On car seats, if you don't mind it costing a little more, Britax is the best out there. That said, our infant carrier seat is an Evenflo, and it has served us well. When the girls have gotten bigger, we have gone to Britax Marathon convertible seats and love them. They get very high ratings on safety. As I said, they are pricey, but we decided that was one area where we would splurge.

We got a wooden high chair, which is pretty to look at, but hasn't been very practical. If you want wood, go with something like an Eddie Bauer, not one of the models from a specialty store. That said, ours has lasted, and we are still using it, but not that practical overall...

Our oldest daughter used the Playtex bottles with disposable liners, our younger used the vent-aire kind. Both are good. A lot of it boils down to the preferences of the baby.

Our Evenflo double stroller is huge, but it is easier to steer than our Cosco single stroller. Those are the only brands we've really used there. You probably will want an inexpensive umbrella stroller for occasions where the big stroller is too bulky. We have used ours in airports and when we are on car trips where we have tons of luggage, etc.

For diapers, we mostly use Luvs, just because they are less expensive and work well. Pampers Swaddlers and then Cruisers are great. Personally, we have had leak issues with Huggies, but I don't know if that is the same for everyone. On the other hand, I prefer Huggies wipes.

When we got our swing and bouncy chair, we went on the cheap end, and they only lasted through one baby. (Since our oldest was adopted at 9 months, we didn't get these until the second time around.) This time, we are going to have to get new ones and will probably go mid-range, although we'll probably stick with Fisher Price. Not for sure on the brand, though.

If you are planning on doing any formula feeding, our girls have done well using both the Parent's Choice (Wal-Mart) and Target store brand formula. Because of FDA regulations, the nutritional value is on par with the name brands, and it is much less expensive.

With our oldest daughter, we got a convertible crib, and that has been nice because when the time arrived, we just switched it over to a toddler bed. She is 3, and we are still using that bed with her crib bedding. That said, with the new baby on the way, she will be getting a "big girl" bed, daughter #2 will get the convertible crib, and the newborn will get the baby's current crib (not convertible).

Make sure you have enough of the practical items like onesies, sleepers, gowns (although I personally prefer sleepers to the gowns, but that is just me), bibs (you will need more than you think), hooded towels, baby washcloths, receiving blankets, etc.

I've written a novel, but I hope this helps. If I think of anything else, I'll add it.