Baby gear suggestions FTM

amother

Amethyst

Fri, Jan 25 2019, 7:59 am

Machel wrote:

Things I loved as a first time mom.
A stretchy wrap for when they are brand new and then a more structured carrier as they get bigger. I LOVE the Ergo 360. I can put my DD who is 1 on my back and go. I also love my ring sling. If you plan on going to shul I can't recommend a carrier enough. I see all my friends holding their heavy babies while I am hands free. I use my ring sling to take her from the car to day care because it's so much easier.

I have the uppababy vista and love it. Huge basket, pushes super smooth and comes with the bassinet and a car seat that connects if you choose (which I also recommend ) I used the bassinet when we went to shul, she was born in the winter and I found it easier to keep her warm. But it's also nice because it's sleep safe so we had a place to put her if we we're out for lunch or when we went to the in laws.

I personally like having a larger diaper bag, knapsack style. You keep extra clothes and bottles(?) Plus stuff for you. Its nice to have room.

My daughter hated the nose Frieda but it's worth 1 min of screaming for them to be able to breathe.

Nursing pillow / good electric pump

Somewhere to put the baby down so you can walk away for a min. A swing or a bouncy chair. If you can borrow to see what your baby will like then great. I had much success getting my dd to nap in a swing.

If you are going the pacifier route we really like the wubbanub. Its large so when they drop it it's easy to find.

An option so the baby can sleep right by your bed. A bassinet (you can use the one from the stroller) or pack n play

I'm sure there is more. I am happy to discuss if you have more questions. The last 2 weeks of my pregnancy I binged new born must have and new born product regret videos and then updated my registry accordingly 😜

Thank you so much for your input! I'm 3 weeks away from EDD and literally spend hours watching those videos and reading blogs 😂 but I'm never sure if they were sent the product for free and therefore recommending....

Machel

Fri, Jan 25 2019, 8:04 am

amother wrote:

I love those videos. I would average out between them all. So if 10 suggested one product then it would probably be worth it. Usally that disclose if it's sponsored.
I also found the YouTubers who I connected with I valued their opinions more vs the ones with lots of extra money.

Really tho aside from a few things Amazon Prime the week after my daughter was born was my best friend. My mailman and I became good friends

amother

Amethyst

Fri, Jan 25 2019, 8:05 am

lucky14 wrote:

I agree with so much of this response!
We did not have a bassinet stroller- I felt no need for one and did not regret my decision at all. We had a citimini gt with an attachment to be able to put the car seat on it and it worked just fine for us.

my baby also slept in a pack n play with one of those infant bassinet parts on top until he outgrew that (then switched to a crib). I felt it was really perfect and cozy for him.

I tried quite a few different baby carriers (wraps and other styles) and ended up keeping the ergo. We got an ergo360 but I really would recommend just getting the original ergo. We hardly ever wore the baby facing outward (the only real advantage of the ergo360) and the original has a small pocket which the 360 doesn't have- would have been nice to put a key or a little money in when going on walks.

I didn't bother with a diaper bag- they are so huge and I found no need to lug THAT much stuff around. I have a bigger purse and was able to just put what I needed in there (though the clutch idea sounds good too).

And we had the same experience with the nose Frieda. It must be great for some people since there are so many good reviews, but not us. Even the spray my son wouldn't tolerate AT ALL. There's a gel you can get to put on the outside of their nose to unclog the crustiness that gets there and that's all he would really let us put on.

My son had no interest in the swing but loved this: https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-.....LXXJN (as an infant it was the only thing that would calm him down).

The truth is every baby and mom are different and want different products. Good luck deciding what works for you guys- my suggestion is try to find used for cheap or keep your receipts!

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! Im not planning on getting bassinet stroller, the pack n play looks like a good option. Did you find that it was easy to take baby out while you're still in bed?
Ive seen the arms reach bassinet and love the concept, but I don't want to spend so much on something that won't last for more than a few months

amother

Papaya

Fri, Jan 25 2019, 8:07 am

Honestly, most of these things end up being a matter of taste without huge differences between different products. I think you have a better idea of your specific wants when it comes to the second child, and then you can make a more informed personal choice. 2/3 of my kids hated being in any carrier at all. 1 loved the baby ktan and nothing else. I never could have guessed that! 3/3 of my kids hated swing, bouncers, etc.

I do think that when it comes to the stroller you should consider your own needs. If you're doing a lot of walking, make sure it pushes easily and smoothly. If you're in and out of the car a lot, make sure it folds and lifts easily. If you need a big basket for shopping keep that in mind. Diaper bags are what they are, just need to like the aesthetics enough.

Machel

Fri, Jan 25 2019, 8:14 am

amother wrote:

Also an expecting ftm and I'm wondering if I really need a monitor living in an apt. It's not like there's that far to be at any point.

I live in a small house so I don't need the monitor to hear her. But I love having a video monitor. Its cute being able to watch her sleep. But more than that I think it really helped with her sleep because I can see when she cries if she is really awake and ready to come out or if she is lying down and will cry for a min and go back to sleep.

Just this morning my daughter was crying at 6:30am but I could see she was still lying down so I waited 5 mins and she has been sleeping another 3 hours.

amother

Amethyst

Fri, Jan 25 2019, 8:24 am

Thanks everyone for the ideas, Keep em coming!!
So far this is what I've gleaned;
car seat: I'm trying to decide between graco snugride sunblock 35 lx (because it's light) vs Chicco KeyFit (because everyone recommends)
Stroller: leaning toward Citi select lux bec its closest to UPPAbaby and I can't spend so much (but nervous it'll be tok heavy)
Carrier: seems like it's ergobaby original or infantino
Breast pump: spectra
Fisher Price bouncer and or swing. Might be able to borrow a rock n play
I have a second hand wooden crib, and trying to decide about bassinet (maybe pack n play)
Nursing pillow: my breast friend
Nursing pads, cream, and storage bags: landing

Still need to figure out play mat for tummy time

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Jan 28 2019, 2:37 pm

Machel wrote:

Op here
Omg same! Without youtube and amazon prime I don't know where I'll be! (probably wasting less time and money...)

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Jan 28 2019, 2:39 pm

dancingqueen wrote:

Are you getting the city select because you’re hoping to use it as a double down the line? I dont have it but I know it’s a heavy stroller.

Not much experience with strollers, but I feel like I would go for a side by side, cheaper double once I have my second. I also heard it's heavy, but I like how it looks and how sturdy it is. I would like to get a cheap snap n go just to keep in the car, problem is I don't think I want a graco car seat and the chicco snap n go looks flimsier and is more expensive...

aliavi

Mon, Jan 28 2019, 3:08 pm

I hated the large high chairs. They get so disgusting and take so much time to clean. The ones that attach to the table or counter are best and cheaper. Infantino and Phil and Teds are ones I’ve used.

I didn’t like the pack and play. It hurt my back and I didn’t think it was comfortable for baby. Buy Buy Baby has some bassinets like Halo brand (already suggested). Dock-a-tot is another sleeping option.

For sure get the sleeping and swaddle sacks. You need to try the car seat in your specific car.

I hated the big bulky baby baths. I’d recommend a mesh sink thing that dries quickly until DC can sit in a plastic bath seat.

Tip: keep extra baby items like outfits in the car. If you drive everywhere, there’s no reason to tote it all around since your car will always be accessible. I felt less like a camel and more like a mother after figuring this out.

aliavi

Mon, Jan 28 2019, 3:11 pm

amother wrote:

I like the McClaren because it’s lightweight and folds down. You may need more than one stroller.