Well, we've been doing this baby thing for 15 weeks now, and we're totally pros at it! Ha! Not. But, there are things that we love, so I'm going to tell you all about it! :) Be warned...this is a long post, but I enjoy reading other moms' reviews, so it's all in good fun, right? ;) If it might help one new mom, it's totally worth blogging about!
Diapers
I registered for Honest Co. diapers, and I received several packages of size newborn and ones. The newborns were fine...except they leaked. Miles would wake up several times a week soaked. We also had a package of Pampers Swaddlers and Huggies Little Snugglers, and I liked both, but we ended up just switching to Pampers Swaddlers for all of our diaper needs, as of right now. I like the blue line indicator and they haven't leaked that I can think of. There have been a few times where Miles is in just a onesie and poop will start to come out of the leg, but that's probably inevitable. Of course, every baby is different and what works for us might not work for others. Also, you might choose to cloth diaper and that's totally cute, too! ;)
Clothes
We've learned that if you're going to get sleepers, make sure they zip! Ain't nobody got time for snapping snaps in the middle of the night! Miles slept swaddled for the first 3 months. We used the swaddles that velcro, especially the Summer Infant ones. I liked the ErgoBaby swaddle, but Josh thought it was too complicated. It is designed to keep their arms across their chest (much like the womb), whereas the Summer Infant ones are for arms straight down by their sides. Also, the ErgoBaby one has a pouch that covers their bottom half making diaper changes easier since you don't have to unswaddle the whole thing. It is recommended that you stop swaddling once baby starts to roll over (which he did for the first time yesterday, woohoo!), so we transitioned to a Zipadee Zip, which was made (by a mom!) for this time when babies start rolling, scooting, and breaking out of the swaddle. Miles looks like a little starfish and it really, really works! We love it!
Sometimes, Miles wears non-sleeping clothes. Ha! Of course, we love Target, but also Old Navy, Gap, H&M, and several Instagram/Etsy shops. I'm not a fan of shirts and shorts separates because when you're holding an infant, a shirt will ride up. Rompers are our jam! We don't really wear shoes (because it's 1000 degrees outside), but we do wear socks, sometimes. I've been putting a bib on Miles lately since he's been so drooly and sometimes he'll spit up due to teething. I love the designs of Marley's Monsters and my sister gave us some bandana bibs from Zippy, too, and they're super cute!
Where to Sleep
Speaking of sleep, where's that little person going to do it?! I did a lot of research, and I knew there were a lot of options for sleeping...Rock N Plays, Sidecar Co-Sleepers, Pack N Plays, Swings...so many options! I thought I knew what we'd like, so I registered for a Rock N Play for times that we would be in the living room or kitchen (spoiler alert: we pretty much didn't even leave our bedroom for the first month or longer. We are able to have everything we need in there, so we didn't venture out to any other parts of the house because we were pretty comfy!), and I chose this (similar) Pack N Play since it had a newborn napper and a changing table for our room. I assumed it would go on my side of the bed and baby would be easy to reach for middle-of-the-night feedings. I also had my eye on a MamaRoo for pretty much my entire pregnancy, and oddly enough, didn't actually get one until a week before baby came.
Here's a little timeline:
Week One - Baby slept in a travel bassinet, given to us by a co-worker, in our bed. Since I had a c-section, it was easy to grab him (well, Josh handed him to me because it was painful to get up and down) and nurse in the middle of the night. Only bad part was that I started pumping the middle of the week after I became engorged. (More on that shortly) So, I still had to get up. This worked fine.
Weeks Two through Four - Baby slept in the MamaRoo. He loved it. We loved it. We would swaddle him and he would usually go right to sleep, but then he would wake up because his pacifier had come out, so we were up several times a night just to stick it back in his mouth.
One Month - I mentioned to Josh, hey, what about letting him sleep in our bed? It would be easier for me to nurse him and put his pacifier back in his mouth 126 times during the night. He said, "That's fine. As long as you feel good about it." And, our bed-sharing journey began. Let me also say that Josh doesn't want Miles to still be in our bed when he's four. (Ha! We'll see. I slept in my parents' bed til I got married. Jk. Kinda.) Also, bed-sharing is obviously not for everyone, but it works for us. We are both pretty immobile sleepers. We sleep in the same spot the whole night. We do not toss and turn or sprawl out. We slept in a twin-size bed when we first started dating, so that might tell you something (that actually tells you lots of things..whoopsies). Miles slept swaddled and in the middle up until just recently. He actually started sleeping through the night (from 11-7 or 8) once we moved him to our bed. Now, he sleeps in a Zipadee Zip (recommended once they start rolling over) and I usually hold him.
As far as swings go, we started with the MamaRoo, loved it, then Miles decided it was too slow (once he begin to be more alert and interested in action), so I bought a regular swing from a Buy/Sell/Trade group, got it home, he loved it, realized it was only battery-powered/no AC adapter, went and bought a Snugapuppy swing, LOVED it, then bought another to keep at my office! He seriously loves his swing. Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I put him in there so I can get some work or laundry done, but he smiles and laughs in it and will eventually fall asleep. He's taken several 3-hour naps in it. :)
Car Seat
For the infant seat, I chose the Chicco KeyFit 30 in Red. Josh installed the base, so I have no opinion on ease of installation, but my fave part about the car seat (and I realize other models do this) is that you can loosen the straps and easily tighten them each time you get baby in and out. A friend's car seat did not offer this, so I thought it was cool. Only thing we didn't like is how heavy it is!
Around 10 weeks, homeboy started HATING being in the car. After some research and asking moms in facebook groups, I decided to switch Miles to a convertible car seat. One of the disadvantages of using a convertible vs. an infant carrier is that you have to take baby out of the car seat every single time. But, I realized that since Miles hated being strapped in his infant seat around that time, we were already getting him out at restaurants and stores anyway, so there wasn't a difference. I would wear him in my wrap or Ergo every chance we got, or I eventually just started using the seat that came with our stroller (he's still a little small for it, but he still straps in fine).
I chose the Britax Marathon ClickTight. We installed it, used it on a trip to Austin, didn't like that the crotch buckle was too short, went and got an Evenflo Symphony because Josh was concerned about budget (it was almost $100 cheaper), I didn't like the Evenflo because it seemed cheap to me, figured out that the crotch buckle could be adjusted on the Marathon, and switched back to the Marathon, which we now LOVE! Haha! Isn't that a fun story?? No?
Another reason I like the convertible car seat is that I can reach him to put his pacifier back in his mouth. We moved his seat to the middle and I drive an SUV, so plus!
Stroller
I am a stroller nut. Confessed. I started researching strollers at the very beginning of my pregnancy. A friend of mine had an Uppa Baby Vista that I thought I loved! After telling Josh how much it was, he vetoed it. After getting suggestions from friends and comparing, we (I) decided on the Baby Jogger City Select. It can be rear- or forward-facing, carry up to 3 kiddos, has a large storage space, easy parking brake, simple-to-fold, very shady canopy, and a telescopic handle for short and tall people! We have both said how much we love our stroller...definitely worth the investment!!
Top photos are with the (separate) car seat adapter (p.s. get a stroller fan!! super handy and needed in this hot weather!) and bottom are with the seat that comes with it. I LOVE the many different seat positions...especially that it lays almost flat so I can just throw the baby (not really) in there and he can nap laying down, bonus if it's with his baby bestie. ;) Also, note in the top right photo, this portable noise machine is a MUST! It has music and white noise and is a lifesaver! We use it in the swing, car seat, stroller, wherever. We now have an app that we use more, but still...lifesaver.
Random Stuff
Bumbo - Now that he can sit up more (not on his own yet), we've been using the Bumbo a lot! Bath time is especially fun!
Wubbanub - If you're going to use a pacifier in the beginning (pretty sure the hospital nursery gave him one, which is something they're supposed to ask first), get a Wubbanub! So easy to find and they're made to lay on the baby in hopes of staying in their mouth. We love Frog and also have a Puppy.
P.S. Scroll back up and count the times you see Wubbanub. Only thing is it's not recommended once they start teething, which we have started, so we're now using a regular ol' pacifier. :)
Wraps/Carriers - I love my Solly Baby wrap! I also purchased an ErgoBaby Performance Carrier (it has mesh,is supposed to be "cooler"...I don't know if that's true, but how can you tell in 300 degree weather, and daddy can wear it, too) and recently an Infantino Flip from Target. For $30, I would just get the Infantino. Great for the money and not as hot as the Ergo.
I guess I'll stop here for now...any questions about anything, I'm happy to answer! I seriously love baby gear and research it until I, myself, am annoyed! Ha!
Any other gear I should know about??
As far as swings go, we started with the MamaRoo, loved it, then Miles decided it was too slow (once he begin to be more alert and interested in action), so I bought a regular swing from a Buy/Sell/Trade group, got it home, he loved it, realized it was only battery-powered/no AC adapter, went and bought a Snugapuppy swing, LOVED it, then bought another to keep at my office! He seriously loves his swing. Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I put him in there so I can get some work or laundry done, but he smiles and laughs in it and will eventually fall asleep. He's taken several 3-hour naps in it. :)
Car Seat
For the infant seat, I chose the Chicco KeyFit 30 in Red. Josh installed the base, so I have no opinion on ease of installation, but my fave part about the car seat (and I realize other models do this) is that you can loosen the straps and easily tighten them each time you get baby in and out. A friend's car seat did not offer this, so I thought it was cool. Only thing we didn't like is how heavy it is!
Around 10 weeks, homeboy started HATING being in the car. After some research and asking moms in facebook groups, I decided to switch Miles to a convertible car seat. One of the disadvantages of using a convertible vs. an infant carrier is that you have to take baby out of the car seat every single time. But, I realized that since Miles hated being strapped in his infant seat around that time, we were already getting him out at restaurants and stores anyway, so there wasn't a difference. I would wear him in my wrap or Ergo every chance we got, or I eventually just started using the seat that came with our stroller (he's still a little small for it, but he still straps in fine).
I chose the Britax Marathon ClickTight. We installed it, used it on a trip to Austin, didn't like that the crotch buckle was too short, went and got an Evenflo Symphony because Josh was concerned about budget (it was almost $100 cheaper), I didn't like the Evenflo because it seemed cheap to me, figured out that the crotch buckle could be adjusted on the Marathon, and switched back to the Marathon, which we now LOVE! Haha! Isn't that a fun story?? No?
Another reason I like the convertible car seat is that I can reach him to put his pacifier back in his mouth. We moved his seat to the middle and I drive an SUV, so plus!
Stroller
I am a stroller nut. Confessed. I started researching strollers at the very beginning of my pregnancy. A friend of mine had an Uppa Baby Vista that I thought I loved! After telling Josh how much it was, he vetoed it. After getting suggestions from friends and comparing, we (I) decided on the Baby Jogger City Select. It can be rear- or forward-facing, carry up to 3 kiddos, has a large storage space, easy parking brake, simple-to-fold, very shady canopy, and a telescopic handle for short and tall people! We have both said how much we love our stroller...definitely worth the investment!!
Top photos are with the (separate) car seat adapter (p.s. get a stroller fan!! super handy and needed in this hot weather!) and bottom are with the seat that comes with it. I LOVE the many different seat positions...especially that it lays almost flat so I can just throw the baby (not really) in there and he can nap laying down, bonus if it's with his baby bestie. ;) Also, note in the top right photo, this portable noise machine is a MUST! It has music and white noise and is a lifesaver! We use it in the swing, car seat, stroller, wherever. We now have an app that we use more, but still...lifesaver.
Random Stuff
Bumbo - Now that he can sit up more (not on his own yet), we've been using the Bumbo a lot! Bath time is especially fun!
Wubbanub - If you're going to use a pacifier in the beginning (pretty sure the hospital nursery gave him one, which is something they're supposed to ask first), get a Wubbanub! So easy to find and they're made to lay on the baby in hopes of staying in their mouth. We love Frog and also have a Puppy.
P.S. Scroll back up and count the times you see Wubbanub. Only thing is it's not recommended once they start teething, which we have started, so we're now using a regular ol' pacifier. :)
Wraps/Carriers - I love my Solly Baby wrap! I also purchased an ErgoBaby Performance Carrier (it has mesh,is supposed to be "cooler"...I don't know if that's true, but how can you tell in 300 degree weather, and daddy can wear it, too) and recently an Infantino Flip from Target. For $30, I would just get the Infantino. Great for the money and not as hot as the Ergo.
I guess I'll stop here for now...any questions about anything, I'm happy to answer! I seriously love baby gear and research it until I, myself, am annoyed! Ha!
Any other gear I should know about??
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