Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best finds here!!

[qtiekiki]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

LV
Just FYI, that don't usually have the A+A swaddling blankets in store at BRU. At least that had been my experience with the five different BRU that I've been to. So people might not be able to pick them up at the store.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Thanks for the heads-up, qtiekiki. I will be sure to register in-store and will hope they have them, but I won't be surprised if they don't! So far, I am going to register for the Sleep Sheep and the Itzbeen timer (which I read about on here. ) I'm hoping they have the ultimate crib sheet in the store. So, that's three things so far!

What about bottles? I thought I was all set to go with Dr. Brown's. That's an easy thing to register for, but does anyone use glass these days?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

LV, I think I've seen the A&A in my local BRU so it really could just be a locational thing. Also, they do have the Ultimate Crib Sheet, Itzbeen and sleep sheep in the store as well.

I believe Dr. Brown makes BPA-free bottles now, but I did just see the glass versions at Homegoods/TJ Max. A box of 2 for $7 if I recall correctly.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

LV- another vote for the A+A swaddling blankies- they're the BEST! I cannot offer advice regarding their availability online or instore at BRU as ours came from Target- but they're ONLY available online, not in the store. And note that our package featured step by step directions on how to swaddle, so no need for a DVD!

I just picked up a Miracle Blanket just 'cause I was curious (and N has started to bust out of the regular swaddle). Although i can swaddle MUCH quicker just using the A+A blankie, the Miracle Blanket does contain him- for now.

 

[qtiekiki]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Viz
We have a diplomat and a blvd. The only differences between the two are weight and height limits, and the harness guards (diplomat doesn't have them). Both of them are supposed to be rethreading, but the straps are definitely easier to adjust in the diplomat. Jaron is currently using the diplomat.

LV
Yes it's very likely that it depends on the buyer for the store rather the BRU carries A+A. I just mentioned it as a head-up. I live in L.A. area If that makes a difference.

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Most Moms I know who plan to BF used Born Free bottles since the flow is supposed to be the slowest so I guess more 'generally' like a real nipple. We got a few of those as gifts but we used Avent mostly...which we still use. I just removed the anti colic system from the BF so we could just use them like regular bottles and then poked holes in the smaller nipples.

I got my A&A online at BRU in their clearance, they had some great deals that day!!!

 

[gingerB]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

found sunshine kids radian 65for ~$160, which i think is a good deal? any thoughts on this seat vs the various britax seats?

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

ginger i think a page or two back CC or someone was asking about the radian vs britax. from what i have read online it's recommended by a lot of moms, very slim i believe?

 

[cara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Can someone recommend a newborn carrier? We have been gifted an ergo sport, but IIRC the newborn insert for the ergo is not-so-highly recommended. Not sure I am up for the wrapping complexities of the Moby wrap, but am willing to be persuaded. Any thoughts?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Cara, Have you decided what to do about the newborn carrier yet? I'd love to hear about the Moby Wrap too. Any fans here? I picked one up on CL from my new CL mom friend, but have yet to delve into the manual for wrapping instructions . . . Per the on-line reviews, everyone seems to love it!

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

i had a peanut shell but J hated it and i did too, it just didn't feel right and he didn't like he was like shoved into this thing like a peapod. then again he never liked to 'fold happily into a ball' for anything, so we ditched the wrap thing and just went with the bjorn which he loved. he'd fall asleep in it.

now we have an ergo and we haven't really used it but people seem to love it. we plan to graduate to it soon.

 

[qtiekiki]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

I used a mei tai carrier when My kids were newborns.

 

[Pandora II]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

I'm giving my sister slings as a gift for her 3rd and will give her a Mei Tai, but possibly something smaller and softer for the newborn stage like a 'Close'. I'd happily use a Moby or a Tricotti Slen but I'm not sure she'd be up for the fiddling around.

I had a Bjorn, but hated it and it was no good for baby-wearing round the house which was what I really needed as it was so bulky.

LV - I use/d Tommee Tippee's 'Closer to Nature' that are kind of boob shaped. They're BPA free and also super-easy to clean. I think a few others have used them and liked them. I almost never needed to burp Daisy and she never had problems with spit-up or colic or reflux or anything of that sort.

Don't buy too many of any one sort of swaddling blanket or indeed too many swaddling blankets - I had a load of gorgeous ones and D was impossible to swaddle, she got out of them within seconds... even 2 midwives who didn't believe me had a go and couldn't get her swaddled, so I gave them all away.

 

[cellososweet]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

I am the hugest Moby wrap fan ever! I love love love them and have figured out my own holds too which is great when he falls asleep on my shoulder.

Now that he's heavier, we use a MeiTei (babyhawk) when we're out, but we still Moby it to get him to sleep sometimes. Besides our stroller (City Mini), the Moby was our best baby buy!

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Pandora did you ever try the Miracle Blanket? just curious because J was a total houdini and could get out of everything (eventually even MB) but when we wrapped him up tight in that MB he just could not get out. then he'd succumb to sleep immediately after a few minute of futile struggles. HA!

 

[Pandora II]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Pandora did you ever try the Miracle Blanket? just curious because J was a total houdini and could get out of everything (eventually even MB) but when we wrapped him up tight in that MB he just could not get out. then he'd succumb to sleep immediately after a few minute of futile struggles. HA!

I didn't have a Miracle Blanket, but I had a Kiddopotamus which looking at the videos is very similar. Also had Bug in a Rug, A&A, and a couple of other things I was lent. She always managed to get her feet out of the pouch bit and then work her hands out the top. It needed 2 people just to get her in to it in the first place.

She's always been a side-sleeper so she didn't wake herself up with her arms or anything like back sleepers do so I gave up the fight.

Weirdly for the last 8 months or so the best way to get her to sleep in the evenings is to hold her really tightly so she can't move arms or legs - basically swaddled by me...

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

we had the Kiddopotamus too I think--or made it was the Swaddle Me. anyway he totally broke out of it in a few minutes. the MB didn't have velcro so it relied on your own strength to pull it tight and sometimes i swear i was thinking 'can he breathe' but my friend said that was normal and then he'd sleep 10 hours with it so i figured he was fine. after seeing how he could break out of everything else now the one thing i always get moms is the MB!

we swaddled him for fun in an A&A the other day and funnily enough he stayed in it and just stared at us for like 5 min. but wow it was a big burrito.

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Hey Moms... Gilt is having a Stroll in Style sale starting today, Mac Laren, Bugaboo, and Phil and Teds are all included as well as JJ Cole and some other stuff for strollers.

 

[Laila619]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Hi everyone!

Moms, would you say a Pack 'N Play is really essential, or can I skip it? Also, what do you use it for? I'm trying to decide if this is a must have or not. I don't want to go nuts with baby gear. Thanks!!

 

[fieryred33143]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Hi everyone!

Moms, would you say a Pack 'N Play is really essential, or can I skip it? Also, what do you use it for? I'm trying to decide if this is a must have or not. I don't want to go nuts with baby gear. Thanks!!

It was a must have for us given our circumstances.

First, we travel every other month to my mom's house so we use the PNP so she will have a place to sleep. I also travel for work and sometimes they will join me. If the hotel doesn't have a crib, we'll bring the PNP.

Second, MIL used to take care of her. Up until she was 8 months old, MIL used that for her naps.

We still use it for traveling but at home, we use it as a safe place to put her in while we use the restroom or if we can't watch her (for ex., we don't like to have her in the kitchen with us while we are cooking because it is so small and there's really no space for her to play).

 

[MustangGal]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

I do own a PNP, but it stays at daycare as a place for my LO to nap. I've never really had it at my house. My mom has one at her place so I don't have to take mine when we go visit (4 hours away). You could probably not buy one to start, and pick one up later if you find you need it.

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

My Mom had a PNP for her house (functioned as his crib/hangout/etc) for when he visited, but we never had one here. Our house is small enough that we didn't need one--we had enough other places for him to hang out/chill etc. But now that he is mobile, we just got one this wkd (at 7mo!) because we need a safe place for him to hang out that isn't his crib. Before we could just put him in his swing or his bouncer or even on his playmat and he'd be fine. But now he's cruisin' pretty quickly so he's not safe anywhere for more than 10 seconds. And he was starting to hate being put his crib for a few minutes just so we could go to the bathroom or whatever. So we got a $39 Costco PNP as the 'corral' for when we need him to stay where we put him.

Depends on your situ...we got along for 7mo without one!

 

[Pandora II]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

I have a PnP, but we use it as a 'time out' place now and when she was smaller I used it as somewhere to put her if I needed her in something safe for 10 minutes or so.

I tried putting her to sleep in one a couple of times in hotels but it didn't go down well and she just ended up in with us. For travelling I did use the mini-Arm's Reach co-sleeper until she was nearly 5 months.

 

[Mara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

the PNP as a time out is a GREAT idea Pandora. i think we will totally use that one. it's a small one too.

 

[Laila619]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Thanks ladies re: PnP!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Bumpity bump

 

[lovelylulu]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

i know these questions were posted a while back, but:

Bottles:

We use Tommee Tippee's 'Closer to Nature' bottles. They only have a bottle, ring and nipple, not million-part setup, but the nipple has a little valve that helps with gas. love them.

Carriers:

I highly recommend the maya wrap - it's an adjustable ring sling and the baby k'tan. For when our baby is older, we'll likely use an ergo for more support.

 

[cara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

OK, my carrier report.

We ended up buying the Moby wrap and just going ?!? for awhile. Yes it is a big thing of cloth that you wrap around yourself somehow. Hubs and I both tried it out when the baby was a wee floppy newborn, and couldn't get the baby oriented in a way where we felt secure with his head positioning when he was only 1-2 weeks old. I should try again now that he is 4 weeks old and has a bit more muscle tone everywhere - I think it will do a little better but thus far it is unused.

But we needed a newborn carrier! We ended up buying the newborn insert for our ergo, and have used it a fair bit for hikes and walks already and it works well. Mainly my husband wears it - I have done a little bit, but for some reason the weight balance is not super-comfortable for me for longer walks yet (ie, more than 2 miles). My hips protest. This is probably not an ergo issue, but rather I'm still getting my body back together from pregnancy. Though I have done better wearing a backpack (not with the baby in it!) Husband says the ergo is pretty comfy overall and we've had several 5+ mi days.

The big issue is heat with the newborn insert, since its basically like your child wearing a puffy 3-sides sleeping bag and strapping the whole thing (baby + insulation) to your chest while exersizing (if you are wearing the ergo while walking/hiking.) You need to be careful not to overheat your child, and I'd probably say that for actual outdoor exertion it probably shouldn't be used if the ambient temps are in the 80s or higher. Even in the 60-70s you need to keep an eye on things, take the baby out periodically to cool off/check temp. And the baby-wearer needs to be aware they are wearing a heater on their chest! But for our purposes it has worked well, provided the weather is cool enough. And baby Silas loved it - wrapped up nice and warm, strapped to a nice human chest, and a good deal of bouncy-bouncy from walking would put him right to sleep. Just like in the car and stroller, he will occasionally squawk if his ride is stationary for too long, but otherwise loves it.

 

[turtledazzle]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

OK, my carrier report.

We ended up buying the Moby wrap and just going ?!? for awhile. Yes it is a big thing of cloth that you wrap around yourself somehow. Hubs and I both tried it out when the baby was a wee floppy newborn, and couldn't get the baby oriented in a way where we felt secure with his head positioning when he was only 1-2 weeks old. I should try again now that he is 4 weeks old and has a bit more muscle tone everywhere - I think it will do a little better but thus far it is unused.

But we needed a newborn carrier! We ended up buying the newborn insert for our ergo, and have used it a fair bit for hikes and walks already and it works well. Mainly my husband wears it - I have done a little bit, but for some reason the weight balance is not super-comfortable for me for longer walks yet (ie, more than 2 miles). My hips protest. This is probably not an ergo issue, but rather I'm still getting my body back together from pregnancy. Though I have done better wearing a backpack (not with the baby in it!) Husband says the ergo is pretty comfy overall and we've had several 5+ mi days.

The big issue is heat with the newborn insert, since its basically like your child wearing a puffy 3-sides sleeping bag and strapping the whole thing (baby + insulation) to your chest while exersizing (if you are wearing the ergo while walking/hiking.) You need to be careful not to overheat your child, and I'd probably say that for actual outdoor exertion it probably shouldn't be used if the ambient temps are in the 80s or higher. Even in the 60-70s you need to keep an eye on things, take the baby out periodically to cool off/check temp. And the baby-wearer needs to be aware they are wearing a heater on their chest! But for our purposes it has worked well, provided the weather is cool enough. And baby Silas loved it - wrapped up nice and warm, strapped to a nice human chest, and a good deal of bouncy-bouncy from walking would put him right to sleep. Just like in the car and stroller, he will occasionally squawk if his ride is stationary for too long, but otherwise loves it.

Cara -- a very timely and helpful post for me. I also couldn't get the Moby to work for me, and have decided that I will almost certainly be getting the Ergo. I'm curious -- did you get the original Ergo or one of the newer models? The newest one, the Performance http://www.ergobabycarriers.com/babycarriers/category/performance/,, is supposed to be cooler, but I've been reading that there are, as with everything, pros and cons to all of the models when making a choice. I need to get out this weekend and try them in person.

Oh, and kudos to you for going on 2+ mile walks and hikes by 4 weeks. That's great!

 

[cara]

Re: Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best

Turtledazzle, we got the ergo sport as my hubs and I are taller people and it's designed to fit bigger people a little better than the regular. Plus it is supposed to be lighter/cooler. The performance wasn't out last spring, otherwise we probably would have gotten it as I like the look. However, when used with the newborn insert whether you use the ergo regular or ergo sport or ergo performance is probably not that relevant. The insert is basically like a three sided sleeping bag for your baby where the open side puts the baby against the big person's chest. Baby will be warm, no way around it! Once we graduate from needing the newborn insert maybe the sport version will be noticeably cooler ( not that we have the nonsport version to compare with or anything.)