As you can see I am not the best at making decisions, I seem to change my mind everyday! Oh the story of my life....*sigh* Any moms out there with suggestions as to what they have seen work best with their little ones??
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Should it it be blue and brown, oh no maybe black and white...aah who knows!!!
Did you ever realize there could be so many choices when buying things for a new baby? I had no idea!! I have had to learn new lingo, if you would have asked me 6 months ago what a travel system was, I would have had no idea! But now I know that it is a stroller, car seat and the thing that you put in the car to put the car seat in. Obviously I don't remember that word! :) And so the hunt begins, what kind of stroller do I need? And then what color do I need? Which one would show the least amount of dirt? And then I have to take in consideration that I will only be using it for 6 months in America and then headed out over the big blue ocean! To a place where I might just be living on the 3rd or 4th floor and trying to carry a stroller and a baby and groceries, not possible! And so I have been looking for a lightweight but yet sturdy with gender neutral colors and of course the best price!! So, I have looked at Target, Walmart, BabiesRUS, local shops in town and even have begun to drag Clark with me to check them out. Because of course he will be pushing little miss Sadie too!! I have yet to make up my mind but am narrowing it down quite a bit! And then comes the decision of umbrella strollers, packnplays and oh so much more!!! This can be quite overwhelming when all at the same time, you are trying to decide just how much of this can we take with us when we leave. And then comes the colors in the nursery......oh I will have to save that for another post! :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Buy the book Baby Bargains. It has helped me tremendously. I'm still overwhelmed, but it's helped me rule some stuff out completely (walkers, Baby Einstein DVDs, etc.)
As for strollers, we're not registering for a complete travel system. Those strollers are bulky and we drive compact cars. We're registering for the Graco Snugride infant carrier and the infant carseat frame to go with it. It takes up much less room!
We've decided to go with the Chicco C5 for a stroller as she gets older. We picked a gender neutral one (Sidney), and then registered for a nice cheap (as in like $10) umbrella stroller in a fun girly color (lavendar).
Another way to save money - cloth diapers. Check out this website for a price comparison (http://www.diaperdecisions.com/cost_of_cloth_diapers.htm) I know people are going to think we're crazy, but it's soooo much better for the environment and you can use the same diapers with all of your children. I'm happy to talk with you more about it if you think you might be interested.
AGAIN, buy Baby Bargains...it's worth every penny!
Mandy is right. Baby Bargains is wonderful. I can remember going to pick stuff out and becoming completely frozen as I stared at all of the choices on an aisle. I'm sure if the Target employees were watching me on the camera, they were laughing at the pregnant woman standing still for minutes upon minutes with her jaw dropped and a very perplexed look on her face... Yes, it IS overwhelming! Wish I could go shopping with you!
Don't fret! Just buy for one stage at a time... That's my opinion, anyway! A bouncy seat and a swing will get you through the first few months. The stroller and the carseat are the ones that need to get you through several stages.
Love you, friend!
Okay you asked...so here goes...deep breath...
The travel systems work great if you think you'll be "strolling" your baby alot before she can sit up. Otherwise you won't be able to use a regular stroller until she can. Bart and I did get a travel system but didn't use a stroller much at all in those early months...instead we used a Baby Bjorn which is GREAT! It allows you to carry your baby and it keeps your hands free. It can carry a baby up to 24 lbs. Trust me unless you've been working on your upper body strength since the last time I saw you, you don't want to be carrying her around in the carseat only. Those things are bulky and cumbersome. If I didn't have Bart around to carry it for me, mine would NEVER come out of my car! I don't know where you're headed out of the country but you could use the Bjorn until she could sit up well and then use a lighter, more compact stroller later. As for the carseats we have a Graco Snugride and so does my sister-in-law and they are completely different from each other from the way they fit into the car to the way they secure the baby. My car seat has the 5 point strap (which is the safest) and you pull another strap to tighten it...and WE HATE IT. I'll try to get the exact model for you so you don't have to go through what we have. So I'll end this rant with a list of the things I couldn't live without and the things I could.
Couldn't Live Without
My Bebe Au Lait (it is a cloth cover that fits around your neck to offer modesty while you nurse...if you're planning on nursing I would highly reccomend this)
Baby Bjorn
Diaper Genie (if you don't do cloth diapers)
A Cradle Swing
Paci clips (if Sadie takes a paci these will be lifesavers)
A Medela Breast Pump
Currently Living Without
Pack-N-Play
Big Expensive Mobile or Sound and Lights for Sleep (if she learns to sleep without anything special like music or lights...she'll be able to sleep ANYWHERE) :)
DVD's of any kind
Hard Plastic Bottles (Beware of BPA...Google it...its nasty stuff)
That was probably more than you ever wanted to know...but maybe you'll find something in there helpful...and don't worry I was just as overwhelmed as you...its one of many "rights of passages" you'll go through as a "first time" parent!
I should clarify that the Graco infant carseat frame is a stroller frame that you snap the carseat onto (similar to the travel system except less bulky and a big cheaper :-)). Like Abby, I don't want to have to lug that carseat around!
I'm also registering for a sling (the Maya sling) to make nursing easier and to have the hands-free thing going on. I tried one on at the local boutique (and so did Chad) and I loved it because it will adjust to fit both of us.
Oh, and ditto Abby about the plastic bottles. We registered for some Medela ones that will fit my pump that are supposed to be okay, but other than that we went with glass ones.
You're right Mandy the Medela bottles and all of their pump accessories are BPA free. Those are the only bottles we've used and I've been very happy with them. Also if you girls are interested in enviornmentally friendly products, Seventh Generation has a good line. I like their baby wipes and household cleaners(I feel like they're safer for little ones) but I don't like their diapers...lets just say the don't keep the poop contained! I've found Pampers makes the best diapers and found that Huggies makes the best baby wipes...but I tend to use the Seventh Generation wipes because I feel like they're better for her and the enviornment. Also you two "mommies to be" might want to check out the Ferst Foundation...google it because I'm not sure of the correct URL...anyways it is something you can sign your daughters up for and they will recieve one free book EVERY month until they are FIVE!!! Cecilia just got her first book this month (we were a little late in finding out about it)and it was The Little Engine That Could...so that is something we've found to be really educational and totally FREE!!!
Ooops! So I googled the Ferst Foundation and it only applies to certain counties in GA. Sorry! Bart registered her for it and I didn't know that there were any restrictions on it. :( ...and this is my last comment I promise! :)
Post a Comment