I'm trying to put together our registry, but I feel like it's hard to know what to register for before you've tried things and know what you like. I know that a lot of my readers have recently had babies, and if you have a few minutes and could respond to the following questions or offer any other advice for registering, that would be awesome!1. Strollers - What type of stroller do you have? Do you like it?
2. Car Seat - What type of car seat do you have? Do you like it? Why or why not?
3. Did you use a baby bjorn or sling? How do you feel about it?
4. What gear is a must have for nursing? Any good bottles you recommend?
5. How do you feel about a pack n' play?
6. What type of baby monitor did you have? Did you like it? Why or why not?
7. Where there particular baby care items (shampoo, lotion, diaper cream, thermometer, nail clippers, etc.) that you loved or hated?
8. Did you use cloth or disposable diapers? Why? What type? Why?
9. What did you use all the time and love?
10. What did you get, but never use or was disappointed because it didn't work?
P.S. Some of you will also be getting this in a personal email...that means I really value your opinion! :)
Good questions! We asked these (and many, many others) as well. For what it's worth:
ReplyDelete1. To start: a light-weight Graco one that holds the infant carseat. For later: an umbrella stroller. We just don't like the big, bulky things!
2. Graco. No strong opinion, but it's kept him alive so far! :o)
3. Sling. Worked well for Ang, but not me. As he's gotten bigger it doesn't work as well, though.
4. A husband who will bring you water every time you nurse. And a Boppy.
5. Love 'em. We don't have one, but whenever we are at someone else's house and they have one, it's great.
6. Umm...not sure of the brand. We like it though.
7. They're all useful! The rectal thermometer will TOTALLY make you feel like you're really a parent though! We got a buch of different shampoos/soaps/etc., but pretty much only use Burt's Bees baby stuff.
8. Home/day time: cloth. (Can't recall the brand, but we like them. I can find out if you want). Travelling/night time: disposable. Best of both worlds.
9. Ang loved a little gadget called an Itzbeen (sp?). Seemed goofy at first, but TOTALLY made things easier, esp. in the beginning! It helps you time feedings, changings, etc. Unless you like holding all that stuff in your head while you're sleep deprived. ALSO, I would highly recommend a "swaddleme," a little blanket with velcro. It really helps Garrett sleep better. He loves it.
10. Ummm...too many blankets.
Ah I love planning for little ones...wish I was back there again :) Here is what worked this go round for Anna - Hope you guys are doing well :) ~ Allison
ReplyDelete1. Strollers - We bought a Baby Trend Car Seat and the Snap and Go stroller, not the full travel system. Travel system was just to bulky to deal with and doesn't go well in most stores.
2. Car Seat - Baby Trend - excellent safety ratings, a bit heavier than some of the others on the market, it worked pretty well, but she outgrew it at 9 months and we got a infant car seat that could transition. Wish I did that from the get go, she loves the bigger chair and would have had plenty of support in it as an infant.
3. Love, love, loved my Babybjorn...used it all the time when I went grocery shopping
4. Nursing - Lanolin cream, nursing pads, excellent pump, the cover you can put over you to feed sweet baby when you are in a "public" setting, and a huge glass of water before you sit down everytime. Bottles - I think every baby is different - Dr. Brown's didn't work for Anna, we ended up with Playtex VentAire's and they helped reduce her gassiness, etc. and I know quite a few peeps who have used the First Years that have soothie nipples and have really liked them as well.
5. Pack-n-Play - Haven't used it for much other than travel.
6. Didn't use a video monitor but had a Graco system that worked really well, we needed something long range and worked for the length of time we used them (only used it for like 3 months)
7. I used baby cream instead of lotion, helped sensitive skin stay moisturized. Clippers that have a bulb or something to help you grip the itty bitty little things.
8. Pampers Swaddlers, Cruisers, etc. love them, fit well and are soft to the touch
9. We could not have survived without a swing or her jumperoo activity center. Cloth diapers to use as burp cloths or to clean up messes, standard burp cloths were a little too small, bibs, bibs and bibs.
10. Diaper Genie
Hi, Mamie! Ben and I were fortunate enough to have a lot of stuff given to us so we didn't have much choice in the matter as far as brands, etc. (which I kind of preferred). However, this is what I've found:
ReplyDelete1. We haven't had any problems with our strollers. We have a Graco Duo Glider double stroller (because I watch another little one) and a jogging stroller, the latter of which I have rarely used (no particular reason).
2. We have a Graco SnugRide and a Britax Marathon. The Graco is a seat-and-base combo but can only be used up to 22 pounds. The Britax is one piece but is usable from 5 to 65 pounds, both rear-facing and forward-facing. The separate seat and base is nice for switching out between cars and when they are little for not disturbing them when they've fallen asleep in the seat, but the seat is awkward and bulky to carry around. However, the Britax is nice for its convertibility. All in all, we have used and like both.
3. I've used both the Baby Bjorn and a sling and love them. They are great for grocery store outings, etc., leaving you hands-free while not having to put them in the shopping car seats (esp. when they're too small to sit in the seats by themselves). We also used the Bjorn in airports when we went to AZ, which I found much easier than I imagine a stroller would be.
4. Must-haves for nursing: A boppy or pillow in the early months, breast pads, and an electric double pump.
5. I love our Pack 'n' Play. We use it a lot, for travel and everyday life. Pretty much weekly, we go to a friend's house past Bella's bedtime and just set it up for her to sleep while we eat dinner. It's also great for travel, so easy to set up and take down. At home she has alone playtime in it.
6. We have a Summer Day&Night Video Monitor and like it for the most part. Its downfall: The lowest volume setting is not very low at all. We've never had to use it above the lowest setting. It does, however, allow you to turn the volume completely off while still viewing the video and "seeing" the sound with lights. I definitely recommend some kind of video monitor though. It's nice to be able to see when something's wrong, like a foot caught between the slats of the crib or baby standing and not being able to get down, etc. It's also been handy one time when Bella pulled the cord attached to the monitor down into the crib and started playing with it. It's much easier with a video to know when to go in the room to rescue versus when to stay out.
7. Baby care is baby care to me, for the most part. Just make sure to get a quick-reading thermometer since they don't like to stay still for that. Boudreaux's Butt Paste is good for diaper rashes.
8. Disposable diapers all the way! I personally couldn't deal with the laundry massacre that would occur from the stuff they produce in those diapers, but more power to those that can handle it! I don't really have a preference for brand; all have worked well for Bella. I do recommend in the early weeks the ones that have the stripe down the middle that changes color when they're wet. That's helpful, since they pee so little and the diapers are so absorbent, as that's one of the only indicators early on that they're getting enough food and growing appropriately.
9. Not necessarily something to register for, but I used and referenced the book "On Becoming Babywise" all the time! It is a lifesaver for getting babies to sleep through the night early on (Bella accomplished this at 10 weeks old, and I believe she was only that late because she had reflux). Cloth diapers are better for spit-up than the smaller burp cloths. Hopefully, you won't have the massive spit-up issues we had.
10. I second the "too many blankets" comment from someone else. People will usually get those for you whether you register for them or not. I also bought a humidifier that I rarely used.
Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps!