Baby Stuff (human baby!)

FG167

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#1
I think I could post this on Mom's to be thread but I'm worried I'll miss it. And I'm thinking less about the pregnancy/birth etc and more about the STUFF having a child involves.

Cloth Diapers...anyone do it/considering it etc. I'm researching out the wazoo. Also, wraps to wear the baby and carriers etc. All the baby things!! We have finally settled on a carseat/stroller brand. Finally. Cribs...lordy, I don't even know where to start with that. SO MUCH TO RESEARCH.
 

stardogs

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#2
I'm planning on CDing after the first couple of months (past meconium and after getting things more settled at home). I have yet to pick a brand, though.

I am for SURE babywearing - I currently have an Ergo soft sided carrier, a woven wrap from Natibaby, and a ring sling on order from a fellow Chazzer. :)

I think we may sidecar a crib, but I have no idea what kind.
 

Torch

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#3
I am also planning on baby wearing, but not real sure about cloth diapering. With our schedules, the fact will we need daycare, I just don't know how we would do it.

For cribs, we've looked at nice name brands that convert to a toddler bed, then a full bed as well.

I'm planning on breastfeeding and co-sleeping for sure. I am horrible to wake up and have the baby sleep with us while I'm nursing makes so much more sense.

I haven't bought anything because we're not preggers yet lol.
 

FG167

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#4
I'm planning on CDing after the first couple of months (past meconium and after getting things more settled at home). I have yet to pick a brand, though.

I am for SURE babywearing - I currently have an Ergo soft sided carrier, a woven wrap from Natibaby, and a ring sling on order from a fellow Chazzer. :)

I think we may sidecar a crib, but I have no idea what kind.
That's our plan too, I'm going to ask for newborn disposable's and then buy cloth for 1-2 months after. I'm mildly concerned about childcare and if they'll support but I know some places do...

Where did you get those carriers/wraps. I saw the ring sling, you're getting it from Falon's mom right? ;) LOL

What's sidecar a crib mean?

I am also planning on baby wearing, but not real sure about cloth diapering. With our schedules, the fact will we need daycare, I just don't know how we would do it.

For cribs, we've looked at nice name brands that convert to a toddler bed, then a full bed as well.

I'm planning on breastfeeding and co-sleeping for sure. I am horrible to wake up and have the baby sleep with us while I'm nursing makes so much more sense.

I haven't bought anything because we're not preggers yet lol.
That's a concern I have too. We're the only ones here with children out of our friends and my family is all far away so I'm starting to look at childcare now and it's daunting.

I just finally settled on a crib, looked for exactly what you were saying, the convertibles make the most sense.

I think we're going to do a rock n play or a pack n play in the bedroom for the first little until baby is sleeping longer (my mom said I slept straight through the night the first night). Have you looked at the co-sleeping options? Any ideas what you're leaning towards? I don't know if I want to do the pack n play and the rock n play...and if I do the pack n play, do I need a separate changing table? So much stuff. I'm overwhelmed.

Anyone want to post pics of their nurseries for me to look at? :)
 

stardogs

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#5
Side car = crib secured against the side of the bed so you can still nurse without getting out of bed but lessen the risk to the baby with co-sleeping. DH sleeps like a LOG so while co-sleeping is generally safe, I'd be more comfortable with baby in their own bed. I still want the sleep benefits of cosleeping, though.

I bought my Ergo on MAJOR sale at Marshalls ($60 instead of $110). The sling is from Caitlin like you saw, and the wrap I bought on sale from Marsupial Mamas.:)
 

amberdyan

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#6
I love this thread (and I'm glad you didn't post it in moms-to-be- it would get lost so fast!) because all of my friends are tired of talking about baby stuff with me, lol.

We're going to be cloth diapering when we have a baby, and there are several daycares around here that accommodate. My good friend is also a nanny for a family that uses cloth diapers, so it's possible you could go with a nanny (if you were comfortable with that).

I will also DEFINITELY be babywearing. I'm pretty sure I'll have a Moby wrap, a ring sling, and a Tula. If you're on facebook, there are some groups I love: Babywearing on a Budget (buy and sell carriers), Babywearing 102, and Everday babywearing : )
 
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#7
My kids are older now (9 and 7 and holy crap time flies!!!) but I did CD them both. I used a myriad of diapers (as I had to do some of the fancy patterns and embroidery because it was so cute!!!) but mostly used Bum Genius (and way back then they were all 1.0 and 2.0s lol)

Baby carriers, I had a lot of fun making my own ring slings and mei tais though I did buy a nice stretchy wrap for the newborn period. I used the different styles for different things...mei tai mostly for long periods or back carries, ring sling was great for hip carries in and out of stores etc when they start sitting up.

I sidecarred a crib to my bed and we coslept. I did have an amby bed as well (its kind of like a hammock) that was great but mine both were awful sleepers so we didnt use it so much
 

Fran27

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#8
Well I had twins so I threw my cloth diaper ideas out of the window (TOO MUCH LAUNDRY), but I know some people here do it, lol. Didn't baby wear either because two.

For the stroller, my advice honestly is just a baby carrier and one of those clip on strollers at first (I totally forgot the name, but it's just a stroller base really), then a good light stroller once the baby outgrows the baby carrier (loved my baby jogger city mini). Obviously though... that was 4 years ago.

Car seats - baby carrier first then one that will last a while rear facing (it's recommended to keep toddles rear facing as long as possible, definitely do your research on this). I recommend car-seat.org for all car seats questions.

Cribs, well it's your choice, I don't recommend spending more for one that converts to a bed though, it looks awkward as a bed, you still need to buy a mattress, and if your kid is like mine, the crib will be pretty much ruined by then anyway, lol. We also never bothered with toddler beds and just switched from cribs to twin mattress on the floor, then twin beds a year later... So I'd save your money and buy the basic stuff. But that's just me!

What we did is keep the crib in our room until the babies were sleeping through the night, then we moved them upstairs (they shared a crib until then). Obviously we didn't breastfeed anyway (they were adopted), but with both of us being obese, co-sleeping didn't seem safe at all anyway.

We swaddled too, that was a lifesaver. Used the swing and bouncer quite a bit too (got them used on Craigslist). Didn't really use the exersaucer and jumperoo much (except for some cute pictures, lol), mostly left the babies on the floor with toys instead.

The only thing I don't recommend at ALL is Bumbos. Both my kids almost split their skull sitting on those, when they kicked the floor and almost flipped them over. So dangerous, I can't believe they haven't been recalled yet.
 

joce

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#9
I think 90% of the stuff out there you do not need.

Yes the bumbo seat is one if the not needed on my list. My kiddo hated it. But I know most of my friends swore by it! Glad it wasn't just me!

I think for me I saw what a difference want and need was because Case came a month early. His shower was the weekend after he arrived so we did not really go get anything and nothing was really set up. We were moving. It was a mess.

I did have a bassinet that I loved! I did not do a co sleeper. He slept beautifully in it. I did not even set up his crib till he was maybe four months old? I had his bassinet in my bedroom and the pack and play in my living room.

Literally when he came home I had diapers, wipes, clothes, his bassinet and bottles and a pump( which ins should cover for everyone- and mine got me a nicer one than I was going to buy myself). I got a ton of stuff from his shower and honestly some stuff I never touched. The bouncer, the diaper genie, did washing rack things for bottles(once- I just put them in the rack in the dishwasher, same thing). I did buy a swing when he was a couple months old and had some sleeping issues. I have on and off have cloth diapered but I do not find it convienent while traveling and we are not here all that much.

I planned and bought one car seat but he was so tiny we had to run out and buy a special under five pound one prior to going home so I gave my mom the one I had. I love the britax my husband has. Check the buckles on what you buy. Some are so hard to undo and NOT recalled. My friends graco maybe is like that and I can never unlatch it. Hated the stroller I had after using it and now have a ancient old jeep one from a friend. I feel a flare from a back issue with the carriers and just can't do it but I know people love them.

I could blab forever. I am not in anyway what I would call a kid or baby person but I had a lot of fun the last year! I keep thinking I am going to be in trouble with #2 since Case was so easy!
 

milos_mommy

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#10
I think I could post this on Mom's to be thread but I'm worried I'll miss it. And I'm thinking less about the pregnancy/birth etc and more about the STUFF having a child involves.

Cloth Diapers...anyone do it/considering it etc. I'm researching out the wazoo. Also, wraps to wear the baby and carriers etc. All the baby things!! We have finally settled on a carseat/stroller brand. Finally. Cribs...lordy, I don't even know where to start with that. SO MUCH TO RESEARCH.
I partially cloth diapered (basically slowly built a collection up, used disposables when we went out or babysitting or I needed to do laundry). I would like to be entirely cloth diapering with the next baby. Everyone said I was crazy and was going to hate it and not want to do that much laundry...UM yeah not as much as I hated buying disposable diapers and putting weird crunchy chlorine paper on her butt and filling up trash bags full of trash diapers.

I bought sunbaby pocket diapers, which I liked, but want most of the next diapers to be prefolds and covers. My mom also bought me some "little monsters" or something pocket diapers which weren't as good. They fit her weird and were just less quality.

I had...an infantino baby carrier, moby-style knockoff wrap, moby style wrap I made, baby sling (hot sling)...I think that was it. I used them all. The sling was a lifesaver during the first six weeks and basically the only way she's sleep or calm down. I'll definitely splurge on a maya sling next time. Friends have the ergo which is costly but they do say it makes the kiddos feel a lot lighter than other carriers...if I had a baby that wasn't super tiny and light I'd probably care more.

My dad bought me a crib for my baby shower at babies R us. I don't know the exact brand, but it's a really simple light wood where the sides are the same height (I hate the high-backed cribs and they wouldn't work with my slanty walls), and I really like it a lot. It's sturdy, was easy to put together, safe, comfortable, and wasn't too expensive.

I got the baby trend expedition stroller and car seat travel set. The car seat was light, easy, etc...the stroller SUCKED. I want to set it on fire and I was ready to throw a party when we gave it up for the umbrella stroller. Ugh. Do not buy that stroller. BF had a graco car seat for his car. It was nicer looking and feeling and cosier but Lil didn't like it any more and it was heavier and huge. SO...next time we'll be going a different car seat route.

Get swaddlers. When I saw them while I was registering for my shower I was like "wtf is this crap people come up with to make poor stupid new moms think they need all this extra useless junk THIS IS A SCAM" and then I got home. And Lillian kicked out of her swaddled blankey and startled awake. And kicked out of more swaddled blankies. And kicked out of tighter blankets and double blankets. And we put her in a sleep bag even though it was june, and she punched herself in the face. If you care about sleeping, buy swaddlers. Buy five. Because the baby will poop on four of them before you can do laundry.

Don't buy a diaper genie. My mom insisted I needed one. My aunt bought me one. All I did was catch the baby monitor cord on it and stub my toe on it.

Don't buy a $130 baby food maker either, if you have a blender. The blender will work very well. So well, that you will put one serving of leftover carrots in it, and then you will have enough baby food ice cubes to feed triplets. Your baby will decide baby food mush is disgusting (which it is) and you will just be shuffling labeled, dated ziplocked baggies of cubed mushed veggies around your freezer until you beg your mommy and me group to take them off your hands, which they won't, and you'll feel guilty for wasting so much food when you throw them out (after you try sneaking them into baked goods at your husband's dismay).
 

stardogs

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#11
This may be a dumb question, but don't the convertible seats go small enough to accommodate infants, rf to something crazy like 45lbs, and ff/booster to like 65lbs now? Is there a reason to buy a 'baby bucket' if you can afford the all in one convertibles?
 

Grab

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#12
I think it comes down to personal choice. I had an all in one/convertible seat that should have worked fine for his size (he was a pretty average 8 lbs), but he just fit awkwardly when he was that small. But, some probably fit better. I'll also say that the detachable newborn seat allowed me to get a ton of errands done when he was teensy..he'd completely sleep through my going in and out of stores and the car.

ETA, we were also given the newborn seat, so that was helpful as well, lol
 

milos_mommy

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#13
This may be a dumb question, but don't the convertible seats go small enough to accommodate infants, rf to something crazy like 45lbs, and ff/booster to like 65lbs now? Is there a reason to buy a 'baby bucket' if you can afford the all in one convertibles?
Because they usually clip easily into the stroller, also the larger seats don't come with a base piece so are much harder to take in/out.

We had the baby seat which was RF 5 to 30 lbs and FF to 45 I think? And now we have the bigger one that's RF to 30 lbs and FF to 60.

However, the bigger one is, exactly that...BIGGER. The small one only weighed 7 lbs on it's own, could very very simply be unclipped from the base and carried inside, clipped into the stroller without removing the sleeping baby, and moved into the other car with the extra base.

The big seat is strapped directly into the lock system in the car, and can be removed but it's not that easy, doesn't clip into a stroller (so even if I had her in it as an infant and wasn't going to remove it, I'd still need to unstrap my sleeping baby to take her out of the car seat and put her in the stroller...which wasn't super infant/newborn friendly without the car seat attachment anyway). And when you can't walk your kid or stick them in an umbrella stroller or sit them on the counter, running into the pharmacy or something is kind of a hassle if you can't just run in with the car seat.
 

joce

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#14
I know it must be coming because Case is almost one but I have not had one diaper blowout. Not a single one. No poop on a single outfit!

And yes the onsies pull over the babies shoulders and not over the head if soiled. I laughed seeing a friend with three kids doing this to a kid she was babysitting before I was even pregnant.

White noise machine is something worth getting though I just use my old iphone.

I had not planned on doing the carry car seat. But had to when Case was only four pounds. But I had three solid months off and we did not go out much and did not plan on it. Again, bad back from horse fall years ago. Carrying things certain ways is no good. Even with the carrier car seat I still took him in and out of it most of the time unless he was asleep.

I swear I had enough clothes for ten kids from the shower. Do not buy clothes lol. And if you won't have a big shower look at target and walnmart clearance now for seasons when baby will be older now.
 

milos_mommy

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#15
I know it must be coming because Case is almost one but I have not had one diaper blowout. Not a single one. Not poop on a single outfit!
Nah, you're in the clear! liquidy infant poop is what the blowouts happen from! We had a few blowouts when she pooped in the morning before I even got her changed and her diaper was already so peed in it couldn't hold the poop (yes this is the most disgusting comment ever typed on chaz, but babies are really disgusting). And like three in one day when she had diarrhea at 7 months old.

I think soiling all the swaddlers is more like: she'll pee on three, spit up all over one, and you'll drop tomato sauce on the other trying to eat and hold the baby at the same time.
 
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#16
I very rarely used the baby seat as carrier or in the stroller with my son...pretty much only used my carriers and wore him. With my daughter, she had a club foot at birth and was in a cast and then brace as a newborn..I did use it with her. But that was because I didnt have the resources at the time to know how to do different carriers to adapt to that. Once I figured it out (and once she was out of casts and braces) I used my carriers with her as well. I found the baby buckets cumbersome and awkward personally
 

stardogs

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#17
I very rarely used the baby seat as carrier or in the stroller with my son...pretty much only used my carriers and wore him.
That's what I'm planning to do if at all possible - I'm very small and when I've carried the infant seats for friends it's been painful and incredibly awkward even for short distances, but I'm very used to backpacks that are 10+lbs, so I'm thinking it will be less of an issue with carriers/wraps/sling.
 

Fran27

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#18
This may be a dumb question, but don't the convertible seats go small enough to accommodate infants, rf to something crazy like 45lbs, and ff/booster to like 65lbs now? Is there a reason to buy a 'baby bucket' if you can afford the all in one convertibles?
Well my kids were way too tiny for the convertible seats, honestly... they were 4 and 5 pounds when we took them home. Plus the convertible seats are less inclined than buckets so it would just be a bit weird I think... although technically, yeah, you should be able to put infants in them. And the main reason I loved the buckets was that I didn't have to wake them up if they were sleeping and I had to take them out of the car, lol. But we switched to convertibles when the babies were 7 months and never looked back, I just hated carrying the buckets all over (but again... two).

For what it's worth, the rf until 65 lbs is a load of crap, by the way. Both my kids outgrew their rear facing car seats (they had two different ones) in length when they were what... 30 lbs? Unless you have an obese kid, there's just no way any of them will last rear facing until 65 lbs (that being said, my kids were still 3.5 when we switched them to forward facing, so there's still improvement compared to the 40 lbs car seats that are outgrown in length when the kids are 25 lbs).

Plus the all in one convertibles expire after 4 years or something anyway, so you'll end up switching before they outgrow it if you use them from birth... Basically I found that all those convertible car seats just did a poor job at at least one of the things they were designed for. The convertible seats we had were not so great forward facing (and outgrown pretty much a few months after they were outgrown rear facing anyway). Then the harness boosters were HORRIBLE once we removed the harness, couldn't get a good fit at all in the car so we had to switch to regular boosters. I'm assuming that once we switch to backless boosters we'll have to buy yet another booster because the ones we got will suck as backless boosters too, but we're not there yet, and at least it's cheaper by now (we got rid of harnesses just a couple months ago, when the kids turned 6.5. I guess I'm paranoid about car safety).
 

milos_mommy

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#19
Yeah, Lillian outgrew the infant car seat before 20 lbs. I mean technically I guess she could still use it but she'd be SO cramped in there...her knees would be up to her chest and I think her head would be coming really close to the top.

She's comfy in the convertible seat rear facing and I'm confident she'll easily stay in there until 2.

I also didn't carry her in the seat too much, but I'm glad I had the opportunity! I did a few times running into the bank with no drive through, pharmacy, etc. I wasn't about to unstrap her from the whole seat, put on the wrap and get her comfy in there, just to run in 10 feet and perform a 5 minute transaction so I could unwrap her and get her back in the car seat! Plus in the winter to go in and out of the house, it was much better to get her in and out of the house to the car with a blanket over her, since I didn't use a coat in the car seat...it would be weird to go out in the wrap all covered up to un-bundle her, get her in the seat, and then have to get her coat all on her to go somewhere!
 

Grab

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#20
Plus the convertible seats are less inclined than buckets so it would just be a bit weird I think...
That was the other issue, when our convertible seat was installed correctly, it did not have enough of a recline to keep his head from flopping forward before he had neck control.
 

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