Baby Gear Thread

[manwiches]

Further to my post.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/...8-10299709-WDH

This carseat is onsale right now for 150 on Bestbuy. No joke, best purchase you will make besides a baby carrier. No need to buy 3 seats as your kid grows up.

[Ruttiger]

The two things we did/used that we look back on and think "That was really smart":

1) Bought this book, followed the program religiously and in 5 nights our baby was sleeping through the night - it was like we had a different baby once she was getting enough sleep. A lifesaver if you don't have a baby that magically sleeps through the night from birth: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/...5603-item.html

2) Used President's Choice diapers - we found they were better than Huggies (or Kirkland) and every bit as good as Pampers for literally barely half the price: http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA...od1820057.html

Good luck - the first few months will be a ####e show (literally at times), but it does get better and the good days will start to outnumber the challenging ones!

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by V

Interesting. My sister is crazy about keeping everything super quiet when the kid is sleeping, and I see it as a major pain, because especially if you have other kids, it's virtually impossible. It's also annoying to tip toe around the house every time the kid is sleeping.

We took the opposite approach and made sure the kid could sleep through any noise. We most definitely don't make sure we're quiet when the kid is sleeping, and they seem to get used to it pretty quick. I can't imagine forcing the other kids to stay super quiet when the baby's sleeping. Seems impossible to me.

We didn't go out of our way to make noise but my youngest, put her in the crib for a nap and all she did was scream. Stick her in the bouncy seat in the middle of the action and she slept like the dead. *shrug* So we went with it, LOL. If the house was quiet (meaning, nighttime and we were all in bed as well), then she'd sleep quietly in her crib but naptime? If I wanted a moment's peace to get anything done, she had to be that bouncy seat in the middle of the noise. Go figure.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by V

Breastfeeding is far superior, because as the husband there's nothing I can do to help the kid in the middle of the night.
.

Nope, the dad should get up and get the child, change diapers, then put the child back to sleep.

[V]

My wife and I have had a deal since the first kid. I take care of the kid until 1am, she takes over from there. She can always have a nap the next day when the kid is napping, I don't have that luxury. It's worked well through 4 kids and 10 years of babies.

[calgarygeologist]

If you need baby gates this is a solid product and a good deal at a sales price of $35 right now. We have 5 of these at home.

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....uctId=12273057

[tete]

Your kid needs a place to sleep, food (breastmilk or formula) and clothing/diapers. Everything else is extra. For sleeping, if you're in a pinch, your kid can always sleep in a box.

Case in point (excuse the Jets paraphernalia, we were in Winnipeg visiting family):





Everyone is just so different, it's hard to advise - my kid drank formula/breast milk right out of the fridge, dead cold, from the time she left the hospital. We never used a wipes warmer, we never used a monitor. Our stroller was a great buy second hand, same with our crib and change table. We borrowed a swing, received a bouncy chair for free - those types of things are easy to find on kijiji. We never decorated a nursery - heck, our kid's crib was in the den, next to the wine fridge for the first 8 months of her life (when she wasn't sleeping in a box).

I'm a huge fan of babywearing and recommend a soft-structured carrier (such as a Boba, Ergo or Beco) and/or a ring sling for the wee ones. Don't bother with a wrap early on, it's easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed. Bjorns suck aren't ergonomic (even though they say they are), don't get one. Babes in Arms in Bridgeland is an AMAZING place.

Congratulations and all the best.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by V

My wife and I have had a deal since the first kid. I take care of the kid until 1am, she takes over from there. She can always have a nap the next day when the kid is napping, I don't have that luxury. It's worked well through 4 kids and 10 years of babies.

Funny - we did the exact same thing. Until she slept through the night, I was responsible until 1:00 am and she took over from there (helped that our daughter was bottle fed - allows for the Dad to share more of the load) - this way we were each able to get a solid stretch of time in bed without having to get up.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by tete

I'm a huge fan of babywearing and recommend a soft-structured carrier (such as a Boba, Ergo or Beco) and/or a ring sling for the wee ones. Don't bother with a wrap early on, it's easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed. Bjorns suck aren't ergonomic (even though they say they are), don't get one. Babes in Arms in Bridgeland is an AMAZING place.

Congratulations and all the best.

You're right - Baby Bjorns are the worst (we liked our Ergo much better as well). So are cats.

[HalifaxDrunk]

Originally Posted by Diemenz

We went with the video monitor and I don't regret it for a second. When I hear crying I can see if she is really awake or if its just some restlessness.

I was just about to post this. Not having to open a door to check is great, it avoids unnecessary wake-ups. My daughter sometimes will wake without crying but we hear her moving around, we can check on her on the camera and she falls back asleep herself. We didn't have a camera with my son, when he would wake and make some moving around noises we had to open his door to look in, he would see us and then get up.

Overall my daughter is a way better sleeper than my son ever was as a baby, may just be their personalities but I give some credit to the camera.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by V

My wife and I have had a deal since the first kid. I take care of the kid until 1am, she takes over from there. She can always have a nap the next day when the kid is napping, I don't have that luxury. It's worked well through 4 kids and 10 years of babies.

Fairplay, I took anytime I could with the little animals. It also didn't help that my daughter was like a cyborg and appeared not to need sleep. She just bore through you with her little dark eyes, mocking my need for sleep.

[carbonrod]

If you are getting a new crib, get it soon, open it up in the garage, and let it air out. Many are built shipped so fast the paint hasn't cured.

Originally Posted by Wormius

Get your door hinges oiled, and your floorboards nailed down. You will need to move around the house without awakening the child.

Our kids were so sensitive to noise that I would finally get them to sleep, and a little creak from me trying to escape the nursery would reset the whole process. It drove me mad.

+1. One of the first things I did when my wife was pregged with the first was sound proof the house.

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

The expensive strollers (ie City Select) are great and worth it. One tip - get everything used. We're using a $1200 Bugaboo we found on Kijiji for $400.

Get a real good stroller. Find the one that fits you. Go to one of the shops in the baby district in the SE, and try them all. Find what you want. I wanted to buy once, but didn't really care about the price, so I took a 20 lb sandbag and test drove the final 3 through the winter snow, then did a which one folds in the car the best. They all work alright once you are in the mall.

Get a comfy nursing pillow, and chair. Surprisingly, these have options.

We bought most of our stuff used, but generally did a fair bit of homework in the lead up to delivery months.

Also, don't wait 9 months. Out second came early.

[MotoRacer]

Originally Posted by loob job

Condoms so you don't have anymore.

I have a two year old and a two month old. I don't even know whether I'm coming or going, night time or day time, up or down. I can't begin to describe the feeling when you're head hits the pillow and you know for somewhat certain that you are going to get an hour or two of sleep.

Golden

[Peanut]

I had a video monitor with my first and an angel care monitor with my second. I liked the Angel care monitor better - i don't need to see him as long as I know he's breathing.

Funny, somebody said it was useless because I couldn't live without the exersaucer. Both my kids spent a ton of time in them as it kept them contained so I could cook or get a few things done. Everybody is different I think. My advice would be to try not to pre-purchase too much. See what you need and what your kids likes when you get there.

If breast feeding, Check out "my Brest friend" nursing pillow. And get a good pump.

I hate how flaky people are on kijiji. I buy 90% of the kids stuff used but I go to consignment shops. Once Upon A Child is awesome and Sproutz Kids is ok. Probably not as cheap as Kijiji but there's a bit of quality control and you only have to make one stop to get everything from clothes to strollers.

[Matty81]

Stuff we got the most use out of:
Ergo
Uppababy Vista stroller - awesome, put so many kms on that thing
Exersaucer - only hands free time I had some days and the kid loved it
Medela freestyle
A really good comfy rocking armchair, spent so many hours there

[Canehdianman]

just noticed the baby bjorn is $80 at Best Buy today (if you check out using paypal and use this promo code "BBY-PAYPAL".

We love ours. Some others on here don't seem to like it as much.

[Knut]

^ Depends on the kid. Both of ours hated all the baby carriers we tried. I would suggest not buying one until after the kid is born and then try it out first.

[undercoverbrother]

Interesting, we did many of these.

In fact our daughter use to put a stuffed lion on her face to sleep.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/healt...551/story.html

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Get your door hinges oiled, and your floorboards nailed down. You will need to move around the house without awakening the child.

Our kids were so sensitive to noise that I would finally get them to sleep, and a little creak from me trying to escape the nursery would reset the whole process. It drove me mad.

This sucks. We live in an old house (built in 1852). You can't move without hearing creaking. I never thought about that.

On a different note, I noticed one person mentioned MamaRoos. I'm thinking of buying one for when our baby arrives. Would anyone else say that they are recommended? I didn't even know they existed until I went to the baby show last month, but now I want one!

[tete]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

This sucks. We live in an old house (built in 1852). You can't move without hearing creaking. I never thought about that.

On a different note, I noticed one person mentioned MamaRoos. I thinking of buying one for when our baby arrives. Would anyone else say that they are recommended? I didn't even know they existed until I went to the baby show last month, but now I want one!

We never had one, but a few of our friends did - it was pretty much a 50/50 split on love/hate. I don't think most of those gadgets are worth a full price buy, but you might be able to score one second hand for cheaper. My kid was perfectly happy in a swing that I borrowed from a friend.