Thursday, April 23, 2009

Any recommendations for purchases?

We are down to the last two months before our baby boy comes, and we are starting to think about all of the things we need to purchase to get ready. Please give us ideas of any products or brands that you have really liked as far as baby stuff goes (diapers, bottles, toys, activity equipment, etc...). We want to hear some opinions before we start purchasing so let us know what you think!

4 comments:

Samye said...

So excited for you guys...and there are so many choices you get to make!! I will try and give a couple of ideas/things that I loved and used.
1. Swaddlers diapers are really nice when they are first born (like first two weeks) depending on how big your little boy is going to be. After that I enjoy Huggies (like I really wear them or something right?) but they do great, and then when the kids get to about a 12 months I like the Target brand diapers... they are super cheap but work pretty well.
2. I love my bjorn, and def. suggest you get some type of carrier! It can be so nice when you are trying to get something done and the baby just wants to be held all the time.
3. Butt Paste is great for diaper rashes. My kids are allergic to anything else but this stuff works great!
4. I love the little vibrating chair you can get...kind of looks like a sling..the baby can sit in it/lay in it and you can get a ton of stuff done!!

Also, watch craigslist for a lot of baby gear... alot of people get rid of gear that is in really nice condition!! Um... for the life of me I can't really think of anything else. If I think of anything I will try and let you know!! So excited for you guys... hopefully we will get another belly shot?

Lyss said...

Hey Guys,

I am not going to pretend to be an expert on this stuff, but I will let you know some of the things I don't think I could have lived without:

1. Baby Bjorn!!!! This was a lifesaver for me, so helpful! By the way, we have one (obviously) that we won't be using for quite awhile and you guys are more then welcome to borrow it!

2. Thin, stretchy, square swaddle blankets! We used these to swaddle Kardynn until she was 4 months! We got the George brand from Walmart!

3. I will only use huggies or kirkland (from Costco) as far as diapers go. I don't like the way the other diapers feel and I hate their tabs, it just seems really uncomfortable!

4.Our swing was amazing, can't live without it!

5. My favorite brand of clothing is Carters! This brand just seems to fit right, at least for Kardynn. And their onesies aren't short and fat, but long and thin!

6. If you are planning on buying a pump, get a NICE double one! It is such an important investment, and I am planning on buying one for my next baby :)!

7. We loved those little linky rings you can get from Walmart. They are colorful and you can hook them to everything! They are the perfect size for little hands to hold when they are first trying to figure out their hands!

8. If your baby is anything like ours, tons of bibs and super thick burg rags (cloth diapers are wonderful)! :)

Like I said, I still don't have the mom thing figured out, so take all of this with a grain of salt! Seriously though, you guys can borrow our Baby Bjorn for as long as you need it! Goodluck with everything!

Russ and Emily Christman said...

Chico has really nice quality car seats, high chairs, and strollers. I recommend spending the money on a nice stroller. They are really expensive but well worth the money when they don't fall apart.
Congrats and have fun buying all this new fun stuff for your little man.

jeremyandcariss said...

you asked for it! you know free advice is worth the price you pay....

buy the bjorn! it is more pricey but worth it. you also may want to get a sling (i like hotslings or peanut shell)you will use it a lot, especially when they are little.

buy the fancy diapers when they are tiny, they are worth the price. once they get older you can switch to generics (we love luvs) but actually if you buy name brand at costco or sams generics aren't that much of a better deal. i just learned on #3 that if the baby blows out a diaper repeatedly the diaper size is too small. don't even bother with the newborn size. the hospital gives you all you need of those. start with ones even if baby is under 8.

buy a stroller you love. you will use it forever. just find one that folds nice, isn't too heavy and looks cute. i love my travel system it's by babytrend. also get the car seat with the base and just get an extra base for the extra car. so worth it....

if you do a bumbo get it now. you only use it a lot when they are small.

clothes are the funnest to buy but beware...the cheaper you buy the shorter time they last. weird but the stains come out better of the more expensive stuff. most brands are pretty true to size but old navy and gap run larger than sized. probably don't buy 0-3 clothes anyways if you plan on a fattie! only 0-3 plain white onsies the kid will use them for a long time! they are great for undershirts and the little guys can go through 5 undershirts in a day.

i don't buy into the name brand baby stuffs. vaseline and baby powder works for dry skin, rashy butt,etc. i even mix vaseline with lotion and it works wonders.

you'll also need some sort of staging place for your little man. a swing, vibrating chair, whatever for when you don't want to put him in his crib but he's asleep, or for when he wants to watch you cook dinner. i have a whole other theory on sleeping stations but won't bother you with that now!

i know it sounds stupid and you probably already know this, but watch what you eat when/if you nurse. thats a whole other topic too. if you plan to nurse buy the lansinoh now and also the breast pads and pump. trust me...its worth it! you don't want to run to target when your baby is only 2 days old and your milk comes in. if you plan to nurse and bottle feed i use mam bottles. they have the orthodontic nipples. i also use mam nipples in avent bottles. of course, get the bpa free stuff.

and on and on i go. see what happens when you are a career mom.? and yes you will freely give advice to other moms when they are having their 1st even though you swear now you won't since its so annoying.

love you lots. we're praying for you guys. write sometime. best of everything!

jeremy
(haha-cariss!)