Baby Gear thoughts

So I started this post by practically writing a book on somebody else's blog in their comment section and then decided I may as well just write my own post for Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life" series. This week happens to be on Baby gear. So...here you have it.

Things we love:

1) Bob Revolution stroller! Totally love the fact that I can use this one for years. It's great for running and all different terrains as well as just for use as an every day stroller. It uses an adapter so you can use it with the infant carrier too. Love, love, love it.

2) Halo Sleep Sacs. What would I do without these? Get a lot less sleep. I get so much peace of mind out of using these things since I don't have to worry about the kiddo tumbling around in her crib at night and getting tangled up in her blankets. These are great for layering as well as doing a loose swaddle inside the sleep sac. They come in cotton or fleece, long-sleeved or sleeveless.

Picture from: BabiesRUs

3) My milkmumu nursing cover. These definitely help make things easier in terms of feeling "covered" while nursing. I got mine from The Cocoa Monkey. They have a lot of super cute fabrics to choose from.

4) Chico umbrella stroller. Initially we thought we were set with the Bob, but eventually discovered the convenience of having a small, compact stroller that was easier to maneuver in tight places.

Picture from: Amazon

5) The Safety 1st 5 Recline and Grow Booster Seat. We started out with a high chair that was given to us by our neighbors who no longer needed/wanted their old one. It had fabric on it for the seating area but we quickly discovered that even minor messes weren't easy to clean up. She was also much too small for it when we first started introducing food so she couldn't sit upright very well. Shortly after we purchased the convertable booster seat and we have been very happy with it. It's super easy to clean up as well as it takes up much much less room. I'm also psyched that it will be another one of those purchases that we'll be able to use for quite some time since it will adapt with her.

Picture from: BabiesRUs

6) The Moby Wrap! I so wish I had gotten this sooner than I did. This thing is wonderful and again something that I can use in different ways during different phases. I especially love how secure feeling it is which is kinda surprising considering how its just a single piece of material and nothing more.

Picture from: Amazon

We liked but...

1) The bumbo chair. We borrowed the bumbo chair from a friend and used it a lot for a short spell (maybe 2 months-ish). Came in handy when she wanted to be upright but I needed to be hands-free like when I needed to make dinner. We also used it when she first started eating food after we discovered her high chair just wasn't going to work for us.

Picture from: BabiesRUs

2) The boppy was used just a few times for its intended purpose but we found that it just worked better without for us. But I did use it to prop her up off the floor a little more or placed her on it when she did a bit of tummy time. Even though I didn't use it to nurse much, I'd still get it again since it was useful in other applications.

3) The Britax Companion Infant Seat. Worth every penny in terms of safety and solid-ness. But! This sucker is heavy (great for an additional workout I suppose when you can't get into the gym to lift weights) and also wider than most infant carriers which makes eating out at restaurants a little difficult if they don't have a compatable carrier sling. If we did it over again I think we'd go with a Graco infant carrier. We do have the Britax Marathon for her convertable seat that we're getting ready to put in the car so I'll have to get back and update on our opinion on that one in a bit.

Picture from: Amazon

Glad I didn't get:

1) I know there's a big ol' debate on Dreft vs. other laundry detergents. For me, when I was pregnant, I was insanely sensitive to the smell of laundry detergent and ended up switching to a dye and perfume free detergent. (Seriously, I could identify anybody near me that used Gain.) After doing a bit of cost comparison I decided to make things easier on myself and just continue using the Free detergent once our kiddo arrived.

2) Electric breast pump. I tried to convince my husband that this was something I was going to need. Thankfully he convinced me to hold off which I'm so glad of (now) because the kiddo just flat out didn't want to take a bottle which therefore meant that it was a bit useless having a breast pump. I definitely think it could come in handy for some, but definitely think that waiting to see what the baby's temperment with bottles is first would be better before shelling out those big bucks.

We'll soon see...

1) The Kidco Safety gate for stairs. We still need to install this in our own home. I have used this at friends houses and love the gate action as well as not having a toe bar across the span of the gate on the floor. **P.S. As a side note, there are some fabulous tips and installation hints on one of the reviews on Amazon.

Picture from: Amazon

2) EZ Fit Safety Gate Installation Kit. This is kinda difficult to find (here's where we found it) but well worth looking for. This gives a great secure fit without causing any damage to the stair banisters (ie. screw holes). Plus, unlike others out there, instead of using zipties, it uses velcro with safety clips.

Picture from: One Step Ahead

That's my thoughts for this one. :)