Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best finds here!!

[cellososweet]

Thanks gals!

I''ve heard that it''s a great urban stroller and the fact that it can be made into a double makes it even better. I''m glad you mentioned the basket vizsla. That''s always something that drove me crazy as a nanny. Not being able to put things in the basket because it was too small. Drove me nuts. You can buy a cupholder, by the way, if you want.

Thanks for the rave review curly. I think I''ll go with it.

The fact that it''s a New Zealand company makes me happy too. Gotta represent the motherland! Haha.

 

[E B]

A quick review while baby's sleeping:

For everyone who wants/plans to babywear, I recommend the Beco Butterfly II. It's easy to put on (well, compared to most other carriers), comfortable for mom and baby, and it fits a wide range of heights and weights. I'm 5'5' and ~130 lbs, my husband is 6'7' and ~250 lbs, and we can both wear it.

It's a bit pricey, but it pays for itself the first time you don't have to lug the infant bucket seat to the grocery store or mall (or wherever your errands may take you).

 

[MustangGal]

We ended up finding a baby phone toy last night. It has 3 different settings, so if he gets bored with it making one type of sounds we can change it. And he still dives for the remote anyway

. We may try to just get a spare, they''re proably cheaper than the baby toys anyway!

 

[atroop711]

Date: 7/28/2009 11:31:54 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 7/11/2009 6:49:36 AM

Author: atroop711

For anyone interested in a organic crib mattress...Costco has one for $109 ($20 off for a limited time). I have this mattress and it''s wonderful. My son sleeps soundly on it. It has 2 sides (an infant side and a toddler side). Also the warranty will outlast the child (many children).

Thanks atroop! What''s the difference on the sides?

sorry it took so long to respond but the diff. on the sides is the firmness. It''s just wonferful

 

[atroop711]

Date: 8/8/2009 3:42:16 PM
Author: Mara
for those who have video monitors is it like a little webcam you attach somewhere? i was looking at these and wondering if it was really necessary, but then i thought well if we don''t have to go in there every 2 seconds in the first few months while we familiarize ourselves with noises and what they mean, it would be helpful.


on the stroller, i am still torn on what to do so either we''ll prob get the Bee since greg can get it for points for free through work or just a snap and go to start and figure it out later. i am burnt out on strollers for now.

Mara for all 3 of my kids I got the snap n go to start...the ease of the in and out of the car without waking the baby is GREAT! I''m currently using the snap n go but also bought the JOOVY KOOPER. It fully reclines and is so comfy PLUS it''s shade is HUGE (so no need for additional shade). It also pushes so easily...it''s a little heavy but it weighs the same as the $$ Maclaren (17 lbs). It also goes up to 55 lbs and has lots of room.

I love a video monitor..takes the guessing game out when I could just see if he needs me or not (even if he''s crying out).

 

[Mrs]

Question re: exersaucers vs jumperoos. I know some of the mommies here have suggested that the key is to get something that has lots of toys and it seems like the exersaucers have more toys than the jumperoos but I feel like it would be more fun to bounce in a jumperoo. I can''t decide which to get for Sage. What did your LOs like best?

Also, I''m curious about your thoughts on whether or not it makes sense to purchase one of these used on craigslist. Sage is putting everything in her mouth these days so I feel like a new one might be best, especially since I expect to have another child some day and he or she would likely use it as well. But if we can save some $ by buying used, I feel like we might as well. What do you all think?

TIA!
Mrs

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/15/2009 4:49:06 PM
Author: Mrs
Question re: exersaucers vs jumperoos. I know some of the mommies here have suggested that the key is to get something that has lots of toys and it seems like the exersaucers have more toys than the jumperoos but I feel like it would be more fun to bounce in a jumperoo. I can''t decide which to get for Sage. What did your LOs like best?


Also, I''m curious about your thoughts on whether or not it makes sense to purchase one of these used on craigslist. Sage is putting everything in her mouth these days so I feel like a new one might be best, especially since I expect to have another child some day and he or she would likely use it as well. But if we can save some $ by buying used, I feel like we might as well. What do you all think?


TIA!

Mrs

Well it''s hard to say-I think kids are all different. We have one of each and each of my boys prefers one over the other! They are both great though...if I had to only choose one I would probably choose the jumperoo because it tires them out more...but it''s hard to choose!

My rule with new vs. used is that I will buy used if it can be fully washed somehow. If not-I usually go new.

 

[Pandora II]

Re Phil &Ted''s, I have seen LOADS of these in the UK and everyone I''ve talked prams with who has one loves it. If you are planning on having two kids close together it seems ideal. For me the only drawback is that it''s low-down.

 

[gailrmv]

MRS We have both (borrowing both from friends!) I would have thought he would prefer the Jumparoo. It looks more fun to me. But for some reason he seems happier in the Exersaucer. It may be that the toys are easier for him to figure out, since he''s still at the young end of the age range for it. He likes both for about 10-15 min depending on his mood. That;s usually enough for me to throw a sandwich together or whatever, so it is a great help. I would not worry about buying one used, personally. You can wash the seat fabric in the washing machine, and you can scrub down the rest of it pretty thoroughly.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Loved our Exersaucer. T will STILL play with it if she sees it. Get ones with LOTS of toys and sounds.

 

[gailrmv]

Does anyone have this baby food prep machine? Beaba Babycook Do you think it''s worth the $$? How many months do you think it would be used for? TIA!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/17/2009 10:24:26 PM
Author: TanDogMom
Does anyone have this baby food prep machine? Beaba Babycook Do you think it''s worth the $$? How many months do you think it would be used for? TIA!!

Very cute, convenient and makes baby food fun - but TOTALLY unnecessary. I got it as a gift but no way would I buy it. Steaming in a pot and blending in a processor or blender works great - evem one of those magic bullet types.

So no, not worth it.

 

[natalina]

Posted in Preggo thread too, but thought it might be better here:

Any tips on baby bathtubs? I am so interested in these new "bucket-style" tubs like the Tummy tub. Anyone have one? Is it practical right from first bath, or do you have to wait til they can sit up a bit on their own? Is it hard to get at their bums?

 

[TravelingGal]

I''m a fan of the primo bath, but it''s a big tub. We used it early on, however it is a HUGE help to have those little grip mats (they come in big rolls) or else the babies slide everywhere. We didn''t have sink/counter space so we had to bath her in our bathtub using the primo.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/13/2009 8:34:21 AM
Author: atroop711

Date: 7/28/2009 11:31:54 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 7/11/2009 6:49:36 AM

Author: atroop711

For anyone interested in a organic crib mattress...Costco has one for $109 ($20 off for a limited time). I have this mattress and it''s wonderful. My son sleeps soundly on it. It has 2 sides (an infant side and a toddler side). Also the warranty will outlast the child (many children).

Thanks atroop! What''s the difference on the sides?

sorry it took so long to respond but the diff. on the sides is the firmness. It''s just wonferful

Just saw this, thanks!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mrs We have an excersaucer and Hunter loves it. Tried the jumperoo at a friends house and he was like "Meh..." But he loves the jolly jumper! It moves more and is more bouncy. So I''d say get the excersauser and a jumperoo, ours attaches to the door frame and we take it with us places.

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 8/17/2009 11:48:22 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/17/2009 10:24:26 PM

Author: TanDogMom

Does anyone have this baby food prep machine? Beaba Babycook Do you think it''s worth the $$? How many months do you think it would be used for? TIA!!

Very cute, convenient and makes baby food fun - but TOTALLY unnecessary. I got it as a gift but no way would I buy it. Steaming in a pot and blending in a processor or blender works great - evem one of those magic bullet types.


So no, not worth it.

Cool, thanks for the heads up. I could have sworn (a long time ago) you were raving about it? Maybe I am thinking of someone else. Neat said on another thread she loves it... I''m torn. But, I can always start without it and buy it later on if I change my mind. I looked for one on ebay and all are close to full retail price. No thanks - for full retail I''ll buy at williams sonoma!

Anyway thanks for the review Tgal!!

 

[gailrmv]

Re bathtubs - we have this one first years bathtub and are really happy with it. I read lots of reviews (back when I had time!!) and it came out a winner. I like the hammock that comes with it. We used it for his first bath and every bath since (he''s 5 months).

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/18/2009 10:41:57 PM
Author: TanDogMom

Date: 8/17/2009 11:48:22 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/17/2009 10:24:26 PM

Author: TanDogMom

Does anyone have this baby food prep machine? Beaba Babycook Do you think it''s worth the $$? How many months do you think it would be used for? TIA!!

Very cute, convenient and makes baby food fun - but TOTALLY unnecessary. I got it as a gift but no way would I buy it. Steaming in a pot and blending in a processor or blender works great - evem one of those magic bullet types.


So no, not worth it.

Cool, thanks for the heads up. I could have sworn (a long time ago) you were raving about it? Maybe I am thinking of someone else. Neat said on another thread she loves it... I''m torn. But, I can always start without it and buy it later on if I change my mind. I looked for one on ebay and all are close to full retail price. No thanks - for full retail I''ll buy at williams sonoma!

Anyway thanks for the review Tgal!!

No, I DO love it. It''s a great little gadget and was perfect for small apartment living. All I am saying is that it is not worth the price for the short time it is used. I got it as a gift and I had a lot of fun with it, but my girl hated baby food so it really wasn''t used long.

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 8/18/2009 11:24:40 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/18/2009 10:41:57 PM

Author: TanDogMom

Date: 8/17/2009 11:48:22 PM

Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/17/2009 10:24:26 PM


Author: TanDogMom


Does anyone have this baby food prep machine? Beaba Babycook Do you think it''s worth the $$? How many months do you think it would be used for? TIA!!

Very cute, convenient and makes baby food fun - but TOTALLY unnecessary. I got it as a gift but no way would I buy it. Steaming in a pot and blending in a processor or blender works great - evem one of those magic bullet types.



So no, not worth it.

Cool, thanks for the heads up. I could have sworn (a long time ago) you were raving about it? Maybe I am thinking of someone else. Neat said on another thread she loves it... I''m torn. But, I can always start without it and buy it later on if I change my mind. I looked for one on ebay and all are close to full retail price. No thanks - for full retail I''ll buy at williams sonoma!


Anyway thanks for the review Tgal!!

No, I DO love it. It''s a great little gadget and was perfect for small apartment living. All I am saying is that it is not worth the price for the short time it is used. I got it as a gift and I had a lot of fun with it, but my girl hated baby food so it really wasn''t used long.

''

That makes sense. It''s funny how so many things are essential must-haves (for me) at one point in time and then in a couple months, completely worthless! I guess that''s why it''s good to borrow when I can and then pass things on to friends.... anyway, yeah, i can do a lot of other stuff with $150 so I think I''ll hold off for now.

 

[atroop711]

Date: 8/18/2009 10:43:52 PM
Author: TanDogMom
Re bathtubs - we have this one first years bathtub and are really happy with it. I read lots of reviews (back when I had time!!) and it came out a winner. I like the hammock that comes with it. We used it for his first bath and every bath since (he''s 5 months).

we have this one too and I love it. I had the hammock for when Noah was small but now he''s 9mo and sits up on the big boy side. I love the 2 sides of the tub for the different stages of age.

 

[natalina]

Thanks for all the info on the bathtubs. Very helpful, and I will look into all of the suggestions.

Next question, anyone know anything about the DaVinci Kalani crib? We had our crib delivered from PBKids yesterday, and I am not happy with it at all. The espresso finish is not dark enough, and it has quite a few dings in it. The delivery/assembly men were also terrible. So it''s going back and we are on the search again.

 

[atroop711]

Date: 8/20/2009 9:38:06 AM
Author: natalina
Thanks for all the info on the bathtubs. Very helpful, and I will look into all of the suggestions.


Next question, anyone know anything about the DaVinci Kalani crib? We had our crib delivered from PBKids yesterday, and I am not happy with it at all. The espresso finish is not dark enough, and it has quite a few dings in it. The delivery/assembly men were also terrible. So it's going back and we are on the search again.

that's very pretty! We don't have that one...what we got for our son is this one

http://www.cribs.com/cribs/convertible-cribs/sherriconvertiblecribcollection.cfm

so happy with it...even better looking in person and so sturdy (great pc of furniture)..it's not a red cherry but has more brown to it's color..so it's a darker cherry

 

[gingerB]

hello ladies! reviving this thread because i''ve found it so useful already and now i can participate again. the stroller info here has been INVALUABLE! it''s prob going to be our biggest purchase since my family and friends are hankering on passing on their hand me down

anyway, i was hoping our resident stroller experts could help me with slightly more customized advice for our lifestyle

we live in a big city...defintely urban living, but more suburban as far as travel goes. we need a car to get almost anywhere. so walking long distances is not an issue. i''m not a jogger so that''s def not an issue either. we''re looking for something light, manueverable, able to navigate small aisle/spaces if needed. we''re def leaning towards a snap n'' go type system, but not sure of any other stroller needs. will the snapngo system take us all the way to umbrella stroller or wil we need something in between?

 

[janinegirly]

others will have more insight on the SnG (which looks awesome for convenience, but we never used it), but we also did the urban / suburban thing (started in NYC, moved to burbs when LO was 2 months). We got the bugaboo (which can also be used with infant car seat as a snap in) and the Maclaren Quest for quick trips when I needed something lightweight and easy to fold. It''s worked out for us. Even in the ''burbs I use the bug b/c I like it for walking around the neighborhood roads, up and down sidewalks and bumps etc.

 

[qtiekiki]

You should be able to use the SNG as long as the baby still fit in the infant seat. By the time s/he outgrow the SNG, s/he should be sitting unassisted and can be put into an umbrella stroller. But I had no personal experiences. You should check out some lighter weight strollers that can be reclined. Here''s some for you to check out: Inglesina Zippy and Swift, Peg Perego Pliko P3, Uno and Aria, Maxi-Cosi Perle, Macclaren Quest and Techno, Valco Baby Latitude, Chicco C6, Micralite Toro and Zooper Waltz.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 9/3/2009 10:41:23 AM
Author: gingerB
hello ladies! reviving this thread because i''ve found it so useful already and now i can participate again. the stroller info here has been INVALUABLE! it''s prob going to be our biggest purchase since my family and friends are hankering on passing on their hand me down

anyway, i was hoping our resident stroller experts could help me with slightly more customized advice for our lifestyle

we live in a big city...defintely urban living, but more suburban as far as travel goes. we need a car to get almost anywhere. so walking long distances is not an issue. i''m not a jogger so that''s def not an issue either. we''re looking for something light, manueverable, able to navigate small aisle/spaces if needed. we''re def leaning towards a snap n'' go type system, but not sure of any other stroller needs. will the snapngo system take us all the way to umbrella stroller or wil we need something in between?

Based on what you said the Maclaren is my vote hands down. Nothing out there that is as light, maneuverable, and able to navigate small spaces! You can get a bare bones model and then get a bigger all terrain stroller OR you can get one of their fancier models that you can use basically 100% of the time (like the techno).

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ginger, I LOVED my SnG. I would probably hold off on the big stroller b/c they might have something new and better in a few months from now. I will second Maclarens for light weight, ease, small fold...they make great strollers.

natalina, I was NOT impressed with PBK's cribs when I saw them in person. Their quality did NOT reflect the price IMHO. Check out T's crib. It is a beautiful espresso and I believe was (a tad) cheaper than the PBK's. I am totally blanking on our crib brand...I will have to go look.

ETA: Munire's Urban in espresso finish

ETA 2: Here is the thread. I have some real life pictures a few pages in. They make MANY different styles.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 9/3/2009 12:07:43 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 9/3/2009 10:41:23 AM
Author: gingerB
hello ladies! reviving this thread because i''ve found it so useful already and now i can participate again. the stroller info here has been INVALUABLE! it''s prob going to be our biggest purchase since my family and friends are hankering on passing on their hand me down

anyway, i was hoping our resident stroller experts could help me with slightly more customized advice for our lifestyle

we live in a big city...defintely urban living, but more suburban as far as travel goes. we need a car to get almost anywhere. so walking long distances is not an issue. i''m not a jogger so that''s def not an issue either. we''re looking for something light, manueverable, able to navigate small aisle/spaces if needed. we''re def leaning towards a snap n'' go type system, but not sure of any other stroller needs. will the snapngo system take us all the way to umbrella stroller or wil we need something in between?

Based on what you said the Maclaren is my vote hands down. Nothing out there that is as light, maneuverable, and able to navigate small spaces! You can get a bare bones model and then get a bigger all terrain stroller OR you can get one of their fancier models that you can use basically 100% of the time (like the techno).

I also really like my Baby Jogger city Mini, it is awesome and we use it all the time -- going for walksm in malls, in and out of the car. Iam so happy I skipped getting an expensive stroller like a Bugaboo because this little one does everything I could possibly want. And it has a snap and go attachment for those early weeks.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

DD and other Baby Jogger owners please look here!