The Gear

It's been a long while since I posted but we've survived the swine flu, 2 ear infections, and a move to a new house in the past month.



New babies require lots of gear but the amount of stuff on the market is ridiculous! I think so many new moms think they have to get everything that is out there and as far as I'm concerned, forget about it. When Babies R Us gives you a 6 page guide to what you should register for, it is because they'll be getting the money from all of those useless items that they make you believe you need : ) Here's my guide to registry items. You should know that my priorities are convenience and space saving. Your priorities might be different so choose what works for you. Also, if you think you'll need something down the road, register for it now! No, you won't use that high chair for several months but Aunt Jean is looking for some place to spend her money and you're going to use it eventually. If people want to spend their money on your baby, go ahead and let them. You'll have plenty of well-baby co-pays in the first year to spend your own money on - and that's just when they're well!

The things I couldn't have too many of:

Bibs - Not just tiny newborn ones! I really wished we had some bigger bibs once our little one got to the baby food stage.

Burp rags

Footie pajamas

Spoons (when you're in the baby food/cereal phase, we really used a bunch of these)

Wash cloths and hooded towels; I would recommend getting some bigger hooded towels as well (think toddler sized) because they outgrow the little ones quickly.

Receiving blankets - bigger receiving blankets are great! We swaddled both of our kiddos for several months and they sleep like angels.

Diapers - in a variety of sizes. You'll really only need about 1 pack of the newborn size.



The survival gear:

Car seat - make sure to check out the buckle!! Ours is horribly inconvenient and I wish I would have tried it in person instead of ordering it online.

The travel system? No thank you! Most of the strollers that were part of the "travel system" were horribly bulky. We opted for this instead and love it! It is compact and I can wrangle it with 1 hand when I have a car seat in the other.

The umbrella stroller - we went straight to this from the car seat stroller. We have to travel to visit family and it is ideal for air travel!

The sling/baby pack - I didn't use this at all with my first but now that I have 2, it is life-saving. I mean how do you take 2 small children to the grocery store without it?? I have a Baby Bjorn Air carrier (purchased on Ebay for $50). It is really great and designed to be cool.

The baby bath tub - this one was perfect because it transitions as they grow. It was the only tub we used until she was ready to bath in the big tub.

A Pack'n'Play - We used this as our bassinet when we first came home and then continued to use it when we traveled and as the baby grew and needed to be contained.



The luxury items:

It is ok to register for some pricey items! Some people will team up on gifts and some people just want to buy you a big item.

A Jogging stroller - it is like the difference between a sports car and a Honda (no offense to the Honda owners! I'm sure it's a great car, but it just won't handle like a Porsche). We always take the jogging stroller when we go on our nightly walks. There is nothing wrong with owning 3 strollers : ) Our older child is 1 year old and all three of these strollers have been well worn!

A video monitor - We have this one. It is extra-great because it is portable. This was one of the best gifts that we got! At first I thought it was creepy to watch your baby in night vision but I was completely wrong!!! You will sleep more at ease being able to peek in on your newborn and when my 1 year old got the flu, we got it back out again so that we could keep an eye on her when she was really sick.

A breast pump - If you are really going to stick with breast feeding and you're a working mom, this is really a must have item. My girlfriend purchased the Medella Pump In Style and it was a great pump (you can purchase the kits that go with the pump separately so a few of us have used the same pump).



Miscellaneous:

A shopping cart cover

Disposable bibs - you can buy these at Target and they are so great when you are out & about. When they are covered in bright orange carrots or sweet potatoes, you can just throw them away instead of putting them back in your diaper bag.

Lily Padz - These are so great! I wouldn't recommend them in the early stages of breast feeding but once you get into a routine, they are wonderful. Definitely easier on The Girls than the disposable nursing pads.





The stuff I could really live without:

The diaper genie - The refills are expensive, it fills up quickly, and frankly, once they get past bottles, nothing is going to eliminate the smell. A Wal Mart trash can with a lid is equally as effective.

My extremely cute, but non-functional diaper bag.

If you have friends with babies, don't be afraid to trade items! We borrowed our swing, bumbo seat, bouncer, and exersaucer. They are all bulky items and are all going to be used for a limited amount of time. Most baby gear is removable and washable so I just throw it in the wash before I send it back to the original owners. I also recommend picking big items that are gender neutral. I am sooooo thankful we didn't find out the gender of our babies because all of our necessity items were gender neutral. My best advice for baby gear is choose the items that you feel will fit your lifestyle and think long term (not just tiny newborn).