Registry Questions

SJU1982

I'll probably hold off of registering until the end of the month, but I'm starting to research some of the pricier items.  Any input about items or gadgets that were a total waste of money? Or how about items that are definitely worth the splurge? Side note - we live in a small twin, and I hate clutter. I'm trying to minimize the big & bulky items we need to purchase.

Pack N Play - Graco has one for $99 that includes a changing table insert to use for the first couple of months. I think this would be good to keep downstairs while I recover from labor, and after that, I'm fine just changing the baby upstairs. Will I actually use a pack n play when the baby gets older?

Rock N Play - I plan on bf, so I thought this would be good to have the baby sleep in our room initially. Plus, they are pretty light so I can move it around the house or take it with us. Smart plan, or am I better off with a co-sleeper or something?

Swing - Is this a necessity?

Bob Revolution Stroller - I will probably have the baby out for runs/long walks at least 2x a week once the weather is nicer.  I was planning on buying the car seat adapter to use as an infant as our primary stroller, too. Later on, I'll pick up an umbrella stroller. Is this worth the money, or am I just buying the brand name?

lrocvilla

If you are interested, I've been doing a few posts on my blog about baby gear that we have loved/hated this first year, but here are a few thoughts below on the items that you are considering:

The pack and play was a big waste of money for us. We have such a tiny house, so it didn't really bother me to take her upstairs for diaper changes. And, she refused to sleep in the bassinet that came with it, so that was barely used as well. We moved the playard piece to my mom's thinking that she could take naps in it there, but so far, she has refused. As she has gotten older, she kind of hates being confined to one spot, so she isn't really content to sit there with her toys, either. 

The Rock N Play, on the other hand, is the best thing ever. When she refused to sleep in the bassinet after our first night at home, I sent my husband out to get one. She loved it, and slept in it for the first four months. I think that babies like the fact that it is on a slight incline and kind of keeps them cuddled and I liked having her right next to me during those early days. I would move it to the living room from the bedroom during the day, so she could nap in it. I think you are better off getting this as your portable sleep solution. It's cheaper and smaller that a pack and play.

We had the Mamaroo, which is a combination swing/bouncer. It's pricier than the traditional swings/bouncers, but we received it as a gift and got a lot of use out of it for the first few months. We set it up in our living room and she napped in it sometimes and it was awesome for calming her down when nothing else we were doing seemed to be working. But, I have heard some parents say that their babies hated the swings/bouncers, so I guess you really never know until you get your baby home if it is a worthwhile purchase! 

I have a Britax travel system, which I have loved. Definitely get the car seat adapter, since it makes it easier to move your sleeping baby from the car to the stroller, to the house, etc. I don't know much about the Bob strollers, though.

babe2331

Ditto pp on the Pack N Play- total waste of money.  We never used the changer attachment.  In fact, I found it easier to just change little guy on the couch with a receiving blanket under him. Little guy also did not like the bassinet portion.  He would never take a nap in it, and won't sit in it very long.  We have it blocking our stairs now and put him in there only when we need to go upstairs to go to the bathroom or shower.  

The Rock N Play on the other hand was a God send!  I cried the day he sat up in it, because I didn't know what we were going to do!

Little guy hated the baby swing with a passion.  He also wasn't too crazy about the bouncer seat.

We also had a co-sleeper that went in the bed with you.  That was also a major fail, in that there was no room for the three of us to be in the bed together.

I have a City Mini GT and love it. We take lots and lots of walks in it, and it pushes like a dream and has a great fold.  We didn't have the car seat adapter, and little guy went on his first walk when he was three weeks old.  I never had an issue taking him out of the car seat and putting him right in the stroller.  The seat reclines totally flat and we had no issues.  In fact, he loves his stroller so much he would spend all day in it if he could.

Even though you want to breast feed, register for different types of bottles- even if it's just a 3 pack of 4oz bottles.  Everyone raves about Dr. Browns, but DS hated them.  He would drink from the Avent bottles and even the few Similac bottles we received in the mail free if that's all we had clean.  His preference was the Tommee Tippee bottles.  Once you see what your little one likes or doesn't like, you can purchase more of the preferred type.

Infant tub- you don't need one with all sorts of fancy things.  We had the Calming Waters vibrating tub.  We never even put batteries in it.  

My best advice- keep all the boxes and receipts for a little while.  If your little one doesn't like something, you can take it back.  We did that with the baby swing.  No use keeping something that was just taking up space.

Good luck!

babe2331

Also, if you want a nice stroller to keep in the car or to haul around, look into the City Micro (it's a discontinued Target version, but you can find them at Albee Baby and on eBay).  It's the regular City Mini without the bells and whistles.  You can also find City Minis and other Baby Jogger strollers real cheap now on Pish Posh Baby and Albee Baby, as Baby Jogger recently changed their logo, so they are looking to get rid of the old ones.  Those two sites have them the cheapest.

jessica0602

See I love my pnp.  I'm in an apartment and we used it all the time, especially to keep him contained once he became mobile if I am say, cooking or peeing!  It also got sent to the grandparents' houses for babysitting sleepovers.

RnP is a lifesaver.  I would not have survived my ML without it.  Just make sure to turn baby's head every now and again.  My kid always defaulted to the same position and has a very, very not noticeable except to me flat spot from this.  I raised concerns to the pedi and was told his head would round eventually and it basically has.  I'm super mindful of it for the future though.

Our swing was basically a waste.  I would say pass.

I originally had a Graco travel system that was a total waste.  I now have a City Mini and a Britax convertible which is perfect.

Good luck!

SJU1982

Thanks for the input ladies.  Looks like a rock & play is a definite, which is good to hear because they are versatile. 

Living in a small twin, I have no problem running upstairs to change him.  And duh, I didn't even think about just changing him on the sofa in a pinch.  I think I may bag the pnp; we can always pick up one later when he's mobile if confinement becomes a necessity. Looks like you can score a decent one for $100.

I'm going to check out some of the strollers mentioned, along with the websites.

babe2331

SJU- I see "he" references in your post....

If you intend to breast feed, look into getting a breast pump paid for by your insurance company. You may need a script from your doctor for it and sometimes the good pumps are on back order with the medical supply companies, so you may want to work on that now so you have the pump when you bring the baby home.  We rented a pump in the beginning which was crazy expensive, but I ended up getting my own through Baird Medical although sadly, it did not get a lot of use.

SJU1982

It's a boy! I forget that I'm only friends with a handful of people on FB. We found out 3 weeks ago. I could have sworn we were having a girl.

I need to call my ins co today to find out about getting reimbursed for childbirth & bf classes we registered for.  I'll bring up the breast pump, too.  I'm hoping I can bf, but if it doesn't work out for me, then formula it is. At least J can be a bigger help with night time feedings

babe2331

Yay for boys!  Don't stress over the whole bf thing.  I beat myself over it for months when it didn't work out.  Definitely look into a support group- I sort of wish I did in retrospect. 

OnceInLoveWithAmy

Personally, my son LOVED the swing, but I know every baby is different.

Do you have a mom friend that can loan you a swing or bouncy seat they aren't using at the moment?  For instance, my swing has been loaned to about three of my friends in the past two and half years, since we aren't using it.  We also borrowed a bouncy seat from a friend to test it out.  

Kernel14

My boys lived in their swings the first 5 months. Absolutely loved it! So yeah, thats a crapshoot because everyone is different. I agree that if you have someone to lend you one or if you can buy a used one, that's ideal.

We used our pack n play only a handful of times. Definitely didn't NEED it. they came in handy for our weekend away but that was about it.

kross605

Im in general agreement with others.
Meh on the PnP
YEAH on the RnP
Borrow a swing or try to buy one from a consignment store. In my experience, the papasan style ones have better likeability among babies
Id also like to add a plug for the Baby Bjorn Babysitter. I recommend it to everyone as a nice baby seat/bouncer. You'd love it because it folds relatively flat so you can stow it under or behind furniture or slip it in a coat closet etc. Its expensive, but well worth it, especially if you have a refluxy baby like I did (twice) and having a reclined seat that they like is required if you ever want to pee alone.

SJU1982

Thanks everyone for the input. It has really been helpful!