Ruca

I had a lot of time to peruse the internet and review tons and tons of product reviews on a lot of different items prior to registering or buying any baby items. I thought that I would share my personal faves since there are so many new mommies pending.

A lot of the items that I chose are really pricey but so far they have exceeded my expectations and have stellar reviews from others as well.

I mostly chose products based on safety, durability, ease of use and warranty information. There were a lot of products I liked because of the looks, colors or themes but I decided to go with other peoples experiences as I prefer to feed off of others experience.

The two favorite companies that I have found are Chicco and Lanisoh. Chicco is an Italian company and it is very difficult to find any Chicco product that has been recalled. Lanisoh is a company focused on breast feeding and breastfeeding products.

I have tried many brands of products and these are my favorites:

My friend Brandy from Texas sent me these: $5-10 @ walmart/Target/Babies R Us depending on quantity.



She said she noticed I had registered for a different brand but these were her saving grace. They have some sort of gel in them that can absorb a truck ton of liquid. I had forgotten to bring some to the hospital with me and the ones they gave me there (medela I think?) soaked through really fast. I can sleep on my stomach for 6 hrs with these and be dry when I wake.

They gave me this lanolin in the hospital:



I dont have much experience with Lanolin but the combination of those two products mentioned above started my love affair with the entire Lansinoh line. I then proceeded to buy:


My manual breast pump: $34.00 @ Wal-mart/Target



It is so simple to clean and use and has stellar suction. I can take it with me in the diaper bag and pump between feedings if necessary. Brandon tends to eat all night and is finicky with eating during the day. Pumping the excess manually has helped me to ensure that I have enough to feed him with @ night without having to stress over the discomfort of engorgement.

I loved the Lansinoh Manual so much that I got this: $147.00 Wal-mart/Target. $175 @ Babies R Us.



It is mid-level priced as far as the electric pumps go but it has excellent reviews and replacement parts are very inexpensive. Like, less than $1.00 for most gaskets and such. My parents had initially bought an Evenflo Elan for me but I was afraid of what I had read about milk leaking in and destroying the motor. I don't know if that is still true but I would be devastated if my parents spent $60 on something that stopped working in the first few weeks of having it. (Breast pumps are personal hygiene products so they cant be returned) I haven't used this one yet but I feel very comfortable based on other reviews that I won't have any issues.

See below, need more space for images!

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fisher1000

My wife used those Lansinoh products too during her breast feeding time--they work great! (She used a different brand pump, though, but ours was over $250 at Babies R Us--yours looks just as good for much cheaper!)

I thought I'd post our favorite stroller here:

Baby Trend Expedition Extreme Jogger - Gray/ Red

$99.99



We got it at Target and it works AMAZINGLY well! The baby really needs to be able to sit up on his/her own before you can use it, but it is a GREAT stroller! The first one we used that the car seat fit into worked well at the beginning--but for walks and such in the mall or outside, this is far superior!

-Mike

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FISHERBEAR MIKE
402/249/under 200 (As of 05/10/08)
Highest/Current/Goal
Open RNY - September 24th
153 pounds GONE, BABY, GONE!

BMI: 63 (was) / 38.8 (is)

Ruca

My passion for Chicco: $279 fixed price.

When looking for a travel system I initially wanted to get something that Dave would be comfortable pushing without debiting his man card for being too frilly. I found a company called Chicco. They are an Italian based company and have had very few if any recalls on the majority of their products.

We went with the Chicco Cortina Travel System in the Discovery theme. (The lime green and gray) We initially wanted Sahara which was orange and khaki cause those are Daves favorite colors but when we bought the system there was only one avail in all of SD county and it was the Lime Green. There are a lot of colors avail but mostly online. I haven't seen any color combos retail other than the Discovery or Sahara.

This bad boy corners like it is on rails and so far I haven't had to back it up or back track it just automatically swivels that way. The folding mechanism in the front allows you to fold the stroller portion with one hand and it locks in place as soon as its folded. The car seat is rear facing and very well padded. I didnt need a second head rest and Brandon was 6 lb 11 oz @ birth. The only thing that some ppl might not like is the fact that it doesnt hook on to a shopping cart like some of the others. I prefer that honestly as it isnt really safe. The second base was pricey too, @ $70 but well worth it as we dont have to switch bases between vehicles.

So having tried out the stroller prior to Brandons arrival and loving it that prompted us to choose the same brand for our Bassinet/Play yard. Initially we didnt want a pack and play cause it seemed like something we wouldnt use until he was older. We had initially decided to go with the Co-sleeper that folds down and adjusts to the parents bed but I liked the performance of the stroller so much we decided to go with:

Chicco Lullaby LX Playard $159 everywhere

The bassinet is just the right height and the mobile can stretch across the entire play pen as pictured here or you can put it over 1/4 of the area as well. I currently lay Brandon lengthwise along the width of the yard instead of lengwise on the longer part. This gives me easier access and makes him more secure since he is in a smaller area. He was initially unhappy when we placed him in the center. The thing folds with the push of 1 button too. Kinda cool.

This has a remote control music box, light and vibration combo. It is just the right amt of vibration to soothe him without being annoying to me. (I hate any buzzing, whirring or white noise while sleeping) Oh and it has a changing table that folds down and pockets and storage for diapers, wipes etc.


Swaddle Things:

There are a lot of different brands out there but so far we like the one by Kiddopotomus. You just burrito wrap them and voila! Insta soothing. Babies like to be wrapped super tight and this thing made it sooooo easy:

It washes well and keeps baby super warm. The cotton ones avail will come in really handy heading in to the warmer months. I wont let Brandon sleep over night in this just yet, he is still too small and his mouth skooches down under the front flap. 2 more pounds and he will be golden!

The Halo Sleep Sack: $20 Babies r us

This sleep sack is so wonderful, my son loves it. I had tried swaddling him to make sure he stayed warm, and he would always kick his way out. The sleep sack is easier and more convenient. He can't wiggle out of his blanket and be out in the cold, and I can't seem to keep socks on him for more than a few minutes, so the sleepsack is great for keeping his little toes nice and warm! I can change my baby without waking him fully, so he goes back to sleep much faster than if I have to unbutton his jumper and then snap it back up. Nighttime changes are much easier and faster, and I don't worry about him getting a blanket over his face or pushing it off and getting cold. Zips from top to bottom for safety.
Doc Browns bottles:

I originally registered for these but took them off since others commented about the excessive parts and time it takes to clean time. Well, we tried the Avent bottles and weren't happy at all. They leaked and I felt the nipple was too big and might hinder breastfeeding.

We switched back to Dr. Browns and they were perfect! Brandon was pretty darn small and the nipples provided just the right flow rate for him and seem to be softer than the Avent ones. We've had no troubles with leaking and although they can be a burden to clean, it's been worth every bit in the long run. (I usually clean bottles every other night so it isn't a big issue anymore.) We use the travel caps a lot to take milk on the go. They work very well!


I have a few more items that have been absolutely wonderful to me so far. I will post more tomorrow. Please share your experiences with me! I am always ioen to new ideas!

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Ruca

So those are my faves. Not to be a walking advertisement for those companies or any thing, just have found thru trial and error that those products work well for me.

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Alleusion

Not Emily...she throws a huge hissy fit if you bind her hands in any way.

For us, we didn't have the option really of choosing things based on what we liked / reviews. We have to go with what fits in our budget. We got the Grace Deluxe travel system and the Grace pack n play. The patterns don't match, but I'm not fussed on matching patterns. Plus, the pack n play was a gift, and with how much it cost, I'm not turning it down.

For bottles, we use whatever she'll take right now, as feeding her has become a bit of an issue. We're using a Nuk bottle that came with a gift set, an Avent bottle that she makes a huge mess with when she drinks, and the playtex nursers with the drop in liners. For cleaning, I like the playtex ones the best. Emily likes the Nuk nipple better, and our Lactation consultant prefers we use the Avent one.

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fisher1000

Lily didn't like being bound up either. No matter how tightly we pulled that swaddler, she worked her arms out of it! She slept better when we gave up and just let her flail her arms!

And Tammy- The Chicco set looks great--I think our original stroller was Graco. We used that one for months, but the wheels on those things going over all the bumps and stuff when walking outside got to be a real pain. I'm glad we had the Graco one though originally--Lily loved being in it and we got the chance to do things like vacuum or empty the dishwasher while she was in it!

(No such luck now--she's everywhere at the same time!)

-Mike

__________________
FISHERBEAR MIKE
402/249/under 200 (As of 05/10/08)
Highest/Current/Goal
Open RNY - September 24th
153 pounds GONE, BABY, GONE!

BMI: 63 (was) / 38.8 (is)

Ruca

Jenny,

I have a gift for you but I need your address to send it. I have a couple of new Playtex bottles and liners that I would love to send to you if those are your preferred bottles. I know how hard it is to find something comfortable that you both like. I also have an Avent set that I can send but it seems both our experiences dictate that those leak.

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AmityA

Shameless plug but these things work and are great! I use them for my kids sports games and practices and the kids love them. Dishwasher safe, boilable and microwaveable.

InchBug - Offering BumpyName Orbit Labels and other must-have products for parents. Unique. Practical. BumpyName Orbit labels

Yes, This is my employer but i personally love this product (and a bunch of other cool stuff we have too) I send BumpyName Orbit labels as gifts to everyone I know who is preggers or just had a baby. PM me if you want a discount code

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Amity
Alvin, Tx

260/218/130
HW/CW/Goal!
Lap RNY 4/21/08
http://newthinlife.thinnerblogs.com/

week 1: 234
week 2: 224
week 3: 218
week 4:
week 5:
week 6:

Ruca

Those are cute! Would work well if I can ever force myself to go back to work. Right now Im trying to find a way to live in a cave and ditch the demands of the real world so I can be a stay @ home mom. Keep dreamin, huh?

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