Post by requiressnacks on May 12, 2016 7:56:12 GMT -5
Sort of related to yesterday's thread about crazy expensive baby stuff. I'm wondering from the STMs, what baby products (big or small) were actually worth the money? Give us some recommendations!!
The $20 mirror I put on the car seat to watch him while I'm driving. I can't tell you how many times I pulled over in traffic the first two weeks to check on him to make sure he was still breathing. Best piece peace of mind ever.
From my understanding, the canvas material it's made from. But I could be wrong. Also, some prints are considered collector prints. Which I love my Tula, don't get me wrong, but I'm not about to buy 10 different ones.
You're paying for really great quality as well. People have their Tulas forever and then you can sell them on B/S/T groups for close to what you originally paid.
Post by legalbeagle on May 12, 2016 9:24:39 GMT -5
Okay, my number one thing is not a thing -- I would have paid for help/time off. I know everyone's $$ situation is different and some people have family close that can help (take advantage of that!) but I would have paid for some help once I could leave him a little bit so I could sleep, take a shower, get out in the world a bit. I should have also paid the money to have my dog go to daycare. It was too much with a small baby who hated sleeping in the cold to take care of him and dog and my husband was working like 9am-3am at his former job until DS was 18 months old. This time I'll still have my son's nanny who will help out when my son is in school.
We also had a latch issue so we paid $200 for a breastfeeding consultant. She didn't fix the problem overnight, but got me a nipple shield and gave me lots of encouragement. It took 10 weeks before breastfeeding wasn't painful but we got there eventually.
I think my Bugaboo stroller was totally worth it, but we're super urban people so maybe not something everyone would agree with.
MyBrestFriend. I was all crunchy the first time and bought a more expensive all-organic breastfeeding pillow that didn't have the MyBrestFriend back support. Mistake! I switched within two weeks.
Mod Swad! www.woombie.com/Bamboo_ModSwad.html We just had one and washed it a lot, but it was easy to get him into it if he fell asleep in our arms but wasn't swaddled yet.
And not while they are super small since they grow too quickly, but I now only buy him Hanna Andersson pjs. I buy them on sale and they usually last two seasons and wash/wear so well.
This time I'm getting a forehead thermometer. We tried to go old school under the armpit last time and that was a lot of screaming.
Also next time I'm renting a hospital grade pump for home. I don't need to pump in random places super often so portability isn't a big thing for me and the hospital grade one at work was SO much better than my Medela. If you want portability I'd still get the Medela.
Post by requiressnacks on May 12, 2016 9:57:29 GMT -5
legalbeagle, that lotus thing looks awesome! Random question - a lot of PnPs seem to have the baby up higher, whereas this one has the baby down by the floor. Does it matter?
Post by legalbeagle on May 12, 2016 10:07:56 GMT -5
I'm not sure it matters except probably the PNP has a firmer mattress than the Lotus since it is raised up and I would prefer baby to be off the ground if possible, but we use our Lotus only for travel (probably starting around seven months of age) and portability was the bigger thing for us. DS (3.5 and a skinny 30 lbs, but pretty tall) still sleeps in it when we travel since it is directly on the ground.
Edited to add: my DH would say that it is pretty difficult to put the sheet on the mattress and get everything set up -- the frame is just as easy as it looks in the video but the sheet/mattress always takes him longer. We're still happy with it but just fair warning.
+1 to the Ergo! I have the 360 and it is a little hard to get on by yourself (due to the straps in the back) however it's super comfortable and doesn't hurt my back after awhile. They also have a infant insert that was really nice too.
I also had tried a manual breast pump, incase of an emergency, but I could never get it to work right either.... it didn't seem to really suction on my boob.
Oh - and for our infant carseat, it just has the straight handle that goes across, it's kind of hard to carry with just your hand, because of the awkward position. We wished we would have gotten one with the handle turned the other way, if that makes sense.
RNP - cheap and could not live without. Had a hand me down one in the living room and kept another one in our bedroom. Baby slept in it for first 3 months. Cannot say enough good things about the rock n play!
The car mirror has been useful!
UppaBaby stroller system - like legalbeagle, we're city people, and I loved it in the city. Used it from day one with bassinet and car seat and still use it all the time. I'm looking forward to turning into a double stroller! Love our Bob stroller too for when she got bigger.
Baby bjorn travel crib, easy to lug around and easy to set up. My inlaws got the Momaroo one, and it's really easy to use also.
Video monitors - we have a motorola one, which is ok. It loses its charge pretty quickly, so it has to be plugged in, but it works well. We also have a couple Nest Cams, which are nice to check on the baby when we're out. It's nice for my husband to see the baby when he's traveling as well.
Medela free style pump - small and worth the extra money (I think I had to pay a little over what the insurance covered $50 or $100), but it was so small and easy to transport when I was lugging it to work every day! Also wish I would have bought a small fridge for my office, it was annoying to store milk in a semi-communal fridge. If you have that option, I'd recommend it.
I wish I would have got the Ergo carrier, I let my husband pick it and I don't love it.
The things that stood the test of time/many babies: -Glider with ottoman -Mamaroo (had for #3 wish I had for all) -Boppy (not pricey but worth it) -a Medela PISA, which in 2010 insurance did not cover so I paid the $400 or whatever for it
Post by fikafairy67 on May 12, 2016 13:04:44 GMT -5
here's my list:
1) +1 RNP 2) +1 the car mirrors 3) one of those floor activity mats 4) the Fisher Price space saver highchair. not only does it work in your house and take up less space than a traditional highchair, but you can bring it with you to visit family SO easily. 5) start off early with some kind of battery powered light/music soother machine, like the fisher price seahorse or one of those twilight turtle things. DON'T use a mobile unless you are okay with having a toddler possibly throw a screaming fit because the music they have listened to for over 18 months suddenly doesn't work because they are in a toddler bed and it can't attach to it. 6) the halo swaddles
I am so happy there are so many STMs on here to help us clueless people
Also, re: thermometers. I just can't imagine sticking a thermometer in my baby's butt. I can't. Aren't there digital ones that go in their ear or something?
I am so happy there are so many STMs on here to help us clueless people
Also, re: thermometers. I just can't imagine sticking a thermometer in my baby's butt. I can't. Aren't there digital ones that go in their ear or something?
My LO was in the nicu for a couple weeks and the nurses there showed me how to take his temp using a digital one under his arm. I had to take it before feeding him. +1 for not wanting to take rectal temp esp as he's gotten older!
Snugabunny bouncer Ergo Dohm white noise machine. We still use it at 17 months. Carseat mirror Video monitor RNP - we ran out and bought it when DS had his first cold. It was also a life saver when he went through a face of waking up for the day at 4am. If I popped him in there I could get another hour or two of sleep. Get the one that vibrates!!! LOTS of sheets: whether you do crib, PNP, whatever, get lots of extra sheets. DS had reflux. There were days the sheets had to be changes 5+ times. Rectal thermometer. I was freaked out about having to temp rectally, too, but DS was hospitalized 2x his first 6 weeks, so it was super important that we did. This thermometer looked much less scary than others, and reads the temp super fast!
Baby carriers of all kinds, depending on what is comfortable for your body type. I liked my Moby when they were tiny and a Mei tai (I had a Babyhawk) when they were bigger.
Miracle Blanket. I'm on the fence about getting one this time, or getting the muslin swaddle blankets since I can use those for other things when baby outgrows the swaddle.
The things that were a waste of money for me: My stupid $300 breast pump. I ended up having to rent one to get anything from my boobs, and in the end my boobs just didn't like pumping.
Ring sling -- no matter how hard I tried, I was never comfortable with it.
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