Here are some of the things I have been eyeing for the bebe:
1) A travel system, or stroller and car seat that work together. We did not use one of these for the girl since my SIL gave me hand me down bucket car-seat and my MIL and BILS and SILS gave me a stroller, and they did not match. So, I used the bucket on its own to go to someone’s house, a restaurant, etc. When I went somewhere I did not want to carry the bucket, I popped the girl out of the car seat and directly into the Stroller or a Carrier. It was not big deal not having a travel system and worked out fine for us BUT since this baby is due in December in Toronto, I am a bit more concerned as I don’t want to pull baby out of a warm comfy car seat in the winter to put him or her directly into a cold stroller from the trunk of my car or have to open my jacket into the cold winter to get him or her into a carrier. I probably still wont get a system since I am planning to use my old stroller (a Peg in decent condition except a wheel that keeps falling off that I assume I can get fixed) and the new Peg Car seats don’t come in that pattern…so I am planning to get a Snap and Go to use with whatever car-seat I get in the winter until it is warm enough for me to switch over to my old system. But, in my dream world where I could justify spending money on a nice new stroller to match a nice new car-seat, I would be buying this Stroller and car-seat set:
2) This sling… Oh, it’s mine! Yeah! I love Ebay. I already have a Hotsling…but I lent it to D for her adorable new daughter Mikayla, and it just seems so wrong to not let her keep it. Anyway, since I got me a free Mei Tei and still have my Bjorn…I figure a baby-wearing aficionado like myself needs at least one new baby-wearing toy. I love Hot-Slings because they are so versatile. There are many different ways to wear a baby from newborn to toddler, you can breastfeed in them, and they are small and compact and easy to shove into a diaper bag or even a large purse. The Bjorn and Mei-Tei both have great usefulness (especially for long outings where you want to use both shoulders to carry the weight), but nothing beats a Hotsling (or similar pouch sling) for versatility and portability! I love how pretty yet neutral this one is!
3) Cloth diapers. It is something I have always regretted not trying with the girl..and now that I have become such a vocal self righteous greeny, I really feel like I must try the cloth thing. I have researched extensively, and decided on Mommy’s Touch one size AIOs. That means they are one size that adjusts to fit from newborn to potty-training (though I’ll likely treat myself to disposables the first month or so, when it is hard to even find time to pee let alone do extra laundry), and have no covers or inserts (though of course you can add an insert or liner to any cloth diaper to add extra absorbency if you need it.) They are about 20 dollars a diaper, so just this week I started buying several a month, to spread out the cost since I’ll need a stash of about 30 (which will still be less that disposables for 2-3 years I am sure!). As well, even though there are less pricey cloth diapers out there, I know for me if I have to mess with inserts, pockets, liners and running out of the right size…it will be a big waste of money for me since I just wont bother. Due to my inherent laziness, making it as labour un-intensive as possible is my best chance for success! Aren’t they cute:
4) A diaper bag. I am not sure what I will get yet, but here are some that have caught my eye:
Yeah, it is not a coincidence that they would match my stroller! I am totally feeling Lime Green for this little one…
Not bad, eh? Lucky for us, we are all set with crib (though I want a new mattress and wrap), change table, bouncy seat, infant toys, jogging stroller (a friend has one), stroller (though I really want a new one to match the car-seat), high-chair and infant food. Clothing I am not even thinking about since we wont find the gender out until after bebe is here (perfect for after X-mas sales) and until then I’ll just get enough gender neutral sleepers and whatever gender specific hand-me-downs I can finagle off friends and relatives to last until I am ready to go shopping.
Sally said,
July 8, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
Great choices! The only suggestion I would make is to spring for the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30 Infant Car Seat (instead of just the plain SIP model) – it has a rear facing weight limit of 30 lbs, so you can keep you new baby as safe as possible for as long as possible. Best practices recommend keeping them rear-facing for as long as their weight allows.
The Blogger said,
July 8, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
Thanx Sally. I am actually a car-seat tech…so no worries the girl was RF until she was almost 2, and this babe will be longer.
However, in my experience babies tend to outgrow the extended weight buckets (by length and comfort) long before they hit the 30lbs (most babes I know outgrow the 22lb buckets long before they are 22lbs!!)-and I certainly wont be using one as a carrier past 22lbs, so I prefer to save money by having a 22lb limit bucket seat and then moving her higher weight rear faciing convertable. The girl is in a Radian and I’ll likely get another one of those. I love it!
A higher limit convertable seat is a much better investment that a high limit bucket in my opinion…most buckets are just not comfortable for babies past the newborn stage even if they do still fit within the weight limits. A higher weight rf and harnessing convertable seat though? Worth it’s weight in gold!
I don’t think we have the 30lb Viaggio in Canada anyways!
Wendy said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
I know you mention something about winter (is it cold or something up there?LOL), but you may want to save your money and just go for the convertible seat right away. You could have a bundle me for just the stroller http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2809541 or I know they have a heavy suit with split legs so that you can buckle them safely into the car seat. Just a suggestion since you won’t get your stroller and car seat combo.
You never know you might get that baby that hates their carseat. DD never minded riding in her carseat while in the stroller, but DS hated it so much that his cries could be heard throughout the mall. On second thought, he was a crabby baby anyway. Good Luck.
Dina said,
July 8, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I LOVE that second diaper bag!! Very cute!! and i also like the lime green stroller/bucket combo!! Peg came out with some really awesome ones right AFTER I bought mine…argh!!
I now use a navy blue car seat and black stroller but it’s really not that noticeable so if you do decide to get a bucket that fits into your stroller i’m sure it won’t be an issue (maybe you can borrow the one i’m borrowing now if DD outgrows it as fast at DS did)
Leslie said,
July 8, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Peg has so much nicer patterns than when I picked out my stroller for Paige. I’d definitely go for the snap and go since they are in the buckets for such a short time period. Also I found someone local that sells Mommy’s Touch AIO’s so I’m going to try one out. I’m looking for an AIO for the babysitter to use. I’ll let you know how they are.
cori said,
July 8, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
Let me know if you want that Picklebottom bag. I can get it for 40% off because they sell them in the boutique below my office!!!
The Blogger said,
July 8, 2008 @ 9:39 pm
Wendy-that stroller cover is pretty cool. It would be good to use from home…but I really would not want to mess with getting it onto the stroller outside a car in the middle of winter, and if I just left it on the stroller in the trunk, it would sorta defeat the purpose! Nah, it’ll be either a new (or used, if I can find the one I want for a good deal on Craigslist) stroller + car-seat, or (probably used) snap and go + car-seat for me. If baby is not a fan of the car-seat, I’ll move him or her to a carrier as soon as we get indoors wherever we are going (since I DONT do anything outside in the winter!).
Dina-thanx for the car-seat offer. I will be getting a new car seat for sure though…I am just too anal about them to use a used one now (though I did with the girl). Though I am sure your car-seat and stroller look good together, I am also too obsessive about things like that LOL. I save my shampoo and conditioner bottles so if I run out of one and then my Shampoo and Conditioner don’t match, I can actually pour one of them into a bottle that matches the other so they look like they match, and that is in the privacy of my own shower! My dysfunction entriely, of course!
Leslie-Cool, let me know how they are. I have ordered 6 already (6 came with a free wet-bag, bonus!). I cannot find any places near me that sell any CD but the Kushies, which do come in AIO but don’t have a great reputation. I may buy a few on sale to round out my stash though…since they are quite affordable and Kushies stuff is often on sale at Sears.
Thanx Cori! Can you check the price and let me know?
Chrissy said,
July 8, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
Ooooh! Me likey! Well, your baby is definitely lucky to have a mama like you!! ;) Fancy Baby will definitely be stylin’! xo
The Blogger said,
July 9, 2008 @ 12:31 am
Nah Chrissy, none of this makes the baby lucky. One of my parenting pet peeves is parents who think they are better because their babies have fancy clothing, magazine worthy rooms, the trendiest strollers, etc. All those things are nice to have and make a nice impression if parents are into them and can afford it, but none of it makes a lick of difference to a baby and is in no way, shape or form indicative of higher quality parenting.
All babies need to be happy and well cared for is comfortable weather appropriate clothes, a safe and comfortable place to sleep, enough breastmilk or formula, safety and hygeine needs met, and lots of love. All the rest is for parents benefit only!
ChelleBelle said,
July 9, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
I am LOVING the lime green! And those diapers are just about the cutest things ever.
I added you to my blogroll, BTW – love the blog!
Leslie said,
July 9, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
Jill I’ve heard those Kushies diapers suck! I wouldn’t buy too many diapers until the baby is born. Once you know the gender you’ll want girl/boy ones. If you’re going to use sposies for a few weeks anyhow you’ll have time to order then.