Baby products? Questions for PT skin kid moms.

[prechrswife]

I know what you mean about the baby clothes accumulating. I just gave away 4 garbage bags full of girl clothes, newborn-12 months sizes, plus a few 18 month summer ones. And that's not counting the ones I pulled out because they were stained or off-season for our friend's coming baby.

We never tried a bottle warmer at all. We used the microwave, about like Kari described, on occasion, but both of our girls were good with room temp formula, thankfully.

[prechrswife]

Another thought on car seats--Even though it is possible to just use a convertible seat from the beginning, with a newborn, you will probably want to have the carrier kind. That way, you can take the baby in at restaurants, etc., without having to take them out of their seat, and there is a place for baby to sit while you are eating, shopping, etc. Otherwise, until baby can sit up, you will be holding him/her the whole time.

Another thing we love is our front carrier. Ours is a Snugli, but there are a number of brands out there. We used ours with both girls until they outgrew it, and it is still in good enough condition for baby boy. Great for those times when you want baby close but need your hands free--grocery store, etc. I tried using a sling carrier with Katherine, but she hated it with a passion. I have seen others use them with a lot of success, though.

[sparks19]

Diapers.... Do you have a BJ's near you? or even costco? if so... buy diapers there. seriously the value is amazing. in the smallest size diaper hannah ever wore we got over 200 diapers for $40. In the grocery stores here we would have been paying almost $40 for less than half of that amount. and the BJ's brand diapers (Berkley and jensen)... awesome. I wish we had started using them earlier. they are only $25 a box and they work great. we haven't had any trouble with them.

for diaper rash and other tushy irritants... keep a jar of aquaphor on hand. It's expensive so I woudln't use it all the time (I use desitin most of the time) but when their tushy starts getting irritated just use the aquaphor after every bum change and you will see a vast improvement in 24 hours... in my experience anyway. It has been awesome for Hannah.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Nick is kind of a pain about his formula, if it isn't warm he will refuse to eat lol. I think having it at room temp bugs his stomach, as Ive noticed that he seems gassy and uncomfortable if he has to eat at room temp when we are out somewhere. He needs special anti gas bottles though too or else he gets REALLY cranky!

As far as diapers go, Ive been really lucky insofar that the cheap store brand ones really seem to work for him. They fit right and they don't leak. I got a whole bunch of newborn diapers but Nick outgrew THOSE before I could use them all lol.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

He needs special anti gas bottles though too or else he gets REALLY cranky!

There anti-gas drops too which work well.

Another thing we love is our front carrier. Ours is a Snugli, but there are a number of brands out there. We used ours with both girls until they outgrew it, and it is still in good enough condition for baby boy. Great for those times when you want baby close but need your hands free--grocery store, etc. I tried using a sling carrier with Katherine, but she hated it with a passion. I have seen others use them with a lot of success, though.

Baby's are so picky, aren't they. We never had any luck with the sling either. We used a carrier (also a snugli), but Nathan really didn't care for it after too long. We ended up just carrying him most of the time.

I too bought a convertible crib that could be turned into a toddler bed and after that we bought big kid bed the normal individual ones even grown ups use...

We got a convertible crib for Nathan too. We co-slept with him since day one and never used the crib. Now it's set up as a toddler bed and I'm not buying the new baby a crib, we'll never use it. Something you ladies may want to consider if your planning on co-sleeping.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

One of my favorite baby products (for when the baby is a little older, around 4 months or so) is an excersaucer. We have an Evenflow exersauser and LOVE it. Nathan loved that thing and it was great, I could set him in it while I cooked, washed dishes, or started a load of laundry.

I don't think anyone has mentioned a boppy yet either. It's great for breast feeding, or for just holding your baby. We also used it when Nathan was able to sit up with a little support- http://nathan.blaix.com/2007/08/25/smile/

[prechrswife]

One of my favorite baby products (for when the baby is a little older, around 4 months or so) is an excersaucer. We have an Evenflow exersauser and LOVE it. Nathan loved that thing and it was great, I could set him in it while I cooked, washed dishes, or started a load of laundry.

I don't think anyone has mentioned a boppy yet either. It's great for breast feeding, or for just holding your baby. We also used it when Nathan was able to sit up with a little support- http://nathan.blaix.com/2007/08/25/smile/

I agree with both of those. Our exersaucer has held up great, too. We have used it for both girls, and other than the fact that it doesn't play music anymore, it is still almost like new.

We also used our Boppy a lot with Katherine, for both breast feeding and bottle feeding, and for just holding her.

When she got a little older, we used one of those Bebe Pod chairs (Bumbo seats are another brand), and that worked great when she was at that almost-but-not-quite sitting up stage.

[sparks19]

OH yeah boppy's... AWESOME. I had two. one for Hannahs room and one for the living room since I used them THAT much lol. I took it everywhere with me and used it all the time and when Hannah started learning to sit up on her own I put her in the center of the boppy so it gave her a little support and was a cushion if she should fall over. LOVE boppy's

exersaucers are great. We have the baby einstein one and Hannah STILL loves it.

[Husky_mom]

Congrats to you too Kari!!... two PT babies YAY!!!

I used Avent bottles and Gerber ones... the Avent ones were pretty practical I loved them!!

diapers.. I used every kind... all disposable... Huggies way to much $$ for the same, Pampers gave rash... and after trying all... there was a brand made here that was very nice onteh pocket and great on him... no drips or rashes... also I´ve tried some walmart brand.. white cloud and parent´s choice... both great...

whatever you two choose for disposable ones stay witht he ones with velcro type closure... adhesive closure sucks...

I got my stroller, carrier from Graco I think.. LOL... and only dust has made it´s way... it´s still as just as new... tip top condition...

now for baby registry.... ADD EVERYTHING!!!!... add even thing you are going to buy yourselves... here you get "points" for every registry purchase which you can later trade in for stuff.. so if you buy your stuff through the registry you´ll get more "points" to trade... also they´ll give you nice presents....

get nail clippers, medicine spoon dosifier or the new pacifier style ones...

one tip get a box of diapers every payday as a routine.... you can get them from now... stage 3-4 is what I used most... then 2... and 1 and newborn I used least maybe just a bag or two...

and as your babies will be newly born on almost old climate.. you can as well get a baby wipes warmer...

[beeniesmom]

Hi folks, I just got back from work.
Thanks for the replies. I have a lot of reading to do.

[JenBKR]

Register for gates now.....all of a sudden your little one will be on the move and you'll be needing them. We basically babyproofed the living room and keep Ty in there as much as possible. It's surprising how quickly they can get into everything!

We have a rather large kitchen with hardwood floors, so his walker has been great. I can make dinner, clean up the kitchen, etc., and he is happy in his walker for a little while. The kitchen is now the only room in the house that is even remotely clean

I'd say don't bother with a diaper genie, they are a pain in the butt and you have to keep buying their refills. We have a diaper champ and it works really well, and you can use whatever bags you want.

[finn's mom]

I started a registry through walmart, and plan to start a couple others because i've had several people tell me to make sure to offer a variety. so, i am. i didn't register for a boppy, but i found a similar item for about half price through walmart, and the reviews are great. thanks for the suggestion on that!

i also registered for an exersaucer, but i might remove it since it's for older babies. not sure, though...the one i looked at is kindof expensive, so i may leave it on there and just store it until baby is old enough to use it.

i love the idea of glass bottles, so i registered for those, too...

i keep reading stuff about SIDS and not laying your baby on his stomach to sleep, etc, which i was already aware of. but i have read multiple times that you should keep the sleeping area clear of "extras" like pillows and blankets. It makes sense, as I can totally see how a baby could get his head under the blanket or pillow or bumper or sheet or whatever...

Because of that information, I'm considering not even bothering with the cutesy bed linen packages, and just sticking with the basics of sleeping...a mattress with a fitted sheet and not much else...what do you all do?

[JenBKR]

I started a registry through walmart, and plan to start a couple others because i've had several people tell me to make sure to offer a variety. so, i am. i didn't register for a boppy, but i found a similar item for about half price through walmart, and the reviews are great. thanks for the suggestion on that!

i also registered for an exersaucer, but i might remove it since it's for older babies. not sure, though...the one i looked at is kindof expensive, so i may leave it on there and just store it until baby is old enough to use it.

i love the idea of glass bottles, so i registered for those, too...

i keep reading stuff about SIDS and not laying your baby on his stomach to sleep, etc, which i was already aware of. but i have read multiple times that you should keep the sleeping area clear of "extras" like pillows and blankets. It makes sense, as I can totally see how a baby could get his head under the blanket or pillow or bumper or sheet or whatever...

Because of that information, I'm considering not even bothering with the cutesy bed linen packages, and just sticking with the basics of sleeping...a mattress with a fitted sheet and not much else...what do you all do?

IMO get the exercauser - your baby will be 4 months before you know it and it's wonderful!

No blankets or pillows in the crib, but you do want a crib bumper. That will keep baby from getting legs/arms stuck when he/she starts rolling around. We got a bedding set, which included sheets, bumper pad, quilt (just used for decoration) and a window valance.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

These are all great suggestions. It's exciting that we have so many PT babies this year.

I wanted to add that craigslist.com is also a great place to go for many things. There are some things I wouldn't buy used (car seat, etc) but for others it's really nice to be able to get something for cheaper that the baby won't use long anyway.

We bought a co-sleeper for the side of the bed and also a crib. I plan on having the baby sleep in our room at night and nap in the crib so she can get used to it (and also to keep the pets from bugging her). We'll see how that works out in real life!

I would agree that people LOVE to give baby clothes. Our baby already has far more than she will probably be able to wear, and she isn't due for another 2 months. I didn't register anywhere but I did get a surprise shower and I got a lot of really nice things- people really like to buy baby stuff! You might find that you will need an extra room just for all the baby stuff you will buy/be given.

Now, I have a question for moms who have pumped- I plan on getting one so my husband can share in the joy of nighttime feedings too. I really want the Medela "In style" pump (the expensive one). Can I use any kind of bottle with this, or do I need to buy a specific brand/ type?

[beeniesmom]

On car seats, if you don't mind it costing a little more, Britax is the best out there.

Thanks for the info. I'll research the Britax kind and Evenflow.

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.

Good to know, but I plan on breastfeeding too.

With our oldest daughter, we got a convertible crib.

In the long run, it sounds convenient because it lasts longer.

Thanks again!

Diapers.... Do you have a BJ's near you? or even costco?

Yes, both. I'll look to price them there. Thanks.

Get nail clippers, medicine spoon dosifier or the new pacifier style ones...

one tip get a box of diapers every payday as a routine.... you can get them from now... stage 3-4 is what I used most... then 2... and 1 and newborn I used least maybe just a bag or two...

Great advice. Thanks!