Aiming for progress, not perfection.

"...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:6

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

baby gear survey.

i'm just thinking about grayson and what things will be like when he's here and what we will need. i'm playing on target.com, and thinking of what i should or shouldn't add to my registry. some fabulous friends of mine happen to be throwing a it's-really-nice-if-you-get-one second baby shower for gray and i. anyway, i don't imagine that it will be a huge affair so i'm trying to be picky. and even then, i know i'll most likely have to get at least a few of my own must-haves. besides her stroller and car seats, ellie didn't really get any new big stuff. her swing and bouncy seat were hand-me-downs. her exersaucer was purchased secondhand. her high chair is $22 from ikea, though i wouldn't trade it for any other. i imagine that will probably be the case for grayson as well, and i'm so OK with that.
all of that long-winded lead in to ask: what gear did/do your babies use and love? be specific. i'm curious, and i know there are plenty of you out there with experience and opinions. and we're talking all parents here, not just ones who've had babies in the past 5 years. you know, like my dad, who asked the other day, "do they still make teething rings?" and "those used to be great, but so did playpens so..." ha. 

anyway, i'm just having an obsessed mom-to-be moment.

and even though i know he doesn't really NEED anything except diapers and mama's milk, indulge me, OK?

3 comments:

Erica said...

I love, love, love my pouch sling. They can be really expensive online, but I made mine for about $10.

Also, we love our Joovy Caboose stroller. They sell similar "sit & stand" type strollers elsewhere, like Target, they're just a different brand.

Those are the only two "musts" that you didn't already have covered.

Wendy said...

Erica took my suggestions. A sling is a must for babies so close and some sort of double stroller. I didn't think I would, but I use my stroller a lot.

La said...

Ditto on the double stroller and the sling. We got a super deal on a really nice double stroller with the matching carseat at a second hand store. Yea! I bought my sling at a boutique here in town and the brand is hotslings. It's the only one I've used so I can't really say it's the best or anything, but it does work. You can buy them on ebay too.

This might be a no brainer, but I never had one until child number 4- a mobile! And forget the stylish one that matches the nursery (SOOOO hard for me to do!) because you'll care more about a happy baby when all you want is a shower. We bought one at toys r us for about $40 and it has music and a light show and fish that go around. That was money very well spent. It has a remote too so you can keep it going from across the room so he doesn't see you and start to cry. Joshua will often put himself to sleep while watching it.

Also, I don't know if you have one yet, but you might want to get Ellie a dvd player for the car. Silence in the car is harder to come by with every baby you add and a dvd player will help.

Something else I bought that's been really handy (although I've only used it a few times) is a toddler "leash". I got a puppy dog one from Walmart for about $10. It's nice for church or other places where you can't really use a stroller but you don't want your child running wild.

The last thing is a LOUD fan! Get one for both kids while they sleep. Ellie will not understand that she needs to be quiet so it's nice to know that there's a noisy fan to keep your baby sleeping. And you don't want Ellie waking up at night when the baby cries either. Box fans are a wonderful thing! =)