Baby products you love and hate

[brenna]

Here's a question to maybe liven things up a bit and give us all some ideas for products we may not have heard of/ thought of:
Top three baby items you love and top three you hated/didn't find useful.
Top three for me:
1. Owlet baby monitor
2. Rock and play
3. Video monitor
TW: our friend's baby died from a suffocation accident when I was pregnant with DD so we were terrified about all things having to do with sleep. The owlet was so reassuring.

Top three things I didn't use:
1. Humidifier (didn't seem to make a difference at all)
2. Hair bows, baby mittens, and baby socks (they would NEVER stay on)
3. Nursing pads, lanolin, soothie gels- my supply was never great so I didn't ever need pads and DD hated lanolin and the soothie gels and would refuse to nurse if I used them so unfortunately I couldn't use them.

[blurnette989]

Top 3:

1) Aden and anais bamboo swaddling blankets. The ones I bought at Target haven't lasted as long but I still have bamboo ones from ds1- so 4+ years.
2)rock and play and/or ring sling used both soooo much
3) that godamned Sophie the giraffe. It is overpriced and I don't get it, but both my boys have loved that thing like it was their first icecream cone ever.

Overrated 3:
1) bassinets if any sort. My babies have always hated them.
2) peeper teepee I received these with both boys, and I've never understood how this is a legit product. Washcloths worked just finem and better if anything.
3) Diaper bag- this may be an uo, but I just can't with two different bags. I just use a purse and out baby stuff in it. My favorite bag was my Kate Spade that had three sections, so I could keep my stuff in one and bbay stuff in a other.

[mirabelle]

Ok I live for these threads bc from just 3 years ago there are a few new things on the market it’s hard to know what I want to invest in.

Top loves:
1. Rock n play- upgrading this time to the auto rock n play and will use the old one from my son as a back up. Used this thing exclusively for the first few months for travel and at home.
2. An easy to fold stroller. Will be getting a double and aiming for a joovy I think. We have a britax system for my son that is still in use today, the durability has been outstanding and we use our stroller all the time. I had a runner from like 18 months to 2.5/3 so this was a great tool in that fight. It’s so easy to pack and bring along.
3. Sleepsacks, we lived in these for the first 12 months. Will be trying a different brand this time around called the swaddle up as I’ve heard good things, we still have our sleepsacks leftover so we will have a few options.
4. Ergo baby carrier but really any baby carrier, my first didn’t even really like it but the few occasions we used it, it came in handy. Can’t wait to use it again. Great back support for me.

didn’t use items:
1. This is a weird one but we had an over abundance of diapers some that I bought ahead of time or were gifted that we never used so I will not be pre buying any diapers this time because the sizes changed so frequently there’s just no way to know what they will need and when.
2. We bought a sit me up (fisher price) that we got a few uses out then donated, my baby wasn’t a big fan and I want a big fan of how the chair supported the infant. I know it’s a big hit for some.
#3 I hate our backpack diaper bag, I know I am a voice of dissent because people rave about them and my husband actually really likes it, but I don’t so I will be going for more of a shoulder style this time around or that can do both side bag and backpack like a jujube or something like it. Not sure I’m willing to spend jujube $$ yet.

I’m not buying any new items until this summer, but have been compiling a list for sometime. Would be interested if anyone can speak to the dock a tot... it’s all the rage here.

[blurnette989]

mirabelle I've had friends love the dockatot but i have no personal experience.

I really want a Snoo, but so expensive, but I've had two shit sleepers. So maybe worth it? I just want a baby who sttn. My 4 year still doesn't. Ughhhhhhh.


Snoo not smooth lol

[pixiepink24]

brenna
Thanks for starting this! Funny thing, I didn't have anything on your top three!
But it totally agree about baby mittens. I don't think we ever used ours.

blurnette989
A&A blankets are the best!
I agree on "diaper bags". We never used ours but switched to my old Jansport backpack. Lol! But I only wear a small cross the chest purse.

mirabelle
I've been curious about the Dock a tot too but would want it second hand. Basically everything I buy is second hand. I'm cheap! And we are backpack users here. But I also babywear and it makes it a million times easier....until I put baby on the back....

[pixiepink24]

Top 3 for me:
1:Ring sling! Or baby carrier. We lived in an upstairs apartment and had to do laundry at the end of the complex and trash was far too. With my SO traveling, I would have never been able to do anything without babywearing.
2: Bouncer seat. We never had a rock n play or mama roo but this worked great to just put baby down or get a shower in and cheap!
3: I really liked the purple gel bead breast pads that you can freeze or put in microwave to help with breast feeding. Doing the cold and heat really helped me. I think Lanolin makes them.

Things that we never used:
1: Bumbo seat. My kid got stuck in it the first time because her thighs were so big.
2: newborn size clothes and diapers. She was pretty big so she didn't fit in most newborn clothes or diapers.
3: She never took pacifiers or bottles so it was such a waste all the feeding products. Same with breast milk bags and breast pump. Only used a few times. Hoping for better outcome this time!
4: shopping cart covers
Only used a handful of times and then I got real about parenthood. 🤷‍♀️

Products im interested in trying this time around.
1: Dock a tot
2: Shopping cart hammock
3: Owlette monitor
4: Breast friend nursing pillow

But most of this is just too expensive.

[blurnette989]

pixiepink24 I love my breast friend. It's so much easier to breastfeed with than other pillows.

Also my babies were also too fat for newborn clothes or the Bumbo. Lol.

[Nymeria]

Apr 17, 2018 6:45:06 GMT -6 pixiepink24 said:

Top 3 for me:
3: I really liked the purple gel bead breast pads that you can freeze or put in microwave to help with breast feeding. Doing the cold and heat really helped me. I think Lanolin makes them.

Lansinoh makes them. I have them and didn't need them too often, but they were very helpful for when I did!!

[pixiepink24]

Nymeria Yessss!!!! So helpful with the pain in the beginning and when I felt I was getting a clogged duct. They were lifesavers. I totally gave them to my BFF in france for her baby.

[pixiepink24]

Apr 17, 2018 7:02:46 GMT -6 blurnette989 said:

pixiepink24 I love my breast friend. It's so much easier to breastfeed with than other pillows.

Also my babies were also too fat for newborn clothes or the Bumbo. Lol.

Lol! Chunky babies!! Now my kid is a string bean.

The birthing center has the breast friend pillows there so I may just try it out while we are there and if it goes really well, we will get one. I still have my Boppy so I'm hesitant to buy something else.

[Nymeria]

Apr 17, 2018 4:52:20 GMT -6 blurnette989 said:

Overrated 3:
2) peeper teepee I received these with both boys, and I've never understood how this is a legit product. Washcloths worked just finem and better if anything.

My BFF's sister bought me this basketball shaped sponge thing for this purpose. I tried it once and it got tossed in some drawer. Nothing designed for this purpose really stays in place well enough to be effective. +1 for washcloths do just fine.

[pixiepink24]

Apr 17, 2018 7:16:37 GMT -6 Nymeria said:

Apr 17, 2018 4:52:20 GMT -6 blurnette989 said:

Overrated 3:
2) peeper teepee I received these with both boys, and I've never understood how this is a legit product. Washcloths worked just finem and better if anything.

My BFF's sister bought me this basketball shaped sponge thing for this purpose. I tried it once and it got tossed in some drawer. Nothing designed for this purpose really stays in place well enough to be effective. +1 for washcloths do just fine.

My friend just got one of those at her shower this weekend. I kind of internally rolled my eyes knowing she won't get much use of it and I don't even have a boy.

[chriskoo]

I love this thread!

Top 3
1. IKEA high chair — yes we won’t need this for a yearish from now when our babes start eating solids, but this is the number one thing I recommend to anyone who will listen. It’s cheap, portable, so easy to clean. We bought one for home and one for each of the grandparents houses.
m.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/spr/89228434/
2. Rock and play — DD never slept overnight in it but I loved it for naps and just to have a place to put her.
3. Aden and Anais swaddle blankets

Bottom 3
1. Any type of nursing pillow. I nursed DD for 15 months and never found a use for these. I found them bulky and hot.
2. Zip up swaddle sacks - it was way easier for us to just swaddle with and Aden and Anais blanket or similar. That said, once we stopped swaddling we started using a GroBag and never looked back. Those are amazing and DD still sleeps in one.
3. Baby bullet. Someone bought us this for DD, then we ended up doing baby led weaning and never used it.

[pixiepink24]

chriskoo
Oooh I forgot about the swaddle and sleep sacks. We had some really nice swaddle stuff and sleep sacks and DD refused swaddling or sleep sacks from the moment she was born in the hospital. God I hope this kid isn't like that. We sold them all.

[chriskoo]

brenna I agree about the hair bows! DD would not tolerate them and still won’t, if this next baby is a girl again I won’t bother trying.

[brenna]

chriskoo I found nursing pillows to be big and bulky too. I think I only used mine for A few weeks then just used pillows or used nothing.

Hair bows are just not my thing so I never really even tried putting them on DD. We had some people give us really fancy ones and I was just like lol umm no.

[pixiepink24]

Team no hair bow. Which is basically sacrilegious here in the south.
We did do head bands sometimes or the stretchy ones that are kind of 50's style. But even those didn't stay well. DD didn't have hair for a while.

[Dramaphile]

Top (at least during the newborn phase):
1. Any kind of baby carrier. I started with a Moby wrap and eventually moved on to a ring sling, a woven wrap and a meh dai. MH prefers buckle carriers. I'm in the process of becoming a babywearing educator, so ask me if you have any questions!
2. Boppy lounger pillow. It was great for propping a newborn on while sitting on the couch, and worked nicely for preventing spit-up after feeding. My husband called it his "gaming pillow", before she could roll he would just sit her in there and play video games while I napped.
3. Swaddlesacks, we used the summer infant ones all the time, and then switched to Halo when she was a little bigger. So much easier than trying to get a blanket swaddle to stay on.
4. Kiinde direct-pump system. It's a set of adapters and bags with screwtops that allow you to pump breastmilk directly into storage bags. and the bags pop into a special bottle with a one-piece nipple so you have only one piece to wash. So much easier than all the transferring from bottle to bag and back to bottle. Worked great with my medela pump.

Things we never/barely used:
1. shopping cart cover, didn't even open the package, just returned it.
2. Burp cloths. I just used bibs or receiving blankets most of the time.
3. Newborn shoes and mittens. And really any shoes before baby was walking

@kriskoo we didn't use our baby bullet either, my daughter flat out refused purees and pretty much decided on BLW herself! I use it as a blender sometimes for salad dressing and stuff lol.

I'm probably in them minority that I could never get comfy with the brest friend pillow and much preferred the boppy. But I have big boobs and needed extra positioning help, especially in the beginning.

[ftwr]

Loves:
Nursing pillow - I have two. I'm sure the breast friend works great too but the Boppy was what I received. I couldn't live without a nursing pillow, or two, one for each floor lol
Nipple cream - I used Lansinoh for showering exclusively and Medela after each nursing session. I needed both and will make sure I have both this time.
Wipe warmer - not necessary, in any stretch of the imagination, but DD liked the warm wipes in the middle of the night and it was quicker than warming them up in my hands lol
Video monitor - I was so sad when our's died when DD was two. We'll be getting another.

Hates:
Bumbo - DD was a chunk and her thighs were too fat for it at only 3 months. It never got used.
Baby bullet - it was so loud so I just used our mini food processor which was much more quiet.

Things I'm looking at this time around are an Auto RnP and a swing/glider. DD hated the thing but maybe this kid won't. Also a ring sling.

[shawnspencer]

Loved:
-Baby wearing device of some sort.I used the k'tan and loved it.
-swaddle I think it was called the miracle swaddle or something. I gave it away and need to buy a new one for this baby.
-breastfeeding pillow. Just a basic one but it helped so much.

Hates:
-the mamaroo didn't work for DD. We'll give it a shot with this one though.
-I hated most bibs for when they eat solids. Especially the ones with the pocket at the bottom. They were a pain to clean.


I plan on getting an auto rock and play this time. And a pack and play. I'll be looking at everyone's ideas because I just want to start buying stuff but it still feels too early. But I'm antsy.

[flutterfly88]

Loved:

1. Baby wearing! I had a 2nd hand bjorn, which was fine, but broke. Also had the k'tan but felt like my chunk of a boy was too heavy for it fast. When DS was about 9 months we got the lillebaby. I love it, and how great it was for back carries also. (Used the back carry until I got my BFP).

2. Nursing pillow. I have a comfort and harmony mombo, which was amazing. I took it everywhere for the first 5 months! A friend gave me her my brest friend pillow and I hated that one.

3. Video Baby Monitor. We used it until DS was at least 1.5. At first I thought that we would be okay without a monitor but one day I was trying to shower and kept hearing phantom cries and so convinced MH that it was important to get. I'm so glad I did, as I was so anxious about things happening to DS that it helped keep my fears at bay.

Hated:

1. Hands free pumping bra. It was never actually hands free, as I never felt it held the suction good enough for me.

2. The my Brest friend pillow. It was just so uncomfortable for me (and I'm only listing it again, since I'm having such a hard time thinking of things!)

3. Thought of a third one! Cotton baby hats. We had some and never really used them. Maybe b/c DS was a dec baby, so he wore toques if he needed a hat.

[wisco]

Love this thread! Thanks for the tips, mamas! We are thinking of splurging on owlets and snoos for piece of mind and a chance of some extra sleep. We have a friend with a snoo and she sings its praises all the time. They usually go on sale a few times a year, so I’m watching for a deal.

[brenna]

Apr 17, 2018 18:08:53 GMT -6 wisco said:

Love this thread! Thanks for the tips, mamas! We are thinking of splurging on owlets and snoos for piece of mind and a chance of some extra sleep. We have a friend with a snoo and she sings its praises all the time. They usually go on sale a few times a year, so I’m watching for a deal.

The owlet made my anxiety so much less. I know chances are that the baby will always be fine, but I loved that I felt like I didn't have to check if DD was breathing every 5 minutes like I probably would have done without it.

[blurnette989]

Apr 17, 2018 18:08:53 GMT -6 wisco said:

Love this thread! Thanks for the tips, mamas! We are thinking of splurging on owlets and snoos for piece of mind and a chance of some extra sleep. We have a friend with a snoo and she sings its praises all the time. They usually go on sale a few times a year, so I’m watching for a deal.

I want the Snoo so bad. I can't get it delivered to Portugal though, so I either but it not and my dad brings it when he moves in May or I don't get it, I can't decide!!!

[mirabelle]

flutterfly88 I also suffered from phantom cries, glad to know I’m not crazy. I still do from time to time with my 3 year old. Would you be willing to recommend your video monitor or anyone else have a brand that worked well and you felt safe using?

[Dramaphile]

Apr 18, 2018 8:44:02 GMT -6 mirabelle said:

flutterfly88 I also suffered from phantom cries, glad to know I’m not crazy. I still do from time to time with my 3 year old. Would you be willing to recommend your video monitor or anyone else have a brand that worked well and you felt safe using?

I have a motorola video monitor and really like it. We used it for over two years straight with no issues (our room is next to our two year-old's, so we can hear her pretty well when she wakes up now without the monitor).

[brenna]

mirabelle we have the infant optics dxr-8 and it's been great so far. Their customer service is amazing too. DD threw the monitor part and it started to not work quite right and they sent us a new one free of charge with no questions asked.

[tbirdlove]

mirabelle - +1 for Infant Optics video monitor. I've been very happy with it. It's on my love list for this thread when I get it written up!

[Nymeria]

mirabelle - My first was a Summer Infant and it worked, but I was never overly thrilled with it. I dropped the parent unit and the screen cracked so a mom on my other BMB gave me her old Motorola. I like it except for how small the screen is, but it is an older one.

I am going to look into newer Motorolas and now Infant Optics (based on the recommendations here) since I want one with 2 cameras now.

[tbirdlove]

Nymeria I'm also planning to get a second camera for my Infant Optics. I think you can connect up to four!