It's Quiet. Let's talk gear.

[housecarder]

FTM any questions about baby stuff? STM any suggestions on items that you couldn't live without? Anything that was a waste of money?

Have you bought anything yet?

What's your top wanted item on your registry?

[melody330]

I'm up - DS is an early riser but "slept in" until 6:10!

Things I couldn't live without:
- portable white noise machine (DS has been a shit sleeper since he was about 5 months old- this helps a lot and we still use one)

-muslin blankets (DS was a Jan 14 baby and we used these constantly- they are very light weight and big, so they will be good for this LO too)

- a good wrap. I love wearing all the babies, and toddlers now too. I'm excited to try out ring slings this time! Any suggestions?

- rock n play. I brought that damn thing everywhere. It's the only place DS would nap until he out grew it around 6 months.

- my manual pump. I would use t if I was out without DS and got stuck for too long. No need to chill freshly pumped milk right away so I didn't bring a cooler or anything!

ETA- coffee. I drink all the coffee.

[TheTuna15]

Things I couldn't live without:

Wraps: I have the K'tan for around the house and the Ergo 360 for going out. I LOVE them and it makes going out with K so much easier.

Muslin blankets: +1 to what melody said

Pack and play: K slept in the bassinet portion next to our bed for the first three months and she napped in it when we were downstairs (her crib is upstairs). Now I use it as a portable baby jail.

Travel system: do not underestimate the convenience of snapping a baby into a stroller without having to wake them up.

A shit ton of diapers.

Madela PIS, I love this damn pump.

Formula on hand: some people disagree with this IDGAF. If you're planning on bf-ing, having something just in case can be a serious stress reliever. I always felt better knowing it was in the house even though when my supply came in it was fine.

Useless crap

Wipe warmer
Bottle warmer

[housecarder]

TheTuna15 would you suggest a bottle warmer for warming up frozen breast milk?

My favorite thing was our swing. It plugs into the wall and the seat can come off so you can attach the car seat. DD loved the swing and she would always get cranky about 30 minutes before we left so I would just put her in her car seat and in the swing so I wouldn't have to wake her up when it was time to leave.

I also loved swaddlers and my boppy.

Question about wraps. I've seen a pretty cool wrap technique for twins when they are newborns with the moby. Anyone have experience with the moby wrap?

[TheTuna15]

housecarder, I never used it. I kept 20oz of breast milk in the fridge and just used what was in front first and replaced the back with a new frozen pouch. In a pinch, I ran it under lukewarm water to defrost quick. But K never had a problem drinking cold milk, which came in handy when I was pulling a bottle straight out of the cooler when we were out. Once she started teething, she preferred the fridge milk to warm breast milk too.

[housecarder]

Dec 27, 2015 8:34:38 GMT -5 TheTuna15 said:

housecarder, I never used it. I kept 20oz of breast milk in the fridge and just used what was in front first and replaced the back with a new frozen pouch. In a pinch, I ran it under lukewarm water to defrost quick. But K never had a problem drinking cold milk, which came in handy when I was pulling a bottle straight out of the cooler when we were out. Once she started teething, she preferred the fridge milk to warm breast milk too.

See I always did room temp water for my kids' bottles, I never needed a warmer. But I've never breastfed so I didn't know if it made a huge difference in the baby's preference.

[TheTuna15]

Dec 27, 2015 8:36:10 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Dec 27, 2015 8:34:38 GMT -5 TheTuna15 said:

See I always did room temp water for my kids' bottles, I never needed a warmer. But I've never breastfed so I didn't know if it made a huge difference in the baby's preference.

I've never heard of anyone personally who bf-Ed and needed the bottle warmer. But I can imagine that some babies would have a preference for warm milk if they've been EBF for a while and then switched to a bottle. Idk if K was so chill about it because she's a demon plant from another dimension (ala little shop of horrors) and her response to being hungry is more FEED MEEEEE, not mother, please retrieve me a warm bottle. Or if it's because, I said fuck nipple confusion and started giving her pumped milk at 2 weeks.

[dscarr]

Dec 27, 2015 8:43:32 GMT -5 TheTuna15 said:

Dec 27, 2015 8:36:10 GMT -5 housecarder said:

I've never heard of anyone personally who bf-Ed and needed the bottle warmer. But I can imagine that some babies would have a preference for warm milk if they've been EBF for a while and then switched to a bottle. Idk if K was so chill about it because she's a demon plant from another dimension (ala little shop of horrors) and her response to being hungry is more FEED MEEEEE, not mother, please retrieve me a warm bottle. Or if it's because, I said fuck nipple confusion and started giving her pumped milk at 2 weeks.

I thought that the bottle warmer was useless too, but my DH for some reason liked it. He stayed home with DD when I went back to work for 8 weeks. I think that he liked that it was "fool proof" in that he could't overheat the bottle. It's the only time the bottle warmer got used.

[dscarr]

Dec 27, 2015 8:10:52 GMT -5 TheTuna15 said:

Things I couldn't live without:

Muslin blankets: +1 to what melody said

Useless crap

Wipe warmer
Bottle warmer

My mother insisted on the wipe warmer for some reason, so she bought it. DD was a Feb13 baby, so I am sure it made diaper changes a bit better for DD, but I am sure that it would not be worth the money. It was free though...eh. With the baby being born in the middle of the summer I am sure that I won't even get it out. 

I can't praise the muslin blankets enough though. They are so versatile. They were great for swaddling in the early days, and in the summer they were perfect for draping over the car seat/stroller to keep away bugs and direct sunlight. DD also became attached to them, so we have an ever ready supply of "blankies" for her. 

[dscarr]

I think that the only major purchase we are going to make for this baby is a co-sleeper. The baby will be in our room for the first few months. I'm hoping the co-sleeper will help MOTN BFing sessions go smoother.

[lostinfaith225]

For us, we just bought a double stroller that works with our infant seat. I am thinking about investing in a Tula or ergo.

Pending the sex.....clothes

Also some new bibs, diapers!

[sarcaztic10]

Dec 27, 2015 8:21:14 GMT -5 housecarder said:

TheTuna15 would you suggest a bottle warmer for warming up frozen breast milk?

My favorite thing was our swing. It plugs into the wall and the seat can come off so you can attach the car seat. DD loved the swing and she would always get cranky about 30 minutes before we left so I would just put her in her car seat and in the swing so I wouldn't have to wake her up when it was time to leave.

I also loved swaddlers and my boppy.

Question about wraps. I've seen a pretty cool wrap technique for twins when they are newborns with the moby. Anyone have experience with the moby wrap?

I loved my Moby wrap for when DS was a baby. It was so snugly and DS loved it.

[sarcaztic10]

I won't be having a baby shower but the things I can remember loving when DS was young are:

My breast pump I do believe it is the PIS

My Moby wrap, ring slings, and Mei Tai

Swaddle blankets

Whit noise machine

Things I will be buying this time that I stupidly didn't think I would need last time:

A really good glider/rocker. I am thinking about just getting something similar to a lazy boy this time.

A travel system. I was so jealous of the other moms who could just snap their babies into a stroller.

Things that I can live without:

A changing table. I usually just changed DS's diaper wherever I was at the time and layed out a blanket under him for any accidents.

[TheTuna15]

Dec 27, 2015 11:39:49 GMT -5 sarcaztic10 said:

Things that I can live without:

A changing table. I usually just changed DS's diaper wherever I was at the time and layed out a blanket under him for any accidents.

Word. I threw a changing pad on top of her dresser, and used one of those disposable pads from bru everywhere else.

[rungirlrun]

Here is my list:

Couldn't Live Without
-some sort of baby carrier (Ergo, Moby, Ring Sling, etc) melody330, the ring sling was ok once I got a hang of it. I suggest going to a baby wearing store and having them help you several times. It can be very confusing. I may try the moby this time around for the early days bc it looks easier. But once the baby is big enough for the ergo, that will definitely be my top choice. I loved that thing!

-travel system - so convenient

-something for your kid to nap in that's not in the bedroom (we had a pack n play with an infant bassinet which was amazing. Once DS outgrew the basinet, he could still nap in the PnP downstairs)

-manual pump and electric pump

-my breastfriend pillow (hated the boppy for nursing - this was the only pillow that worked for me)


Don't Need in My Opinion
-bottle sterilizer kit (just throw everything in a big pot of boiling water every so often; dishwasher other times)

-blankets (meaning, no need to buy or put any on your registry - you will get a ton. I think I donated at least half of the ones I got)

-rock n play (I think this is an UO bc 90% of moms I know swore by this thing or some sort of co-sleeper. DS slept in his crib in his own room from day 1. Not for everybody, but it worked for us so we will do the same for this one).

-video monitor initially (we got one when DS was about a year old because he wasn't napping, and we wanted to know what he was doing in his crib. But unless your baby is sleeping is a room far away from you, I can't imagine not hearing the crying. And I know if I had a monitor, I'd check it constantly and would assume the worst if I couldn't actually see the baby's chest rising. So I was calmer without a monitor).


And some comments from previous posts
-we had a bottle warmer. I think H liked using it. And it's small and not that expensive so no biggie if it's not used a ton. No clue if DS really needed it, but he only got about 3 bottles a week so maybe he really did want warm milk. But housecarder, we only used it with breastmilk that was completely thawed. If still frozen, it took forever to work.

-no need for a changing table. We just had the one you put on the dresser. Worked great and was cheap.

[beebe918]

Dec 27, 2015 8:21:14 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Question about wraps. I've seen a pretty cool wrap technique for twins when they are newborns with the moby. Anyone have experience with the moby wrap?

I have a moby and love it! For me DS grew out of it pretty quickly but it was great for that first month or so. And to be fair I didn't really research carries other then the newborn carry so I may have been able to get some more use out of it.

[beebe918]

Dec 27, 2015 16:11:42 GMT -5 rungirlrun said:

-blankets (meaning, no need to buy or put any on your registry - you will get a ton. I think I donated at least half of the ones I got)


Stuck in box but totally agree with this, we mostly used receiving blankets at spit rags and to throw down to change diapers on, they're not big enough for anything else!

[beebe918]

Couldn't live without:

Rock N' Play, Wub A Nubs, Swaddles and Zip-a-dee Zips, travel system, swing (DS took naps in his swing until just a couple of weeks ago)

Didn't end up using: Wipe Warmer (I was always so nervous to leave it plugged in all the time.)

Infant bath tub (we ended up getting one of those mesh travel bath tubs like I liked much better

[housecarder]

Yes. The actual tub is a waste. I just used the mesh seat in the sink or regular bath tub.

[katelou]

I couldn't live without:

-white noise machine- portable and a plug-in one for her room. She still sleeps with it on.

- velcro swaddlers. My kid was like a newborn Hercules and would break out of any regular blanket swaddle

- reading happiest baby on the block.

-all solid-surface high chair with no pad. High chairs get freaking disgusting with nastiness in every crevice when they start self-feeding and if you don't wipe them immediately, the food dries like cement. Make it easy on yourself and buy one with the fewest crevices possible. Removable pads are an extra PITA you don't need.

waste of money:

- the boppy. I had a forceful letdown and we could only nurse side-lying for a while, then she was big enough we didn't need it. She hated laying in it.

- the pack n play with all the extras (changing shelf, side storage, mobile). We never used it til she was older and thus never used the extras.



we used a dresser as a changing table and I never changed her diaper anywhere else. IMO the changing table was also super useful for wiping eyes, sucking out boogers, etc. However, we have a smaller 1 story house. IMO if you have a large, multi-level house and the nursery is on a different floor from your main living area, you'll never use it.

useful but buy used:

- The Exersaucer. There are 5 million of them for sale on Craigslist. Don't pay $50+ when you can spend $10.

- Bumbo seat- same deal.

[uniquename]

Dec 27, 2015 16:47:23 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Yes. The actual tub is a waste. I just used the mesh seat in the sink or regular bath tub.

I really like having a tub for the first couple months. I put it on the kitchen table so I can stand and work and so I can have everything on hand for the inevitable poop and pee. But because that is such a short period I bought a super cheap one with no frills.

[uniquename]

Because babies are constantly pooping, peeing and puking for the first bit, I have a few areas in my house that I keep wipes, diapers, recieving blankets, and a pajamas. Either in an empty drawer, a basket beside the couch, or something.

Sorry, not really talking gear. Too late, I wrote it, I'm posting it !

[beebe918]

Dec 27, 2015 17:24:41 GMT -5 katelou said:

waste of money:

- the pack n play with all the extras (changing shelf, side storage, mobile). We never used it til she was older and thus never used the extras.



we used a dresser as a changing table and I never changed her diaper anywhere else. IMO the changing table was also super useful for wiping eyes, sucking out boogers, etc. However, we have a smaller 1 story house. IMO if you have a large, multi-level house and the nursery is on a different floor from your main living area, you'll never use it.

useful but buy used:

- The Exersaucer. There are 5 million of them for sale on Craigslist. Don't pay $50+ when you can spend $10.

- Bumbo seat- same deal.

On the other hand I LOVED our pack n play with the changing table, I change most diapers there and I also use the changing table in the nursery for storage and to change diapers in the morning and after naps.

Also the fisher price sit me up is a great alternative to the Bumbo, I have a bumbo but everyone on my May BMB has a sit me up and it might be the only thing I buy this time around.

[lostinfaith225]

I also second the fisher price sit me up! March14 bmb all had it.

I never used my bumbo.

[littlesthobo]

STM here. Couldn't live without:

- pack n play: DS spent the first two months sleeping in this in our room, and it made travelling and going to the cottage so much easier since he was used to sleeping in it. And we had zero issues transitioning to the crib.

- those Velcro swaddle blankets: I'm useless as swaddling! The morning after DS was born we unswaddled him in the hospital and had to call the nurse to help us re-swaddle him.

- my Ergo. I bought the infant insert for the early days and it was worth it so I only had to buy one carrier. The Ergo is super comfortable to wear, and I love how it has a pocket to shove an extra diaper and wipes into so I don't have to lug the whole diaper bag into the store. I know I'll be wearing my J16 baby a lot more because I'll also be chasing after a toddler!

-jogging stroller travel system (baby trend): we went for so many walks with the dog and this thing was a beast in mud and snow. I did jog with it later on too and it was great! I'm going to invest in a double jogger system for the bébé and my toddler.

Didn't need:

- wipes warmer: never bought one. Don't need baby screaming in a public bathroom because he/she's accustomed to warm wipes at home! Plus, a friend of mine ended up with mold in hers.

- bottle warmer: I just used a mug with warm water from the tap.

-big fancy diaper bag: We have one and I prefer to use a small tote bag from 31 because I hate lugging a bunch of crap in a giant bag. I also have not carried a purse since DS came along since I just throw my wallet in the diaper bag.

I also second getting a bumbo, exersaucer and baby tub used. It was nice to just get rid of the exersaucer once we were done because that thing took up so much room. Definitely shop used baby stores, the stuff is practically new at a fraction of the price!

[TheTuna15]

Dec 27, 2015 16:47:23 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Yes. The actual tub is a waste. I just used the mesh seat in the sink or regular bath tub.

This makes me jelly of people with bath tubs. There's three bathrooms in my damn house, 2 standing showers, and no bath tubs. So obviously, we needed the bath tub here. 

[housecarder]

Dec 27, 2015 20:09:12 GMT -5 TheTuna15 said:

Dec 27, 2015 16:47:23 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Yes. The actual tub is a waste. I just used the mesh seat in the sink or regular bath tub.

This makes me jelly of people with bath tubs. There's three bathrooms in my damn house, 2 standing showers, and no bath tubs. So obviously, we needed the bath tub here. 

That really sucks.

[harlowjune1984]

- Good breast pump (also a manual breast pump). I went into having a baby thinking I was 100% going to breastfeed. I hated it and went to EP-ing. I usually used the electric one, but I always kept the manual in the diaper bag in case I stayed out longer than expected.

- Good front pack. Spend the extra money and get something like a Ergo or Tula. I had the organic Ergo and it was so soft and comfy, that I still carried my DD in it (on my back) when she was almost 4 (and we went somewhere where we couldn't use a stroller and I knew her legs would get tired).

- Noise machine. My kid will sleep through anything with one on and we still have something going on in her room when she sleeps (either noise machine or radio). But I would skip the baby noise machine, and just get a Homedics adult noise machine. We even take it camping to block out the noise of us around the campfire.....its always "raining" inside my tent.

- Swing that plugs in. Nothing is worse that having the batteries die. However, a swing is a hard thing to say is a "must" since some babies don't like them. Mine loved it! We had the Fisher Price Snuggabunny, and it lasted through DD and three of her cousins before it finally burned out the motor.

- Good swaddle blankets. My favorite were the Aden & Anais.

- Angelcare movement monitor. Couldn't live without that sucker!

- If you are someone that eats out a lot, are over at someone else's house for meals on a regular basis, visits parks often, etc....the Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair. It clips right to tables, so we used this a lot when we went to someone else's house, camping, or we were going to a park. Picnic tables have a large gap between the bench and table, and I don't know how many kids I have seen fall through there and smack their face on concrete while they were trying to lean over to the table portion. It was not only nice to put DD in when she was crawling (and hook some toys to it), to keep her from eating pine needles, but it was great to feed her in until she was able to (safely) sit at the picnic table without falling between the bench/table.

**Things that I could live without:

- Second base for infant seat. I thought I needed one with DD, and luckily never made the purchase. Most of the time we ended up taking my care, and if (on the rare occasion), it needed to be in another car....it was no big deal to move it. However, if it is going to be set up where it is more like you are doing daycare drop off, and spouse is doing pick up, I would get a second base. But I had DD a majority of the time, so I am just glad I didn't waste my money on it, since the infant seat was only used up to 11mo.

- Changing table. I just had the changing pad on top of a dresser, or I just changed her on the floor.

- Wipe warmer and bottle warmer. Like PP mentioned, I didn't want DD to get use to warm wipes and flip shit when I had to use a cold wipe. Also, when someone got us the bottle warmer for a shower gift, I looked on the box and it said that it "Warms up bottle from room temperature". So really, you have to get it to room temp, before the warmer will get the temp from room temp....to actually warm. At that point, I might as well heat up a mug of water, take it right out of the fridge, and drop it in the mug for 5min.

- Bumbo. Never used one. If I wanted her to sit up, we just put her in her highchair.

- Travel System

*** I also agree with getting things like the exersaucer, jumparoo, etc used. We were OAD fence sitters for several years, and lived in a tiny house until she was 2.5 years old. So when she outgrew those items, I donated them, sold them, or just passed them down to friends. Since I got them for between $10-$20, I didn't feel like I HAD to hold onto them because they were a good chunk of change. I do have to re-buy those items now, but even if I spend the same amount I did last time, it is still cheaper than I would have spent if I would have bought them full price in the beginning.

[harlowjune1984]

Dec 27, 2015 20:09:12 GMT -5 TheTuna15 said:

Dec 27, 2015 16:47:23 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Yes. The actual tub is a waste. I just used the mesh seat in the sink or regular bath tub.

This makes me jelly of people with bath tubs. There's three bathrooms in my damn house, 2 standing showers, and no bath tubs. So obviously, we needed the bath tub here. 

How weird that the people building the house didn't think "Hmmmmm....we should probably put at least one tub in this place!" We had only one bathroom in our last house, and the tub was really old and curved on the bottom, so it was hard to hold DD in there. I don't know why I never thought to put her in the huge utility sink in the laundry room, because that would have made bathing her so much easier. Now we are in a different house that has a good tub, so I don't have to worry about it so much anymore. 

[TnT10]

melody330, I had a RS and didn't really care for it. I never really felt like I got the hang of it and I tried so many times. I even watch the little video that came with it. I was able to use it a little when DD was older on my hip, but ended up getting a Lillebaby carrier. I LOVE it and still use it from time to time now! It will be really helpful with baby #2 though, I will babywear more earlier on than I did with DD.

TheTuna15, I totally agree with having formula on hand. I only had the samples I got in the mail with DD but they were perfect for supplementing. It was also nice the day I decided to throw in the towel EP-ing (she never latched without a shield) that I didn't have to go out in public when I was a hot fucking emotional mess to buy formula. I won't be so hard on myself nor torture myself this time, if it works it works, if not, I won't beat myself up for not being able to BF.

My favorite things:
- RnP- we loved this! We used it for DD to sleep in our room until she was about 5w and then when she was sick. It worked great for us, I hope it will be just as good with #2.

- MamaRoo- this was something I registered for and never thought that I would get but I love it! DD always loved it too, it was helpful to be able to put her where I could see her and get a few things done.

- Velcro Swaddlers- just like littlesthobo, I SUCK at swaddling and those were great for DD. Love those things!

- Halo sleep sacks- we used these up until DD was 9mo. She loved them and they kept her really warm without having to use blankets. I was the super crazy lady when it came to blankets with her in bed.

- Summer Infant Slumber Butterfly- we literally used this thing until it died. We took it everywhere and it was perfect on nights where she didn't want to go to sleep.

For this baby I have bought some gender neutral NB clothes and will buy a brand new Boppy and a double stroller. Mimicking the other posts about buying things second hand- I agree with all of that. But DO NOT buy a used Boppy- mine was flattened out and might have contributed to some of our latch problems. I always had to use a pillow with it and should have realized sooner that I needed a new one.