Useless Baby Gear

[carli]

Jan 22, 2015 16:18:27 GMT -5 jnetx said:

Jan 22, 2015 15:41:25 GMT -5 slurpeelove said:

What do you do with infants in the grocery store? I want to be able to bring the baby with us so that no one has to sit at home, but do I put the car seat in the basket when they're newborn or do I wrap or what?

Baby wearing in a store was the easiest thing to do until he was big enough to just sit in the seat. If I was not buying much, I could put the car seat in the big basket part of the cart. But please do NOT put the carseat propped up on the seat part. The cart can tip and the car seat is not designed to protect baby from that kind of impact. Also, if your seat "clicks on" to the cart, you may be doing damage to your carseat and it won't click into the base properly. I see people doing this all the time and it scares me. I wish more people knew how unsafe this is.

Agree agree agree!!!  So many people do this!  I actually saw a cart tip with an infant on it like that not long ago.  That was so scary for all around!

[dabearsfanswife]

Awesome info ladies! Keep it coming!

[beachy]

Jan 22, 2015 15:50:45 GMT -5 teresawe said:

slurpeelove, it's really up to you. If baby is in an infant car seat, you can rest the seat across the basket of the cart/carriage/buggy or in the basket. I find carrying baby easier to nurse baby when on outtings and getting errands done. As baby gets older and is able sit up well on their own I tend to place baby in seat of the cart with a blanket to cushion the cart.

No, please don't rest the seat across the cart or on the handle. If baby is in the car seat the ONLY place they should be is inside the main basket of the cart.

I usually did that, wore him, or my one store has a couple carts with an infant seat on the top with straps that I used a few times. Mainly I just tried to shop alone if it was more than a few things though.

[andindria]

Jan 22, 2015 12:24:20 GMT -5 chelseamp11 said:

Jan 22, 2015 11:59:06 GMT -5 mehlaknee said:

do I REALLY need a diaper genie? a lot of people have told me to skip it...

I love ours. It's nice to just shove the poopy diaper somewhere and not worry about finding a bag or taking it outside.

I love mine, I had two one for his room and one for our room which changed to the bathroom when he got moved to his crib. I prefer the diaper pail versus the diaper genie though.

I think the wipe warmer was completely useless. I got rid of mine midway thorough. I also boiled my bottles and never had a sterilizer. I also got rid of my shopping cart cover.

[elauren88]

Jan 22, 2015 17:39:14 GMT -5 sharebear05 said:

Would the STMs say then that just carrying an travel pack of lysol wipes > getting a cart/highchair cloth cover thing? I'm still confused as to why the cart/highchair cloth cover is so great, don't you have to wash it every time you use it anyways? And doesn't it just get your diaper bag dirty, or contaminate itself if you fold it up after using? Is it easier just to quickly wipe a cart or restaurant high chair? Educate me!? My SIL is obsessed, and I'm "meh."

Most stores now have wipes right by their carts specifically so you can wipe them down.
I never bothered with a cover, and have only wiped the cart if it looks filthy. It's really not as big of a deal as people think. Unless your kid is making out with the handle...

[yelah250]

They are likely to make out with the handle and all sorts of other gross stuff. I just wiped down the cart with the provided wipes at the grocery store. I'm totally not a germaphobe, though.

[krzynluv1031]

Shoes before dd was 9 months, those baby leg things (dd hated them because they were too big), boppys (maybe my boobes were too big, but they never worked for us), and formula shakers (so much easier to just shake myself)

[yelah250]

I loved baby robeez (soft shoes) to keep little feet warm. They were especially good for when the baby started crawling so they didn't get brush burns on the top of their feet.

[babymamabeth]

For the ladies recommending the Beco Gemini carrier, do your SO's wear them comfortably too? I've been looking at a lightweight wrap for every day use, but DH wants us to also get a sturdier carrier for him to use. The Beco Gemini looks like a great option, but DH is a sort of a burly man so I wanna make sure it'd work for him too

[beachy]

I liked the shopping cart cover when he was first sitting up and it could hold his toys in the cart too. It just kind of kept them from falling out as easily. Ours also double as a high chair cover for when we were out to eat, and it helped catch food from hitting the ground. I would just shake it out outside after, and we left it in the car. I bought it used for like $10 at the consignment shop and thought it was worth it.

[lonegalathome]

These are all great suggestions. I agree with a lot. I can think of one more on my list....It may be unpopular but we could have done without the big high chair. We switched to one that attaches to the table and it was such a space saver (and lots cheaper)- and DS seemed to like being closer to us at the table.

[htuzzi324]

Bottle warmers. Picture this. Your child is screaming at 3am and you're sitting there waiting for the bottle to warm up. No.
Wipe warmers. Nothing like having dry wipes when you need wet. Kids get used to cold wipes.
Baby shoes...why? Their little feet grow so fast it's useless.
Changing table...aka the thing that you use once and then just becomes a catch all for laundry, that wipe warmer you haven't used, stray nursing pads, and that bottle you forgot about that you should probably just throw out now.
Expensive bottles. Seriously, my kid loved the Gerber cheapies.
And for us, stroller. We ended up just baby wearing everywhere. It just sits in the garage waiting for the great trade in event so we can get a car seat with it.

[carli]

Jan 22, 2015 20:07:29 GMT -5 htuzzi324 said:

Bottle warmers. Picture this. Your child is screaming at 3am and you're sitting there waiting for the bottle to warm up. No.
Wipe warmers. Nothing like having dry wipes when you need wet. Kids get used to cold wipes.
Baby shoes...why? Their little feet grow so fast it's useless.
Changing table...aka the thing that you use once and then just becomes a catch all for laundry, that wipe warmer you haven't used, stray nursing pads, and that bottle you forgot about that you should probably just throw out now.
Expensive bottles. Seriously, my kid loved the Gerber cheapies.
And for us, stroller. We ended up just baby wearing everywhere. It just sits in the garage waiting for the great trade in event so we can get a car seat with it.

Great trade in event starts tomorrow!!

[lindslew91011]

A few questions...
As a FTM having twins, does anyone have advice about what I need two of compared to what I can get away with only one of?
What are your thoughts on... Mobiles for the crib? Video monitors? Bottle basket for the dishwasher?

Thanks for any and all help! I truly appreciate all of your advice now since I have NO clue what I need.

[meimei]

We didn't have much in the way of baby gear at all with my first.

I found these necessary:

Beast pump/ bottles
Clothes (mostly just a couple sleepers, onesies and rompers for the first few months, plus socks/hats)
Diapers
Baby shampoo/toiletries of your choice
Swaddling blankets / sleep sack
A few blankets to keep around the house
Way to carry/ transport a tiny baby (we didn't get a stroller until he was about 7 months old, so this was ergo/hotsling for us).
Car seat
Place to put baby down in the house (one infant seat (it rocked), one activity mat and, later, an exersaucer )
Burp cloths (or whatever) for feeding time.
Place to sleep (crib, bassinet or co-sleeper), plus crib sheets.
When starting solids, a high chair, spoons, etc.


That's it for those first few months. We never had a swing, pack -n- play, diaper genie, changing table, boppy, bottle sterilizer, bath tub, etc. Light on the baby gear here.

[beachy]

Jan 22, 2015 21:19:16 GMT -5 lindslew91011 said:

A few questions...
As a FTM having twins, does anyone have advice about what I need two of compared to what I can get away with only one of?
What are your thoughts on... Mobiles for the crib? Video monitors? Bottle basket for the dishwasher?

Thanks for any and all help! I truly appreciate all of your advice now since I have NO clue what I need.

Obviously my twins aren't here yet but I have gotten this advice from a few twin moms. I'm getting 2 rock n plays, but sticking with one swing, one bouncy seat, etc until I see who likes what.

-mobiles are a waste IMO. I much prefer a crib aquarium. DS has the baby Einstein one and turns it on throughout the night to fall back asleep. Also mobiles need to be taken down as soon as they pull themselves up so they don't last very long.
-I have this Motorola video monitor and it is amazing. You can have up to 4 cameras on it, so I just need to get another camera with these kids. To me video is crucial because I'm on a different floor than them and can see whe he is crying and standing, or crying in his sleep, or climbing out. I know a ton of people with this monitor and everyone loves it.
www.amazon.com/Motorola-MBP33-Wireless-Monitor-Infrared/dp/B004VL2VRY
-dishwasher baskets are good for keeping small parts contained. I have 2 but usually ended up hand washing things because I washed bottles more frequently than I ran the dishwasher

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2015 15:41:25 GMT -5 slurpeelove said:

What do you do with infants in the grocery store? I want to be able to bring the baby with us so that no one has to sit at home, but do I put the car seat in the basket when they're newborn or do I wrap or what?

I think it depends on your grocery shopping style. Here in the city, I see people shopping with their kids in the stroller and using the under-stroller basket as a shopping cart. It seems to work and I expect that will be what we do if we shop with bebe. But because we are city people, we tend to shop more frequently for fewer items, so I can see why that might work for us and not for others.

[valigrl21]

Jan 22, 2015 15:41:25 GMT -5 slurpeelove said:

What do you do with infants in the grocery store? I want to be able to bring the baby with us so that no one has to sit at home, but do I put the car seat in the basket when they're newborn or do I wrap or what?

Personally, I like to baby wear so baby goes in an ergo when I go shopping. I can keep baby nice and close, all snugly and safe, but still have my hands free to shop.

[mehlaknee]

this is an awesome thread!! love all the suggestions...even though im still torn on the diaper genie. dont want my house to smell like shit!

[beachy]

Jan 23, 2015 1:16:46 GMT -5 mehlaknee said:

this is an awesome thread!! love all the suggestions...even though im still torn on the diaper genie. dont want my house to smell like shit!

Mine does not smell at all. I buy the little arm and hammer drop ins that they sell in the stores near the diaper genies and maybe those help, but I don't smell mine at all.

And yeah the bags can be expensive but I never throw pee diapers in, those just go in the regular trash. The $15 3 pack lasts me probably almost 5 months.

[elenetxu]

Is it really worth getting a little "newborn crib" to keep LO with us in the bedroom during their first month? My thought was to put him in the crib from day 1, but MIL has been telling me that he'll "be lost" in there until he's bigger.

The little cribs are expensive and only last a month or two!

[slurpeelove]

Jan 23, 2015 7:07:07 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Is it really worth getting a little "newborn crib" to keep LO with us in the bedroom during their first month? My thought was to put him in the crib from day 1, but MIL has been telling me that he'll "be lost" in there until he's bigger.

The little cribs are expensive and only last a month or two!

I'm a FTM, but I've heard a lot of women just suggest the rock n play or a pack and play for that. I would think a newborn crib would be a waste.

[beachy]

Jan 23, 2015 7:07:07 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Is it really worth getting a little "newborn crib" to keep LO with us in the bedroom during their first month? My thought was to put him in the crib from day 1, but MIL has been telling me that he'll "be lost" in there until he's bigger.

The little cribs are expensive and only last a month or two!

You could use the crib from day 1 if you want. Having the baby in your room is about convenience, and helps lower the risk of SIDS. It doesn't have to be a little crib you use though. I used a PNP in our room for the first 3 months, and the PNP was up for probably 16 months in our house for various uses. RNPs are also popular for bedrooms and can be found for $40-50 for the base model.

[Nittany]

Jan 22, 2015 18:31:59 GMT -5 babymamabeth said:

For the ladies recommending the Beco Gemini carrier, do your SO's wear them comfortably too? I've been looking at a lightweight wrap for every day use, but DH wants us to also get a sturdier carrier for him to use. The Beco Gemini looks like a great option, but DH is a sort of a burly man so I wanna make sure it'd work for him too

Absolutely. The Beco works great for both of us and is pretty easy to adjust for different people. I have a slightly older pattern with little cars all over it so maybe that's why MH is ok with it j/k

[catahoulatte]

Grocery store=babywearing!!

I have a moby, an ergo, and I'm getting a Solly wrap (lightweight) so far. I am going to play with it and possibly get another lightweight woven wrap too.

Best part is people wont reach out and touch the baby if you are wearing it, vs. someone seeing it in a carseat or stroller and sticking their hands in. People are sooooo gross.

[rach]

Jan 23, 2015 8:23:14 GMT -5 Nittany said:

Jan 22, 2015 18:31:59 GMT -5 babymamabeth said:

For the ladies recommending the Beco Gemini carrier, do your SO's wear them comfortably too? I've been looking at a lightweight wrap for every day use, but DH wants us to also get a sturdier carrier for him to use. The Beco Gemini looks like a great option, but DH is a sort of a burly man so I wanna make sure it'd work for him too

Absolutely. The Beco works great for both of us and is pretty easy to adjust for different people. I have a slightly older pattern with little cars all over it so maybe that's why MH is ok with it j/k

We had a mei tei and my DH liked that too.  We later upgraded to a buckle tei and that also worked well for both of us.  DH's favorite was a ring sling actually.  Ours was a solid brown so it wasn't girly or anything.  I didn't love the ring sling outside of the newborn-nursing constantly phase.  Once the baby got big enough to need to move to my side, it was kind of heavy for me.  DH carried DD2 for *years* in that thing though!

[valigrl21]

Jan 23, 2015 7:07:07 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Is it really worth getting a little "newborn crib" to keep LO with us in the bedroom during their first month? My thought was to put him in the crib from day 1, but MIL has been telling me that he'll "be lost" in there until he's bigger.

The little cribs are expensive and only last a month or two!

I used a pack and play with a bassinet option with my first. With my second, my SIL let us borrow her bassinet. The real bassinet was a little cuter, but they both worked well. The pack and play actually had music it could play which was nice and a vibration feature which my DD#1 liked.

I agree they are expensive and don't last long. Maybe look into buying used, borrowing or the pack and play is a great option because you will use it beyond the first month.

[mischiefmama]

If anyone wants to talk babywearing, let me know! I am currently loving my Kinderpack with my bigger DS. (DH and I are both above average height and "athletic" build.) I'm a little addicted to babywearing...

[elenetxu]

Jan 23, 2015 7:36:53 GMT -5 beachy said:

Jan 23, 2015 7:07:07 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Is it really worth getting a little "newborn crib" to keep LO with us in the bedroom during their first month? My thought was to put him in the crib from day 1, but MIL has been telling me that he'll "be lost" in there until he's bigger.

The little cribs are expensive and only last a month or two!

You could use the crib from day 1 if you want. Having the baby in your room is about convenience, and helps lower the risk of SIDS. It doesn't have to be a little crib you use though. I used a PNP in our room for the first 3 months, and the PNP was up for probably 16 months in our house for various uses. RNPs are also popular for bedrooms and can be found for $40-50 for the base model.

My SIL told me I MUST get a RNP but I can't find them in Europe. Anyone have any leads?

[elenetxu]

Jan 23, 2015 9:15:15 GMT -5 mischiefmama said:

If anyone wants to talk babywearing, let me know! I am currently loving my Kinderpack with my bigger DS. (DH and I are both above average height and "athletic" build.) I'm a little addicted to babywearing...

What do you recommend? Can we start ASAP? I have already been told I will be judged (not many people do it here) but I don't care. It just sounds so much more convenient than fighting with a stroller while out.