Baby Stuff

[WanderALot]

DW and I are expecting our first in November! Woo-hoo!

We have been looking into baby furniture and it just seems like there is a ton of stuff that we need to purchase:

1. Stroller + Car seat. We are thinking about buying one of the lighter travel systems. $250.
2. Crib. One of our friends has offered to give us their 6-yr. old crib but apparently the consensus is that newer cribs are safer, so we're looking at cribs. $300, plus $100 for the mattress.
3. Portable pack-n-play crib that we can use at grandparents house when they are watching. $100.
4. Glider chair for sitting in while feeding the baby. $400.
5. Changing Table with storage that matches the crib. $150.

So it looks like we'll be spending about $1500 on getting setup for the baby, which didn't seem too bad. Any thoughts on any of these items?

I've been reading websites about these different items till my eyes started bleeding and there seems to be so many choices!

Thanks.

 

[REWahoo]

Craigslist for everything but the crib and carseat...get new ones.

 

[bright eyed]

congrats!

if you're planning on having more than one, then get a decent stroller, i like the lighter ones too, after a year you will tire of lugging the bigger ones around and you don't need the car seat holder feature for more than a few months. i have a maclaren quest and that does everything except recline all the way, which would have been nice.

we never used a crib or changing table - she was just changed on top of the bed w/ a towel underneath, or the pack and play was in the living room for naps and has a changing table feature. if your house is large or two stories - will you really run back to that room all the time to change her? and she sleeps w/ us in the bed. spare pack and plays, definitely go used! mine is 4 years old and still looks new.

gliders are soooo expensive - make sure you really want one. it was nice when baby got her first cold and was up all nite! now it's just taking up room in my office (a friend gave us ours) but i bet you can also find a decent one used, just recover the fabric.

and aren't you having a baby shower? bet you get a lot of what you need there too...

my friend is just about due - perfect timing for her since i'm ready to part with most of my baby stuff - bet there are lots of folks like me, happily willing to clear out their garage and help a friend.

 

[WanderALot]

ReWahoo,

Yeah, I looked at few Craigslist entries and many of the people selling stuff wanted too much $$$. It didn't seem much cheaper than just buying new.
But thanks, I will have to keep an eye on it in the next few months.

congrats!
if you're planning on having more than one, then get a decent stroller, i like the lighter ones too, after a year you will tire of lugging the bigger ones around and you don't need the car seat holder feature for more than a few months. i have a maclaren quest and that does everything except recline all the way, which would have been nice.

we never used a crib or changing table ...

gliders are soooo expensive - make sure you really want one. it was nice when baby got her first cold and was up all nite! now it's just taking up room in my office (a friend gave us ours) but i bet you can also find a decent one used, just recover the fabric.

and aren't you having a baby shower? bet you get a lot of what you need there too...

Thanks bright-eyed! Yeah, we are going to have at least one baby shower, so you're right, we will end up with a lot of this stuff anyways.

The gliders are definitely the most expensive item. We are trying to buy one that looks a bit like a regular chair so that we can still use it someplace else after the baby gets older. Most of the gliders would look out of place in any place besides a baby room!

We don't think we want the baby sleeping with us. I toss and turn a lot and don't want to rollover ontop of the kid! So I think we'll probably just get a crib. However, two of our friends ended up not using the crib at all because they found it easier just to have the baby sleep in their bed. Who knows!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Few things that have had a good deal of usage in our first two years:

After he was too big for the removable car seat...this converts any shopping cart into a clean padded comfortable bed for the first year and set from there on. I checked out a dozen different models, this gave the best coverage and had the most padding:
Welcome to Buggy Baggs online

He spent a heck of a lot of time in this:
Learn & Groove™ Activity Station


And if you can find it, because its been discontinued:
Compare Prices and Read Reviews on LeapFrog Dreamscapes Soother at Epinions.com
So indispensable that when the first one wore out, I overpaid dearly for a second one.

Stuff we used a lot in the first year then had no use for...but wouldnt have done without:

- Battery operated 'swing'. Put him to sleep in 30 seconds.
- Car seat/stroller 'system'. Being able to move sleeping baby from car to stroller and back without waking him up was a godsend.
- Walker. Yep, the experts say they're bad and will screw up your kid. Ours ran around in it like crazy, then crawled early and walked early without any problems
- "Walk behind" toys to help teach him to walk independently


Other stuff we have continued to use:

- A jogging type stroller with a handbrake and swivel front wheel for street walking. After we broke a "mall" stroller going over a curb and watched two other parents with broken plastic wheeled strollers on the bike path, we got a better piece of iron

- A 'cupped' changing table pad. Keeps them from rolling off the changing table

- Diaper genie. Yep, some people just love throwing poopy diapers out in the trash every time they change the baby. Not me...my garbage can smells bad enough and i've got enough stuff to do.

If I think of anything else, i'll add it on.

 

[bright eyed]

yes, don't squish the baby...

dunno if you or your wife is interested - but i loved my slings...

i recommend this one for newborns

Goo-Ga : Home of The Peanut Shell Baby Sling and other Fun Baby Gear

the micro-fleece is soft and stretchy and good since you're baby is coming in november...daddy's around berkeley wear them everywhere! and i used mine from the first week she was home...

and this one is great when they are a little bit older and heavier...

Baby slings by Heavenly Bundle, baby carrier, pouch sling

i skimped where i could, but splurged on these!

i carried number 1 everywhere, and when she went through clingy phases around 18 mths to 2 years. would take them on hikes so she could walk a mile or so, carry her half a mile etc...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh yes, and one of these.
Baby wraps, baby accessory, colic, infant sleep, remedies, infant health, crying baby

I was swaddling impaired. This makes it super easy. Absolutely nothing better to calm a pissed off baby or put them to sleep and be sure they're warm and stay on their back all night. At about a year he didnt want anything to do with it, but it was incredibly useful up until then.

We used this baby monitor for the first year: Angelcare Monitor

Has a motion sensor on it...if theres no movement (aka breathing) for more than a short period of time, it sounds an alarm. Helpful to avoid any potential problems with SIDS. Only problematic when my wife would take him out of the crib at 3am and walk down the hall without shutting it off...and we'd pick up other peoples baby monitors every now and then.

After the first year and a half when we were no longer as concerned about any SIDS problems, we went to the sony ntm-910. Rechargeable internal batteries, mutes unless theres a sharp sound like a burble or crying, excellent range, lots of channels.

 

[bright eyed]

After he was too big for the removable car seat...this converts any shopping cart into a clean padded comfortable bed for the first year and set from there on. I checked out a dozen different models, this gave the best coverage and had the most padding:
Welcome to Buggy Baggs online

- Diaper genie. Yep, some people just love throwing poopy diapers out in the trash every time they change the baby. Not me...my garbage can smells bad enough and i've got enough stuff to do.

i agree w/ cfb on the cart cover - #1 got sick a lot once she was old enough to ride on dirty carts (look away one second and there she was sucking on that disgusting handle!) so for #2 i got a cover (eh hm at tjmax for around $20, not as delux as cfb's tho)

also check out the diaper champ - it's a little bigger, you can use any kitchen size garbage bag and doesn't make those weird diaper sausages like the diaper genie unless, of course, you're a fan of diaper sausages...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I *like* the diaper sausages!

I looked at the diaper champ, but a lot of reviews said they were stinky compared to the genie. Would have saved about $100 on diaper genie "inserts", but its money well spent afaic.

 

[bright eyed]

not trying to start a diaper pail war

i haven't use the genie, so i can't say the difference, i do air out my champ the day i dump the old bag - about every 5-7 days!

between the diaper pail, boys and their feet, gas, post-gym, and the dog, hard to say what is causing the stink around these parts!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You and your sad, liberal diaper champ.

As far as funny smells, we just blame everything on the dogs. Really simplifies things.

 

[bongo2]

Here's a re-post of something I wrote a while ago before we had our fifth:

We're on our fourth baby now and have bought very little on our own. You'd be surprised who wants to unload their crap (or buy new stuff for you) when they find out you have a baby. While most of the stuff we've gotten has come from our family, we have received cribs or boxes of clothes from friends of friends. I would especially not buy any clothes for 3-9 months because you'll get piles of it from friends, and you only need about 5 outfits for the 1-2 months they'll fit in the tiny things.

1. stock up that freezer with a couple months of meals
2. we've found that huggies are worth the extra dough if you're doing disposables, but cloth (washed yourself) is easier than you think.
3. If you are doing cloth we found a great brand, but I can't remember it.
4. a hair dryer is really handy for the baby's bum if getting any sort of diaper rash (works as well as the prescription paste)
5. Headset for phone is nice when you have your hands full of baby
6. mobiles are great -- can easily be homemade. Also hang a lot of interesting pictures where the baby will see them.
7. our kids all loved the bouncy seats, and I think we have three -- but they all hated the vibrating. Just use them as chairs.
8. Pack N Play is great. Use it at home as a second crib -- take it everywhere.
9. You cannot have a diaper bag that is too big. The bag that I like is bigger than what I took for two months in Europe.
10. For our first three kids we rented an infant car seat from the hospital. I don't remember how much it was, but I thought it was cheap at the time.
11. We now have one of those combined stroller / car seats, and it's not working that great for us. The carrier is just too awkward, and baby wakes up every time we try to move her in it.
12. Jogging strollers rule. While I didn't spend money on much else, I did buy an obscenely expensive stroller (http://www.bergdesign.net/runabout.htm)
13. Baby carriers are also nice. Used a Bjorn, and also a Maxi-Mom.
14. Hated the Diaper Genie. Threw it away.
15. When it's a little older those toys that light up and play music when you kick them are great. All of our kids loved those.
16. Jonnie Jump-up's are also great. Did some damage to one of our door frames, though.
17. All of our kids liked the baby swing for a short period only (maybe from 4-6mos). Can't recommend from our experience.
18. Super Baby Food is cheap and easy and good. Amazon.com: Super Baby Food: Books: Ruth Yaron

Personally, I think all the concern about used cribs and car-seats is overdone. We had both. Everyone has their own opinions, those are mine.

 

[Meadbh]

We don't think we want the baby sleeping with us. I toss and turn a lot and don't want to rollover ontop of the kid! So I think we'll probably just get a crib. However, two of our friends ended up not using the crib at all because they found it easier just to have the baby sleep in their bed. Who knows!

Congratulations!

Uh....I know. I happen to be a baby doctor. Please read below, and then make up your own minds. Do check out the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society. If you can't access the AAP one, which may require a subsription, send me a PM and I will send you the PDF.

Meadbh


CONTROVERSY: THE FAMILY BED
Does co-sleeping kill? Coroner's report stirs debate over sharing the bed with your baby
TRALEE PEARCE
Globe and Mail: June 6, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070606.LCRIBMAIN06/TPStory/Entertainment

A top Ontario health official is calling on parents to drop an increasingly popular childrearing practice: co-sleeping. The recommendation, which is riling proponents of sharing the parental bed with infants and children, comes from Jim Cairns, Ontario's deputy chief coroner. He authored a report released Monday that included a look at the rise in Sudden Unexpected Death (SUD) of infants under one year of age (which unlike Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SIDS, can be explained by an accident or illness). Dr. Cairns found that co-sleeping with an adult or sibling contributed to the deaths of 11 infants out of 21 SUD cases. The other 10 deaths involved babies placed in unsafe sleeping environments - chairs, couches and cluttered cribs. In 2004, 16 cases were attributed to SUD.

"We are opposed to co-sleeping, period," Dr. Cairns says. "The only safe sleeping environment is in a properly manufactured crib with a proper mattress and nothing in it." In his opposition to co-sleeping, Dr. Cairns is taking a stand even stronger than that of the Canadian Paediatric Society. The organization says the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a crib close to the parents' bed, but also offers guidelines for parents on safe co-sleeping, such as avoiding alcohol.

Dr. Cairns's criticism comes at a time when co-sleeping is gaining ground as a mainstream practice. Parents who co-sleep say sharing a bed benefits the whole family because it brings them closer together and makes kids feel safe. "I get to parent at night and I get to be with them during those waking moments, which are so precious," says Toronto mother Kelly Dobbin, who runs a parenting centre and has co-slept with her husband and two children, aged 6 and 3, since they were born. "They won't be there forever." Ms. Dobbin says co-sleeping has become more popular among the parents who visit the centre. Dana Driesman co-slept with her daughter, now 2, until she was 18 months old, and says she'd do it again in spite of the warning. "It just made sense," she says. "My baby nursed a lot - it was instinctual." Ms. Driesman worries that the report may dissuade other parents from trying co-sleeping. "People are going to get scared," says the Mississauga, Ont., resident. "They're going to trust that it's coming from a reliable source and they're not going to be fully informed as to what the benefits are." Melissa Crawford, a Hamilton, Ont., mother of two small children called the report ridiculous. "Co-sleeping has been the norm for most of history, and still is in most of the world," she wrote in an e-mail interview.

While SIDS rates are in decline in North America thanks to public health initiatives - the Ontario report found there were six cases of SIDS in 2005, down from 140 in 1991 - Dr. Cairns says the incidence of Sudden Unexpected Death is on the rise. "What's been replacing SIDS, unfortunately, is co-sleeping or unsafe sleeping environments," Dr. Cairns says. A number of the cases he's seen involved unsafe co-sleeping practices of the type that are discouraged by the Canadian Paediatric Society, such as being a smoker, consuming alcohol or being extremely tired. Sleeping with a baby in a chair or on a couch is also deemed high-risk. But even careful parents following guidelines for safe co-sleeping put infants at risk, Dr. Cairns says. "Unfortunately, it still happens when people are taking proper precautions.

"People who support co-sleeping say parents should feel comfortable making their own choices. If "you have made yourself aware of whatever risks there are of sleeping with or not sleeping with your children, then you make the choice that feels safest for you and your family," Ms. Dobbin says.

On that point, Dr. Cairns agrees with co-sleeping advocates. "You're entitled to your opinion and these are our hard facts. I'm not debating. I'll give you the figures. You make the decision."

Surfaces not designed or approved for infants' sleep
Adult beds, Infant swings, Playpens, Bassinettes, Cradles, Waterbeds, Couches, The floor, Mattresses (on floor), Car seats.
_____________________

Benefits and Harms Associated With the Practice of Bed Sharing
A Systematic Review
Tanya Horsley, PhD; Tammy Clifford, PhD; Nicholas Barrowman, PhD; Susan Bennett, MB, ChB, FRCP; Fatemeh Yazdi, MSc; Margaret Sampson, MLIS; David Moher, PhD; Orvie Dingwall, MLIS; Howard Schachter, PhD; Aurore Côté, MD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161:237-245.
Data Synthesis Forty observational studies met our inclusion criteria. Evidence consistently suggests that there may be an association between bed sharing and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) among smokers (however defined), but the evidence is not as consistent among nonsmokers. This does not mean that no association between bed sharing and SIDS exists among nonsmokers, but that existing data do not convincingly establish such an association. Data also suggest that bed sharing may be more strongly associated with SIDS in younger infants. A positive association between bed sharing and breastfeeding was identified. Current data could not establish causality. It is possible that women who are most likely to practice prolonged breastfeeding also prefer to bed share.

Recommendations for safe sleeping environments for infants and children
Community Paediatrics Committee, Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS)
Paediatrics & Child Health 2004; 9(9), 659-663
Reference No. CP04-02
http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/cp/cp04-02.htm

American Academy of Pediatrics
POLICY STATEMENT
Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic
Coding Shifts, Controversies Regarding the Sleeping Environment, and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk
Pediatrics 2005;116:1245–1255; SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexpected infant death, infant mortality, supine position, infant sleep, infant bedding.
www.aap.org

 

[bright eyed]

You and your sad, liberal diaper champ.

As far as funny smells, we just blame everything on the dogs. Really simplifies things.

must - resist - taking - thread - down - stinky - diaper - pail - debate

 

[bright eyed]

14. Hated the Diaper Genie. Threw it away.
Everyone has their own opinions, those are mine.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We have two of them!

Oh yeah, and get a costco membership if they're in your area for diapers, formula and other items. Costco formula (if you're formula feeding or supplementing) is relabeled Enfamil, which is one of the better ones...for half the price. Now we can have the breast feeding and formunazi debates!

Costco diapers are huggies supremes. You can get away with walmart diapers during the day but something more absorbent is helpful at night. When your little one gets into size 3 diapers, huggies overnights absorb a fairly heroic amount of pee.

In that vein, get 3 sets of crib sheets and two waterproof pads. Layer all three sheet sets on the crib with a waterproof layer between. Any spills or leaks, just take off the top sheet and waterproof pad. You will greatly appreciate this when you spill a bottle or come up with a leaky diaper at 2am.

Second on the small hairdryer for drying baby's bottom. Gabe loved it.

 

[GatorBuzz]

If you want to co-sleep but are afraid of injuring the baby, you should look at the co-sleeper, which is a small pack and play type of thing that attaches to the side of your bed. We used one and it was great. It kept the baby right next to DW for easy night time nursing but didn't let the baby near me because I've been known to throw elbows in the night. Also, if you plan to co-sleep do research beforehand and you'll find ways to make it as safe as possible (tight fitting sheet, no excessive pillows, etc.) Here is the "Arm's Length Co-sleeper" we used:

Welcome to Arm's Reach!

 

[Nords]

Does co-sleeping kill?

The very few times we had our kid in our bed with us, it certainly inspired that urge in me.

"Sleeping like a baby"-- it's not an expression, it's a curse!

I hope no one ever needs this book, but if you do then it's indispensable: "Your Fussy Baby". He's been writing it for 20 years under various titles so you could also try a library copy.

CFB, I'm surprised you haven't brought up your experiences with the baby version of American Sign Language...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We frankly never got that far with it. He picked up a couple of things like "hungry" that he still uses. Otherwise he got far too much mileage out of pointing, grunting, and making a "thats not what I want" face. And I didnt help by always knowing what he wanted.

Even now he's not much of a talker. He can do it, and surprises me with some of the things he says...usually when he's frustrated or not getting what he wants. But he seems almost embarrassed to talk. Oh...but theres no trouble whatsoever with saying "NO!" and "I wanna do it!"

My sleep was regularly interrupted for the first year of
his life by the same awful nightmare where I fell asleep while I was watching him, rolled over on him and suffocated him.

I'm glad we minimized that (the fear and the reality) by putting him in his own crib.

The "thats not what I want" face:

And while i'm posting a shot...he's cooking now! Well...mixing stuff and eating it before it goes into the oven...

 

[bright eyed]

Now we can have the breast feeding and formunazi debates!

i think this forum prefers boobs...

 

[WanderALot]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I'm going to show DW this thread tonight!
I can't believe I'm going to be a dad!

 

[bpp3]

CONTROVERSY: THE FAMILY BED
Does co-sleeping kill? Coroner's report stirs debate over sharing the bed with your baby
TRALEE PEARCE
Globe and Mail: June 6, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070606.LCRIBMAIN06/TPStory/Entertainment

I'd have preferred not to do the co-sleeping thing, but around here it is considered tantamount to child abuse to kick the wee ones out of the family futon before 1st grade. (And in our family, the same applies to dogs). Just one more year...

As far as funny smells, we just blame everything on the dogs. Really simplifies things.

Last time I tried that trick, my kid ratted me out.

BTW, Gabe looks like a real trouble-maker. You must be proud.

 

[bright eyed]

gabe certainly looks full of mischief, wonder where he got that from?

ok, he's cute and fuzzy too!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We're very proud of the cute fuzzy compact entropy machine.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

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