[blparent] Items you couldn't live without

[Leanne Merren]

Hi Angela,
For an infant car seat, I chose the Graco SafeSeat and the Graco frame 
carrier (I think it was called the Snugrider?).  I didn't bother spending 
the big money for the stroller to put the car seat on as a travel system. 
The frame has a basket on the bottom, and the carseat fits nicely on top so 
you can push it as a stroller.  I bought a sit 'n stroll for when she was 
old enough to sit in it.  It says for birth to 40 lbs, but I feel it sits 
too upright for a tiny infant.  I started using it after she was 6 months 
old.  I am still using that now and she is 22 months old.  I'm hoping she'll 
be able to stay in it until she has to switch to a booster seat, but she's 
getting pretty tall so we'll see.
I used a playpen with a bassinette attachment for a bassinette for all 3 of 
my babies.  I wanted the playpen for keeping them in one place when they 
were older, so I didn't see the need for buying another bassinette.  Two of 
my kids slept great in that, the other one just didn't sleep. lol  Ok, she 
slept, but only if I held her.  She was my fussiest baby.
I had one baby who loved the swing, but I got rid of that swing, so when I 
had my second baby I bought one from a garage sale.  She hated it.  It 
wasn't in very good shape after I used it a lot for day care so I got rid of 
that one too.  With my third, I bought one from a friend for $15 and used it 
only minimally.  So I think the swing is a hit or miss thing.
I had a bouncer for all 3, but only one of mine actually liked the 
vibration.  The other 2 cried if I turned it on.  For Kaelyn I received the 
infant to toddler rocker, and she still sits in it.  So that was a great 
choice for us.  It doesn't bounce much, but I could rock her with my foot if 
she wanted to be moving.
My kids never liked their gyms much, but maybe I just didn't have the right 
ones?  Kaelyn did love a set of chimes I bought and hung from her gym.  She 
would play with those for a long time.  They make really pretty sounds and 
the toys are very amusing.  I think they were made by Tiny Luv or something 
like that.
I never used teething rings for my kids, they all preferred cold wet wash 
cloths to chew on when they were teething.
For clothes, I preferred things that opened up at the legs.  The sleep sacks 
are good, because you don't have to pull their arms out to change their 
diaper.  I loved the gowns when they were just home from the hospital, 
because dealing with zippers and snaps in the middle of the night on very 
little sleep could be quite a hastle.  You'll want some little socks or 
booties to go with the gowns.  Lots of onesies.  If your baby is born in the 
winter, you'll want a bunting for the car seat instead of a snowsuit.  The 
snow suit was good if I had to take the baby out without the car seat, but 
that hardly ever happened so that was a waste of money.  With the car seat 
bunting I could unzip that in the car to keep her from over heating, and 
cover her up when taking her outside.
You don't need shoes until they start to stand, and you'll want soft sole 
shoes at first, probably between 9 and 12 months.  You don't even really 
need them at home, just for when you're out.  At home it's best if they go 
barefoot or just in socks so they get the hang of standing and walking 
without their feet being restricted.
You've gotten great advice from others, I just wanted to add my thoughts on 
these particular items.  I'll let you know if I think of anything else.
Leanne

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Angela Frederick" <angelahoward at mail.utexas.edu>
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 10, 2009 11:47 AM
Subject: [blparent] Items you couldn't live without


> Hi, everybody,
>
> Okay, so I am a huge nerd and have been trying to figure out what our 
> family budget could be if we succeed in getting pregnant.  I've been 
> looking at baby items and their costs and wondering what is really 
> necessary and worth spending money on.
>
> So, I would like to know from all of you who have kids:
>
> 1. What baby items do you consider a necessity or a life-saver?
>
> and
>
> 2. What baby items do you wish you hadn't spent money on?
>
> Thanks for the feedback!
> Angela
>
>
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