Dreamer_D
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Preggo stuff, Baby Stuff, Toddler Stuff...post your best finds here!!
- Thread starter TravelingGal
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TravelingGal
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Dreamer_D
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Thanks TGal, I just looked on babies R us... how does one avoid having 2 or 3 strollers? Seems like there just isn''t one that can meet all your needs. I suppose most people just look at their lifestyle and make the decision form there!
Anyone ever tested the Joovy brand of strollers? My mom owns a small shop in a children''s mall and saw one the other day and thought it was genius.
neatfreak
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janinegirly
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As far as I know, the Maclaren Techno is their only stroller that can be used from birth (for singletons at least). Also the store gave me the impression it could be used from bith b/c it came with a car seat adaptor so you'd be using a car seat as part of the stroller to start. I considered it seriously, but when I tried it out, I just found it lost the appeal of the typical Maclaren by being heavier, more bulky and awkward and, of course, $350. So i went with the Bugaboo for the maneuverability, urban use, multiple features, and decided to get a Maclaren Volvo or Quest (maybe an older model so it's cheaper) later on when baby is bigger and when I'll also have a better idea of our needs are. I might sell the bug at that point, we'll see!
curlygirl
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I think it all depends on how you plan to use the stroller. For me, the Bugaboo is my CAR! We don't have a car, live in a big city and I push this stroller at least 2 miles every day to and from Lily's daycare. I needed something that was durable, good for city streets and sidewalks, easy to maneuver and could be used from birth (with the bassinet). I also had the carseat adaptor for it and before I moved her into the big girl seat, I used the Bugaboo frame with the adaptor for the Graco Snugride for about a month. So if the Bugaboo is my sedan or SUV, the Maclaren Volo is more like my convertible or compact car! We have taken it on trips with us because we don't care if it gets damaged or lost by the airlines, it's definitely lightweight and easy to fold up and throw in the trunk if we rent a car or the grandparents pick us up in their cars, and for city dwellers, it's a heck of a lot easier to carry up and down the subway stairs. I can definitely feel the difference in the drive of both of these--the Bugaboo feels like it's rolling on butter while the Maclaren definitely lets you know when you're hitting bumps and going over cobblestone. Does that make any sense?? But I want to reiterate that if I didn't live in a big city and was constantly in and out of a car, there is NO WAY I would have spent the money on the Bugaboo. I would definitely have gotten a snap and go and a lightweight Maclaren or something similar.
Now with a second child coming along, we are pretty much sold on the Phil and Teds with the double kit. This stroller is fabulous for the city and it's very streamlined and compact. I almost wish I had bought this one first as a single because you can just buy the second seat and make it a double. But alas, I didn't realize I would be having these children so close together so the last thing I was thinking about was my options for a double stroller!
janine, we are stroller, carseat and crib twins--not to mention we are both having girls and our due dates are one day apart!!! I think we are going to need to meet up at some point!!!! I agree with Tacori about those kits, they're not all that. We got like 3 of them as gifts. I left one at my parents' house for emergencies and I have one that I still haven't even opened! You'll get a great aspirator from the hospital and you can buy the nail clippers and a brush separately for a couple bucks each. But I bet someone will buy one of these kits for you anyway!
Dreamer_D
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All good points curly.
We don''t live in a big city, but we do a lot of walking. I also plan to take 12 months off work (gotta love that Canadian mat leave
I guess if mobility is important than you just get everything you need: snap and go, carrier, walking/jogging stroller, & a lightweigt stroller
Tacori E-ring
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DD, we take walks with our SNG. Actually I used our full size today for like the 3rd time today b/c I figured since she is older she might enjoy looking out at the world instead at her tired, boring mama. I think the SNG (single) works great for walks. I totally understand why Curly needs a nicer stroller but for me, I rather use the money towards something else. DD it doesn''t sound like you *need* it but if you *want* it go for it.
Dreamer_D
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LOL... I don't NEEEEED anything really! But I sure want a nice stroller! LOLDate: 6/30/2008 10:30:27 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
DD, we take walks with our SNG. Actually I used our full size today for like the 3rd time today b/c I figured since she is older she might enjoy looking out at the world instead at her tired, boring mama. I think the SNG (single) works great for walks. I totally understand why Curly needs a nicer stroller but for me, I rather use the money towards something else. DD it doesn't sound like you *need* it but if you *want* it go for it.
I want to be able to tie the dogs to the handles and have a nice time walking all four of us... they are little and well trained, this should be fairly easy, but I suspect a little easier with a larger stroller. Not the mention coooooler
peonygirl
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Hi gals! I'm not TTC for a few more months, but in the meantime I'm keeping busy by making lists of stuff we might need to buy for the eventual baby. First off, I'm researching carseats. I noticed that the Graco Snugride is very popular for infants and the Britax Roundabout and Marathon are highly rated for older infants/toddlers. Do you gals have any rants/raves about these?
Also, would you say that a Boppy is helpful if one plans to breastfeed? Thanks!
Also, would you say that a Boppy is helpful if one plans to breastfeed? Thanks!
lili
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janinegirly
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a question for moms (especially city dwellers), how do you go to the grocery store with the baby in stroller? I imagine strolling the bug to the supermarket, but then what? Push the cart alongside? Or maybe just take a carrier? For some reason i can''t picture this!
curly: we are preggo twins! Although I''ve taken a lot of your cues on what to buy (since you have such great suggestions
, so I''m shamelessly trying to be your twin as much as possible! hehe
curly: we are preggo twins! Although I''ve taken a lot of your cues on what to buy (since you have such great suggestions
, so I''m shamelessly trying to be your twin as much as possible! hehe
Tacori E-ring
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DD, if you have the money and desire go for it!
peony, I have the roundabout but will not use it until Nov. (when she is 1). WAIT until it is on sale. I got it for $60 off. They do them twice a year. I love my boppy. At first I had to put a blanket under the baby (on top of the boppy) but she was so little. Towards the end (5-6.5 months) I did not use anything) but still loved it to help her sit, relax, she STILL lays in it when she feeds herself her morning bottle. I have gotten my money out of it for sure!
janine, I am so short so I put her infant carrier in the big basket of the cart (or better yet leave her at home with DH
). But you can put it in the front (angled up). Now I have one of those cushy fabric things for her to sit in the front. She is getting the hang of it.
peony, I have the roundabout but will not use it until Nov. (when she is 1). WAIT until it is on sale. I got it for $60 off. They do them twice a year. I love my boppy. At first I had to put a blanket under the baby (on top of the boppy) but she was so little. Towards the end (5-6.5 months) I did not use anything) but still loved it to help her sit, relax, she STILL lays in it when she feeds herself her morning bottle. I have gotten my money out of it for sure!
janine, I am so short so I put her infant carrier in the big basket of the cart (or better yet leave her at home with DH
curlygirl
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dd, you know, you made a really good point. We don't always NEED these things but sometimes we just WANT them!! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if you can justify it to yourself--I always find a way to rationalize my excessive and impulse buys because it makes ME feel better!!!! So if you want a nice stroller, can afford one and can spin it so it makes sense in your head, DO IT!!!
peonygirl, we have the Graco Snugride. It is a great carseat, comes in many different colors/patterns, it's highly rated in terms of safety, it's easy to install and it works with my stroller (with an adaptor). We had no problems with it and will be using it again with #2 since it's only a year old and barely got used anyway since we don't even have a car! For the toddler/convertible seats, the Britax ones come highly recommended. I broke away from the pack on that and went with the Maxi Cosi Priori. My reasons: it's comparable to the Roundabout but not as bulky, it comes in better colors, it's safe and it's European! Again, we're not in a car very often so I didn't see the need for a huge, expensive seat but I read great reviews for the Maxi Cosi and we really love it. Regarding the Boppy, I didn't breastfeed but I still loved the Boppy just for feeding her and having her lay on me without always having to use my arms. Plus, when she was learning to sit up, I would put it on the floor and put her in the opening and if she fell backwards, she was protected. I loved having it and will use it again with my second child--we'll just get a new cover for it so she feels special!
janine, I have two words for you: FRESH DIRECT!!!! We hardly ever go to an actual grocery store! In the beginning, I did put her in the Bjorn and then I could push the cart and now that she's big, she can sit in the seat of the cart but we still have to get there in the stroller so it's kind of pointless unless we are going shopping in the suburbs and can just leave the stroller in the car. Basically, if DH and I go to the supermarket together in the city, one of us pushes the stroller while the other one handles the cart. Not the most convenient thing so we just get everything delivered if possible and then DH will stop at Trader Joe's or a grocery store on his way home from work whenever we really need stuff like milk, etc. I hope my suggestions are helpful to you! I didn't really have anyone to advise me on this stuff the first time around and I know it's really hard so I'm more than happy to share what I've learned!
peonygirl, we have the Graco Snugride. It is a great carseat, comes in many different colors/patterns, it's highly rated in terms of safety, it's easy to install and it works with my stroller (with an adaptor). We had no problems with it and will be using it again with #2 since it's only a year old and barely got used anyway since we don't even have a car! For the toddler/convertible seats, the Britax ones come highly recommended. I broke away from the pack on that and went with the Maxi Cosi Priori. My reasons: it's comparable to the Roundabout but not as bulky, it comes in better colors, it's safe and it's European! Again, we're not in a car very often so I didn't see the need for a huge, expensive seat but I read great reviews for the Maxi Cosi and we really love it. Regarding the Boppy, I didn't breastfeed but I still loved the Boppy just for feeding her and having her lay on me without always having to use my arms. Plus, when she was learning to sit up, I would put it on the floor and put her in the opening and if she fell backwards, she was protected. I loved having it and will use it again with my second child--we'll just get a new cover for it so she feels special!
janine, I have two words for you: FRESH DIRECT!!!! We hardly ever go to an actual grocery store! In the beginning, I did put her in the Bjorn and then I could push the cart and now that she's big, she can sit in the seat of the cart but we still have to get there in the stroller so it's kind of pointless unless we are going shopping in the suburbs and can just leave the stroller in the car. Basically, if DH and I go to the supermarket together in the city, one of us pushes the stroller while the other one handles the cart. Not the most convenient thing so we just get everything delivered if possible and then DH will stop at Trader Joe's or a grocery store on his way home from work whenever we really need stuff like milk, etc. I hope my suggestions are helpful to you! I didn't really have anyone to advise me on this stuff the first time around and I know it's really hard so I'm more than happy to share what I've learned!
Dreamer_D
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My main justification is that having a nice stoller that rides like butter will get me out of the house more and get me some excercise! When I say we go for walks, I mean 45 min to an hour around town, to the little grocery store, to the downdown area... so maybe we need something bigger... maybe? I''m tryin'' hereDate: 7/1/2008 10:27:29 AM
Author: curlygirl
dd, you know, you made a really good point. We don''t always NEED these things but sometimes we just WANT them!! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if you can justify it to yourself--I always find a way to rationalize my excessive and impulse buys because it makes ME feel better!!!! So if you want a nice stroller, can afford one and can spin it so it makes sense in your head, DO IT!!!
But I don''t think I am going to get a $1000 one, that just seems excessive... maybe one of the $600 ones
Burk
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peony~I just bought the Evenflo Triumph carseat for a convertable carseat. I did a lot of research and it has gotten great reviews and was the recommended buy at Babies R Us. We need two carseats since DH will be picking DD up from daycare in the fall when I am working so I was trying to find something that wasn''t going to cost us a fortune and was still very safe and easy to use. My daughter is only 5.5 months but outgrowing her infant seat so we''ll probably switch to use it pretty soon. I''ll let you know what we think.
I also agree the Boppy is a must!
peonygirl
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Wow, everyone, thanks so much for your responses! If you don't mind, I'm thinking about posing product questions every couple of days so that I can tap this awesome resource without overwhelming ya'll. Umm, next up, baby monitors and diaper pails!
The monitor I've been looking at is the Angelcare one that senses movement as well as sound. In the review on babiesrus.com, a lot of the parents mentioned that it helped quell SIDS fears, since they know that if their child stopped breathing it would beep. It sounds like an interesting product.
Also, are diaper pails worth having, or are diapers fine to go into the regular garbage? I've been looking at the Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail because one can use regular grocery bags for it instead of buying special inserts. It got somewhat better reviews than the Diaper Genie, although I know that that one is popular too.
Thanks so much!
The monitor I've been looking at is the Angelcare one that senses movement as well as sound. In the review on babiesrus.com, a lot of the parents mentioned that it helped quell SIDS fears, since they know that if their child stopped breathing it would beep. It sounds like an interesting product.
Also, are diaper pails worth having, or are diapers fine to go into the regular garbage? I've been looking at the Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail because one can use regular grocery bags for it instead of buying special inserts. It got somewhat better reviews than the Diaper Genie, although I know that that one is popular too.
Thanks so much!
Tacori E-ring
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We have the angelcare. I am embarrassed that we never set up the sensor but I KNOW Diver LOVES hers. We just use it as an audio one. Works for us. SIDS freaks every parent out. Scary stuff. DO NOT buy a diaper pail. Waste IMHO. Get a trash can with a lid. Once they start solids it is gonna stink no matter what.
Not saying my opinion is gold or anything (feel free to take it or leave it) but I have a list (I think of the first page) of my personal take on things. HTHs.
Not saying my opinion is gold or anything (feel free to take it or leave it) but I have a list (I think of the first page) of my personal take on things. HTHs.
TravelingGal
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I also think diaper pails are a waste, but Amelia is still only formula poo. We just tie up the poo diapers in grocery bags and throw them out the same day.
I found the boppy kind of lame for breastfeeding, to be honest. Now it''s sitting there collecting dust. If I had to do it all over again, I''d use "my brest friend", which I thought was so much better. I got to try it out on several occasions in my lactation support group. The only annoying thing about it though is that it wraps all the way around you and buckles closed. Therefore it isn''t as convenient, but the baby is so much easier to position on it. It also has back support. In class, I put my feet up on the carseat (at home you could use something more comfy) and I was so much more comfortable and not hunched over...which a lot of new BFing moms do.
re: infant carseats: I got the Graco Safeseat. It goes up to 30 lbs and has a higher height limit (I think). It is also 2 pounds heavier than the Snugride, so that''s something to keep in mind. It may also not fit well in the back of smaller cars. It has great reviews as well, and I love it. I like having the bigger seat and I don''t mind the extra couple of pounds in the scheme of things...but it does look a fair bit bigger than the snugride. At the time when I was looking at the snugride vs the safeseat, all the reviews said the safeseat base was way easier to install CORRECTLY.
One more thing to keep in mind with the carseat...don''t get a heavier fabric if you''ll be using it in the spring and summer...they get HOT in those things!
re: Grooming kits. I agree with Tacori, just get it separately. I haven''t even used ours yet. Also, a note on those nail clippers with the magnifying glass...sounds like a great idea, but it got me so dizzy, I ended up nicking Amelia. It''s way easier (for me anyway) to clip her nails without the magnification.
MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE ASPIRATOR THE HOSPITAL GIVES YOU. It is the best one to use, as far as the manual aspirators go. The one in my kit was WORTHLESS.
I found the boppy kind of lame for breastfeeding, to be honest. Now it''s sitting there collecting dust. If I had to do it all over again, I''d use "my brest friend", which I thought was so much better. I got to try it out on several occasions in my lactation support group. The only annoying thing about it though is that it wraps all the way around you and buckles closed. Therefore it isn''t as convenient, but the baby is so much easier to position on it. It also has back support. In class, I put my feet up on the carseat (at home you could use something more comfy) and I was so much more comfortable and not hunched over...which a lot of new BFing moms do.
re: infant carseats: I got the Graco Safeseat. It goes up to 30 lbs and has a higher height limit (I think). It is also 2 pounds heavier than the Snugride, so that''s something to keep in mind. It may also not fit well in the back of smaller cars. It has great reviews as well, and I love it. I like having the bigger seat and I don''t mind the extra couple of pounds in the scheme of things...but it does look a fair bit bigger than the snugride. At the time when I was looking at the snugride vs the safeseat, all the reviews said the safeseat base was way easier to install CORRECTLY.
One more thing to keep in mind with the carseat...don''t get a heavier fabric if you''ll be using it in the spring and summer...they get HOT in those things!
re: Grooming kits. I agree with Tacori, just get it separately. I haven''t even used ours yet. Also, a note on those nail clippers with the magnifying glass...sounds like a great idea, but it got me so dizzy, I ended up nicking Amelia. It''s way easier (for me anyway) to clip her nails without the magnification.
MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE ASPIRATOR THE HOSPITAL GIVES YOU. It is the best one to use, as far as the manual aspirators go. The one in my kit was WORTHLESS.
ellaila
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re: diaper pails ... we used the Diaper Champ and it was great at first, but once the smell gets into the plastic, you could just keel over every time you''d flip it to throw a diaper in it!!! Granted, we went through twice as many diapers as people with one baby would so ours probably got nasty sooner than it would for a lot of people, but UGH was it gross. Now we buy biodegradable plastic bags at BRU and put the diapers in those and they go in the trash. And we''ll use one bag for like 4-5 diapers, so between that and the fact that they''re biodegradable, I don''t feel too bad about the waste!
I''ve heard that the Angelcare can make you NUTS because it''s super sensitive (though I''m pretty sure you can adjust the sensitivity of the sensor?). We just used a Sony audio monitor (don''t remember which one, but Baby Bargains recommended it), and it was fine for us.
Boppy - didn''t work well for me for BFing really, but we used it (well "them" b/c we have three of them!) for so many other things! I totally recommend getting one, I think you''ll find lots of other uses for it.
I''ve heard that the Angelcare can make you NUTS because it''s super sensitive (though I''m pretty sure you can adjust the sensitivity of the sensor?). We just used a Sony audio monitor (don''t remember which one, but Baby Bargains recommended it), and it was fine for us.
Boppy - didn''t work well for me for BFing really, but we used it (well "them" b/c we have three of them!) for so many other things! I totally recommend getting one, I think you''ll find lots of other uses for it.
Dreamer_D
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neatfreak
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Tacori E-ring
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janinegirly
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newmomma09
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Hi
I came across your posting about the Baby''s Dream Ocean Collection crib. I was doing some research because I also love that crib. Did you end up getting it? Did you resolve the mesh bumper issue? I can''t find any reviews on the crib so any info you found out would be really helpful. Thanks!
Heidi
I came across your posting about the Baby''s Dream Ocean Collection crib. I was doing some research because I also love that crib. Did you end up getting it? Did you resolve the mesh bumper issue? I can''t find any reviews on the crib so any info you found out would be really helpful. Thanks!
Heidi
qtiekiki
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TravelingGal
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I have the sony and like it, but it does make a buzzing noise from time to time. But I think all monitors may do that. If you have a big place, you may like a video monitor. I found the audio monitor works fine for us. I like the voice activation feature of the Sony, so it is not on making that static noise all the time.
snlee
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Tacori E-ring
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I like having a baby monitor but we live in a fairly large house. We take it with us on vacation too.
So we are at my inlaws and my MIL bought T a walker. Seems walking backwards is easier than forwards. She seems to like it (though not like her beloved exersaucer) They have no stairs so there is no safety concerns (plus she is always watched). We are here for two weeks so I''ll let you guys know if it gets the Tacori stamp of approval!
So we are at my inlaws and my MIL bought T a walker. Seems walking backwards is easier than forwards. She seems to like it (though not like her beloved exersaucer) They have no stairs so there is no safety concerns (plus she is always watched). We are here for two weeks so I''ll let you guys know if it gets the Tacori stamp of approval!
snlee
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