7 Must-Haves for First Babies

A first time mama-to-be recently asked me for a list of must-haves. Here’s what I’ve come up with. 1. Stroller — I’ve been so many years out of the loop now, that I have no idea what’s out there. For starting out, especially if you don’t have a car and plan on taking cabs, I highly recommend getting a Snap ‘N Go (see here for a comparison of different carseat carrier models). That option will last you about a year. If you want to have a non-carseat options, then you sorta can’t go wrong, though, with a Baby Jogger City Mini. If you plan on having another kid in the next two years, then I highly recommend getting one of the Phil & Ted strollers — then, when #2 comes along, you can just buy the P&T doubles add-on kit (not that we’ve already pushing for #2 or anything…). 2. Swaddles — I recommend getting at least two of these. I prefer the Kiddopotamus Swaddle over the Summer Infant one. Ergo Carrier Beco Butterfly II Carrier 3. Baby carrier(s) — I recommend getting one cozy, stretchy wrap (like this one) and one soft structured one. I’m really happy with the Beco Butterfly, but I think I’d

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Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker

For your infant… We already have a swing (the Fisher Price Open Top Take-Along Rainforest Swing) and a bouncer (the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer), so for baby #2 we probably won’t get any new equipment in this category. BUT, if I were to do it all over again, I’d skip the Ocean Wonders bouncer altogether and get the Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker instead. In general I’d get the-infant-thing-that-then-turns-into-a-big-kid-thing over the-infant-thing-that-you-then-need-to-replace-with-a-big-kid-thing. We don’t think so much about how our infants turn into toddlers when we have our first babies, and we should. …and for your toddler! The Infant to Toddler Rocker provides soothing vibrations for your infant and then turns into a really cute rocking chair for your toddler. There’s no music (as compared to the Ocean Wonders bouncer), but you can just put on a CD yourself and probably enjoy the music more anyways. I think Hila would love a little rocking chair like this…but then, when #2 comes along, would she be willing to share it? Probably not. Maybe the solution is to just buy a toddler rocking chair for Hila. This one just looks so comfy. I guess we know what I’ll be researching

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Exersaucers and Jumparoos

I am a little overwhelmed. I have about 30 amazon tabs open right now and do not know where to begin. Hila is nearing the four month mark and so it is time to introduce to her the next necessary toy in her developmental range: The Exersaucers. Or the Jumperoo. Definitions: Exersaucers are big round plastic playgrounds. The baby sits in a seat, can swivel around to different activity centers, can rock, bounce, and spin, and can activate lots of annoying lights and noises. Jumperoos either hang from a door or from two ends of a metal frame and provide lots of bounce for the baby, lots of good leg and core exercise, and often also have lots of toys and lights and noise (but usually less than the exersaucer). So how to choose? Well, I’m not really sure. At first glance, I like the jumparoos better. They seem less….creaky. All that plastic on the exersaucer makes the whole experience seem a bit clunky, whereas the ride on the jumperoo seems smoother and quieter. All that being said, I’ve still pulled out a few of each that have caught my eye. 1. Evenflo SmartSteps Exersaucer Entertainer – This is your

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Fisher Price Rainforest Bouncer

I think we will probably end up getting the Fisher-Price Rainforest Bouncer. After rocking, shushing, bouncing, and going crazy with Hila for hours, we finally got her to sleep in Bethami‘s old bouncer (Eden’s really), while we sat on the floor beside her and continued to rock and shush her. It sure would be nice to have a machine, fully loaded with bells and whistles, take over for a little bit to rock her back to calmness, or better yet, sleep. And for those amazing times when she’s quiet and content to just sit and look around, I think then she’d like the bouncer too. I think a swing would probably work better, but it’s a little harder to convince someone to bring a big swing from America, space-wise, and they are just way too overpriced here to even consider — and we do have Bethami’s old swing anyways, which Hila likes even though it drives us crazy.

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