Thursday, December 17, 2009

Registering for Baby Items

Matt and I had some free time last night so we decided to start registering for things at Target. What an overwhelming experience! Looking at bottles, we had five different brands to choose from…then we had to decide what ‘type’ of bottle we wanted. Different kinds of pacifiers, cups, diapers, formula…and the list goes on. For the most part, we figured it out. However, there were a few things that we decided we needed to research some more. So, I’m coming to the blog world to hear your thoughts on some of the following items. Brands, types...your thoughts are welcome!

  • High Chair
  • Baby Monitors
  • Stroller
  • Car Seats
Help this new Momma out! ;)

14 comments:

  1. Hey Anne,
    Here are some things that Brooke really liked when she was first born.

    -A Bouncy/Vibrating Chair. This is a MUST!
    -I love our Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. It just attaches to the chair and saves so much room.
    -I got the Graco traveling system that includes the car seat & base, and the stroller. I found it at a garage sale for an awesome price. You might check on Craigslist. Now though I want to get her an umbrella stroller so that it isn't so big.
    -She liked the swing until she was about 4 months. I think any swing works, but the one we used went back and forth and sideways.
    -We tried all the diaper brands too: Huggies, Pampers, Generic, but we found that Luvs work the best for us. We had several leaks in all the other brands.

    This is all I can think of for now. Once I remember other things I will let you know. I am so excited for you.

    -Addie

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  2. Hey Anne!!

    First of all....just remember to be careful not to open up all the bottles/pacifiers/cups/etc...I'd try them out first. Some kids will take ANYTHING...some are VERY PICKY. I thought people made it up when they said their baby "preferred" a certain brand or something, but then I had babies...and found out that Kenzie would ONLY take Nuk pacifiers and bottles. Ryken liked Medela bottles. SOO...trying ONE instead of one of the huge packs was nice so that if people got the big packs I could take them back and get what I really needed :)

    OK....now for your items of question:
    *High Chair: We have the Fisher Price Space Saver high chair and LOVE it (we actually have 2). I love that it isn't taking up extra room since it is on a chair we already have. Plus it is fairly easy to take with us for short weekend trips.

    *Monitor: We just went with a normal Fisher Price Sounds & Lights monitor and it has worked fine. We're thinking about getting a video monitor just because the twins will be in the same room with Kenzie and Ryken and we want to make sure that the kids aren't getting in the crib and squashing the babies..lol. But the standard Fisher Price has worked great so far....

    *Carseat: We are HUGE Graco fans for carseats. ALL of the carseats we have gotten have been Graco. Personally...I liked getting the Snugride for an infant (goes up to 22lbs I think) They have the safeseat which goes up to a higher weight, but I didn't really want them in a carrier anymore once they got to around 20lbs. We LOVE the Graco MyRide65 for the 2nd carseat. Technically...you can JUST get the MyRide65...as it works from newborns to 65lbs. But I really liked having my newborns in a carrier...much easier since they sleep A LOT, especially in the car (so you don't have to take them in/out of the carseat while they're sleeping). But the MyRide rearfaces until 40lbs which is really important to us since we feel rearfacing is a lot safer. And it forward faces to 65lbs (which is when they are like 6 or 7 years old?!?!) It has really good sides on it for when they fall asleep, too. Anyway...I don't know if that is something you'd register for or not...you could. But if not at least keep it in mind!

    *Stroller- we got the Graco Metrolight Travel System (the stroller and carseat w/base) and I really liked it. The stroller was smaller/lighter than other travel systems but was still good quality. It had cupholders and a small basket and our kids always seemed comfortable it in. I had friends with the regular Graco travel systems too, and they liked theirs, it just depends on how bulky you want it. :)

    Obviously, I am biased since these are the things I have and I have enjoyed them and they worked well! It really helps to look at reviews and figure out which features seem important to you and which ones you really don't care about and then decide from there!! But it is VERY overwhelming! So excited for your BABY GIRL : ) (Sorry about the NOVEL I just wrote...I am bad a being "brief"..lol)

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  3. I just read Addie's comments and the diapers are a funny thing.....we tried all the brands too and Huggies work the best for us. I have really decided it is the shape of the baby!! Because Huggies are the ONLY ones we haven't had leaks in, but it seems that all different people SWEAR by different brands. So that might be an area you'll have to see about when the baby comes! : )

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  4. So....disclaimer: this is just my opinions from my own experiences. :o) Every baby and mom is different so take what you want and leave what you don't. :o) Okay, so here is MY list of MUST-HAVES for new moms!!
    1. Boppy pillow with washable cover(even if you're not breastfeeding it becomes a great learn-how-to-sit tool!)
    2. The most comfortable rocking chair and ottoman you can find. Many long nights make this a requirement! :o)
    3. Baby Bjorn carrier (I did try a sling with both of mine but didn't have a lot of success!)
    4. Deluxe stroller with cargo space and cup holder for coffee :o)
    5. Small umbrella stroller for convenience trips
    6. Bumbo seat (I really like the one with a tray so you can use it for feeding before she can support herself and the tray keeps the food from getting all over)
    7. Nursing cover for nursing in public if you want to! bebeaulait.com - they are cute and convenient!
    8. Baby-sized nail clippers
    9. Perfume-free laundry detergent (Tide Free or Dreft) - newborns have such sensitive skin!
    10. Disposable cloth diapers - we used these daily for spit-up!
    11. "What to Expect the First Year" book - I consult it at least once a week still! It's the baby bible!
    11. A stationary entertainer
    12. A bouncy seat - definitely need somewhere to put her when you can't carry her!
    13. A swing (Nolan hated it but Sully would spend hours in it!)



    Other random thoughts:
    - I tried every brand of diaper there was and settled on Pampers for both my boys - more expensive than some other brands, but very very soft and anti-blowout. :o) Both our boys had reactions to Huggies! It was weird...
    - We found that with bottles, cups, etc., we didn't need the expensive ones. The cheapest ones worked totally fine. But for pacifiers - we found that the ones with the "stickier" yellow nipples tended to fall out of the mouth less than the slippery clear plastic ones.
    - Infant Tylenol does a better job at releiving teething pain than Motrin in our experience.
    - We had two sets of monitors from Safey First that crapped out so I would not recommend that brand

    Also, my list of things that you really don't need:
    - A bassinet
    - Tons of blankets
    - Stuffed animals - have not really met a baby yet that likes them.

    I'm sure I'll think of more soon!!

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  5. Ha ha!! Just read the other comments...looks like you are on your own with the diapers!! :o)

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  6. hey anne.. sorry i had trouble getting on here earlier so i left my info as a message in your facebook inbox.. hope thats ok!
    and yes.. the others are right... you probably better decided on the diapers yourself after a little trial and error! :) good luck and congrats! love kesha

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  7. Make sure you register for older kid items..sippy cups, bowls, spoons, toddler items. I wish I would have been thinking past the baby stage because we needed so much when Miles got to the feeding food stage and beyond!

    Heather

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  8. Anne,
    We have two baby monitors. One is a Fisher Price monitor that we think has a little too much feedback, but other than that, it is great. The other one is a Safety First monitor. We thought that we liked it because it had no feedback, but then realized that it has to be plugged in all the time because the battery only lasts a tiny amount of time. It uses 9v batteries, and we were changing it once a week. It was crazy. So make sure to get one that doesn't need 9v batteries, or you'll have to stock up on batteries!

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  9. If you're looking at car seats, I strongly recommend considering Britax. They're more expensive but the safest out there. We have 2 for the boys and just bought a Britax booster.

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  10. I have a lot of Eddie Bauer stuff. Although it is all VERY cute, I don't like how heavy the carseat/carrier is, and I don't really like the straps on their convertible carseat.

    I suggest the Playtex Vent-Air bottles.

    When our son first started eating cereal and baby food, we got a Bumbo seat because it helped him sit up since he wasn't able to do it on his own yet.

    Try to get a crib mobile with lights and music for the baby to look at and fall asleep to.

    Wearable blankets are awesome! I definitely suggest using those!

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  11. Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions! They are so helpful!!

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  12. Hi Anne,
    Here is what we used:
    -Bottles: I like the playtex drop-ins because they make cleaning MUCH easier and faster because you only have to wash the nipples and just throw the bag away after you use it.
    -I would suggest some sort of a vibrating chair-Roman wouldn't sleep flat in a bed for the first month and so he slept in his vibrating chair during the night until he got used to laying flat-it also helped when he went through a spit up phase at the beginning.
    -We used the Graco travel system for his stroller and car seat. My suggestion for car seats is try carrying them around at the store and find the one that is most comfortable for you. They are all a little different and they get VERY heavy to carry so you want it to be comfortable! :)
    -I like the diaper genie because it helps keep the smells down better than a trash can with a lid.
    -Blankets with a stretchy material make swaddling a lot easier because you can make it tight and it is less likely to come undone.

    I hope that helps a little, I know you have a lot of suggestions. Good luck! :)
    -Kellsi

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  13. Hi Anne,
    You are wise and humble to ask for advice about baby things. Mamas so love to overload expecting mamas with advice! ;) Just thought I would offer one tip... When I was expecting my first baby (completely ignorant of ANYthing about caring for a baby!) I registered for a beautiful wooden Jenny Lind high chair. Someone gave me the good advice to return it and get a plastic one because you can wipe it down so easily! SO glad I did. The plastic one lasted through all 3 children and then I gave it to someone who ran a daycare--plenty of life in it. I'm thinking the wooden one would have given me fits trying to keep it clean. Enjoy your journey! :)

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  14. Hi! You don't know me - I found your blog through your mom's blog. Anyway, I love all things "baby" and new motherhood is just about the best thing in the whole world, so I thought I'd chime in! :)

    One of the best pieces of advice I got before my son was born was, "Your baby's only needs are: warm clothes, milk, and lots of human contact." This was so helpful for me to remember when I would start to feel bogged down by all the tremendous "stuff to buy" lists.

    The other thing that I just have to say is please consider leaving the baby's car seat in the car. That's where it belongs, afterall! Your baby will need to be near you, skin to skin, so leave that hunk of plastic in the car and hold your baby! (A baby carrier or sling will free up one of both of your arms.)

    Blessings to you and your husband and new little life!

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