So I started looking for baby gifts and got really overwhelmed. I have no idea what to register for. Will my baby really use a highchair? There are about 1 million different car seats. Which one is the best for the price? How many burp cloths do I really need? If I have babies like my mom (9 pounders, GULP!) how long will my baby really fit in 'newborn' clothes? Should I just start buying 3-6 months? What is a good price for diapers?
I need some advice. I would like to know what your baby REALLY needed.
I need some advice. I would like to know what your baby REALLY needed.
14 comments:
Well, I can only speak for myself, but...no, you don't really need a big highchair. We've never had one. They are a waste of space. We have a small portable one that has worked just fine for our kids. As for car seats, check Consumer Reports. We love all of our Britax ones. (And we have a lot, with 4 kids!) Hold off on the burp cloths until you see how often your baby spits up. Now for clothes, if you really have a 9 pounder just start getting 3-6 mo. Our 9+ pounders were only in 0-3 for about a week, same with newborn diapers. Just start off with size 1.
Wow, this comment ended up being really long. Sorry.
Congrats on your little girl. You guys will make great parents!! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.
I still don't have a high chair and Kennedy is 10 months old. I just put a bib on her and feed her wherever she is. As for car seats I really just chose the pattern I liked. I got the Gracco travel set that goes up to 30 lbs, which means you can keep the car seat longer than most. I love it but it's bigger than the usual ones! Kennedy wore 0-3 month clothes till past 3 months. I don't think your baby will be all that big to be honest! Good luck! Don't get overwhelmed!
I haven't been a Mom for very long, but there are a few things that I can share... We have the Chicco Keyfit travel system, and we really like it. It is really easy to get in and out of the car, and the stroller is very easy to open and close. It also has REALLY good reviews for safety and such. That is why I wanted it. Also, we were given a TON of blankets, and everyone told me you can't have enough. I wasn't sure I believed it, but it is so true! We go through so many!! And I actually wish I had more burp rags. I use them for not only during and after feedings, but they are the easiest things to grab when she sneezes and has stuff running out her nose all over! Sorry this comment was so long, but I hope it helped a little!
I would not buy anything until after you have a shower. Then you can see what's left. Its going to be hot, so I would just buy some cute onesies for 3-6 months. I don't think you can ever have too many burp rags, but that may depend on if she's a barfer or not. I like those portable seats instead of a highchair, then they can sit at the table with you and you can take it easily on trips. We have a swing and a papasan chair(vibrates), plus Mary's jumperoo and bumbo chair (we are now too fat for both and I am sure she won't be needing them too soon!) if you want to borrow and see what works.
I am TOTALLY a generic diaper girl. It's SO much cheaper and I've had 4 different kids, both genders that did COMPLETELY fine with those cheap-o diapers. Seriously.
And you will want a high chair. You will not want to have her on your lap all the time. The high chair is AWESOME for playtime. Cheerios, toys, playdough and they are safe and at your level.
And don't buy a bunch of different strollers. Get one jogging stroller and one umbrella stroller.
Anything else? I have lots of opinons.
Britax car seats... I carried the carrier car seat in my trunk to tote P around in but nothing is as safe as a Britax!
Swaddle Me blankets. Or large blankets for swaddling.
A side swing is mandatory aka the papasan.
I bought a high chair and it took up so much space so we only had it for a couple months. I fed him in his bouncer on the counter. By 10 months he was in a booster seat.
Johnson's bath products are really harsh. Aveeno is better or splurge for Noodle or Boo, Arbonne, or California Baby is my fave. Atleast for the first year. Eczema is not fun!
And most importantly Chamois sheets from Pottery Barn are the softest things you will EVER feel.
And I second Jessica on the strollers. I have a Graco travel system stroller, a Peg Pereggo stroller that's light weight, an umbrella stroller, and a BOB jogger because CLEARLY I didn't know how to buy.
The high chair is a must! I also liked the swing. I loved the car seat stroller combo from GRACO in METRO LITE. It's so very sturdy but much lighter:
http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=7J02AUB4&CategoryID=12
It's great b/c you can snap the infant carrier/car seat into the stroller and once they get bigger you just use the stroller.
Everything I owned was GRACO and it help up great. I am still using the GRACO stroller with Jen and it's almost 7 years old (still looks new). Go for cheap diapers. I really like LOVES. I have used them now for 6 1/2 years! (Jenna is still not pottie trained so I am still using size 6 LOVES). THEY NEVER LEAK!!! NEVER!!!
I'm a minimalist
Newborn:
You
Safe carseat that fits in your car well
Sling
Diapers (i'm a huggies girl- they don't stink!)
Weleda bum cream/baby wash
Ummmm... that's about it. I thought I was cool and bought a papasan (so soft! so natural looking! so vibratory!) for K and she NEVER was in it more than 5 minutes.
Bumbo: seems fun but my babes are too fat.
Older babe:
SMALL, high quality stroller
Booster seat
backpack carrier
couple disposable sippy cups
You're set!
I love Britax carseats also. I never had the infant carrier seat, and I don't regret. I would invest in a baby bjorn. I love mine!!! I would say yes to a highchair. Braden is just now using his. When he first started eating rice cereal I would put him in his bebe pod/bumbo seat. Now he is a wiggle worm so the highchair works. I use pampers on him, but a lot of my girlfriends and sister, and cousins swear huggies are best for girls. I would wait until after all your showers before you buy anything or wash anything. Sometimes you end up with 20 receiving blankets etc. Just wait. I use J&J bath, for Braden. Every baby is different. Just try one product and if it works keep it. I am against the whole travel system strollers! They are huge and hard to shop with. I love my stoller. Here is the link:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2640528
It is lightweight, Braden can lie down or seat up. It will hold up to 50lbs.
Clothes:
Braden was 8.11 and he wore NB and 0-3. He has pretty much been right on time with age and size.
Oh' it never hurts to have a few burp clothes and bibs on hand. Braden needs them. Some kids don't you just want to be prepared.
Bye
Jax, you don't need a high chair. It's wasted space and they're expensive. We have the portable one you put on your chair and then we can fold it up and put it under the counter when were sick of looking at it.
I hated generic diapers because you have to change them more often....call me lazy. LUVS are pretty cheap too and they hold a lot more.
It's funny how opinionated moms are when it comes to this stuff. You'll find what works for you! Everyones different.
All of these comments are so different! I think we have done a great job totally confusing you! Now you have no idea what to get!!!
When I worked at Giggle I assisted with the design and layout of these two pages. The information is really helpful for parents-to-be:
Checklist for registering:
http://www.giggle.com/registry_jumpstart_checklist
.aspx?oid=669 (I had to split the link so you could view it all)
What to look for in baby gear:
http://www.giggle.com/registry_gearguide.aspx
Don't get a highchair yet. You've still got like 5-6 months after they're born before you'll even need to think about it, so don't worry about it now!
I liked having a carrier car seat - it was easy transfers. We also had a stroller that was a set with our seat (didn't come together) but it's a great stroller and the only one we've ever used. (We have the Combi cosmo (?)) It folds up small and only weighs like 10 pounds. I would just go to Babies R Us, New Baby Products, or other generic baby store and push around a bunch of strollers/heft a bunch of carseats and one will speak to you.
Borrow clothes! People will give you so much stuff you won't need to buy anything at first, so don't unless it's too adorable to pass up (this does happen on occasion.)
And borrow bouncy seats/bumbos/etc. You can come over and raid our storage room for anything we're not using now.
I agree with Claire - you, diapers, onesies, some blankets. Oh, and get a pack of those cloth diapers to use as burp rags. They're great!
It is so funny to read everybody's comments. I would definitely just wait on most things. You will have so much given to you that you'll probably be returning some of it anyway. Newborns really don't need much, and it will give you time to see what she likes/dislikes. The only thing I guess you need right away is a car seat. We recently got a one month subscription to Consumer Reports to buy Dallin's new car seat. For a newborn I do like the kind that you can click in and out of the car. Its nice if they fall asleep somewhere. But again, everything is just personal preference. When you do eventually get a "high chair" I'd get a booster instead. They are much smaller and then they can join you at the table. We would never have room in our place for a huge high chair, but both kids still use their boosters at the table with us.
Good luck sorting out everybody's advice--I guess you asked for it! =)
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