First let me tell you that although this little one residing within me is a girl...and there are tons of adorable girl things out there...I have bought not.a.single.thing for her. I've picked many a things up and walked around the store with it...but have always put it back.
So yes. Kudos to me. ;)
That being said, having gone through one baby I feel like I have a slightly better view of what you need and what you don't when it comes to bringing a new baby home. Overall I feel pretty good about the things that we got for Jack. For example, I really like his little Puj Flyte tub and definitely will use it again for #2. His swing was kind of a dud. We picked it because it's pretty compact and in our small SF apartment that was a big deal. It didn't really swing enough in my opinion. Way to gentle. That being said though...we kept it because maybe #2 will enjoy it a little more? And she needs somewhere to take it all in...off the floor and away from toddler trampling. :) We have a Pack N' Play that came with all these fancy parts. Our house was waaaay too small to use it. We did use the actual playpen part though for traveling and it did the job. This time though I think we will go ahead and set up the Pack N Play with it's little fancy accessories in the living room. It has a little bassinet and changing table which would actually be convenient to use...especially if older brother is napping in the room where all the changing supplies and what not is.
Other things that we really loved are:
BOB Stroller
Chicco Keyfit Infant Carseat (feels sooo sturdy and safe)
Herschel backpack...that we use as a diaper bag
Changing table. We got ours used for $20. We love it and still change Jack on it.
Cloth diapers (loved it for Jack but we've since left the cloth behind and I'm debating on if we will keep doing it with #2. I'm definitely keeping them just in case she has a super sensitive rump or something)
Summer by your side Co sleeper
Things we didn't get that we never missed:
Diaper Genie (seriously...those things are nasty. I just have a place up high where we wrap them up and set them out in the air...and at the end of the day we put them in the big trash can. Way better imo. :) )
Wipe warmer
Things I definitely didn't like:
The swing like I said.
Moby wrap (too complicated to wrap...though Jack did love it)
Almost all toys. My kid did NOT play with baby toys. The playmat? He hated it. The Bumbo? He tolerated it. Basically everything that was designed to help entertain kids...my baby hated. He wasn't happy until he could crawl! Ha! :)
Okay...now here is my list of wants. :) Or maybe I will just do a little collage of pictures. Ready???
Some of these are like a little crazy in my opinion. Like the Beco carrier. I mean, I have an Ergo...it works fine. But I would like this one. :) I like how it gives you the option to face your baby forward...which Jack eventually wanted to do. You can also use it starting at 7 lbs where as the Ergo is 12. Not necessary...but yeah.
The child carrier backpack? I could find a used Kelty one somewhere probably but I think it sure would be nifty to have this Osprey one. :)
We have plenty of Aden + Anais swaddles but I'm having trouble resisting orange lately...and these are just too adorable. :) Again...not necessary.
The best bibs ever for spit up. Jack was what they called "A Happy Spitter". That kid barfed up milk like nothing else...but it never phased him (I also over produced and he thus over ate...when I started cutting him off at 6 min per side it was a BIT better. Little glutton.) :)
The best bottles in my opinion. We just have ONE 4 oz one but I would love some of these big ones! :)
I'm a big fan of binkies and would love to get one of these for when they can't keep the thing in their mouth.
The glider is one of the few "definitely want" type of things. I can't tell you how many hours we spent mimicking a rocking chair on our couch. A glider would be heavenly.
Scratch mittens. Not necessary. Jack wore socks on his hands...but why not right?!?
Finally THE stroller. Always the hardest decision for me. I've looked at the one's that go one in front of another and in the end this one seems like the best bet for me.
Phew. That was a long post.
And now I'm done.
What do you think? What were the things you used with multiple babies that you can't imagine going without? Anything?
I opted for a recliner rather than a glider and I'm so glad I did. Although I went crazy and got a leather La-Z Boy but when we are done using it in E's room we can use it for years to come. Plus I used to fall asleep with him after nursing sometimes...feet up, recline back and voila!
ReplyDeleteLove our glider, it's awesome. We are contemplating a double bob for with this next one since we are joggers, but my friend has the b-agile double and loves it.
ReplyDeleteI'd skip the beco. I've tried it and it's just not confortable. The ergo is a lot more comfortable and straps more cushioned then beco. Also the cross in the back made me angry...yeah. We are upgrading to a toddler Tula for eli & using wraps & ergo for little babe. Also, we had a hiking backpack and found it so unusually bulky and awkward that we sold it on Craigslist. I think we've gotten used to the ergo style carriers
I nannied for a little boy from age 2-4 months. He had two of those animal binkies and they were great for the first few weeks, before his arms and hands were very active or when he was swaddled. As soon as he figured out how to grab things or swing his arms around, the binkie would get knocked or pulled out of his mouth every other second! The animals are pretty big so it's hard to make them stay sometimes. From my perspective, the binkie itself was really cute, but frustrating in the end, haha.
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