For all you parents out there, please come in and share your advice! Eric and I are trying to figure out what things we are really going to need for this baby for the first 6 months - 1 year of his life and we are kind of hitting a dead end. While we know what things we might need, we are totally stuck when it comes to things like brands, models etc...consulting Baby Bargains and reviews on the internet have just confused us more. So, help us out! What were the items you could not have lived without when you child was an infant? What were your favorite brands models for commonly used items? Any advice/suggestions on the following products/items would also be greatly appreciated!
1. Breast Pump (I'm thinking the Medela Freestyle, but need feedback from people that have actually used a breast pump as to what they liked/didn't like)
2. Play Yard/Bassinet - Heard great things about the Graco Pack n Play and the Chicco Lullaby. We need something somewhat small and easily portable that will work as a bassinet for about 2 months and as a portable crib for when we're out of town.
3. Bath Tub - NO CLUE AT ALL - do we get one for the sink? One for the bathtub? On for each? What brands/models are good here? HELP!!!
4. Swing - do we even need one/should we get one? Is it better to wait until the little guy gets here and have him test drive one in the store?
5. Bottles/Nipples/Pacifiers - we're planning on exclusively breastfeeding, but little z will eventually need to learn how to drink from a bottle so that I can pump when I go back to work/school. Keeping this in mind,what are the nipples/bottles/pacifiers that work best? I've heard anything from NUK to Dr. Brown's to Tommy TeePee...any other brands to consider? Any favorites?
Leave us your thoughts on these and any other essentials you think we should have!
-Swaddler
ReplyDelete-Bouncer
-Moby wrap (for skin to skin) or ergo performance carrier
-Lansinoh breast pump works for me
-Any nipple with wide base is fine, bottle preference varies by baby probably
-First Year's Infant To Toddler Tub with Sling (the infant insert is helpful)
-Baby nail clippers with magnifying glass
-Mittens for when he's just born so he doesn't cut himself with his nails
-Saline solution (instead of an aspirator, in case you need to get something out of his nose)
-Baby thermometer
-Boppy or other pillow for breastfeeding to help support the baby
-Lansinoh nipple cream
Hey guys!!
ReplyDeleteNow I know that everyone is different in their beliefs and every child is different in what they like. I went through a few things before i found what alexa liked most.
Breast Pump- i could never do handhelds and electric works faster. But Medela is def a great brand!!!
Graco pack and play was my all time favorite!!! I could bring it camping, to cook outs etc. it was so easy to set up and take down, thats actually where alexa napped during the day in the living room. We had the one that had the higher level for when they were really little then was deeper for when they got bigger (i hope you know what i mean by that) its like 2 levels.
Bathtubs- go with whatever is going to be easier for you, one the belly botton falls off you can put them in the water unlike when they still have it they say to just give sponge baths. I went with the one for the tub (bigger ones) that had a net they could lay in for when they were really little then you could take the net out for when they were ready.
Swing- i had alexa so spoiled that she hated to ever be let alone. The swing only held her content for fifteen minutes, but it was enough to let me get to the bathroom or make a bottle. But some babies cannot live with a swing.
We got a little portable one that kind of lays back a little, i think he will like it.
Passy and bottles- I liked having the bottles with the drop in liners. They come serile and then the only thing you have to worry about is sterilizing the nipples. With both Nipples and Passies alexa took to the silicone (clear) ones rather than the rubber (orange) ones.
You guys are going to do great as parents. Brands and special things will come to you as you see your baby grow as to what their favorite is! Jake has been looking up good safe brands in carseats. So tell Eric to text him and they can have daddy talk about it =0)
Hope my information helps a little*
HI!
ReplyDeletei used medela pump-in-style & it worked great for me! i went back to work full-time when aud was 2 months through 5-6 months and then again from 10 months on. i exclusively pumped starting at around 6 months bc she wouldn't latch anymore after her bout w/ RSV and the PIS was amazing! medela has GREAT GREAT GREAT customer service as well. my pump motor started going out at around 10-11 months old and all i had to do was call their customer service line, tell them her birthday (which they used as my proof of purchase date) and they sent me a new one for free. amazing. going off of that, i just used the bottles/nipples that medela provided.
we used the Nuk brand pacifiers. for the bathtub, we got her a little seat thing that sat in the bathtub itself. it was mesh & i found it at walmart or target, i can't remember which one.
definitely get a boppy and a moby! we actually have a moby & an ergo. i loved the moby for when she was littler; it was the only thing that could calm her down sometimes. now i love the ergo because i can use it more as a backpack. the moby has my undying affection, though.
i say yes to the swing. brian & i were like you and eric--we didn't want to spend money on a swing until we knew if she liked it...we ended up caving when she was about 2 weeks old and i'm so glad we did! it could save you some headaches if you get it before he's born instead of waiting like we did, ha ha. we also had a little bouncer so that i could put her in it in the bathroom with me if i needed to get ready for work or shower or something.
if i think of anything else, i'll let you know!
Thank you all sooo much for the advice! It is so nice to hear from moms what actually worked/was useful for them, and all of your comments will definitely be helpful to us when we go to pick out things this weekend:)
ReplyDelete