I can't say how happy I am for the two of you and your new babies.
I couldn't resist imposing my 2 cents on you guys. I would have to echo everyone else's comments on the Britax carseat. Hugito has either the Marathon or the Decathalon (I honestly don't remember) but we've been very happy with it. The seat launders well and he seems to be comfortable in it. Be sure and have it inspected to make sure it's installed correctly. Your local police department should be able to help you with that.
As far as diaper rash things go, I used a few things. I used desatin and A & E ointments at first and had pretty good success with them, but as Hugito got older and the rashes became more severe, I had to use Triple Paste. That stuff works wonders. It's very expensive, but worth it, IMO. For his excema, I started using Aquafor at first, but found that vasalene worked just as well for a fraction of the cost. I did buy Dreft laundry detergent for him because of his sensitive skin.
I rented a Medula pump from a hospital close by. I couldn't afford the ones they sold and I really liked the one they let me use at the hospital, so that worked best for me. When I was discharged, the hospital gave me all the hoses, nozzels, bottles, etc., for it, so I didn't have to purchase anything in that regard.
I had a hard time with high chairs. The first one I bought was a booster, but I didn't like it because it dominated a chair in my dining room. I then bought a different high chair that he's still using to this day, but I hate that it doesn't fold flat. It's pretty huge. Babies R Us had one that folded down to 3 or 4 inches if I recall correctly but it was on the pricey side. So, take your space into consideration when buying one.
As far as strollers go, I registered for a Graco. I love their stuff. But, someone decided that I didn't want a Graco and bought me what THEY wanted which was a Cosco travel system. I HATED it! The carrier was fine, but the stroller was crap. The safety reviews on them were terrible, customer service was even worse. I went out and bought me my own Graco stroller that is what Johanna (Cataholic) referred to as a Hummer. This thing is huge. It has a 50 lb. weight max. But, hey, I had a near 10 lb. baby, so I figured I needed something big. I love the stroller and had no problems with getting it in or out of my car, but then again, I have an SUV.
Be sure to have Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl on hand. I didn't have these when I first brought him home and learned the hard way that it was foolish of me not to. You never know when these little guys can spike a fever on you and you want to be able to treat it quickly.
I also agree with not buying a lot of clothes. I didn't know the sex of my baby before he was born, so I didn't buy ANY clothes. I had tons of onesies and jammies, but no clothes. I had 5 showers. But, what ended up happening was after he was born, people would bring boy clothes when they came to meet him, so I was still good. There were still outfits he never wore because he grew out of them before I could get them on him. Shoes were a waste of time and money before he could walk. But boy, did he look cute!
These sheets have been a life saver for me. He still uses them to this day. I hated changing his crib sheets. Taking off the bumper, all his crib toys, etc. What a pain. These sheets are da bomb!!!! http://www.cloudsandstars.com/ginghamstarterset.aspx
Hugito used Avent bottles and we had great success with them. I had a Boppy but didn't care for or use it much. His swing was a Godsend. He slept his first 7 hours in his swing. He loved it! He also had a bouncer and used it quite often.
I used Pampers Swaddlers when he fit into them, but switched to Huggies from size 2 on up. I agree with Sparks that it's much more cost effective to get them from Sam's or Costco. I used Costco's wipies (unscented and dye free) and had no problems with them. I also had a wipey warmer and got great use out of it.
Kari, I saw you mentioned something about jogging strollers? I read that those tend to tip over, so just be careful if that's the route you choose to go.
That's all I can think of for now.
Good luck to you both!
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