i know i need to start thinking about baby gear, so today i meandered through land of nod to just look. i still feel overwhelmed. so, hit me with it...what is your favorite stroller/car seat/baby carrier/etc.?
even if i don't know you, or i kind of know you, or i really know you, i want to hear your opinion. please :)
Ooh, I'm glad you asked! Baby gear is by far my favorite topic. Seriously, I'm into gear. Here's a quick list of the things I feel are important.
ReplyDeleteStroller: I assume you're walking or planning to walk places like a true Chicagoan. Get a sturdy stroller. Think bigger wheels and a sturdy frame. A travel system just won't work. If money were no object I would get the City Select which you can use with 1-2 kids and is uber chic. http://www.babyjogger.com/city_select_lp.aspx
Baby Carrier: as in the thing that you strap to your body to hold your baby. I HIGHLY recommend the Ergo Baby. http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/
I don't actually have one but borrowed one from a friend and loved it. I do have a Baby Bjorn and while it was okay for the first 4-5 months after that it was just too uncomfortable. I carried my son in the Ergo at 18 months without any problem.
Where to scrimp:
Swing: some kids love them some don't. If you aren't given one as a gift, see if you can borrow one before you buy one to make sure your kid likes it.
Bassinet: eh, you just don't need one and it takes up more space.
Those are the big things I can think of. Once you get an idea of what you want start watching on Craigslist. It is amazing how many new things people are selling just because they got two as a gift or they ended up not liking the color. I got our stroller and crib that way. Oh and crib. We have a mini-crib which is awesome. It fits through doorways and takes up so much less space. Our son grew out of it when he was about 22 months but we just transitioned him to a twin bed without any problems. This is the one we have and love it: http://www.amazon.com/DaVinci-Emily-Mini-Crib-White/dp/B000FT7NYM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294978362&sr=8-2
Good luck!
We've been through numerous strollers and although it's not a glamourous ride, I would choose a good quality umbrella stroller over anything. Get one that has high handles so your not hunched over (I have a Chicco) and a good mesh basket. It's simple but it's truly the easiest for cars, airports, apartments, and everything else.
ReplyDeleteAlso, most people don't use umbrella strollers until their babies are older. I disagree. Get one that reclines just a bit and you can use it as soon as you can prop the kid up with blankets. Kinda makes me sound like a loser mom, but it works just fine :)
Just an opinion coming from someone who has a travel system, a snap-n-go, a tandem double stroller, and a jogging stroller collecting dust in my basement.
So excited for you!
Typed that so fast and didn't even edit. Sorry about the hideous errors - if you can find it :) Couldn't let it go. Don't judge.
ReplyDeletemaclaren for stroller
ReplyDeletemoby wrap for tiny baby carrying
ergo for bigger baby baby carrying
just get a graco car seat - they're all the same
Loving my city select as a double and a single. Also, it's Cole's bassinet at night. So, yeah, my life is in that stroller. Love it.
ReplyDeleteI have a moby wrap, ergo & bjorn. Right now the bjorn is working best for me.
I'm totally with Michelle on this one.. I absolutely love the umbrella strollers.They are so quick, easy, small, and convenient. It's fun to read everyone's opinions and ideas though!
ReplyDeleteFor the city I would suggest the UppaBaby stroller-- the wheels are better for city strolling (or rugged terrain, especially snow). I'm getting it. You can also fold it with one hand which is awesome, and it has a jump seat attachment so it can fit 2 kids without having to sell it and buy a brand new one when you have baby #2. This stroller also comes with the bassinet attachment that you can use for night time. There are a million other benefits-- I'm a little obsessed.
ReplyDeleteWe have the Chicco baby carrier/car seat. It had the highest safety ratings from what I've found. We like it so far and Greta falls asleep each time we put her in it :-)
PS Greta was asking about the next time we can hang out with you guys! xoxo
I say we just get a red flyer
ReplyDeleteOh the fun you must be having doing all this research. We went with a graco infant carrier again this time with Miss Winter. It's comfortable to carry (has a nice wide handle that doesn't cut into your forearm when you are carrying a million other things) and locks into a shopping cart, which was a big deal for me. I've had a handful of strollers as well and the truth is it's hard to get away with just one. I love, love, love my double BOB, but for shopping something more compact with as big a basket as possible (for all the shoe purchases, you know what I mean:). Now for swings...we had a short folding model by fisher price I think, with our first couple and loved that. This time around, we got an amazing graco sweetpeace swing that has all the bells and whistles. Winter slept in it for 10-14 hours a night and a couple naps a day for the first 7 months of her life. We also, bought a graco snugGlider swing frame that the carseat snapped into which fold and comes apart...fantastic for traveling or in our case to have downstairs, since the fancy swing was stationed in our room. I have to tell you my other favorite thing with Miss Winter was my Moby wrap. It has been a dream carrier, so much more comfortable for both of us than the baby bjorn. We went to Disney when Winter was 3 months old and I "wore" her for hours on end while she slept comfortably. So, so fun to think you are going to have a sweet one of your own. Secretly, I'm hoping you have a girl!
ReplyDeleteLove all this advice. Thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteStroller: Baby Jogger City Mini
ReplyDeleteCar Seat: Graco Snugride 35 and now Evenflo Convertible something
Carrier: Moby wrap and bjorn
Bassinet: Cariboo Gentle Motions Bassinet in white
Diaper Bag: Petunia Pickle Bottom glazed convertible
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/petunia-pickle-bottom-convertible-glazed-diaper-bag/3140982?origin=category&resultback=1327
That's what we have and have used. Of everything, the things I LOVE are my stroller, moby, bassinet and diaper bag. The stroller is a one hand fold and glides amazingly. We also got the attachment to fit our car seat in when on the go. The car seat was fine, nothing special but not awful. I did like how it snapped in to shopping carts. The moby is great because there are so many ways to wrap and carry with it, you can use it for a long time (still using at 12 months.) As a bonus, if you plan to nurse, you can easily tuck little ones in and nurse while you're out and about. Blake also likes the moby best because he's snuggled up and can be turned in our out, all different ways. Only issue is it's REALLY long for wrapping purposes and kind of a pain when you're out. I would wrap it on me before we got in the car so when we got to where we were going, I could just tuck Blake in. The bassinet was GREAT for the first three months. Blake could be rocked gently back to sleep and the bassinet looked perfect with the rest of our bedroom furniture. And the diaper bag, I went through another first that fell apart at the seams (Skip Hop) and have had two other friends have the same problem. The petunia I got (on anniversary sale) is AMAZING. Stays super clean and organized. And it looks adorable.If you have any other baby gear questions, let me know!
Sorry, also check albeebaby.com. They often have really good deals ong ear and you can find coupon codes on retailmenot that make their stuff really affordable.
ReplyDelete