Do-over baby

I only have one child, who is 2.5 (right now in summer 2011) and that's all there is going to be. So, I don't get a "do-over" as far as a shower or a sprinkle or whatever, and obviously, I won't be needing it. But, even though I used the Nest as a guide for what I would need, and it was a great resource, there are still things I didn't know about or found out about "late". Later than I would've liked.

So, I thought I'd compile a list of things that were super helpful or important for me. Things that made life easier.

First- get the Baby Bargains book. It has a lot of good info in it. I don't agree with all of the reviews, but it has everything in there for reference.

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Bargains-Secrets-furniture-maternity/dp/1889392405

Boppy AND My Brest Friend: Why both? Because the boppy sucks for breastfeeding but is AWESOME for propping up your baby & putting them on a bed or on the couch where they can't roll off.  It has no clip in the back so for me, for BF, it was just a pain. It would slide all over the place. My Brest Friend does have a clip and was invaluable to me for BF. I did rely on it a lot so it was difficult for me to BF without it, but whatever- it was awesome for sitting on the couch, laying E on there, and being able to type on my laptop (which was on a snack tray) over his head. Or for him to lay there while I was able to eat. So what if he ended up with rice in his hair? Boppy: http://www.boppy.com/build-a-boppy/?pillowType=complete 
My Brest Friend: http://www.mybrestfriend.com/


Nap Nanny: http://www.napnanny.com/ This thing wasn't out when I had E, but I think I would've loved it. Seems self explanatory

Mother Love Nipple Cream: http://www.motherlove.com/product/1001-Nipple-Cream.html: No one wants to talk nipple cream but all BF'ing moms need it. At least I did. This stuff was great.

Bebe Pod vs Bumbo: I prefer the Bebe Pod. Immensely. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4SNNT_enUS351US351&q=bebe+pod&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3297004228068643172&sa=X&ei=VP9CToWxJ6Xr0gH0sIndCQ&ved=0CE0Q8wIwAQ#

All I heard was that I needed the "Bumbo". But, I saw it and thought, those leg holes are so small. Lo and behold, the biggest complain about it was that infants outgrew it so quickly because their legs were too chunky for it and got stuck. The Bebe Pod has much wider leg holes so your baby can use it MUCH longer. We used it for a LONG time. I used it as a booster, I used it to feed him in at other people's homes who didn't have a high chair- I used it everywhere. Definitely worth getting.

Miracle Blanket: Those other swaddle blankets sucked. He broke out of those almost immediately and would startle awake all night. It SUCKED. He was awake like every hour. Then I got the miracle blanket and all was alright with the world. It's like an infant straight jacket. My mom saw him in it and thought I was the meanest mommy on the planet. Well, if mean mommy translates into sleeping mommy, then so be it. He loved it. Most babies LIKE being swaddled- it's like being in the womb. He loved it. I thought it was going to college with him. I was going to cut leg holes in it when he finally was ready to give it up. http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm

Breathable Bumpers: I didn't use bumpers per my own research. But, I didn't want to leave the crib slats bare because he's a restless sleeper and arms and legs would regularly come through. So I got these and they did the trick. Still have them on. http://www.amazon.com/BreathableBaby-Breathable-Safer-Bumper-Cribs/dp/B0013FGWD0. You can get them at BRU or Buy Buy Baby.

Angel Care Monitor- http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/United-States/en/home It gets an F in Baby Bargains- I forget why, but I don't care. I loved this thing. It monitors baby movement and an alarm sounds if your baby stops breathing. It went off a few times and I never jumped out of my bed faster, but all in all, it was a huge piece of mind thing for me in being able to go to sleep myself. It also has a thermometer on it so you know the room temp. That was really helpful for us because our house is old and even with central air and heat the temp can be unpredictable. I still use it- I just disconnected the sensor pad. It works fine for sound and for the thermometer.

Video monitor- mine sucks and I don't think it's even made anymore. But, I needed SOME kind of video monitor. Every kid is different. Mine has been screaming out bloody murder since he's an infant. Sometimes he's fully awake and sometimes he isn't. If he's laying, I don't have to go in there. He'll go back to sleep. But, if he's standing I need to go up there and soothe him back to sleep. I needed to see if he was standing or not without going up/in there every time. Pick any of the monitors that look good- these days they practically cook dinner for you and look like iphones.

Snap N Go stroller: http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRider-Infant-Stroller-Frame/dp/B0007KMUH4.  Or some variation of it. I didn't get my "real" stroller until E was like 4 months old. I didn't need it. The Snap N Go is SO light- who needs to carry a heavy baby seat and then have a huge, heavy stroller on top of that? I get that the big, Cadillac strollers sell attachments to put the baby seat on but you don't NEED it. I waited to see what my needs would be. The Snap N Go has a HUGE basket which is always a plus for me and can open and close with one hand. The only negative is it's tiny wheels which are not great if you want to go over any terrain that isn't flat.

Also, the longer you wait to get the good stroller, the longer you have the warranty. I got my Uppa Baby Vista and then was able to get parts under warranty when I really needed them- when he was TWO. Which brings me to my favorite purchase....

Uppa Baby Vista: http://www.uppababy.com/products/product.php?id=119.  I love this stroller. Yes, it's expensive. But, when everyone was set on the Bugaboo which is more expensive, this is the one I was checking out. It's great and I still use it. The one drawback is that it's heavy. Other than that, I have no complaints. Their customer service is impeccable. And QUICK. You get someone right away and they actually assist you without a hassle. I got it when E was four months. He was almost out of the Snap N Go. The Vista comes with a bassinet which I used at the pool all summer. He slept in it like a champ for two hours at a time. The basket is huge underneath and I could fit everything I could possibly need in there. The tires are big and can be used on pretty much any terrain. We've brought it on the beach and it went over sand just fine.

Graco SnugRide infant seat- http://www.gracobaby.com/Search%20Results/Pages/Search.aspx?search=snugride%20infant. I liked this carseat the best. It's the lightest I tried, it fits in the Graco or Baby Trend stroller (Snap N Go) frame, and it was easy to use. There isn't much to say. It's a good seat. Carrying that thing aroud as your baby is getting heavier and heavier sucks and you want the lightest one possible. The Peg Perego is the heaviest and I can't even imagine carrying that thing around.

Primo bath tub: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4SNNT_enUS351US351&q=primo+bathtub&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=18067653995490568932&sa=X&ei=KQtDTqXkE-TY0QHOvJjTCQ&ved=0CGUQ8wIwAg#. E still uses this and he's 2.5. We prefer him in the smaller tub than the regular tub because it keeps him contained. It's huge. He still fits in it just fine and he's not a small kid. It's much better than any other tub because like I said, he hasn't grown out of it. I had a smaller Fisher Price tub but he outgrew that very quickly. If you don't feel like putting your kid in the regular tub, this is a great option.

Fisher Price Jumperoo: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-K6070-Rainforest-Jumperoo/dp/B000I2UJ0Q. He LOVED this thing. Kept him entertained every day for hours.

Exersaucer: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Around-Discovery-Center/dp/B002NGNFBK/ref=sr_1_3?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1313017107&sr=1-3. The Baby Einstein one I have I got from a garage sale. He loved it- we used in our store when I would leave him there. I had an Evenflo one in my house. It was also great. I definitely "needed" it to keep him stationary and entertained while I did other things in the house.

Honey Bear straw cup: http://www.talktools.com/s.nl/it.A/id.771/.f. On the Nest I was told over and over not to use a traditional "sippy" cup with a spout. That it was just a glorified bottle and not good for speech. I don't know how true or not that is but I wasn't taking any chances. So, at 6-7 mo I taught him how to use a straw with this. It was recommended by an SLP on my local Nest board. It took a little while at that age for him to "get it" but he did and has been drinking from a straw ever since. It was easier than a regular straw cup because it is squeezable and the water or milk comes up easier than a straw cup for an older child.

Beaba Baby Cook: http://www.beabausa.com/product-babycook.cfm. I was all gung-ho about making my own baby food. So, I bought this and it was extremely helpful for someone who doesn't really "cook". It was easy to use, easy to clean, etc. I really liked it. I got it at Buy Buy Baby with the 20% off coupon.

Branching off the Beaba Baby Cook, I do NOT recommend ANY of the food storage plastic things used for freezer storage from any brand. The best thing I found was to freeze the food in ice trays, then pop them out into freezer bags. Takes up WAY less room. Those stupid plastic things fell out of my freezer and broke all the time. I threw them ALL in the garbage.

Graco 4-in-1 highchair: http://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1759246. Another thing he's still using. I love this highchair. Might not be ideal if you have very little space, but I've been really happy with it. He hasn't outgrown it and I don't see him outgrowing it anytime soon.

Fisher Price Booster Seat: http://tinyurl.com/7uu4or6 No, you're not going to need it till later but I wish I'd put stuff like this on my registry. Newborn outfits are obsolete like 5 minutes after the kid is born. There are other things that are more useful to have for later. I like this booster seat. It has a removeable tray and it's easily portable. I keep it in the trunk of my car and use it often at other people's homes.

Slimline hangers:  http://www.amazon.com/Closet-Complete-Velvet-Hangers-Powder/dp/B0037KMSVO. Forget those plastic hangers. Little clothes are a lot bulkier than you think. Just as they make more room in your adult closet, these are a must have for a baby closet. Makes total difference in the amount of room you have to fit all the outfits people are going to give you. And if you don't hang them, you'll forget they're there and they'll be outgrown before you even get to them.