine weeks I did it. As far as bottles, get severeal different kinds, and only a few of each until you figure out what kind of nipple yor baby likes. Playtex drop-ins are very convenient.
Email me if I can be of any other help
Although I have not registered yet my sister has two children and has helped me think of a lot of things.
I definitely think you need the boppy. Although babys are small they do get heavy after awhile and I found both my nieces loved sitting in it when they were little.
The Bumbo Seat is what you are referring to and it could go either way - they cant sit in it until a little older and its only $40. so you could wait and buy it yourself?
High Chair? Well, I found one that I want that is 179.00 but I cant remember the website and I am at a hotel right now but if you are interested I can get it for you! I love it and it folds up very neatly and its not bulky.
I think you need a changing table? You will be changing a lot of diapers...I just think it would be easier. But if space is that tight I guess you could go without one.
My friends all got car seats wtih the higher weight limit - I think 22 or sometihng like that. They said that is what they would reccommend for sure!
And for a stroller I always wanted a jogging stroller and I think now they make ones that have the infant seat/carrier attachment if you want something heavy duty!
That is really all I know....I wish I could be of more hekp to you. But remember the more you register for the better...people will have more options!
1. Loved the Boppy because it was multi purpose. You can use it as a nursing pillow. You can use it to prop them up for tummy time. You can use it when they are learning to site. The Bumbo is popular but it's a one trick pony.
2.
3. Completely 2nd the recommendation for the the Fisher-Price Rainforest Highchair. We had the same high chair with a different pattern and LOVED it.
4. I highly recommend a convertible crib that at least converts to a toddler bed. If the one you chose happens to have a storage drawer, that's a huge bonus because it's a great place to store bedding.
5. Unless you get one that attaches to the crib, I think they are a space waster. We NEVER used a changing table. A great diaper bag with a good sized changing pad worked for us.
6. If you are going to register for a higher weight car seat, make sure it is one that can face backward as well as forward. Your munchkin will likely need a larger car seat well before they reach the age/weight to turn around and face forward. Also, not all car seats fit well in all cars. You might want to take measurements and do a bit of research online about car seats that fit well in your car.
7. I highly recommend the Medela Pump In Style. They are expensive but so worth the money. It has a good, strong motor and that means it doesn't take forever to pump. It also comes with freezer packs and a storage area so you can easily store and transport when you pump at work. There are a lot of regulations which affect all medical equipment that seem to prevent these from being sold as used. However, if you can find one used that was well taken care of, you can simply buy new tubing and valves and it will be fine because the breastmilk never comes in contact with the main pump.
just to clarify from the last post: i called medela myself b/c a family friend was willing to sell me their old pump motor and i would buy the parts. medela told me that their pumps have an open motor, hospital pumps have a closed motor- meaning: milk can still get into the medela motor, so DO NOT get a used pump.
ooooooh registries!!
I WISH I had done a better job with mine- but I was so so clueless. I WOULD register for cloth diapers. And YES to a changing table- but you don't need a fancy one. I never used the boppy- but borrowed something called my brest friend (ugh) and that was cool. Although I do wish I had the boppy for now for things like tummy time. I didn't register for a stroller or carseat or high chair- but I think it is a great idea! (& if you are interested I probably will have W's bucket car seat for ya'll to have as well as the frame snap stroller thing...)
oh & breastfeeding- get a GOOD bra! I have a couple cheapies that work, but they are nothing compared to the more expensive one as far as support.
Definitely yes on the boppy. I didn't get one until she was like five months or so and I almost cried when I discovered how much I had been missing. Although, I kind of wish I'd gotten the Brest Friend one now. But get one of them for sure. We didn't get a Bumbo but I bet Elizabeth would have loved it. I hear you can find them used quite often. (Speaking of which, do you have any good used/consignment stores around? Want to go shopping? All of ours here are worthless.)
I also like our stroller. I got ours of Amazon specifically for the offbeat color. Get the offbeat color. Trust me, I know why you are thinking that and it is SO worth it.
I love our high chair because it looks so nice in our house and isn't all plastic.
I wanted a crib that wasn't one of those that had to be pushed up against the wall. We got ours from Babies R Us. I really like it and I have turned it a couple of times so I am glad I got the symmetrical kind.
Yes, definitely a changing table. We got ours from Target and it is pretty small and fits into that little space in our bedroom. We also had it in the bathroom at one point. (Which you saw.) I will make it fit into your house.
I have my sights set on the MyRide65 car seat, as the larger one. May I suggest that one? It allows the baby to ride backwards as long as possible. But I don't actually have it yet, so I can't comment. But it should be one that you can use for an awfully long time, to make the investment worth it. (It works up to 65 pounds, hence the name. Which for me was up to like eighth grade.)
Yes, pads. I got the MilkDiapers brand online. They are washable and reusable. I hated the paper ones at the beginning. I got a cheap pump for free at the hospital by simply asking what kind I should buy. But for going back to work, I'd get an electric pump. I've heard really good things about the Medula Pump in Style. I've also heard that you should wait on bottle feeding for two or three weeks and then add it in. But ask the lactation consultant at the hospital. I have no bottle feeding advice as Elizabeth has taken a grand total of one bottle from me ever.
I was going to suggest that you come over one of these days and look through all my baby stuff and I'll tell you what I like and don't like. Maybe sooner rather than later? I hear you have Saturdays free now. ;)
First, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Baby Bargains and joining their user forums. You'll find reviews, coupons, sale notifications, etc. Great stuff!
I'll help with your questions where I can:
1. Boppy -- we bought one. Not necessary for feeding but I've seen several people use it for 'tummy time'. The Bumbo seems to be well-liked but carefully supervise the baby if it's elevated (table, chair).
2. We joined REI and bought a Baby Jogger when they had their member sale. We do a lot of hiking and have rough sidewalks, so we wanted something durable. BOB is another great choice (and has offbeat colours). The Baby Bargains forum has lots of stroller discussions. Another option is the Snap N Go, which you can put your carseat in. A third option is babywearing... I find myself with a growing collection of carriers!
3. My friends like a portable Fisher Price model that attaches to the chair. Less of a footprint in your kitchen.
4. We haven't bought one yet. We're thinking of a stationary, non-convertible crib. Kids don't need a fancy headboard/footboard IMHO, plus conversion kits are extra $$. So are mattresses.
5. We have a changing area set up on our dresser, plus our Pack N Play has one. We'll see how that works out.
6. We bought the Graco Snugride 32 which has the higher weight limit. It should last to a year, hopefully! Downside is the seat is heavier, but I figure if it gets too heavy we can leave it in the car.
I'm sending you an email with info - and you can call me when you get a chance if you want! There is MUCH to discuss!
1. I've been told no, a regular pillow for BF is fine. But I have one a friend gave me.
2. I just registered for the stroller/car seat combo thingy and a jogging stroller for later on since we're out doors so much.
3. no idea!
4. my SIL got us one at Target, she says no drop side cribs, too dangerous.
5. everyone told me we don't need one and we don't have the room
6. sure I would, you can save it and you'll have it in time especially since you already have the infant one.
7. I'm looking at the answers you got because I'm wondering too!
Good luck! Registering was overwelling for me but DH was thrilled with it.
I don't have a lot of advice (I'm kind of in the same boat as you!) but here is what we've done so far.
1. The Graco travel system came highly recommended to my by several people. Hubby & I went to Babies R Us and pulled different strollers down off the display and tried to dis-assemble and re-assemble them in the store. Graco brand was definitely the easiest.
2. We don't have a lot of space either, so we got a dresser that we are planning on putting a contoured changing pad on top of. I am trying to make things as versitile as possible and the changing table is, well, just for changing.
Have fun!!
1- Yes, boppy has many great uses! Bumbo - Meh - It was ok, but just ok
2- Honestly - there is no such thing as the perfect stroller. I wish there was. Go to a baby store try out a few see what you like/dislike and what you want to get out of it ... I have yet to find the perfect stroller. They all tend to have pros/cons
3- anything that can be washed and scrubed - these lil tots seems to make huge messes in their
chairs. i have a fisher price and love it.
4- i also have a babi italia but have heard rave reviews over the ikea ones
5- I absolutely Love my changing table .. Use it justabout every diaper change still
6-I did and am very glad because we did have a moose and were able to use it for alot longer than my friends who did not have a higher weight chair seat. And convertible carseats are only for the car - they do not have a detachable base, I loved having a handle for my baby til he was 11 months old .Yes it does get heavy to carry around - but i had a place for him to sleep/sit and not disturb him for months longer than if we had got a lower weight carseat
7- ask the hospital if they rent pumps - if so, I suggest renting a pump if you are able to breastfeed. There is nothing more frustating then having spent loads of money (because the bf stuff is expensive) then come up to a bleep in the road. If all goes well, I highly suggest a medela pump in style advance (i hope this comment does not insult you)
Sending you an email...
From my recent experience:
1. I only used the boppy for the baby to lay on the floor, it was useless for me. I used a my brest friend pillow from lansinoh - I don't know if they still make it but you MUST have one
2. I like my BOB but it is very pricey.
3. We inherited a high chair and couldn't use it because my girl is TINY - I would check consumer reports for best buys.
4. Cribs definitely check consumer reports, there was a recent massive recall
5. I loved our convex foam pad we got from babies r us, it let me use any flat surface (including the counter) and was very safe
6. yes, register - new parents need all the help they can get - everyone understands this
7. I can't help you on the pumps - the only one I was able to use was the hospital one that you have to rent. This is an expensive item and very particular to each person - check breast feeding forums and if you have any friends you may want to consider borrowing one to see if it works for you.
As far as bottles go - babies can be picky, buy several kinds. The common advice is to wait for bottles until breastfeeding is well established but don't wait too long - it took 3 months to get my girl to take a bottle. We finally figured out if my hubby wasn't holding her like I do when bf'ing she would take it. He sat her in the high chair with the tray removed and faced her (only use we got out of it)
#1 piece of advice for mom new to breastfeeding - get some contacts of people that have tried it (suceeded or failed) so you can send tearful emails in the middle of the night. Believe me, you will need all the support you can get if you have any problems. Feel free to email me!
I've been following your post via another blog (long-time reader, first time commenter!), but wanted to recommend two books that friends gave me .... one is called "Baby Bargains" and has some great reviews, and the other is the "Consumer Reports Baby Edition 2009" which has all the safety information. Both have great lists of items and what to definitely stay away from!
Adding more of my 2 cents. :)
I remembered (from someone else's comment) that the nursing pads I like are Lansinoh brand.
I also recommend registering for cloth diapers; we had 2 major spitters, and we used those things like they were going out of style. I had to do a load of just those almost every day.
I also recommend the following:
White onesies - in various sizes
Either a bouncer or a swing (bouncers seem easy to find used if you have any resources for that stuff)
A couple of sets of sheets for your crib
Sheet savers in case you have a spitter :)
Let me know if I can help with anything else!
Oh, and a lot of people recommended baby bargains; I personally found "The Girlfriend's Guide" to be more helpful. Partly b/c it was just more fun to read though. :)
Registering of sooooo overwhelming. We had no idea what we were doing, but in the end we have actually used most of what we got! So to help you out here are my responses.
Top 3:
- Miracle blanket. Jillian loved a swaddle and receiving blankets were complete crap.
- Diaper Dude diaper bag. Jeramy's diaper bag. I often use it because it is way more functional than mine.
- Diaper champ. Keeps the smell out but takes regular garbage bags unlike the diaper genie.
1. I didn't breast feed but we still use it. Now that she can hold her own bottle we lay her in it for feedings.
2. Stroller: I like our travel system but it is also very nice to have an umbrella stroller (and they're cheap).
3. High chair: Nothing in particular, but I do like how mine has a removable tray so that I can clean it more easily
5. We use ours all the time
6. We only registered for an infant carseat
I have never used a real crib. Both my boys have slept in pack-n-plays from day one. I like it because when you go someplace they don't have to get used to a new crib.
Strollers: If you want a heavy-duty stroller, I cannot recommend the Schwinn jogging stroller enough. (NOT just for jogging. I have used this stroller probably 80% just for walking.) It is tough, it rides incredibly smoothly even if you are hiking on non-paved roads, and kids LOVE the motion. It's about $300 and I swear it is worth about five times that. (Rave, rave, rave.) The old model didn't recline enough for very little babies but I think that the newer model does. Other than that it is total stroller awesomeness and SO much easier to push if you like to go longer distances walking. (can you tell I love the jogging stroller? Really I would never go back to a "normal" stroller.)
Well I guess I am little late jumping in here but oh well.
1. I LOVED my boppy pillow. i used it so support Hailey when she was learning to sit also. As far as the Bumbo goes, i liked the idea of it but we didn't use it nearly as much as others have. Hailey didn't like to sit in it when she was younger. She would arch her back and I was afraid she would fall out of it. Now we use it at other people's houses as a highchair cause it is lightweight and has a tray. But we don't use it as much. (my sister loved hers and used it all the time until my niece was over a year old. I think it depends on thekid.)
2. I don't have any stroller recommendation.
3. we liked the Fisher price space saver highchair. we like that we can strap it to any old chair rather than taking up additonal room in our kitchen. it converts to a booster seat later. it is easy to transport if we have to and because it straps to any chair it doesn't take much to set up somewhere else. (great for day trips to a relatives house who don't own a highchair and don't want to have to buy one for a single day/trip. Great too so that you don't have to carry a montrous contraption or try to feed your baby without a highchair.) it also changes position for young babies to older babies.
4. like my crib but no real suggestions here.
5. we got a changing pad for the top of our dresser. we used a basket on top of the dresser to hold diapers creme, etc. I found it to be very effective. we had everything we need. Plus it saved on space so we didn't have to add another piece of furniture. not that we had extra room for more pieces either. Plus now that she is about 9 months and only wants to move, we have moved to the floor anyway. Because I am scared of things off the ground whether we are talking table or changing pad with dresser. Because frankly I would have been mad if i tried to find space in our nursery for a changing table and only got to use it for about 7 months till she started crawling and rolling.
6. didn't register for a higher seat. Get that later when you know how your kid is growing. Because if they are growing to the point that they outgrow the infant while they still need to be rear facing then you will have to buy a convertible, otherwise you can just go into a forward facing.
7. As far as breastfeeding goes. if you get a pump, spend the extra couple of bucks for the warranty. IT IS WORTH IT. I loved my Medela pump in style. I used it three times a day and now still use it every day except the weekends. I love the lansinoh breast disposable pads. I have some reusable ones too but they are thicker than the disposables and it makes it look like you are trying to stuff you bra. (trust me they make you look funny. Some of the disposable pads are conencted funny so your boobs look misshapen.
As far as transition to bottle. I worried about that constantly because I was thinking i needed something with a thicker nipple. I used Avent bottles just because. My daughter seemed easy going she she might have adapted to anything I had given to her though. Some kids I guess are a little more fussy about that though. (get the medela milk storage bags (50 count.) the lansinoh ones are okay too. you can freeze up to 6 ounces in those as opposed to the 5 ounces in Medela's but start freezing small amounts anyway cause you don't want to defrost 5 ounces at a time if you need less. especially to start. I breastfed exclusivley for 3 weeks. then tried a bottle one night while I was home with pumped milk just to see how it went. she was fine with it. she had breastmilk when i was home and bottled breastmilk other times.
hope this helps.
Post a Comment