ftwr
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Post by ftwr on Apr 18, 2018 10:16:48 GMT -6
I'm glad everyone has recommended monitors since we need a new one lol
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Post by chriskoo on Apr 18, 2018 10:54:20 GMT -6
We use a nest cam for our video monitor and it’s awesome. It’s technically a security camera but works great for our needs. blurnette989 I would think if you did decide to get a snoo it would have excellent resale value in Portugal, seeing as they’re so hard to get over there. I bet if you decide to get one you could sell it after and get most of your money back.
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swell
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Post by swell on Apr 18, 2018 13:21:45 GMT -6
Loved: - my breast friend (awkward and horrible name, but it was sooo much more useful than the boppy) - sit-me-up ( better for babies than bumbo, folds up for easy travel and was great for when as needed to shower and have DD nearby) - Inglesina fast chair (perfect for attaching to the counter when you don’t want the full high chair)
Hated/Didn’t Use/Regret: Kiinde set- such a waste! Expensive high chair- there was no need to spend $300 on a high chair. I actually think the $20 ikea one would have been far better - hands free pumping bra - as others said, was not hands free and a total waste - I loved our Halo Bassinet BUT I think it’s a ripoff for the $$ and the base is huge - I also like the Tula in theory but never used it
Curious about: Dock-a-Tot (I’d be more inclined if baby was born before going to the shore most summer weekends. Not sure how useful it will be)
Owlette monitor or similar- got something similar for DD and returned it because I realized it was going to make me nuts. But I might consider it this time
Comotomo bottles
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swell
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Post by swell on Apr 18, 2018 13:27:40 GMT -6
Oh re: monitors... we had a Samsung one that died. We have a Motorola one that is fine, but the battery life declined very fast and the chords have crapped out and needed to be replaced. I probably wouldn’t buy a Motorola again.
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Nymeria
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Post by Nymeria on Apr 18, 2018 13:29:35 GMT -6
For those saying the hands free pumping bras were not hands free, could it have been a sizing issue?
I have both the Medela Easy Expression Bustier and the Lansinoh Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bra and they both work truly hands free. The Lansinoh is more adjustable so it definitely gets a better seal but once I got used to the Medela it worked great too.
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Post by Dramaphile on Apr 18, 2018 14:06:09 GMT -6
For those saying the hands free pumping bras were not hands free, could it have been a sizing issue? I have both the Medela Easy Expression Bustier and the Lansinoh Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bra and they both work truly hands free. The Lansinoh is more adjustable so it definitely gets a better seal but once I got used to the Medela it worked great too. same for me, I used the medela with no issues, but I have big boobs, so maybe that helped? I want to get a better one for this time around since my old one got used to death (and I was the second owner), so looking at the Simple Wishes. Also hoping my insurance will cover a Spectra pump, my medela was good, but I want to see what the fuss is about.
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Post by blurnette989 on Apr 18, 2018 14:06:20 GMT -6
swell both my boys were breastfeed only at home and bottle only at daycare. Comotomos were the only bottle they liked, and we tried a lot. I liked them too. Not any harder to clean or anything. Only thing is that if you send to daycare you can only put a label on the rim of the nipple or the lid which was a little annoying. We only ever needed the small size bottle because by the time the boys were drinking more we had switched to sippy cups.
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Post by blurnette989 on Apr 18, 2018 14:08:21 GMT -6
For those saying the hands free pumping bras were not hands free, could it have been a sizing issue? I have both the Medela Easy Expression Bustier and the Lansinoh Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bra and they both work truly hands free. The Lansinoh is more adjustable so it definitely gets a better seal but once I got used to the Medela it worked great too. same for me, I used the medela with no issues, but I have big boobs, so maybe that helped? I want to get a better one for this time around since my old one got used to death (and I was the second owner), so looking at the Simple Wishes. Also hoping my insurance will cover a Spectra pump, my medela was good, but I want to see what the fuss is about.  I loved my Spectra. It was hands down better than the Medela. Stronger yet more gentle. Was so sad to donate it, but def couldn't bring here because the voltage change. You might want to check out the dairydair bra. It's a combo nursing/pumping bra. I liked it a lot. Eta- dairy fairy bra
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Nymeria
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Posts: 3,859 Likes: 11,951
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Post by Nymeria on Apr 18, 2018 14:08:46 GMT -6
For those saying the hands free pumping bras were not hands free, could it have been a sizing issue? I have both the Medela Easy Expression Bustier and the Lansinoh Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bra and they both work truly hands free. The Lansinoh is more adjustable so it definitely gets a better seal but once I got used to the Medela it worked great too. same for me, I used the medela with no issues, but I have big boobs, so maybe that helped? I want to get a better one for this time around since my old one got used to death (and I was the second owner), so looking at the Simple Wishes. Also hoping my insurance will cover a Spectra pump, my medela was good, but I want to see what the fuss is about. I used the Medela the whole time pumping at work because I had already brought it to work when I got the Simple Wishes from a BMB mom, but I would definitely consider the Simple Wishes to be nicer than the Medela one. Thicker fabric, much more adjustable, 2 flaps on the flange holes that helped hold the flanges to my boobs better.
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brenna
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Post by brenna on Apr 18, 2018 16:29:38 GMT -6
I forgot another product that I couldn't have lived without with DD was the baby bjorn bouncer. It's crazy expensive for how basic it is (my husband's grandma got it for us because she heard we absolutely needed it) and at first I kind of rolled my eyes at it, but DD lived in that thing for 5 months. My sister borrowed it and ended up buying one because her son also loved it.
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Post by tbirdlove on Apr 18, 2018 19:40:04 GMT -6
I forgot another product that I couldn't have lived without with DD was the baby bjorn bouncer. It's crazy expensive for how basic it is (my husband's grandma got it for us because she heard we absolutely needed it) and at first I kind of rolled my eyes at it, but DD lived in that thing for 5 months. My sister borrowed it and ended up buying one because her son also loved it. MH and I were just talking about bouncers and I was saying that I liked one my bro and SIL used for their boys. Thanks to your post I Googled this seat and asked my SIL, and sure enough that's the same one they had and she loved it too and all three boys loved it! Unfortunately it's already been passed on, but I'm hitting up FB Marketplace and Craigslist now 😉 Thanks for getting me started on this!
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brenna
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Post by brenna on Apr 18, 2018 20:40:07 GMT -6
I forgot another product that I couldn't have lived without with DD was the baby bjorn bouncer. It's crazy expensive for how basic it is (my husband's grandma got it for us because she heard we absolutely needed it) and at first I kind of rolled my eyes at it, but DD lived in that thing for 5 months. My sister borrowed it and ended up buying one because her son also loved it. MH and I were just talking about bouncers and I was saying that I liked one my bro and SIL used for their boys. Thanks to your post I Googled this seat and asked my SIL, and sure enough that's the same one they had and she loved it too and all three boys loved it! Unfortunately it's already been passed on, but I'm hitting up FB Marketplace and Craigslist now 😉 Thanks for getting me started on this! We took it everywhere with us to because it folds up flat and is super light weight. You can even use it as a toddler seat without the little strap.
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Post by tbirdlove on Apr 20, 2018 13:32:03 GMT -6
I had to give this some thought and I've been working on typing this up in another app for a few days now 😄
Loves:
—Video monitor - I swore I wasn't going to get one of these. I had gotten just an audio monitor. But then we had instances of DS choking on spit up and turning all red and not making any sound when it happened...... We were terrified. I returned the audio and got a video monitor no question. I still use it and plan to add a second camera for baby's nursery. We have the Infant Optics one.
—My Chicco travel system. Loved the infant seat, loved the stroller as a "caddy", love the full stroller. I'll be sad not to use this again this time, but I'll need a double.
—I still use the Cloud B Twilight Turtle for DS every night! It was great in the early days because it gives off enough light for motn feedings and diaper changes without hurting everyone's eyes. I'll be buying a second one for #2.
—I also still use a sound machine in DS's room. We just have a Homedics one that's not specifically for kids, but it works great for drowning out other house noises during nap time and his bedtime, before we go to bed. Will also be buying a second one of these for #2.
—Halo swaddle sacks (and then sleep sacks). I thought these were stupid, baby straight jackets and didn't understand why people were too lazy to just swaddle their babies with a blanket.... We received a free swaddle one from the hospital when DS was born. It took less than a week of me trying my darndest to swaddle that kid nice and tight, only to have him wriggle free in the night and wake himself up flailing his arms around, before I caved and tried the swaddle sack..... It made such a positive difference that we went out and bought more the next day!
—I really like my diaper bag. I wasn't about to carry a diaper bag AND a purse, but I didn't want an obviously diaper-bag-looking bag. I got a big Kate Spade one and it's so nice! And I needed a big bag for all of the mandatory burp cloths we needed for the first six months (see below!) and to fit cloth diapers. And to fit my shit too (which amazingly now is mainly my wallet, some chapstick and my water bottle.... My how times have changed!)
Hates/Disappointments:
—Sadly, my Boba wrap (a stretchy wrap). So. Much. Fabric. Took me 10 minutes to get it on tight enough and then another 10 to get baby positioned comfortably. By then I was sweating my ass. DS is a May baby, so between the incoming summer weather and my postpartum hot body temperature, there was no way. I wanted to love it so bad. I borrowed a Boba 3G (Boba's soft structured carrier) from a friend and really liked that. Eventually I bought my own Ergo 360 because I wanted the forward facing option, but honestly I liked the loaner Boba carrier better and am considering buying one of those for myself now.
—Any cutesy burp clothes! Not that I "hated" them, they just did nothing for us! We needed big, fat prefold cloth diapers because DS spit up a TON. Kid was a fountain of spit up! I'm really hoping for less spit-up this time....
—I kinda hated the diaper genie.... I wouldn't have bought one, but we won one in a raffle at a registry event. It was useful for the newborn phase when you're going through 12-14 diapers a day and emptying it frequently, but beyond that I just felt like the trash bags were a waste of money to refill and it smelled so damn bad that we dreaded having to empty it.... (We used cloth diapers when DS was big enough for OS cloth, so just the overnight disposables in there wasn't worth the stench of emptying it.)
—I found the Boppy too bulky and cumbersome to use while nursing. DS was so little that I mostly preferred to just hold him. I would just shove a blanket, small pillow or stuffed animal under my arm if necessary. However, the Boppy did get a lot of use for tummy time, kinda lounging DS back in it and when he was learning to sit, so overall I'm still happy with the Boppy, just not for nursing. Oh, the dog enjoyed curling up in it too when it had been left on the floor!
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Nymeria
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Post by Nymeria on Apr 20, 2018 13:38:36 GMT -6
Hates/Disappointments: —I found the Boppy too bulky and cumbersome to use while nursing. DS was so little that I mostly preferred to just hold him. I would just shove a blanket, small pillow or stuffed animal under my arm if necessary. However, the Boppy did get a lot of use for tummy time, kinda lounging DS back in it and when he was learning to sit, so overall I'm still happy with the Boppy, just not for nursing. Oh, the dog enjoyed curling up in it too when it had been left on the floor! My boppy got used more backwards and shoved under my arm than any other way. I would have been fine with some random small pillow under my elbow. Our dog loves to lay on it too.
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Post by tbirdlove on Apr 20, 2018 14:06:28 GMT -6
brenna! I've already managed to score an organic cotton Baby Bjorn bouncer WITH the toy bar for what I think is a very reasonable price considering what they cost new!! Picking it up on Sunday. Once again, my obsession with FB Marketplace and Craigslist has paid off! 😆
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brenna
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Post by brenna on Apr 20, 2018 15:58:50 GMT -6
tbirdlove that's awesome! Hopefully your little one likes it as much as my DD did! I feel like we have a lot of the same likes and dislikes, we love our sound machine and swaddles, and video monitor. I think I cried when we had to transition DD out of swaddles because she loved being swaddled so much! I will have to look into the turtle light, too much brightness in the middle of the night would keep me awake for hours 😒
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Post by mirabelle on Jun 4, 2018 12:40:39 GMT -6
I bought my a small baby related item this weekend, these really soft organic wash cloths. I have a feeling this will start my avalanche of shopping, I am in the mood to shop all the sudden! I’m trying not to over do it and first figure out what things still work from 3 years ago... do we have all the pieces still? Ha.
Has anyone made any baby related purchases lately?
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Post by tbirdlove on Jun 4, 2018 13:11:58 GMT -6
mirabelle I bought a drapery rod for the nursery today, does that count?! ...... I've actually bought a lot of stuff so far!! No clothes or anything cause I'll just supplement the existing baby wardrobe I have with more seasonal (and possibly gender!) appropriate items after baby comes. I'm still on the look out for a glider chair for the nursery, a Boba SSC and potentially a ring sling or woven wrap on the FB Marketplace. I started an Amazon registery yesterday with some of the other odds and ends of things we need. I'll buy the small stuff here and there along the way and save the bigger stuff to buy with the completion discount.
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Post by mirabelle on Jun 4, 2018 13:32:50 GMT -6
mirabelle I bought a drapery rod for the nursery today, does that count?! ...... I've actually bought a lot of stuff so far!! No clothes or anything cause I'll just supplement the existing baby wardrobe I have with more seasonal (and possibly gender!) appropriate items after baby comes. I'm still on the look out for a glider chair for the nursery, a Boba SSC and potentially a ring sling or woven wrap on the FB Marketplace. I started an Amazon registery yesterday with some of the other odds and ends of things we need. I'll buy the small stuff here and there along the way and save the bigger stuff to buy with the completion discount. I’m eye balling different wraps too and maintaining my amazon registry.
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Post by killertofu on Jun 4, 2018 16:19:15 GMT -6
In the last week or two we bought a bunch of the big stuff. DS is 6, so a lot of his things were given away or thrown out and it feels like we are starting from scratch. We bought a crib, a changing table, and a travel system.
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Post by pixiepink24 on Jun 4, 2018 17:20:07 GMT -6
Most new stuff we've either been gifted or got second hand pretty cheap so far. The biggest thing we will buy new is a car seat. I can't even handle seeing the price tags on some of the stuff people get. There are a few random things I still have from DD but not much.
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Post by chriskoo on Jun 4, 2018 18:04:52 GMT -6
We looked at strollers this past weekend. I hated my stroller that I had when DD was a baby (graco modes sport click connect). We switched to a good umbrella stroller when she was 6 months old and never looked back. Now I’m dreading dragging that graco back out for the next babe so I’m going to sell it. I’m starting from scratch, I want something maneuverable that has potential to be a double. Any suggestions?
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Post by tbirdlove on Jun 4, 2018 19:22:15 GMT -6
We looked at strollers this past weekend. I hated my stroller that I had when DD was a baby (graco modes sport click connect). We switched to a good umbrella stroller when she was 6 months old and never looked back. Now I’m dreading dragging that graco back out for the next babe so I’m going to sell it. I’m starting from scratch, I want something maneuverable that has potential to be a double. Any suggestions? Oh, the double stroller hunt was all consuming for me! We ended up getting a City Select with the second seat a couple months ago. I feel like it's so huge even as a single, but it does drive quite nicely.
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Post by chriskoo on Jun 4, 2018 19:54:25 GMT -6
tbirdlove yeah city select will likely end up as the winner for us too. I like that I can get an adapter for my graco bucket seat, and there seems to be quite a few for sale used in my area. Good to hear it drives nicely.
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Post by tbirdlove on Jun 4, 2018 20:58:43 GMT -6
tbirdlove yeah city select will likely end up as the winner for us too. I like that I can get an adapter for my graco bucket seat, and there seems to be quite a few for sale used in my area. Good to hear it drives nicely. We got a deal on ours and the resale value around here is pretty good so we jumped on it. But I have been seeing some recently on the Marketplace that are a little older for $350 as a double with accessories! Kinda wishing I'd held out 😂
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Post by pixiepink24 on Jun 4, 2018 21:11:07 GMT -6
tbirdlove yeah city select will likely end up as the winner for us too. I like that I can get an adapter for my graco bucket seat, and there seems to be quite a few for sale used in my area. Good to hear it drives nicely. We got a deal on ours and the resale value around here is pretty good so we jumped on it. But I have been seeing some recently on the Marketplace that are a little older for $350 as a double with accessories! Kinda wishing I'd held out 😂 😱This is so crazy to me! I can get a used double stroller for $100 or less.
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Post by tbirdlove on Jun 4, 2018 21:27:52 GMT -6
We got a deal on ours and the resale value around here is pretty good so we jumped on it. But I have been seeing some recently on the Marketplace that are a little older for $350 as a double with accessories! Kinda wishing I'd held out 😂 😱This is so crazy to me! I can get a used double stroller for $100 or less. Yeah, here too 😔 (that's my shameful face there!) I could get something for much, much less if I were more open to different brands and options. But alas, I am picky about my stroller! 😂 I use it a lot so all the user-friendly features are important to me. We don't need a lot of big-ticket items this go-around so we agreed that we would splurge a bit on the stroller. And with the local resale value we figured we could sell it after and not lose too much.
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Post by pixiepink24 on Jun 4, 2018 21:44:23 GMT -6
tbirdloveI understand. Just gives me heart palpitations thinking of spending that kind of money. I'm way too cheap.
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brenna
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Post by brenna on Jun 4, 2018 22:13:03 GMT -6
We haven't bought a single thing yet for baby #2. With DD we were team green as well so a lot of the smaller clothes we have are gender neutral and all the bigger baby stuff we can still use since we just used it not too long ago. We do need to probably get on a few of the bigger items. We have a huge neighborhood garage sale in the next few weeks so I'm hoping we might be able to find a few things there.
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Post by chriskoo on Jun 5, 2018 5:01:52 GMT -6
tbirdlove I think $350 for a used city select is a great price. I’ll be lucky to find one for less than $600 in my area, they are $899 new (Canadian dollars, lol). It does feel a bit crazy to spend that much money on a stroller, especially for our 2nd and last kid (sorry, 2nd kid). I really think I’ll do it though. Like you, I don’t need much for this kiddo, and I’ll get something ($150 if I’m lucky) for my graco. We’ll use our stroller every day.
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