Today on Kelly's Korner it is "Show us your life Friday" and today is Baby Gear. I know a few people here lately who have had babies or are going to have babies soon...so I thought I would share the things I liked and didn't like with both of my kids!
Things we liked
1. Boppy Pillow. If you are going to breastfeed a boppy pillow is an absolute must! I tell all of my patients that deliver and are going to be breastfeeding that they really need one. It is so important (especially in the beginning) to have the baby propped up on something while eating so that you are not straining to hold the baby while sitting there (sometimes for a long time!).
2. Hooter Hider. Again...if you are breastfeeding and ever want to go out in public, a nursing cover is a must. I did not have one of these with Taylor and anytime we were out somewhere and I nursed her, she would try to yank the blanket off of me and expose me to the world! But I decided I needed one with Liam and it was great! My mom actually made me one because I refused to pay 35 + dollars for one. And I have successfully made one since then (with a little help!)
3. Bassinet/Pack-n-Play. The APA recommends that a child sleep in the parents room for the first 6 months of life. This is to reduce the risk of SIDS. I loved having both Taylor and Liam in our room for those first months. It was so easy to just wake up, pull them in the bed with me, nurse them, and put them right back when they were done. I would make Will go change Taylor's diaper before she ate so I never even had to get out of bed! These also help when you go on vacation or go visit someone overnight. That way the baby has a safe place to sleep that they are comfortable in. We had the Graco TravelLite crib in pink for Taylor and in black for Liam (we borrowed that one from Kimberly though!). We also had a bigger one with Liam that had a changing table attached to it and we kept it in the living room and it was great to change him there without having to go back to the bedroom and it was good for him to take naps in.
4. Pampers Diapers. I admit it...I cannot stand Huggies diapers. I have tried them and I hate them. They leak, they aren't soft, and I just don't like them. I just love love love Pampers Swaddlers though. They are the softest diapers on earth! And while there are some stinkies that newborns make that no diaper in the world would hold in...these do a pretty good job most of the time. Now I use the Pampers Baby Dry with Liam and they work great and are a little cheaper than the Pampers Cruisers.
5. Travel Swing. I borrowed this from Melanie when Taylor was little. It was so nice to be able to carry it in the bathroom with me and put her in there while I took a shower.
6. Bouncy Seat. Now with Taylor we had one of those big nice pink bouncy seats that cradled her and was so soft and it was so expensive...and she hated it! She cried everytime we put her in it. It was awful. But with Liam we got one of those cheaper bouncy seats that is really really bouncy and he absoultely loved it. He would sit in it without fussing and it was great. So my philosophy on bouncy seats is that cheaper=better!
7. Graco Snugride Infant car seat and Travel System. Absolute must-have. I loved it. You could go from the car to the stroller to the house very easily. And me and Will both thought that this particular brand was very easy to carry...some of the others were kind of awkward.
8. Exersaucer. This was an absoulte lifesaver sometimes. Once a baby has head control...most of them love to sit in one of these. They are big and bulky...but well worth the size and money in my opinion.
9. Playtex Nurser bottles with drop-in liners. With Taylor I pumped all the time since I worked full-time and she was at daycare during those days. She loved these bottles and it was so easy to keep them clean. You really only had to wash the nipples and the rings. With Liam I didn't pump as much, but I did still work some and I would store the milk in the playtex drop-ins in the freezer (with the special lids) and then all Will had to do was drop on of those into a bottle and warm it up. They were great and I would highly recommend them.
10. Medela Pump-in-style Advanced. If you are going to be breastfeeding and pumping...there is no other pump to get. Period. It is the number one most recommended pump out there. I used it with both of my kids for a year while I was at work and was able to pump an ample amount of milk for them while we were away from each other. It cost a little bit up front, but I never had to buy formula for either one of my kids. So in comparision...it was well worth it!
Things we didn't like
1. Big Swing. Both of my kids hated the big swings. They wouldn't sit in them for anything. I am not sure why, because now everytime we go to the park they LOVE the swings. But anyways...I am glad we only borrowed one of these and didn't spend the money to buy one.
2. Walker. My pediatrician actually doesn't recommend using a walker. We borrowed one when Taylor was little and she refused to sit in it, much less try to walk in it. So again...I am glad that we didn't waste the money on buying one.
3. Bumbo seat. We didn't have one of these with Taylor and we had borrowed one with Liam, but he didn't like it. I know some babies love them, but mine just didn't
4. Diaper Genie. I never bought one of these, but in my opinion they are a waste of money. I mean you put all these dirty diapers in a pail and let them sit there and fester until they are so gross you can't even stand to empty the pail. I would just recommend putting a small trash can beside the changing table and taking the trash every few days. That is much cheaper and works a lot better in my opinion.
I have a lot more opinions on things...but this post is getting a little long. So I will stop. My best advice to someone needing to buy baby gear though is to just think practically and ask around. See what all your friends did and what worked for them and what didn't work for them. It can be very overwhelming sometimes to walk into Babies R Us and think..."oh my goodness do I really need all this stuff???" And even better...if you can borrow things from family or friends, it is just much better. That way if your baby hates the swing or hates the bouncy seat...you aren't out any money and can just return it to the owner. Borrowing is the best!
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