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I'm interested in what people answer too! ...but I can tell you what I've heard from other new parents since I've been picking their brains about this question. The products that people have raved about to me are the Ergo baby carrier and any kind of bouncy chair that you can get your hands on. Both of those items are on the top of our shopping list now.
Diapers: pampers swaddlers
Bottles: whatever works for your baby. avent and medela work well for us and most people we know. really, it's up to whatever your baby will take as long as it's bpa free.
Nursing bra: i prefer HotMilk. They are expensive, but they are stylish and functional. www.zulily.com often has them at 50% off. Also zulily has great deals on baby clothes as well.
We have a bumbleride stroller and a chico key fit car seat. Both are good. It's all a matter of personal preference.
My baby lifesavers are:
aden and anais swaddling cloths (because receiving blankets are only good for newborns and you'll want to swaddle baby at all sizes. plus it's muslin so baby can be swaddled and stay cool in the summer)
cloud b sleep sheep: because white noise does wonders at putting baby to sleep
a tiny love activity mat for the first 6 months. a baby einstein exer-saucer for 5 month until walking
we have both the ergo carrier and the baby bjorn. I like the bjorn for when baby was under 15lb and the ergo for when he was heavier. I wish the ergo would face out.
my favorite (disposable) diapers have definitely been huggies little snugglers. very similar to pampers swaddlers, but softer and stretchier imo.
i LOVE my beco gemini carrier, but i know carriers are all about personal preference.
i second aiden and anais blankets. i use the swaddle blankets to swaddle, as burp cloths, to cover him in his stroller during walks...basically everything. the muslin material is just great.
that's all i got! interested to see what others like!
We love our UppaBaby Vista and the Ergo Sport. My car has the Recaro ProRide Conver. seat in it and I really love it since the Graco Snugride SUCKED in terms of fit for any cars and I hated hauling that infant thing around. So annoying and heavy.
We use the MAM bottles and pacifiers (read about them from Mrs. DG) and he really does well with them.
Hate Huggies (way too many leaks) and Pampers Swaddlers 4 Life. Pampers are the best. We use the Costco wipes.
Vibrating bouncy chair is great. Not wild about the swing. Doesn't matter what brand of either.
Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. MAM bottles and pacifiers. Puj Tub. Nose Frieda. The miracle blanket (for those who are swaddling impaired, like my husband). A white noise machine like the sleep sheep.
How do you decide on a good car seat? Costco has the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite right now...and it seems fine, but what makes a good car seat? I have read a lot of reviews online, but it seems like everyone has horrible and amazing things to say about every single car seat.
@MissDareDevil: in terms of picking a car seat, Baby Bargains & Consumer Reports were both very helpful. And maybe going to a car seat class too.
ii was 19 and very very um...not finacially able to buy a thing for my son when he was born. Every thing was a hand me down. But I have to say he was WELL DRESSED! I am planning on TTC immeadiately following the wedding and even though I will have way more $ than I did the first time around I still plan on buying clothes at second hand stores. My experience was that 60% of the baby clothes there still had the tags on them and were being sold for 80%-90% off the original price.
One hand me down I got was one of those vibrating chairs. That was AWESOME.
Nosefrieda....way better than those nasal bulb aspirators they give you at the hospital. (Seriously, GET THIS!)
Muslin swaddle cloths. (Aden&Anais are good, but etsy has great ones too...and often cheaper)
Bouncy chair (we LOVE the Bjorn Babysitter). Simple and efficient.
Ergo (but agree it would be great if baby could face out). Bjorn Air for quick trips. Mine hurts my back for anything longer than 20 mins.
Angelcare breathing monitor (peace of mind for this paramoid momma)
Sleepers with ZIPPERS (Snaps at 2am suck)
Booginhead paci holder or wubbanubs (no more dropped pacis)
Snap&Go stroller frame. (We didn't need to upgrade to anything fancier until later...and this is really easy to hold)
Medela Steam Clean Bags (Hello! Easy!! I LOVE THESE)
Nipple cream. Lots of nipple cream.
Chicco Keyfit 30 carseat (The click system is easy and reliable). Getting an extra base is smart too. I hear Chicco is also gonna make their own version of the Snap&Go stroller frame.
Sunshine Kids UV white mesh stroller shade (sorry can't remember the official name). I use this all the time to keep baby cool during walks and keep strangers from touching baby
White noise machine (preferably one that can last all night long)
Sophie the Giraffe. (I think it's lie an overpriced dog topy, but my teething kiddo loves this)
Munchkin mesh feeders (again for teethers. My baby hates teething rings)
Play Gym (We have the Skip Hop tree one). Great for tummy time...but you don't NEEEED it.
Bravado nursing bras. Expensive, but you will be glad you spent the money in the end.
We waited on the swing and jumperoo until we could decide if our baby liked them first. Some kids don't. Also, our kiddo wasn't a sling baby, but I know many people swear by babywearing. Oh, and my advice is not to spend the money on a fancy diaper bag. A month in, I was already throwing the REAL essentials into a smaller, more user friendly bag.
I will also be looking into all the suggestions!
I think honestly you just have to research. Baby bargains, consumer reports and I also like babble because they have product reviews. Diff categories such has best if you had all the money in the world and best budget. You have to find the item that works in your budget and lifestyle. Ie I know a lot of the strollers that ate more 'popular' are in the $400+ range. No way can we afford or want to spend that much!
Its a daunting task but just start somewhere. I find going by category helps me. And most importantly go see the item in IRL!
Ill be interested to see if anyone mentions the budget picks I'm leaning towards! :)
GL!
When baby is a newborn, the essentials for us are blankets for swaddling. My mom made some nice big SQUARE blankets for me. She just hemmed 1 square yard of flannel. They were awesome! A paci was also great. My babies all liked the swing. We got one you could plug in. One thing I got with my third was a stroller frame for the carrier. That was probably the best purchase I made. When baby is bigger, I liked the bumbo with the tray, and also the jumparoo.
I found that there weren't that many things I HAD to have. But when I finally had a daughter I did develop an unhealthy addiction to HUGE hair thingies. My favorite had large feathers and bells.
We use Bum Genius Elemental cloth diapers. I love them, they're all in one, one size. They grow with her so we never have to buy another diaper, and they're all in one so they're easy peasy to use. Plus they're cute!
Chicco keyfit 30 Car seat and stroller. It's pretty easy to use. The strollar is bigger than I'd like, and I wish I would have gotten the matching diaper back b/c mine doesn't fit easily on the stroller.
We use Playtex drop ins for bottles. I have a love hate relationship with them. Love that they're easy to wash, but hate that it's such a waste and we're always buying more drop ins. Didn't think about that part when I bought them. I guess since I'm constantly washing bottles it's worth it though.
We ended up buying a cradle swing after the fact. Our little one didn't like the front to back swing, so now we have a swing that goes both front to back and side to side.
Little toys have been a life saver in the car for entertainment. She gets bored easily, so I'll sit in back and play with a rattle or something that makes noise while hubby drives.
A bouncer is great for when I want to get things done around the house.
i have been hearing a lot about stainless bottles--anyone else use them?
thanks for all the tips by the way--this is gret! keep 'em coming!
Here are my lifesavers:
Diaper Genie Elite II - I literaly have never smelled a dirty diaper, and I don't even take out the bags as often as I should. Definitely worth the money in my opinion! (I have two!)
Halo Sleep Sack Swaddlers - These were a lifesaver. We went out and bought like 8 the first week of our baby's life. Our baby was very soothed by swaddling. (We got the idea from "The Happiest Baby on the Block" book, which worked like a charm.) For us, these were the strongest, surest swaddlers for our squirmy baby. The kiddopotomas ones didn't work for us (she got out of them in two seconds).
Soothie Pacifiers - They gave our baby these at the hospital, and she liked them better than any others, so we stuck with it. You can also buy straps for them (to hook onto baby, or the car seat) from "Boogin' Heads Brand" on amazon.
Flat Diaper Burp Cloths - Some people like having decorated burp cloths. I preferred just having a ton (like 20) white flat diapers, so that I didn't feel bad about going through 4 or 5 a day. (Our baby was a real spitter.) They're basically just pieces of white flat cloth that are great for throwing over your shoulder while burping (or just holding) baby
Dr. Brown bottles - We formula fed our baby from day one. She had a lot of gas, and these bottles seemed to help, though honestly I haven't even tried others (so who knows). Supposedly they help to prevent the milk from aerating.
Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers - We haven't tried any other diapers, but we love these. They just look and feel so soft, and seem to keep her very dry. We have not had ANY diaper rash (at all, ever). They also have the wetness indicator on the outside of the diaper, which we really liked (so we didn't have to peek).
Huggies Overnights Diapers - When our baby was about 4/5 months old we started using these overnight, and we have never had an overnight leak since!
Good luck! It's really hard for the first 2 months, but it gets better! :-)
One more thing: Strollers!
I had a lot of anxiety about buying a stroller - it's a LOT of money and I was overwhelmed with all the options. So here's what we did:
Before our baby was born I had no idea how exactly we would use our stroller. Jogging? Just walks? Bring in the car? So we decided that for the first month or two, all we would purchase was a STROLLER FRAME. (See link for an example.)
http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRider-Infant-Stroller-Frame/dp/B0007KMUH4
They are inexpensive, and (trust me) all you will need for the first two or three months. They are easy to get in and out of the car. Also, you don't have to wake your baby when getting them into and out of the stroller (this is a huge plus). And your baby can't sit up as a newborn, so just strapping the carseat to the stroller frame is a great option.
Once our baby was 6 months old we got a more "all-terrain" jogging stoller, when I really knew what features were important to me. (I wouldn't have known pre-baby.)
If you are having a lot of anxiety, and don't want to spend a lot of money when you're not even sure how you'll use it, consider getting just a stroller base to work with your carseat!
I agree with a lot posted here. We love pampers swaddlers, Aden and Anais swaddles (seriously she always has one on her), sleep giraffe with hire noise, boppy for breastfeeding, ergo, fisher price swing that goes both directions, Vera Bradley diaper bag, britax b-ready stroller (so easy to push and the car seat snaps in). Se doesn't really like pacifiers. We are still just using the medela bottles(she only gets one per day).
so we always used huggies little snugglers for the first couple months and then stuck with huggies for the little movers. STOCK UP ON NEWBORN DIAPERS! i know the other ones say theoretically that they will fit small babies but you will use the newborn ones for the first month to 2 months!
also GET SOME PREEMIE OUTFITS!!! for the first 2 weeks or so most babies are still too small for stuff labeled newborn!
another thing that is a MUST in my opinion is swaddlers!i got like 8 of these things at the baby shower and i get them for everybody! the best place that i know of is at k-mart. they have 2 types. the one made by summer is really good for big babies and will work well up unill 6 months or so. ther other (i dont remember th brand) is a winnie the pooh one that works AMAING for newborns. i had 2 that i took to the hospital with me and the nurses started suggesting it to other moms with fussy babies!
as far as pacifiers go the best i have ever found are from babies r us and the are by tommee tippee. they are supposed to help with palate development and my son will only use this kind.
some things that i also adored was a maya wrap sling. i liked this a lot better than some of the others because i am plus sized and it really was easier for me to pack the baby in the sling versus a harness type system.
also if you plan on useing dosposible diapers get some cloth diapers to use as emergency backup and they work great as burp rags!
My life savers were an extra large saddle blanket for as he got bigger, being saddled still helped with nap time. We saddled until after his 1st birthday. And the video the Happiest Baby on the Block. The techniques in this video were a life saver!
i second the SOOTHIES!!! they are awesome. we got one from the hospital and if you aren't opposed to pacifiers for your newborn, they can be a lifesaver. my son loves and it has never intefered with breastfeeding.
my son acutally didnt like the soothies. the only pacifier he likes was one of the ones that is kindaoffset of that makes any sense. for taking to hopsital i got a pack of soothies and the other ones (cant remember the brand exactly but you can get a 2 pack at walmart pretty cheap) and let the baby decided. even with the not so typical pacifier it didnt interfear with brestfeeding
Our kid didn't like the Soothies either. We use the MAM ones only.
Great thread - thank you for all for sharing - my baby is arriving in about 8 weeks so all this really helps!
Things that came in handy for me was the swing, vibrating baby seat and peppermint extact. The peppermint is great for a baby with upset tummy just put a little in water and let the baby drink it. Though you may need a bottle with smaller holes because when they are little I guess they can get too much and gag.
Diapers - BumGenius 4.0 and Flips - we love these diapers. They are easy to use, easy to wash and cloth diapering was way less hassle than we expected (and less hassle than disposables! Not to mention cheaper!)
Stroller - Baby Jogger Summit XC - LOVE this stroller. Folds one handed, easy to use, and not much wider than our regular stroller, which didn't fit in some mall stores anyway. It's so smooth and will likely be our only stroller next time.
Carseat - Safety 1st Onboard 35. I like this carseat, but it doesn't have an adapter for most other strollers, so I wouldn't get it again and will replace it for #2. It's super easy to adjust the straps. Next time I'll go with a Graco Snugride. If you want options, go for the most popular carseat since they have adapters for most strollers.
Carrier - Boba - again we love this carrier! A little pricey, but I got mine used for less than half retail. It's easy to use, has a high back for support or use with taller babies, and is comfy. Strong, but light.
Play -
Baby Einstein exersaucer - Baby T has used this for 4 months now and still loves it!
Baby Einstein Jumperoo - this is at the grandparents house and he loves to jump in it. The songs on this are awesome and longer than others. Well built with lots of room to grow.
Graco Bumper Jumper - we got this after seeing how much Baby T loves to jump. We've had it a week and he loves it. It's easy to move or take down and we'll probably take it with us on weekends to my parents' house.
Plastic toy links - these are awesome. we use it to keep toys on his carseat and near his exersaucer, jumperoo and jumper. Also I can use them to attach his toys to our carrier or my clothing while I'm carrying him so they don't fall on the ground.
Other -
Aden and Anais Blankets - awesome and cutea
prefold diapers as burp cloths - we got some osocozy burp cloths which are absorbent and make awesome burp cloths.
mam pacifiers - after several different ones (soothies, tommee tippee and avent) these are the ones he loves.
LOVE the Angel Care monitor. Don't think i'd have slept without it.
Aden and Anais bamboo swaddling cloths are the softest blankets ever! Expensive but so worth it.
We have the bugaboo chameleon and love it. most people we know have replaced their strollers a couple of times while we've been happy with the bug the whole time. I think as long as you get a stroller with decent wheels you'll be happy. its the wheels that drive people crazy with strollers.
Tried the Bum Genius diapers but have found they have a build up that i can't get rid of so we gave up on them. We also had issues with the velcro. We use pampers now.
Bravado nursing vests are great. They have a built in bra, a propert supportive one, not a 'shelf bra' like you might find in cheaper alternatives.
medela nipple cream, less sticky than lansinoh. This stuff was a godsend for the first few weeks!
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What is the best stroller, in your opinion? The best car seat? What did you find to be the best diapers? What about bottles--were some better than others? Best place to find baby clothes? Did you find a great bra that worked during nursing? PLEASE SHARE!