1.) Chicco Cortina Stroller in Limonata
I really wanted a travel system when I was registering. They are less expensive and I wanted to know that I could easily click my car seat into the stroller without worrying that the two weren't compatible. I guess in my mind since I wasn't buying them myself, I worried that by the time I opened them if they didn't work together it would be at the 11th hour that I was doing more research instead of focusing on baby and I didn't want to deal with that. In reality, there are about a thousand adapters you can get to make pretty much any car seat fit on a stroller securely. The don't have to be the same brand. If you love a stroller, go on the company's website and find out what adapter you would need to fit the car seat you like. Simple as that. Having said that, I will tell you I do like my stroller. It maneuvers like a dream and it is easy to open and close. HOWEVER, I wouldn't get it again. I literally had to bring my stroller with me when I was looking at cars because even folded up, it was huge. Also pretty heavy. I really wanted a cup holder and a big basket underneath when I was registering but in the end I don't use the cup holder all that much and the basket is inaccessible when the car seat is in. Many strollers are like that so if that storage is important to you, and trust me it will be, check to see if you can use it when the seat is fully reclined. If I were to go back in time and chose a stroller again I would pick something like the Mamas & Papas Armadillo stroller. For me, it's one of those items that I use ALL the time and it needs to be something easy to pop open and can move with ease when you are pushing a grocery cart with one hand and pulling the stroller with the other. You also want to have room for those groceries in your trunk so compact design is important.
2.) Chicco KeyFit Car seat
My car seat, I love. It's heavy to carry- however I didn't find a single car seat that was light weight and also had good reviews. I don't mind that it's heavy because I didn't carry it separately all that much and at the end of the day I wanted a CAR seat, not a carrier. It's easy to use and has a 5 point harness which makes me feel safe. Not too much to say about it.
3.) Medela Pump In Style Breast Pump
I have only two complaints about this pump system. It's expensive and I should have gotten the bra that goes with it. If you're having your first baby and you're not sure what kind of breast pump to get let me suggest renting one. My husband and I did the math and decided that it would be more expensive in the long run to rent for two kids, rather than buy one. Which we did. However, my supply dried up just shy of three months in. Many things contributed to that (a breast feeding post to come later) but do to that it would have been better for us if we got either a manual pump (some women prefer it) or rented a pump. If you're not familiar with renting, I promise it's not as disgusting as it seems. You would buy the accessories kit which includes basically anything that is touching you or your milk. What you rent is the motorized portion and I believe the tote bag. If you decide to use an automatic version like mine, get the bra. I mocked it. I looked at the picture of the woman wearing pumps on both breasts and typing on her computer with one hand and cooking dinner with the other. I felt insulted that companies invented an item that would make it possible for a woman to take care of the household while also being milked like a cow. I got all feminist and righteously angry about it. But you know what? Keeping your elbows bent while trying to maintain TOTAL suction for 25 minutes hurts. Like seriously I think I was getting tennis elbow. And the minute you try and adjust even slightly you break the suction and have a mess on your hands (and shirt and pants and under ware). So skip the soapbox and get the bra.
4.) S1 by Saftey 1st High Chair
I don't think they make my high chair anymore. But I'm sure there is a newer version of the same thing. I like my high chair. I don't love it, but I don't think I would love any high chair. Here are some things to consider when picking a high chair. You want it to adjust in a lot of ways. It should tilt forward and backward. Move up and down. Collapse in a corner when not in use. Roll. You also want to figure out if you want a tray for eating like I have or if you are going to use your table and the high chair is just that, a chair. This is a popular one. Think about how many ages and stages it accommodates. Can it grow with your baby? Do you care about that? Or do you already have a booster seat so you would rather just get the best infant high chair that you can. As with all of these products there is no perfect choice. Because the best products are the ones that fit your individual needs. And while many needs are unanimous across the board like safety and convenience, most are not. The best thing you can do is to look at those registry suggestion lists and sit down with your spouse or partner and decide which items are most important to you. If you are inheriting some other the smaller items and you really want that expensive video monitor than that's important information to have. Maybe you want to have the top of the line stroller and you will pick out a less expensive swing and pack and play. Most of us won't be able to have the top of the line for everything, but since every child and parent are different you won't need everything either so don't worry about it.
5.) Baby Cache Lifetime Crib
I love my crib. I love the look of it. I love the durability of it. And it will grow with baby. I wish it had the front that moves down because now that Addison is bigger she is heavy and sleeping lower so my back takes a hit. But I don't even think they make those anymore for safety reasons. So my needs wouldn't be met by any crib. The thing they don't tell you about cribs (for those who are tight with money and let's face it- who isn't these days) is you don't need one. If you get a really good pack and play with the bassinet insert you could use that until baby is ready for a bed which happens way too quickly considering how much a wooden crib costs. It's probably not what your ideal nursery looks like on pinterest but in actuality it would be functional, cost effective, and when you travel baby would have the comfort of his regular crib with him wherever he goes. And how cute is this. Oh! Also, don't underestimate the awesome powers of the vibrate function. It's a little controversial, but since this is a place for me to share my experiences I will tell you that when the battery died in Addison's bassinet in the middle of the night, I had a panic attack. Sure I was always secretly worried that she would become addicted to it and eventually we would have to ween her off, but when she was three months old and we transitioned her into her big girl crib in her own room she did it without a hitch. Lucky? Maybe. But it bought us silence when we needed it so I wouldn't change a thing.
This was the first day she stood up in the crib and we had to lower the mattress.
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