A few people have graciously offered to give me a baby shower. This is wonderful, right? I went online to check out registries and realized...oh no. I'm going to be a Mom and I don't know a thing about baby products. So I thought to myself, no biggie. People do this all the time. Let's start with bottles. (I plan to breastfeed but surely I'll need bottles for pumping, etc.). So I type in bottles. Apparently there are 1,500,852 types of bottles to chooses from. And then came the nipples. Really? This many nipples? So I ask you, what are your favorite baby products? Diaper genies, slings, breast pumps? What did you get but never use? What did you wish you would have registered for? Specific brands? Models? Product Numbers? (I'm only half joking when I ask for product numbers). I could register for cute accessories and receiving blankets all day long, but what about the important stuff? If you have any thoughts, please list them under comments. You just click under the post where it says comments and click the bubble that says 'anonymous' or 'name,' fill in your name, and show me the light. Thanks!
11 comments:
okay, i'm just going to tell you my opinion of what i like.
bottles: we have avent. people complain that they leak, but i think they only leak if you dont screw the lid on correctly. you need different number nipples for the babies' ages. so, get 1's, 2's, and 3's.
diapers: pampers swaddlers. they are so soft and have a pull away absorbant thing so that they won't get diaper rash. (they are the same kind the hospitals use...at least the hospitals here)
diaper disposal: we have the diaper champ. i like that you can use any bag for it, and that you just drop the diaper in and flip the lid. but, i dont think it stays as stink free as i'd like. you'll have to ask someone who has the genie if it ever stinks (the genie has specific bags you have to buy for it, and you have to push the diaper in-for some reason that bothers me...)
pacifiers: first we used the hospital ones, then we switched to the "nuk," but now i'm trying out the avent ones.
baby bjorn: we use it all the time, but the sling was great when she was tiny.
aquaphor is my favorite diaper rash cream (she's never had a rash and i think its because of aquaphor).
monitor: we have the video monitor (the hand held kind). its a blessing and a curse all at once. we LOVE being able to see her (gives us total peace of mind), but you become a slave to it (we constantly click the screen on to look at her!).
carseat: i like our graco one.
stroller: i like our graco one that goes with our carseat. some mom's like smaller, umbrella ones, but i like that mine has cup holders.
we use our bottle drying rack and scrub brush a lot. for the bottles and the pump stuff.
i like our bath towels that are a little thicker. the thin ones get me too wet when i get her out of the tub.
bibs: get kinds that have snaps, or the velcro that doesn't snag. we've made the mistake of washing bibs with her nice blankets with silk edges and now the silk is snagged.
burp cloths: i just bought the pack of plain white cloth diapers and had my mom sew cute fabric or ribbons on to make them pretty. :) we go through TONS a day because she spits up so freaking much. i'll pray yours aren't spitter upers!
onesies: i like carters.
socks: i like socks from gap. they have extra elastic or something and don't slip off as much.
coffee pot: get one that keeps it hot for a long time. if you're anything like us, you'll be drinking LOTS when the babies get here!
blankets: the 'swaddleme' is awesome for swaddling. it has velcro so it stays snug. i also love 'swaddle designs' blankets. they are bigger than most receiving blankets so its easier to swaddle with. plus, they are super cute!
okay, thats it for now. hope this helps!
Wow 6 months of motherhood and Hillary is an expert...as Grandma I will take all your advice and suggestions!
As far as bottles go...aren't they glass anymore? Too many decisions now a days.
i pretty much agree with everything hill said. we have almost all the same stuff. i love the graco stroller and haven't ever felt like it's too big. i use the cup holder ALL the time. Some things to add to her list...
-a bumbo seat-great for babies who can't sit yet.
-exersaucer-we have the baby einstein one and i love it. you can adjust the height so it can grow with the baby.
-a double pump-if you plan to pump more than every now and then. i have the medela pump in style and love how fast it works
-we use born free bottles which have an extra piece, but it doesn't bother me
-the swaddleme was our lifesaver for six months (just emphasizing hills point)
-a bottle warmer, which we still use to heat up her cows milk
-a good thermometer. The ones that come in the safety kits are junk. we invested $30 in the kind you stick in their ear and it is WAYYY easier and way more accurate.
i think that's all i can think of. have fun registering!!!
Well, although I have always preferred the real thing compared to plastic my favorite nipples were always the avent ones. They didn't have that plastic/rubber taste and they feel like the real thing. :)
creepy?
Hi! Wow, I could go on forever about this stuff, but I will just let you know what I liked! :)
We had a hard time with bottles because a lot of the nipples are too big and are confusing for a breastfed baby. We ended up with the Breastflow bottles. He actually did really well with the cheapie Gerber bottles too.
I have the Medela Harmony manual pump, which I actually found was more comfortable and faster than the electric. I love it!
Diapers: Tried Pampers, didnt like them b/c they stuck to the skin too much, really like the costco/kirkland brand, comparable to Huggies. These are tricky each fit babies differently, so you just have to find what fits!
Paci's: Soothies, same as they give in the hospital, best for breastfed babies. We weaned from the paci by four months, so we dont have a lot of experience with this!
Get a lot of receiving blankets, they work great for swaddling and burp cloths.
Dont get Gerber onesies! They run really small and shrink so you end up buying new ones too often. Really like the Circo target brand or Carters.
You probably will want preemie outfits for the first couple weeks. Oliver was 7.2 lbs at birth and fit in premie/newborn for the first month or so.
We have the Graco Alano travel system and love it!
Dont need a ton of hooded bath towels, Oliver has outgrown all his at 5 months. :(
Really like A&D for diaper rash.
We have a front carrier, but it hurts my shoulders and doesnt distribute the weight well, ring slings (Maya, Moby) or pouch slings(peanut shell) is way more comfy and I've seen people put both babies in together!
We also got a graco pack n'play, which has been great in our room with the bassinet feature, for all those late night feedings.
This part is for you!! Get lots of Lanolin! It will be your best friend! Also love Lansinoh breast pads! Make sure you stock up on tons of high protein and one-handed snacks for the first couple weeks. Breastfeeding (or pumping) makes you crazy thirsty and you still need tons of calories while you are making milk. And its hard to find time to actually make food, especially when you are hungry :)
And yoga pants, lived in these for a month because I was too sore to wear jeans and didnt fit in them anyway! I hope this helps! I will let you know if I think of anything else! I feel like I just went through this and remember how overwhelming it is to have to choose! It really puts things in perspective! Oh, could you email me your address? I made the babies some hats that I need to send!
Just want to add a little tid bit about diaper disposal. I was a nanny for 6 years and NEVER came across an actual diaper contraption that didn't stink (like a genie). When our son was born, we decided to skip all of the fancy stuff. We just throw the wet ones in the trash as is. For the dirty diapers, we save all of our plastic grocery bags and have them in a basket by our changing pad. We just grab a grocery bag, throw the dirty diaper in, tie the bag shut tightly with the handles and then throw it in the trash. The smell doesn't leak AT ALL.
Hello from a Mom of Twins,,,
Who is soo excited for you....
Swings are a live saver---need two.
Someone to give you naps the first two weeks.
Feeding on the same schedule is also important.
Tea bags :)
They offer so much now for baby items --- I cant help with any of that stuff.........
Lots of Love
It's been 12 and 1/2 years but a few of my favorites=
The swing for sure, pampers are the best diapers, The orange diaper rash ointment I felt was the best the name escapes me right now, a diaper wipe warmer!!!! buy a breats pump do not rent one it will come in handy and get one if you can that works also by pluging it into a cigaret lighter (I was like a jersey cow so I used this daily), bottles I had to just find the nipple that worked for scott 3 small holes were his favorite the ones with one hole seemed to flood him out especially since he was a premie however if you end up pumping you put the milk in the little plastic bags for freezing so whatever bottle is that system that would probly be a good choice, lots of pacifiers and the little straps to clip them to their clothes so they don't fall on the floor, ear thermomitor the best thing and the easiest, sleeping pills for you when you need to sleep at night 1 time a week and some red bulls for mike so he can be up all night with the babies, high chairs and strollers you may want to look at those they are probly a special order deal so they hold 2. Love ya KIMBO
You could probably do without my input...but here I go-
I only read Hillary's opinion so far, and I pretty much agree with everything she said.
We used the same bottles and I never had problems with them. Of course, Owen refused bottles 80% of the time- so my experience is limited.
Pampers Swaddlers were my favorite diapers when Owen was an infant. Pampers has another type too (Baby Dry, or something like that)- which I hated. They aren't stretchy like the Swaddlers. Now that Owen is older, I buy cheap diapers (Target brand)- but I could only do Swaddlers for the first year.
I have the diaper genie. And yes, it STINKS (as in smells), bad! I didn't notice any foul smells for the first 15 or so months- but now it is awful. Actually, I can't even believe that its still sitting in his room. I dread throwing diapers away because I know the smell thats going to come out of that nasty thing. Also- each bag is a minimum of $5. I go through about 2/month. Spendy.
We had the bjorn, which I liked. But it gave me pains in my back and shoulders. My favorite carrier ended up being the Maya Wrap. (mayawrap.com- I think) Owen lived in this from around 4 months to 8/9 months.
We have the regular Graco monitor. No video...but I always longed for it. I know that I'd totally become obsessed with checking him- but I still think I'd like it. However- the Graco one has been great. Okay...so it broke about 5 months ago. But I called customer service and they sent me a new one- no questions.
We had the same carseat at Hillary. I loved it. But...if I could do over- I would skip the stroller. Its just too big. And we only used it for a couple months before we went out and got an umbrella stroller (for errands, etc.), and a BOB for serious walking. I love the BOB- they sell attachments for the single and double that accommodate car seats and then transition for when they can sit on their own.
Second car seat (for when they can sit forward)- Britax Decathlon. I love it. No complaints.
The best swaddling blankets are the ones from the hospital. I think all hospitals have the same kinds. They should send you home with 2...but you may want to accidentally end up with something closer to 5 or 6. I don't typically promote stealing...but you may want to consider it.
I had the Medela Pump in Style. I loved it.
This response has gotten out of control. If I think of more I'll be back!
I just remembered- I hated the bath tub that we got. It was something with the word Aquarium in it. Fisher Price, I believe. No good. If I could do over- I'd get one without the bump/butt rest/back rest thing in the center.
And I loved the Bumbo.
Oh, and the swing...I loved the swing!
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