Expecting our First Child! Advice?

[PirateLover]

DH and I are thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming the littlest mousketeer to our family just in time for Christmas! :mickey: :babyroll:
This is our first child, and will also be the first grandchild for both of our families. Needless to say everyone is super excited :cloud9:, but we are also a little clueless when it comes to babies since we are the first ones of our generation to start this next adventure.

We are beginning the process of starting our registry/deciding what to buy, and it is simultaneously extremely fun and overwhelming. I figured, what better place than Intercot to seek advice from some great people!? So to all you moms and dads out there, I will start by asking for some general advice on "baby gear."

1. Name me one or two things that turned out to be life-savers- think of them as your "must-do's" for getting through the first year.

2. On the flip side, name me one or two things that ended up being a waste. You thought you "had to have it" but it just ended up taking space/$$ that could've been used for something else.

3. The ever popular stroller/travel system question. Which stroller and/or car seat did you end up choosing and are you happy with your choice?

I look forward to your responses! (That is until you all start telling me contradictory things and only end up making me more confused in the end... just kidding :cool:)

[dobby2010]

Congrats! So exciting!

1. Loved our fisher price rock n play. Dr. Browns bottles and video monitor.

2. Never used the boppy or bumbo seat

3. Have the Chico key fit system and liked it though the stroller is bulky. Also have the baby jogger city mini and love it. It is so light and compact. It was great at disney as because it folds so easily.

Hope this helps!

[SBETigg]

I would love to give great advice, but my kids are so old by now and times have changed in 20 years! I can't believe it has been 20 years... anyway...

I can't advise on great new baby gear, but my best advice is to be careful about asking for advice. What works for some parents/babies doesn't work for others and what doesn't work for some... And you'll be getting lots of unsolicited advice. Way more than you want. Everyone feels like it's perfectly fair to weigh in on your pregnancy/parenting/children without even being asked. As excited as you are now, you will see that it can get frustrating at times. Advice on what to buy in advance can be helpful, though.

Yay! What a great time for you! I'm so happy and excited for you. Congratulations and very best wishes.

[princessgirls]

Such an exciting time in your life.

A kind woman once told me when I looked exhausted and overwhelmed in the early days of bringing my daughter home, and it stuck with me...

"The nights are long, but the years go so fast". Enjoy it all!

Enjoy the ride, none of us gets it all right all the time!
Julie:mickey:

[Mickey'sGirl]

Congratulations! Babies are always lovely news!

Both of our boys loved the baby swing, and it allowed us to eat dinner together at the table every night from day one.

Different things work for different families, so take the advice with a grain of salt (master the smile and nod response now!).

[Dulcee]

I've got nothing but we're also expecting our first (in 9ish weeks!?). My only advice.... pregnancy can go crazy fast. I'm still trying to figure out where 1st and 2nd trimester went. Take "bump" pics if only for yourself, you'll look back in amazement at what you thought was you huge at 15 weeks when your suddenly 31 weeks.

And for registries, I did Babies R Us and Amazon. I've been surprised with how much people loved buying off the amazon one. It was also nice because I knew I was putting things up at the best prices and was able to add things you may not find in your classic baby stores.


Happy and healthy 9 months to you :)

[disneymom15]

My daughter is 24, so my opinions really can't be worth much. I do agree with above poster, the baby swing was our lifesaver. Congrats to both of you.

[kakn7294]

Congrats! I can't offer advice on current baby products since my kiddos are 19 and 14 but I will offer this - go actually play with stuff in the stores. Compare things like ease of folding and steering, size and weight, and storage in a stroller, safety ratings and ease of use for car seats, consider a few different types of bottles, nipples, and pacifiers since some babies are VERY picky and others don't care what they have. It's all a learning process and every child is different. You will get a lot of advice, especially since it's your first. Some will be great, some not so much.

[Figment104]

Congrats to you and your DH. As others have said you will definitely get conflicting advice since what works for some doesn't work for others. But hopefully some of the suggestions you receive here will help you during this amazing time!

1. Must Have's for Me: Video Monitor, Medela Pump In Style Double Breast Pump (if you plan on breastfeeding totally worth the expense, but check with insurance as they may provide one free), boppy (see, first discrepancy :blush: ) and I wish I had gotten a fisher price rock n play and will be getting one of these for eventual #2. The swing was also a lifesavor for us. Oh and for a winter baby they make a cover for the car seat (shower cap style that goes around the edge as you don't want to put anything between the car seat and baby) that we found really helpful for carrying them in and out of places and still kept them warm.

2. With a winter baby, a snowsuit. For the age they'll be it just didn't make sense since they shouldn't wear something that bulky in the car seat (my DS was a thanksgiving baby). Also a bumbo, but that was mainly because my DS legs were to chubby for it lol.

3. We had the Graco infant car seat that went to about 30 or 35lbs and was part of the travel system. I'm actually still using the stroller from our travel system and my DS is 2.5 now. We also have a Chicco Liteway for our "umbrella" stroller and we love this one for traveling to Disney and taking on any plane. It's light weight, collapses quite small, but still has a full recline, all at a great price.

[Figment104]

Congrats! I can't offer advice on current baby products since my kiddos are 19 and 14 but I will offer this - go actually play with stuff in the stores. Compare things like ease of folding and steering, size and weight, and storage in a stroller, safety ratings and ease of use for car seats, consider a few different types of bottles, nipples, and pacifiers since some babies are VERY picky and others don't care what they have. It's all a learning process and every child is different. You will get a lot of advice, especially since it's your first. Some will be great, some not so much.

I agree 100% with this. You don't really know if you're going to like certain things unless you play with them and try them out.

[STIXmamma]

My boys are 16 and 13 so I can't give too much advice on products. I can say that even if you buy something today.. better will always come out tomorrow!

I think the best "baby" invention was the little swimmers diapers.. my boys have always loved the water - and being from south Louisiana, we are usually around it some kind of way.

Other advice - unrelated to items is..

1- a babys laugh is the most precious sound in the world... so soak up every one!

2 - the dishes can wait.. go play, read a book or whatever it is they want to do before bed! Soon enough they are teenagers and dont "need" you as much!

3 - enjoy everything all over thru their eyes.. play Santa Clause, tooth fairy, etc. The first time I walked into MK with my boys was fantastic and brought tears to my eyes.

4 - play in the dirt and play in the rain!

5 - remember you aren't perfect - but you are perfect for your kids! They love you no matter what.. so don't worry about doing it wrong!


Congratulations! Enjoy every day of it!

[Wayne]

Dad's perspective here, plus my daughter just turned 20.

Get a Diaper Genie. Yes, the refills are more expensive than the competitor. However, Diaper Genie does a much better job (still) at containing the odor that can come from a deposable diaper pail.

Other than that, I have no clue about current products.

Enjoy your baby because the time will pass faster than you can ever imagine.

[Ms. Mode]

My DD will be 24 on June 5th and it just seems like yesterday she was born!

Two must have items that I put in every baby gift are: Mylicon Drops and Desitin! Both were given to me when DD was born and I wish we had taken stock in the companies. :blush:

[PirateLover]

Congrats! So exciting!
1. Loved our fisher price rock n play. Dr. Browns bottles and video monitor.

2. Never used the boppy or bumbo seat

3. Have the Chico key fit system and liked it though the stroller is bulky. Also have the baby jogger city mini and love it. It is so light and compact. It was great at disney as because it folds so easily.

Hope this helps!
Absolutely! I'm pretty interested in the Rock N Play, so I'm glad you liked it! I would ideally like to do one of the infant seat/compatible stroller combos but bulkiness seems to be a common complaint. We are very much on-the-go people and are looking for something that's not a big clunker.



I can't advise on great new baby gear, but my best advice is to be careful about asking for advice. What works for some parents/babies doesn't work for others and what doesn't work for some... And you'll be getting lots of unsolicited advice.


Different things work for different families, so take the advice with a grain of salt (master the smile and nod response now!).
Oh yes, absolutely to both of you. I've already had to employ the smile and nod a few times. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the "right way" to do things. That's why I'm just focusing on the *stuff* to help me narrow down some options... beyond that I'm not sure how much advice I'll be soliciting! :cool:


Enjoy the ride, none of us gets it all right all the time! :thumbsup:


I've got nothing but we're also expecting our first (in 9ish weeks!?)...

And for registries, I did Babies R Us and Amazon. I've been surprised with how much people loved buying off the amazon one. It was also nice because I knew I was putting things up at the best prices and was able to add things you may not find in your classic baby stores.

Congrats to you, it won't be long now! And glad to hear Amazon worked out for you. I was thinking of doing Amazon and Buy Buy Baby. There are two in the area and at a first glance, they seemed to have more things I wanted as opposed to BRU. Prices are pretty similar, but BuyBuy Baby/ Bed Bath and Beyond are always sending out coupons around here and you can use both store's coupons. Most of my friends love to online shop, but I know there are still people that like to physically go to the store and look at things.


Congrats! I can't offer advice on current baby products since my kiddos are 19 and 14 but I will offer this - go actually play with stuff in the stores.
Oh yes! We did a quick drive by of Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. DH played with some of the strollers and was into it. We will set aside some time to go back and thoroughly investigate the ones we are interested in. :thumbsup:


Congrats to you and your DH. As others have said you will definitely get conflicting advice since what works for some doesn't work for others. But hopefully some of the suggestions you receive here will help you during this amazing time!

1. Must Have's for Me: Video Monitor, Medela Pump In Style Double Breast Pump (if you plan on breastfeeding totally worth the expense, but check with insurance as they may provide one free)
Great to hear. I do plan on it. Our insurance covers some, and Medela was the one I was looking at.



Other advice - unrelated to items is..

That was some great advice, you definitely brought a smile to my face. My MIL lives with us and she's a bit of a cleanliness freak, so I'll let her handle that stuff if she so pleases while I enjoy time with my little one. "Babies don't keep" as the poem goes.


Dad's perspective here, plus my daughter just turned 20.
Get a Diaper Genie. Yes, the refills are more expensive than the competitor. However, Diaper Genie does a much better job (still) at containing the odor that can come from a deposable diaper pail.

I was hoping this might be one item we could do without. Baby's room will be on the first floor only a few steps away from the door the backyard and trash gets taken out once a day, typically. Something to think about, though!

Thanks a ton so far everyone!

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

Congratulations!!! We just welcomed our first baby in February - a boy! In terms of baby gear this is what we have and what I would recommend:

Car seat: Peg Perego Prima Viaggio (also purchased the Peg Perego Book Chasis for stroller system)

Main Stroller: Bugaboo Buffalo (friends also like and recommend the Bob, City Mini, and Uppa Baby Vista strollers).

We have the Bumbo seat and are just starting to use it. My son loves it. I also have the Boppy pillow but have hardly used it (I exclusively pump though and did not really nurse). Other friends have used it and loved it.

Other baby product recommendations:

Medela Freestyle pump and Medela bottles!

Diaper Dekor Plus (love this diaper pale; and you can use regular trash bags if you don't want to purchase the refill packs.)

Use cloth diapers for burp cloths.

4Moms Mamaroo (love this baby swing).

Motorolla Video Monitor.

Feel free to ask me any other baby related question. I'll let you know if I can think of anything else. We registered at Buy Buy Baby (and Amazon) and were very happy with them. Best of luck to you and your husband and lots of pixie dust for a healthy and safe pregnancy/birth. :)

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

My other "advice" is to not find out the sex! It can be hard at times but that moment in the delivery room (or operating room in my case) when the baby comes out and the doc says "it's a ..." is a moment that will tug on your heart strings forever. It really takes the whole birthing experience over the top. It's worth the wait, I promise you!

My family thought it was a lot of fun to not know either. My husband really loved being able to walk out to the waiting room and announce the sex. Once we were settled in our room, our family came back and we announced our son's name.

[PirateLover]

My other "advice" is to not find out the sex! It can be hard at times but that moment in the delivery room (or operating room in my case) when the baby comes out and the doc says "it's a ..." is a moment that will tug on your heart strings forever. It really takes the whole birthing experience over the top. It's worth the wait, I promise you!

My family thought it was a lot of fun to not know either. My husband really loved being able to walk out to the waiting room and announce the sex. Once we were settled in our room, our family came back and we announced our son's name.
I can only imagine what a thrill that must've been! Unfortunately my husband and I are both very impatient and not too fond of surprises, so we will be finding out the gender, at least for this one. We are the type of people who get so excited for Christmas we start giving each other gifts early. I threw him a surprise 30th birthday last year and it was the hardest thing to keep it a secret. :secret: Thanks for all your other advice, too!! I appreciate it!

[MNNHFLTX]

I can only imagine what a thrill that must've been! Unfortunately my husband and I are both very impatient and not too fond of surprises, so we will be finding out the gender, at least for this one. We are the type of people who get so excited for Christmas we start giving each other gifts early. I threw him a surprise 30th birthday last year and it was the hardest thing to keep it a secret. :secret:We chose to find out the gender ahead of time too and for us it actually heightened the anticipation of meeting our little guy (who is now almost 22 years old!). :)

I have no idea what strollers are out there these days but I would recommend investing in a nice baby swing. That was a life-saver if I had to take a shower or get a couple of things done around the house. Also buy a few lullaby CD's or download them onto your computer, iPhone, mp3 player or whatever. Not only are they soothing to the baby, but they can soothe a new mom's jangled nerves too. ;)

On a side note, people seem to think a pregnant belly is public domain for patting, something I just had to grin and bear. I didn't mind the older ladies that did this; I guess I could understand that it brought back nice memories for them. But it can be very unsettling.

[emerzmom]

Congrats to you!!!
I don't have any first year advice but just thought I would pass something on. My great grandmother told me that the dishes, laundry, and other chores would always be there but my daughter would only be a little girl for a very short time...play with her, read to her, sing with her, and most of all just be with her. Best advice I every got as a parent!
Enjoy your new little one!
:tink:
Julie

[Tri Minnie]

Congratulations! I agree with the others that favorites are likely to be person specific, but I will share a few things I have loved and what hasn't worked for me. My children are 2,3 and 5, and I have used my stroller system less than 10 times. I know people who adore them, but I have always found it just too cumbersome. I did love the Chicco car seat though that came with it. Instead I used one of those metal frame strollers you just set the car seat in and a lightweight Combi. As a walker and runner, I also find my BOB invaluable.

However, I would say that the absolute favorites of myself and my children are the Ergo carrier, the Maya wrap, and the king bed. All three of mine also liked the bouncy seat. We also went with Fisher Price booster seats instead of a high chair and never regretted that choice.

Good luck with all of the decisions. Like many of us, you will probably end up with items you thought you needed and never use and items you didn't start with initially but find you really wish you had.

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

Another product I absolutely love is the Nose Frida Snot Sucker (sounds gross but I promise you it isn't). I use it everyday morning and night. Get it!

[HollyB]

My advice is to wait at least a week before you take the baby to Disney World. :mickey:

But seriously, every kid/family is different. We have twins. One loved the swing, one hated it. We went through six types of bottles before we found one both kids liked and then they changed the nipples half way through and we had to go stockpile all the old stock. We never used a changing table but others adored theirs. I liked the side-by-side strollers but other families preferred the inline front to back. Well, you get the idea. What works for you won't necessarily work for anyone else and vice versa.

So advice:

Try out the strollers in the store. Fold them up, unfold them, pretend to lift it into the car. The reason I liked the side to side? The front to back was too unwieldy and heavy for me to work by myself and there was no way I could have lifted it into the trunk of our then car.

Check recalls. Baby and kid equipment, toys, and clothes seem to get recalled more than any other category. Check out SafeKids and CPSC frequently.

Learn to ignore judgmental stares/comments. Total strangers will feel compelled to tell you what you are doing right/wrong when you are parenting. We flew with the twins when they were small through very busy airports. They had backpack leashes. Some people were all "Cool, I wish we'd had that." Others were all "Do you think your kids are dogs? How horrible." Um. No. I think I don't want to lose two active kids in O'Hare Airport, but thanks for asking. Do what's right for your kids/family. Ignore everyone else.

Good luck!

[AgentC]

I can only imagine what a thrill that must've been! Unfortunately my husband and I are both very impatient and not too fond of surprises, so we will be finding out the gender, at least for this one. We are the type of people who get so excited for Christmas we start giving each other gifts early. I threw him a surprise 30th birthday last year and it was the hardest thing to keep it a secret. :secret: Thanks for all your other advice, too!! I appreciate it!

I found out the sex of both of mine and for me it worked well. I thought it was very cool when they showed us during the ultrasound. Of course I am a bit of an obsessive planner so it was very helpful to know and make plans and nursery themes around it.

I am going to echo the YMMV on certain items. It can be so personal to the child. My son loved his bouncer and his swing. My daughter hated the bouncer and loved the swing.

Both enjoyed the baby gym/playmats. Both loved there mobile and having one with music was a must for them.

I found a lot of the little toys they sell for infants- wrist rattles etc to be a waste.

Diaper pail- We have a one floor house. I bought a diaper pail with a good seal but it was not a diaper genie. We used deodorized bags and emptied daily. That worked well for us. I would definitely have something next to the changing area if possible because it makes life much easier to be able to drop them right in.

We got a very nice plastic baby bath tub that had an infant side for under 6 months and then a bigger child side. It was very helpful and we even used it (inside the bath tub) when they were older.

Water proof/ water resistant sheet savers- these are little pads that tie down and go across the crib for accidents. Much easier than change the whole sheet.

On the stroller /car seat issue. For my first I had a Graco with the removable baby carrier.

The positive side was that when I took my son out, he did have something to sleep in and didn't have to be removed from the seat.

The negatives were that is was bulky and heavy. It was awkward in stores. Even though you see people put them on the seat sections in shopping carts , you aren't supposed to and if you put them in your cart, you have no room. Also they grow out of them quickly and then you have to move to convertible rearing facing seat. When my son grew out of his baby seat, I switched him to a convertible rear face Britax seat.

For my daughter, I started her as in infant in a Britax convertible. I did not really use a stroller for her until she was a few months old. When she was younger,I normally had her in a sling. I really loved mine. It makes them easy to carry and easy to nurse.

We had a three wheel Jeep Liberty Stroller that we loved. It lasted for 5 years and I used it for both kids.

Oh and one final thought - Register for basics like diapers and wipes. They are expensive and you go through them fast.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Been twenty years for us too:

Must have-baby gowns and onesies

Never used a diaper genie or wipe warmer

[DebK]

Congratulations!

Nap when the baby naps.....