7 years ago
April 7, 2009
Cribs and strollers and car seats, oh my!
Has anyone else felt completely overwhelmed by all the baby stuff out there? What the heck do I need and what don’t I need? For example, a swing and a bouncer, to me they do pretty much the same thing, so do I need one, both or neither? And crib bumpers, the SIDS experts say don’t use them, but why does everybody sell them? Baby slings versus the backpack carrier things, once again, don’t they both do the same thing? And finally, strollers, do I really have to have one of those big SUV type things they now call a travel system? What I want is a simple umbrella stroller, they seem lightweight, easy to pack and carry, lightweight and did I mention a whole lot lighter the big monster things I see around?
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8 comments:
Liz, you need to give me a call. I will give you the low down on what seems so necessary but you will never use and what is absolutely necessary for your sanity and survival.
You seem like the type to me who would use one of those jogging type strollers. We hate them on the bike path. Well at least we hate the double wides on the path.
A jogging stroller is definitely on my list, but I don't think I can use that to go everywhere.
There's way too much baby junk in the world--seriously. There are very few things you need for the first few months, so see if there's someone in your ward who would be willing to let you test drive or try things out before you buy anything. My only real advice is to use Craigslist once you know what you want.
I totally second the comment about borrowing things to find out what you really want/need! And I got one of the SUV type strollers because it seemed so necessary...but used it probably ten times. However, it did come in very handy for those ten times. One thing you definitely need is a Boppy pillow! What a lifesaver!
As a mother of two let me tell you that some babies liek the swing and some don't . My Emilee loved her swing Matthew on the other hand didn't . So that would be something that i would barrow just to see if your baby liked it before you bought one . bouncer seats are a must in my eyes they are so nice to just put the baby in and on the counter or table while your working . Strollers I have a single big stroller hardly ever used when the baby was an infant however they are nice because you just take the car seat out and snap in . I now have a double stroller that i harldy use and we just use the unbrella stroller . So both are nice . the back pack things are nice to have so that if you have a colicy baby you can put him in there and still get stuff done . oh yeah the bouncer seats are nice to put in the bathroom while you get a shower to . you should get a pack and play and the bumper pads i used just so when they start rolling over or crawling they ar't smacking there head ont he crib . By the time your baby is a crib it is going to be out of the high risk for sids and so you will be fine . My thing with sids is this , You really can't prevent it from happening , if it is going to happen it will happen , both my babies slept on their bellies at three weeks . you just need to figure out what works best for you and you will learn that sometimes what the docs say or the experts say is bunk . Good luck it is fun fun world . Try second hand shops for some stuff as well especially clothes babies grow out of there clothes so quickly i still have some clothes from emi that she never ever wore .
Get the BOB stroller with an adjustable wheel, it is awesome for running.
1) Go to www.wearyourbaby.com The front carriers, slings, baby bjorns are a complete waste of money and once your baby is big enough to sit in it, they'll hate not seeing anything. I had one that I literally used once with Davy. With Jon I got a 5.5 yard piece of knit and learned how to wrap it so I could wear him. He loved it from day one, and still loved it when he was 10 months old and we went to the corn maze. The coolest part is that you can nurse with it on, you can wrap it so he's on your back, and you can do it from day one because it's super close to your body and they don't have to have a strong head to start with.
2) Get a good stroller that you can open with one hand that is relatively lightweight. The advantage to the moderately priced models (NOT the "travel systems") is that the baby doesn't have to sit up on his own in order to use them like they do with umbrella strollers. I used mine all the time with Davy. Wait on the jogging stroller. I use our bike trailer/stroller as a jogging stroller with the boys. It's way better than any of the straight jogging models I've tried, but they have to be a little bigger to use them.
3) There's the bouncer vs. swing issue. One loved the swing, one hated the swing but tolerated the bouncer for as long as it took to take a shower. Wait and try friends' before buying either. Exersaucers and Johnny Jumpers are included in this since they take up a TON of space and aren't worth it if you're not going to use them.
4) Crib bedding... forget it. It looks great before you have the baby, but you'll never use it as much as a nice stack of LIGHTWEIGHT flannel or fleece blankets. I didn't use a crib bumper with either of the boys and they turned out fine.
5) Boppys only work if you're nursing and you don't have a long torso or good posture. They're great in theory, but mine was about 6 inches too low. I ended up being way more comfortable with a pillow under one arm.
Oh, and about cradles, baby positioning devices, wipes warmers, diaper genies, and diaper holders, they're all designed to suck you into the baby buying binge. All you really need is a car seat to bring the kid home in, a crib to put them in eventually, and a whole mess of onsies and footy jammies.
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