- Front/Back Carrier advice (get one? if so which one?)
- Rocker/glider in the nursery--what's a good price or way to get one?
- Is an umbrella stroller necessary?
- What are things you would borrow vs. buy
- What is okay to get used and what would you buy new?
- Any other advice about baby stuff would be greatly appreciated!
Happy Mom Day
1 year ago
I'm a minimalist when it comes to baby gear (I think...) - here's my take on your bullet points:
ReplyDeleteIf you have to choose one or the other, go with a back carrier, you'll use it for years vs. only months. But I used both for both kids - worth the investment.
I'm an old-fashioned rocker girl, I didn't use a glider.
Umbrella strollers are great when your child is over age 1, and you go someplace with tight crowds (festivals, carnivals, malls, zoo, etc.) and you don't want to push a huge stroller. Also ideal for travelling - the big strollers are beastly space-taker-uppers. Worth the investment.
If you can get hand-me-downs, accept them on anything but carseats and antique cribs with large spaces between the slats.
Moses baskets are awesome - I used mine a ton when the kids were infants. I could write 10 pages on the ways I used mine.
I used a booster seat that attached to a kitchen chair rather than a highchair - saved major space in the kitchen.
Some may completely disagree with me on all of the above, but that's my .02 :) Happy shopping!!
Hi Kim!
ReplyDeleteIt is overwhelming when you think about everything, but really if you have a carseat and a place for the baby to sleep (which can even be a pack & play!) that will be enough to get you started. And you can build slowly if you need to. I'm all for borrowing things like a bassinet that will only be used for a few weeks. Maybe you can find stuff on Craigslist and Freecycle. Baby things are very overpriced - not good investments in my book. We ended up not using a front or a back carrier much at all with any of our kids, so it wasn't worth the money we put into it. That might be a perfect thing to borrow to see if you AND your baby like it before you buy it.
We borrowed an exersaucer that we used for all three and got a ton of use out of that. It's so easy to set them in because you don't have to strap them in (like a swing) and they seem happier in it - I think b/c they're upright. We also used a bumper-jumper (or johnny jump up) a lot. I think you should be able to get both of those used.
My biggest piece of advice is to pray about each thing and ask God to give you wisdom and to provide. He has done that in amazing ways for us!
Good advice so far from some great moms! :) Here's the advice I can give...
ReplyDeleteCarrier - We VERY rarely used one with our first baby, so I was glad I never bought one except for the $2 one I picked up at a garage sale. With our 2nd we borrowed a Bjorn from a friend and used it a TON because they were so close in age. It was a lifesaver at the gorcery store. But again, hardly ever used with the first baby at all and they can be pricey. There are so many different options too that I would recommend trying to borrow and try a couple different ones out before buying one anyways if you are set on owning one.
Umbrella stroller - totally agree with Courtney, not necessary until they are over age 1 and good mostly for travel and times when minimal gear is needed.
Rocker - A rocker or glider is nice to have. It's one of my favorite things to rock my babies. But those are definitely things you can find secondhand and it's just a matter of preference or availablility really which one to go with.
Highchair - we had one of the big ones first time around and I couldn't stand it. they take up WAY too much space and even if they supposedly fold up they still are huge. The booster that attaches to a chair has been one of the best baby items we own, plus it's portable.
Instead of getting a bassinet or a full size pack and play, we got a travel size pack and play that works as both. We use that the first few months while the baby is sleeping in our room as a bassinet (it has a removable top section so the baby is up higher when they are infants), and it comes in super handy when we travel and will work pretty much as a travel crib for at least the first year with the top section removed. For me the full size pack and plays were too large and impractical, so the smaller version has been great.
We also had a large swing, and found that took up too much room. It's nice to have but if you can get one of the smaller versions they take up less room and fold up smaller. We borrowed a small one for this baby and aren't even going to pull out the huge one this time.
Hope that helps! I know it is overwhelming. I wish I had had more advice before I got certain things, so good for you for asking. Have fun! :)
Kim,
ReplyDeleteI just got an umbrella stroller for the first time this last summer for our trip to Disney. I can't believe I never had one before this. I like it so much better than the bigger ones--I purchased mine on Craigslist and it is a Maclaren--pricey, but b/c I'm so tall, I wanted one that was tall and those $15 ones at WalMart just weren't going to cut it for me. I would never go back to the bigger stroller--this one is so much lighter and more compact and b/c it is higher end, it has all the bells and whistles that the bigger strollers have.
W/ Noah I used a bumbo seat to feed him in until he was almost 12 months. I loved it (and this was before they had trays that attached to them). I just put that right on the dining room table and fed him in that--he loved being able to sit up straight in it and see what was going on (I think as soon as they have head control you can start putting them in that). I also purchased a high chair on Craigsliist and I got my Britax carseat on there too but I know people feel really strongly about used carseats so I won't comment much on that. :-)
I used a Baby Bjorn w/ Noah and didn't like it (I had borrowed it). It seems like most ppl I know have slings now and most everyone raves about them--more versitility.
Hope this helps.
-Marieke