i know being a mother is one of those situations where you get advice from all sorts of people ... welcomed or not.
but in this moment, i am welcoming it. because its my blog and that means people i know and enjoy are reading this blog. people whom i admire and have gathered wisdom in motherhood (since many many of my lady friends and readers are moms already) and i would like to tap into that resource.
think of all the times people gave advice to you ... now give me your tried and true views. i realize that we all lead different lives and enjoy doing things that "work for us" so no worries - i will glean what i can.
i am asking because its hard to know what brand or style of "baby essentials" to invest in before you have had a baby ... and we all know that you need to be ready! which is why i am asking these questions now and not right before i am about to welcome our bundle of joy into the world. i like to investigate and be as prepared as possible. so please weigh in on some of these questions that are on my mind - feel free to leave a comment or email me if you would rather share your opinion privately. feel free to comment on one or all of the topics listed below.
that being said - here are my questions:
1) INFANT CAR SEAT: i think we have decided to invest in an infant car seat - not a convertible car seat - this first time in hopes that we will have more than one child in a "timely" manner that will allow us to re-use car seats. so that being said, is it the best idea to get a car seat that works up to 35lbs? ... here is my thought process. the pluses with an infant car seat is that they can be taken out of the car and into church or attached to a stroller while remaining in the seat. if my kid is weighing more that 22lbs do i still want this option or carrying the baby and the seat? am i going to want to carry my 35lb baby IN the car seat still, or will i be leaving the seat behind at that point? (are those wimpy never-been-a-mother comments?) am i taking my baby out of the seat at this point anyway? the reason i ask is because i am all about a more streamlined design for baby stuff ... i am not into the tons of plastic crap that surrounds baby everything ... and a more "pared-down" version of infant car seats tend to limit out around 22lbs. tell me your thoughts.
2) CLOTH DIAPERS: i know i know ... some people swear by it and some people have horror stories. i would like to try it but i don't have any friends that have (unless any of you have but i didn't know it - if so tell me please!) i hear/read that it is gotten pretty awesome these days but i fear that i will not be awesome/crazy enough to do it. any thoughts or feelings about the topic?
3) BOUNCER/SWING: again, i am all about limiting the baby stuff (especially because we live in an apt and have a few more moves in us most likely while baby is still under the age of 1). this one can probably wait until after the wee one comes to us and we see what personality preferences emerge. but these things can be bulky and super expensive ($50+ sometimes ... sheesh). i will probably need to thrift something like this if needed. anyway ... its always good to gather research.
4) ENTERTAINER: i love the concept of this thing ... babies love these things too and it helps strengthen their legs for crawling and walking ... but AGAIN bulky! does anyone know of a really minimalist version of this? i can add my own toys but a base would be awesome. just thought i would ask the people that know.
i think those are my only questions for now. i am busy checking websites and reading reviews. p.s. i am loving albeebaby.com ... they have some good price reductions and shipping is free over $100 and only $4.95 under $100. i hate paying for shipping.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You may get 13 completely different opinions. This is what worked for us. :)
ReplyDelete1. Chicco. I love everything they make. Our car seat has been through two kids and still looks brand new. Usually by the time your baby is 20 lb, you won't be carrying the car seat around much. They will be sitting up, wanting to see the world and not be strapped in a seat. And a 20 lb baby plus a car seat is a lot heavier than it sounds!!
2. Never tried it, I'm a little too fond of throwing the nastiness away and never having to deal with it again. But I've heard they work great you just have to use special detergent and do a lot more laundry. But more power to you if you want to try it, I wish I was brave enough.
3. I think a bouncer is a must and a swing is a maybe. We use our bouncer for everything, including feeding the baby solids when they're not quite able to sit up on their own. We've used two and I love the Fisher Price rainforest bouncer. So did Kolton. Our swing is easy to fold up and put away when you're not using it. But if you are going to get one, I'd recommend putting baby in it from day 1. Otherwise, they may never like it. We have the Boppy rock in comfort travel swing. Both of those are good to get used, we got our bouncer for $15 on craigslist, barely used.
4. You can also find ones that fold up and can be stored when not in use. Ours does, even though it's still not super compact. I love it though and so did my boys. We have the Evenflo Smart steps, used for $30.
Good luck and happy hunting!
1.. Just get a infant car seat that goes up to 22lbs. Then we used a convertable one cause your right, you don't want to carry a baby that big. We have graco brand and it does the job. But I would have probably looked into something a little nicer. But someone gave it to us with our first. 2. I've never done cloth so I can't help ya there. 3. A swing I think is a most. But u do have to use it from the beginning or they won't get used to it. On nights where my babies would not fall asleep the swing would b the only thing that would work. Don't worry about them only wanting to sleep in the swing. U just have to make sure they don't sleep in it all the time. Oh, and we got our swing at a garage sale. A jumper is a must too. All my kids love it. 4. We never had one, but I wish we did.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll add what worked for us :) I liked kbabe's format, so here goes:
ReplyDelete1. We always used Graco for whatever reason. They worked well for my kids and I'd definitely say you're not going to be wanting to carry the carrier after they're 20 lbs. or so. That being said, if you get a snap-n-go stroller they can last a lot longer and they are amazing! I was sad when my boys grew out of the carrier just because I couldn't use my snap n go anymore. I could write a whole paragraph on strollers, though, so maybe I'll save that for a different post (sadly, I have 6 of them and have opinions on all of them!)
2. Never tried it either, but good luck if you do and let me know if you figure out a great way to do this! If you do go with disposable diaper, sign up with Amazon Mom/Amazon prime/Subscribe and save. I just barely discovered it and it would've saved me a ton of money. If you want more info, just ask!
3. I agree with Kbabe on this one to. My boys LOVED their bouncer. I initially had a swing that had a detachable bouncer to save space. However, both of them HATED the swing and the bouncer wasn't that comfortable on its own. I finally broke down and got a Boppy bouncer and it was amazing. It's a must have for things like taking a shower, cooking, etc. In fact Parker slept many nights in his bouncer because he ended up having reflux and couldn't lay down flat without puking. If I were doing it again I would've borrowed a swing first to see if my baby liked it. Both my boys hated the forward/backward motion, but didn't mind the side to side motion. I borrowed one of those for a while and Parker didn't mind it for a while but it wasn't anything spectacular. That being said I know moms who swear by their swings! Just wasn't my boys' thing. I think I got my Boppy one at target for like $30.
4. I had an exersaucer for both my boys and they loved this also. Ours was a little pricey, but it grew with them and I literally barely packed it away last week. It started off as a tummy time mat, then went to a standing play thing, then broke apart to something they could walk up to and play with toys. It was great for entertaining them after they outgrew the bouncer but couldn't walk yet. Brody even still liked to play with the toys on it! I've seen used ones on Craigslist that may be worth looking into. It's not super compact, but it's always been such a great help to me that I didn't really care.
Okay, sorry that was so long! Hope this helps and I'm so excited for you :)
1.You are not going to want to use the infant seat for a baby over 20 pounds. Aliza is 22 lbs and she is way too much to carry in there. In fact, we have a nice Chicco infant seat that you can have if you want it. Then you'd have to just get a stroller you can put it on. Aliza only needs it for 2 more weeks. It's orange.
ReplyDelete2. I have quite a few friends who swear by the new cloth diapers. I've seen them used, they seem to be a pretty good option. Just a good investment up front and extra laundry to do. I'm too big of a wuss to try.
3. We have always gotten a used swing or borrowed one from people to save on cost. Hunter never liked the swing, but I don't think we would have made it without one for Cameron (or Aliza). It just depends on your baby. I wouldn't get the bouncer. It's short lived and the infant seat (or swing) works. Your baby will sit up by about 6 months anyways.
4. We have never had an exersaucer or entertainment thing for any of our kids (due to bulk) and with the exception of Aliza, they all walked by 10 months old on their own. There are plenty of other ways you can get the exercise. Plus I have a "new" door jumper that you can have because Aliza used it like twice before she was over it. It is pink, though.
Don't be shy about asking people who have babies if you can borrow these kinds of items. I know you are thinking investment, but you only use these items for a short time and once you are done, you hate to have to store them. Invest in a good stroller system - it will be a better buy than swings/bouncers/entertainment areas.
Our kids were too tall for the infant car seat past the age of 1 even though they didn't weigh that much. We moved them to the convertible pretty quickly around 1. I know rear-facing is safer but it's just not comfortable for a kid who has long legs. Plus they love being able to see you. We stopped using the car seat as a "carrier" around 9 months and just carried them (unless you needed it in church for a place for naps).
ReplyDeleteNever used cloth diapers but if you can handle the cleanup, I'm sure it'd save some bucks!
Our kids didn't really like the swing too much. We LOVED bouncy seats. They even have ones that bounce on their own now and you don't have to sit there and bounce it with your foot (spent many nights doing this). It's a great place to let them sit while you feed them (if you don't have a high chair yet, or you want to put them in front of the TV while you shower).
We never bought an "entertainer". My mom bought us a little mat with jungle animals and birds hanging from it and Sophie loved it. My guess is you'll be spending so much time holding the baby and helping them "stand up" that the entertainer isn't really necessary. Just my 2 cents.
I agree with Shelly on the stroller. You might as well buy a double stroller now if you plan to have 2 kids because your single will be obsolete once that second baby comes. We never use a single stroller even if Jonah walks because the extra seat is a great place to put stuff (shopping bags, purses, coats, etc).
I would also invest in a nice breast pump if you plan on breastfeeding. They can be a little pricey but OH SO Worth IT!
I Love that you get to be at this stage now!! I've been waiting!!
You ladies are the best ... keep it coming if you still want to respond! I am soaking it all in!
ReplyDeleteShelly - you are awesome and yes we will take any extras off your hands ... the only issue is logistics. Not sure what our visiting plans are. I might come to CA in early August (just me) but I might be flying ... but perhaps i can just check the car seat? we shall see if it will work. As for the jumper ... we can grab that at Christmas time if that's okay!
Yay!
1) Just something to consider...the new recommendation for infants in car seats say you should leave the kid rear facing until they are TWO! The previous guideline was 20lbs and 1 year. So by the old guideline up to 22lbs is fine (and no you won't want to lug them in the carrier once they get about 6 months old and up) but, if you are going to leave them in that rear facing infant seat for 2 years you may need the bigger weight limit. Rear-facing until age 2 is not a law yet, so maybe you will still turn your kid at a year. I turned both mine at 1 year. For reference Annabelle is about 26-27lbs and she just turned two. She was in the 52nd percentile at her 18 month check up.
ReplyDeleteHere's a website to check out http://www.nhtsa.gov/
2)My friend uses bum genius. www.bumgenius.com/
She thinks they are awesome, but it is pricey to start out. She said plan on spending 200-300 ish dollars getting all the diapers and inserts. So maybe for the first 6 months or so its a wash, but after that she said she saves a lot of money over disposables. I never got over the starting price, so I never went for it. I guess I didn't have the long term vision she did.
3)I love having a baby swing. Most will fold some so you can store it in a closet when the baby is too big or no longer needs it. They still are kind of bulky its true, but I would really consider getting one. When you need to get something else done besides holding baby they can be lifesavers. Or sometimes they will rock the baby to sleep for you (I know, now you think "but I'll always want to rock my baby to sleep myself" but trust me, some days you will just be too worn out!)
4)I have a walker that I got at a thrift store for Jimmie. I've loved it. It was $5 and needed a lot of cleaning up but it was so worth it because I saw the exact same thing for $50 at Walmart. Mine folds down so again, though its still kind of bulky, at least it is compressible enough to fit in our closet when not in use. I liked it because the kid was happy sitting in it or walking around the kitchen while I made dinner. Just beware if you have stairs in your house.
Thanks for the diaper suggestion Kate ... and all the other input ... it is very appreciated.
ReplyDeleteBen here- just a few thoughts about diapers:
ReplyDelete1. Infant poop is gross. It is like chunky mustard. They blow it out all over their clothes more often than you think they should. You will be required to scrub their clothes after those blowouts. I cannot imagine having to do that every single time, multiple times a day.
2. Newborn diapers are tiny. You get more in a pack than you do with the bigger sizes. For example, the same $49.99 at Costco will buy you either 258 size 2 diapers or 200 size 4 diapers. (That's $.06 more per diaper) Point is, diapers get more expensive the older your kid is, so it might be worth considering disposable diapers until the kid starts dropping dookies you can just dump out of the diaper and flush instead of scrubbing/suppressing your gag reflex for the first 6 months.
I agree with the others, don't bother with a travel system if you might be having another baby soon. You can do the snap and go, then an umbrella stroller when they grow out of the car seat(the nice chicco one we got was only $60 new) and then you can save up for a nice double stroller. If I could do it all over again, that is the #1 thing I would do differently.
ReplyDeleteBen - always a pleasure hearing from you and the real side of life! And you make a good point about little diapers.
ReplyDeleteYou ladies make good points about double strollers ... i think i will go pretty low-key on the stroller, but i can't jump into the double right out ... i don't want to jinx myself! i need to get through birthing this one before i jump into having two babies :)
Hi! I'm Maria's sister--we've never met, but she's pointed me in your direction because I LOVE my cloth diapers. I will tell you what I know and then you can make a better decision.
ReplyDelete1. Myth: you have to scrub your diapers before you wash them. You don't have to. If the poop is solid enough then you shake it off into the toilet and then wash the diaper like normal. (FYI you're supposed to do that with disposable diapers to help them degenerate faster and not put feces into the trash pits.)
All you do to wash them is load up your diapers and covers, and then put them in a rinse cycle and add about a cup of vinegar and then wash them in a sanitary cycle with half as much detergent you would use and about a fourth a cup of baking soda.
2. There are diaper inserts and covers. We love the Thirsties brand of cover and then just use the basic Chinese cotton prefold. Chinese prefolds last a little bit better than Indian prefolds. For a prefold, if you want to use them, make sure that they are 4-8-4. This means that there are four layers, eight layers, and then four layers across the diaper.
If you use an all-in-one diaper they have their own insert and you don't use the prefold. Other brands may have their own inserts, so look around.
We like the cover and the prefold because if the cover doesn't get poop on it, you can use it again, until it's poopy. The wetness drys out of it pretty fast and then you don't need as many. Thirsties are on the upper end of cloth diapers, but the prefolds are as cheep as you can get.
There are no pins or any type of fastiner with our cloth diapers. The diaper cover has velcro on it and you use the velcro like a disposable diaper. All you need to do is fold the prefold and then attach the diaper. Easy-peasy.
3. It's cheeper by a ton. The cloth diapers pay for themselves by the end of the first baby and by the second they are free! I don't struggle with the poop or the extra laundry. We wash our diapers every 2-3 days. We keep the soiled diapers in a 5 gallon bucket with a gamma ray seal lid in the bathroom and when it's full we wash.
4. My two boys are the kings of blowouts. We use disposable diapers when we travel and they blow out of every disposable diaper. Our covers have an elastic around the top and it keeps the poop in. This feature is what I feel in love with.
5. Diapers are easy to travel with. When we go to friends, church, around town I just carry a few extra and then a grocery bag for the dirty diapers. (There are tons of cute bags that you can then wash, but I'm too cheep to buy a cute fabric bag with a wet liner when a grocery bag works just as well.)
6. I love my diapers. Let me know if you have more questions or if you want to see pictures of them.
I just thought of two other thoughts as I went to change a diaper before nap time.
ReplyDelete1. The cloth diaper is a bit bulker and you will grow out of clothes a little bit faster. Our second son is in 12 month clothes at 6 months old and is in them probably about a pound lighter than they normally would fit due to the diaper. (He is a big, there is no denying it.) This is the only down side that I can think of.
2. My two year old son pretty much potty trained himself at 22 months old because he didn't like poopy diapers or wet diapers. He has a few accidents, but not many. Our friends have told me that his experience was like potty training a girl. They also accredit it to the cloth diapers. I don't know since it's my first. I can let you know in about 18 months if the second son starts potty training himself.
One last thing: I get it all the time, scrubbing poop. You only scrub poop out of clothes because you don't want stains. I NEVER scrub it out of my cloth diapers. Who really cares if there's a little stain? It's a diaper.
ReplyDeleteI don't scrub poop because the diaper takes care of the blow out issue. If I had to scrub poop out of the diapers I don't think I would do it. Cloth diapers don't require scrubbing.
(This is the number one question I get all the time. "Don't you scrub the poop out?" No. I don't.)
One other thing--if you want to do cloth diapers make sure that Nate is in on it too. It's not worth marital strain. My husband wants to make sure that you guys decide together. If you lived in Indiana, we would let you borrow some of ours to see if you wanted to start it out, but we make sure that both parents are in on it because we don't want to be the reason for marital dispute.
I think I'm done now. Sorry that I put so many comments on your blog as a stranger.
Last thing: I don't scrub poop out of diapers! Not necessary!
So I totally commented on this post but I don't see my comment?? Did you get it? Hope so! It wasn't super enlightening or anything so I won't try and re create it, mostly I agreed with "busy mama" on most of it. Miss you! Loves!
ReplyDeleteMaria's Sister - THANK YOU! That is so nice of you to comment and share your wisdom. I will be in touch as I get closer to actually having this baby in the fall.
ReplyDeleteLindsey ... I didn't get your comment :( boo! but i will count busy momma's twice!
Thanks again everyone!