Maggie, Josh, & Eleanor welcome…
GEORGE EMMETT KEEGAN GROSS
April 12, 2012 | 8:11pm
7lbs 4oz | 19 3/4 inches
His newborn photos & birth story coming soon!
Cranky Baby Essentials Guide Part Six:
Out and About With Your Baby
Apr
12
12
Posted by: Maggie
As we prepare for baby number two, we’ve pulled out all our baby gear and reviewed all the registry recommendation lists to make sure we have everything we will need. In the process, we’ve reminded ourselves of what was the most useful to us and what we thought we’d need, but didn’t really use. So, I’ve put together this guide to share our knowledge with all the parents-to-be out there. I’ve split it into several categories of baby items and within each I’m sharing the “Must Haves,” “Nice to Haves,” and items that you can “Skip.” I hope you find this useful in prepping for your new baby!
MUST HAVES
Stroller – Like a lot of other baby gear there are soooo many different choices of strollers out there. When it comes to choosing what stroller is right for you, you’ll want to consider a few different factors: cost, function, and style. Strollers range in cost from $75 to $1,500. So you’ll first want to set a budget for yourself and then take a look at the variety of strollers in that price range. Don’t worry, no matter what your budget is you should be able to find a stroller that meets your needs. Once you determine how much you want to spend you’ll want to want to consider how you’re going to use your stroller. Do you need a stroller for walking, jogging, on sidewalks, on rougher terrain? And lastly you’ll want to choose a stroller that suits your personal style.
Last time around we were generously gifted with one of the coolest, most multi-functional, stylish and expensive strollers, the Bugaboo Cameleon. However, if you’re a regular Cranky reader you may remember that it was lost/stolen the last time we moved. Well, we did get reimbursed for it by the apartment management, but we never did replace it because by that time Eleanor rarely used it. She was never a fan of being strapped into a stroller and once she could walk, she pretty much refused, so we just saved the money and used it for other things.
Bugaboos are awesome for the high-end strollers and I highly recommend them. If you want something mid-range, I hear very good things about the Bumbleride Flyer and Queen B as well as the Inglesina 2011 Zippy Ergonomic Stroller.
In the lower price range I’ve heard excellent things about Maclaren and Uppa Baby strollers.
For now we don’t have the money for a new stroller, and haven’t really decided which one we like best (we’re leaning toward the Bumbleride Flyer), so we’ve just got a Graco SnugRider, which is just a frame on which we can snap the car seat. We think this is all we’ll need for the first couple months until baby has the muscles to sit upright.
Car Seat – Unlike choosing a stroller, the only thing that matters when you select a car seat is safety. I’ll admit that I have not done any current research, but I urge you to do that research yourself. I recommend looking into the Consumer Reports Car Seat Buying Guide and reading the Car Seat Safety info from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We will be reusing the infant car seat we used for Eleanor, since it has not reached it’s expiration date yet. When we were shopping for Eleanor, we chose the Graco SnugRide with EPS, because, at the time it was the only car seat that passed a crash test at 65 mph. Living in L.A. we spend a lot of time on the freeway and therefore a lot of time driving at least 65, so we figured that was the safest seat for us. But I have not looked to see how more current car seats have been performing in crash tests.
Diaper Bag – This one is all about style and functionality. You’ll want one that has a lot of pockets and fits your personal style. And this is another thing that you can get a decent one at any price range. It’s all about you, your style and how much you want to spend. I’ve already shared my super gorgeous Cake bag in my New Baby Favorites post. Other high end bags that I love are all of Kate Spade’s diaper bag line. On the mid range Petunia Pickle Bottom bags are super cute and functional. On the lower end I love the Jonathan Adler for Skip Hop bags.
NICE TO HAVES
Car Seat Mirror – I always liked being able to see Eleanor in my rear view mirror while we drove, and since infant seats face the rear you’ll need a mirror to see baby.
Shade – A window shade can be helpful for blocking harsh sun from baby’s eyes. But honestly, we’ve tried a bunch of different kinds and they either don’t stay put or don’t cover enough of the window. I recommend looking into having your car windows tinted if you can afford it. I’ve always assumed that it would be expensive to do, but I just heard that it should only cost around $100-200, which is worth it to me.
SKIP
I couldn’t really think of anything that is recommended for getting out with baby that you don’t need. If there are any you can think of please feel free to comment below!
In case you missed it…
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART ONE: Dress Your Baby
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART TWO: Get Your Baby to Sleep
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART THREE: Feed Your Baby
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART FOUR: Clean Your Baby
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART FIVE: Play With Your Baby
UP NEXT…Part Seven: For Mom & Dad
- Comments: 2
- Categories: Cranky Living, Cranky Parenting
Cranky Baby Essentials Guide Part Five:
Play With Your Baby
Apr
11
11
Posted by: Maggie
As we prepare for baby number two, we’ve pulled out all our baby gear and reviewed all the registry recommendation lists to make sure we have everything we will need. In the process, we’ve reminded ourselves of what was the most useful to us and what we thought we’d need, but didn’t really use. So, I’ve put together this guide to share our knowledge with all the parents-to-be out there. I’ve split it into several categories of baby items and within each I’m sharing the “Must Haves,” “Nice to Haves,” and items that you can “Skip.” I hope you find this useful in prepping for your new baby!
MUST HAVES
I want to preface this by saying that nothing in this category is truly a “Must Have.” Babies have been getting along for millions of years without these things to entertain them, so the musts I list here are really just our favorite things to have for baby.
Tummy Time Mat – For the first few weeks baby will pretty much just eat and sleep, but in time they will have longer and longer periods of wakefulness and you’ll want to entertain them and help their little brains and muscles develop. Pediatricians recommend that babies spend at least 30 minutes a day on their tummies to get them to start to use their arm, leg, and neck muscles. We used a Boppy Tummy Play Pad for tummy time. The mini Boppy helps them feel more comfortable and supported while they get used to being on their tummies and the attachable toys give them something to play with.
Activity Gym – When Eleanor wasn’t in tummy time and we wanted her entertained for 15-20 minutes we used the Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym. Eleanor loved it! There are a variety of different toys that hang from it and are attached to the mat, it also plays music and rainforest sounds and has little slowly changing colored lights in the top that baby can watch while lying on their back. This usually kept her entertained discovering sights, sounds and practicing grabbing and manipulating objects.
Rattles – It’s great to have something for baby to play with to distract them while getting dressed or having their diaper changed. We like small soft rattles with handles like this Panda Rattle. When Eleanor was bigger and stronger she loved this multi-colored ball thing with soft plastic tubes and a rattle center.
NICE TO HAVES
Papasan Seat – Some babies are soothed by these vibrating chairs. We have the Fisher Price Baby Papasan Infant Seat. Eleanor never really cared for it, but it was great to have a place to buckle her in while I took a shower or cooked dinner. I’d just bring her in the bathroom or kitchen with me, put her on the floor in the chair and then talk to her while I went about my business. She wasn’t really interested in the music or vibration from the chair, but as long as I talked to her she was entertained.
Stuffed Animals – Stuffed animals can be great after a couple of months to give baby something soft to grab onto. Eleanor had a little stuffed bunny and some other little blanket loveys that she loved to hold onto.
SKIP
Playards – Unless you’ll be traveling, baby will be playing upstairs, or once they are crawling if there dangers in your home, I don’t think a Playard is necessary. Chances are you won’t be leaving baby unattended, so there’s no good reason they can’t just be left on the ground instead of being penned up. This is another piece of superfluous baby gear I don’t think you should waste your money on.
Exersaucers, Jumpers, and Baby Seats – I hesitated in writing this because I know that this is a bit of a controversial subject. A lot of parents love their exersaucers, jumpers and baby seats (like the Bumbo Seat) for keeping their babies happy and entertained, and they balk at those that claim they are bad for baby.
I agree that with moderate use these aren’t going to harm a baby. However, Pediatricians do not recommend their use. While being used in moderation (no more than 20 minutes a day) they won’t impede a baby’s physical development, they do not encourage proper development because they force a baby to sit, stand, and walk before they are developmentally able or ready to. If you don’t put a baby in one of these toys and instead give them plenty of time on the floor, especially on their tummies, they will use all their time developing the muscles they need to lift their heads, roll over, sit independently, crawl, pull-up to standing and eventually walk.
So, although they probably don’t hurt a baby, they certainly don’t help the baby at all, and only serve as a minor way to distract baby for a few minutes a day. And to me that makes them a complete waste of money and space.
In case you missed it…
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART ONE: Dress Your Baby
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART TWO: Get Your Baby to Sleep
CRANKY BABY ESSENTIALS GUIDE PART THREE: Feed Your Baby
- Comments: 3
- Categories: Cranky Living, Cranky Parenting
