lurking on my blog.. not leaving comments. :)
please let me know things that you think i should register for, things i should forgo, things i can't live without, and things that are nice to have that i probably haven't thought about.
i appreciate the help!
8 comments:
I assume you've decided on going with the Graco Snugride since I saw the base on your registry. Are you needing a second base? One comes with the seat/travel system if you buy it new. We have two and the second one rarely gets used.
yeah... i thought i registered for an extra base... (at some point we will have a second car! :) but if yours fits that'd be awesome!
A bumbo seat. My aunt had one for my cousin and she LOVES it! It's not for a newborn but when they start to sit up it's a good little seat and a lot of people take them when they go out to eat as a booster seat. I got one for Clayton and Ayesha when they had A.J. and they really seemed to like it too. Maybe that will be our gift for you guys if you ever come back to Arkansas!
The Evenflo Triumph Advance is the best carseat, hands down. (It's a convertible carseat, it EXCEEDS the rating on any other carseat. It got "excellent" ratings on all its safety and crash test ratings with consumer reports, and isn't that the point anyway?) Anyhow, that thing fits like a glove. SOOOO safe. We had a Graco Snugride type one before (the stroller/carseat combo) and that thing wobbled all over our car. Made me feel REALLY uncomfortable about putting her in it. I actually had bunjee cords helping to strap it down and keep it in place so it didn't wobble so much. So we bought the convertible one I mentioned above. It goes from 5 pounds to 50 pounds, rear-facing and front-facing, and we'll never need to buy a toddler seat, only a booster when she turns like 7 or something. It's about $140 and worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY. I suggest that you also buy a cheap infant carrier carseat, or get a used one at a garage sale, that you can keep in the trunk just for lugging the baby around in. But in my experience, those things just aren't HALF as safe (while riding in the car) as the Evenflo Triumph Advance, and I will never ever put my child in another in the car.
We didn't use the infant carrier nearly as much with Maezie because now I've turned into a hippie and firmly believe in babyWEARING, not babycarrying. (hee hee) Speaking of which, you need a SleepyWrap. WORTH EVERY PENNY. It will even fit someone with a bra size of 55QQQ. So I think you'll be fine. It also keeps prying hands from touching your newborn baby. Everyone at Wal-Mart seems to think they have the right to reach over and touch your newborn's face/hair/hands/feet when they see them in the car carrier thing.
Other things you need from Target:
*Bumbo seat, with a tray. Insanely useful.
*Papasan chair or other "bouncy seat" to place the baby in. Ours had vibration on it and Maezie was really soothed by that. I could strap her in and then carry the whole contraption outside to sit on the patio while I weeded the garden.
*Triple Paste diaper rash cream. A large tub is about $17. Worth every penny. Both my kids battled diaper rash during their first few weeks as they adjusted to drinking milk and such.
*Pampers Swaddlers diapers. They are the BEST, hands down. I've tried them all. They fit the best, are the softest, and have a little layer that absorbs really well to keep wetness off of your little Wren's tushie.
*Pampers Sensitive wipes. Again, tried them all, they're the best.
*Medela Pump-in-Style double electric breastpump. Expensive, yes. Hospital grade. Worth every penny on those nights when you're engorged right at the beginning.
*BeBe Sounds Angelcare Movement Sensor Monitor. It's a sound monitor like normal baby monitors and a movement sensor at the same time. About $75-$80 last I checked. It sounds an alarm if your baby quits moving for 20 seconds (it has varying degrees of sensitivity and detects breathing!) and ours saved Kyleigh's life TWICE. I kid you not. Possibly the single most important purchase. Not sure if you can get it at Target, but I THINK you can. You might have to look elsewhere.
*A rocking chair of some sort. Whether it's a rocker-recliner like I've got, or just a regular rocking chair, there will be some long nights you will spend rocking in that thing, so make sure it's comfy! It's very useful!!
*A pack'n'play/bassinet combo thing would be good. Let me see if I can find a link, and then you can read why I think it would be good, down a bit lower. Something like this : http://www.target.com/Graco-Pack-Play-Safari-Sun/dp/B001V8MTBI/sr=1-3/qid=1243035601/ref=sr_1_3/186-9948423-1373140?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Apack%20and%20play&page=1
On cribs, highchairs, crib bedding, bassinets, etc : Get whatever you like that is COMFORTABLE. We're hippies now, like I said earlier, so we co-sleep or have the bassinet right next to my side of the bed for the first several months of life. A bassinet was VERY important to us. I wasn't ready to move Maezie out of our room when she was too big for the bassinet, so then I put her in the pack'n'play in our room. They actually make extra mattresses and sheets for those things, which made it more comfy for her.
*And don't register for too many blankets. Everybody and their gerbil will be buying you blankets when they hear you have a new baby.
If I can think of anything else, I'll let you know. :)
haha! thanks laura! actually the graco snugride accidentally passed the consumer crash test at over 70mph.(the test was supposed to simulate 48mph or something- they had to pull the results because they messed up on the speeds.) it was the only one to stay on it's base. i think we're going to be lazy and go with the travel system. (though i still plan on "wearing wren"... i don't know how many times i was out with my sister and wished we had a sling or wrap for connor!)
on an outrageous note did you know the federal requirements for car seats are only to pass a test at 35mph?!!! i was shocked!
i didn't see you seeing me! :-)
I have the Graco Travelset--LOVE it. I have the Melbourne pattern, it got discontinued right when I went to buy it (it's the same pattern as the high chair you got me) so I had to search for it online. So easy--and you don't need a 2nd base--you can use the carseat with out it. Lori was kind enough to inform us of this, b/c we were about to buy another base, but ended up not doing that now.
I second the bumbo recommendation. Caden has just started using his in the last couple of weeks and loves it--you'll also want a swing and bouncy chair of some kind. Caden lives in both of his--when he gets cranky we put his swing on the patio and he instantly calms down.
Don't register for "little things" like pacis, blankets, etc...ppl will get you plenty of those (and Wren may be like Caden and not even able to USE the pacis!)
Don't register for too many "later on" items (sippy cups, baby dishes, etc) because it'll be months before they use them and it's just that much extra stuff to keep on hand. I have a couple of each to use and I figure a sippy cup is just a few bucks--I'll buy them when Caden's ready.
Pampers have been the best diapers, hands down. If you do use them, there are codes inside the diapers AND wips (or on the packaging) that you enter at pampers.com for points (it's the Gifts to Grow program) and redeem for toys, gift cards, etc--it's great. I didn't find out about it till about 6 wks ago so I missed out on a ton of pts, but I already have a lot just from a few weeks.
The munchkin brand bottle warmer is a must--even if you're going to be BF'ing for a long time, you might need to heat your milk up if you freeze it. It's about $20 but worth every penny. They also have a car warmer you can get for about $15.
Don't register for a bottle sterilizer--you can just put them in the dishwasher on a hot wash.
The sleepy wrap Laura mentioned is great--Caden stands no chance in it--he falls right to sleep.
One last thing...a humidifier. Babies don't know how to breathe through their mouths at first so if they get a stuffy nose it's extra hard for them to breathe. Caden got one (allergies) when he was about 5 wks or so, and the humidifer cleared it right up. It's also great for some white noise at night to help them sleep.
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