13 weeks along
Due Feb 24th
Momma not showing yet....
I have a couple of questions for all of you out there:
1. What are your top favorite baby items you can't live without?
2. Where do you get your favorite maternity clothing items?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
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Maternity clothes: Motherhood and Burlington Coat Factory
ReplyDeleteFavorite baby items: Bjorn, Croozer jogging/bike stroller, medella breast pump, bath sponge ($4 at Wal-Mart don't bother with a big bulky tub), Kelty backpack for hiking with baby (when they're older-I use the Bjorn until they're about a year).
I got most of my maternity clothes from Motherhood and Old Navy, but my all-time favorite jeans were from Gap.
ReplyDeleteFavorite baby items: I preferred a baby sling to a traditional baby carrier, fisher price makes a line of "cradle swings" and those are my favorite type, a braun ear thermometer, and a nursing cover with boning in the neck.
So happy for you!!!
I got most of my maternity clothes from the Old Navy clearance section. Right now is a perfect time because they are clearencing all of the summer stuff, so buy the short sleeve summer stuff because you'll be hot and then I went to Khols and bought a few maternity cardigans to go over them. I was due in March, so I was pregnant over the winter like you, so it worked out perfectly to do that. Usually at the end of the season they have 50% off of their clearance section so I got most of my shirts for like $3 or $4 dollars. The only pants I liked were from Target, and I did get a few cute dresses at Motherhood. I bought most everything off the clearance racks though, I think I paid full price for maybe 3 or 4 items.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't live with out the Bumbo, seriously awesome! As soon as they can hold their heads up on their own you can put them in there and it helps them learn to sit up. Finn was sitting up on his own at 4 1/2 months!! I also used it as a high chair to feed him once he started eating and we still use it as a booster seat at the table.
Love Boogie Wipes. When I first saw those I was like, whatever, we don't need those, but after using baby wipes to wipe Finn's nose and his skin drying out from the alcohol in the wipes I switched to boogie wipes and no more dry skin.
Also loved my nursing cover (uddercovers) and the forehead thermometer (cheapest price at Costco).
Look into Amazon Moms, I get all of my diapers there and they are cheaper than even Costco and they are delivered right to your door!
Seriously, I can't tell you how happy I am for you!! You made my week!!
Megan!! I'm so excited for you!! Babies are such a joy. My favorite items are cloth diapers (you will never never never have to buy diapers again, even if you have 2 or 3 children) check out Nicki's diapers. That's my favorite place to look for cloth diapers and info on all of it. Also, you can never under appreciate a good pump. I have always liked Gap, Old Navy and Motherhood for maternity clothes best. On jeans, I was never a fan of the tummy panels, I have always liked the under belly best, it doesn't slip as much so I don't have to constantly pull them back up. The secret fit tummy panel is very comfy, but my jeans always seem to slip down. A sling or a carrier are indispensable too. I used those all of the time when going for walks or at the grocery store. As for nursing covers, check out Udder covers and use the "onefree" code. I found a bouncy seat or a swing to be one of the biggest helps too. I never found brand to mattered to me, I just like them to vibrate, which also reminds me that in the car the biggest help for a fussy baby while driving for me was the vibrating car seat pad and instead of the pull over car seat cover to keep them warm, I like the zip-up blanket ones that you can easily put in their car seat or stroller and has lots of room for a baby to grow in. It's perfect for the cold to keep your baby warm. Those last two I was able to get at Walmart, so they don't cost much.
ReplyDeleteclothes: Motherhood maternity and target. My mom was the only one who got me maternity clothes and that is where she got them. I liked them all. Jean not so attractive but by the time I needed to wear them, I didnt care what I looked like..haha.
ReplyDeleteFavorite baby items...wow that is hard. I will do my best to remember what I couldnt live without.
Balmex (diaper rash cream, works the best)
Medula breast pump. I had a single, but oh boy a double would have been nice.
BIG receiving blankets. Gma Recht makes them the perfect size, wish I had 10,
A swing. (for us, it saved us)
Dr Brown bottles for pumped milk. Only ones Parker would drink out of. He preferred nursing but mama needed some sleep. Every kids likes their "own bottle". We tried 3 and got the best result with Dr Brown.
Little Tummies
The incline sleep positioner
I never used a nursing cover with P. man but with the next one I wont be without one
The snap shirts with the cuffs to cover their hands sewn in. (seriously the best)
if I think of anything else I will comment again :) So happy for you! This is sooo exciting!
Hooray, hooray! Here are my two cents. (Note: most of my maternity clothes were hand-me-downs, so I don't have a helpful opinion there. Sorry!)
ReplyDelete1. Swing - Baby J would ONLY sleep in his swing (naps, night, everything) for the first three months of his life. And the automatic swing feature and recorded music or noise it would make worked like a charm.
2. Bouncy seat - the only way I got anything done for the first little while.
3. Hooter hider - wretched name, but the best kind of nursing cover. Don't bother with anything that doesn't have the wire/plastic ring at the top.
4. Comfy, overstuffed rocking recliner in the baby's room - that's where I did most of MY sleeping for the first month or so. :)
5. Pacifiers - don't let anyone tell you they're evil. They work for a reason.
That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'll let you know if I remember any others. So excited for you, Megs!!
Old Navy! They have way better customer service than Motherhood. You have to order online but can return to the store. Motherhood is such a stickler about returns and I find that their quality isn't so good. I never knew how the clothes were going to look after the first washing. Pea in the pod is also a cute company.
ReplyDeleteFavorite Maternity clothes: I shared with my sisters and didn't actually buy anything, so I might be a little limited... but my favorite pants were from the gap. Some people like the Motherhood Maternity jeans with the huge elastic thing of death that goes over your stomach but I haaaaaaated them. The gap has really comfortable maternity jeans and they're cute too :) I still remember the day I started wearing maternity jeans. So. Comfortable.
ReplyDeleteAs far as baby stuff: A swing. Preferably one that plays obnoxious music. And a bouncer. Oooh and an Ergo baby carrier. They're a little different than normal carriers and will save your back after your baby hits 15 lbs- they're kind of expensive though, so maybe you should decide if you like baby carriers first. The only reason I got any housework done after Benji realized I was alive (and wanted to be held) was the carrier.
I also really liked Benji's Bumbo chair. I think that is what they are called, anyway.
Hooray for babies!!! I'm really cheap and really poor right now, so I didn't get many maternity clothes. I did shop Old Navy 's clearance (mostly on line) and Shade clothing. I got a belly band to wear over my normal pants (so you can leave them unbuttoned) and that worked until the very end.
ReplyDeleteBaby things that I (and Evie) have loved...a bouncer (she slept in it for the first few month). A "swaddle me" blanket. It worked way better than normal blankets for Evie. It was a life saver. We have loved our jumperoo. You won't need that for a while, but it has made making dinner and cleaning the house much more doable. I also love our bumbo. Evie could sit in it around 2 months or so. Also good for when you're making dinner. I love my nursing cover and my car seat cover. Evie was born in the winter as well and it was handy being able to cover the whole car seat. I really like having our baby bjorn and a sling. We have a kelty backpack as well. Mylicon drops are great for gas....for the baby, not you! I would keep those handy from the very beginning. We don't have room to store a baby bath and we've done just fine with out one. We haven't needed a monitor either, once again because we live in a small apartment and can hear everything! I got all of my stuff for pretty cheap off of craigslist. It saved us lots of moolah! I am so so excited for you. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Oh wait...thought of one more. I loved my breastpump. I actually really needed it a lot. I got a Medela double pump (craigslist...don't know if that grosses you out or not!).
I just can't get over how excited I am for you! I can't wait for the next time I see your cute pregnant self :) And I would have to agree with the aforementioned items of my Bjorn and Bumbo. Oh, and my Snap'n'go stroller.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all my maternity were hand-me-downs as well, but one new thing I have learned in extending regular clothes wear and in supporting your back is the BellaBand--so awesome! and so comfortable.
ReplyDeleteFavorite baby items: If you're looking into baby carriers, do plenty of research for what you want--even try some on. I just bought a Beco Baby Gemini (and yes, they all have strange names) and look forward to using it.
Also remember that you will have to store things that the baby uses for only a few months. Do you really want a large swing or a special baby carriage when you will only use them for 2-4 months? We just bought a portable swing, since swings are so helpful, but the portable is so much smaller than the other ones.
One item that I wouldn't live without (unless I had to) is a Diaper Champ. It doesn't completely block out the smell, but it's nice to have a designated place for those diapers to go where I don't have to touch them much.
The Bumbo's nice, but seems to be more helpful for a sibling. Also, instead of a bassinet, we used a port-a-crib with a bassinet attachment so that we could use the port-a-crib with traveling, etc. They also have these really cool travel beds you can get...
Best of luck to you in the beginning of such an amazing adventure!
I had a lot of luck with maternity clothes as Khols. We are so excited for you!
ReplyDeleteGap for maternity clothes. A sling when your baby is tiny and the Ergo carrier when your baby gets bigger.
ReplyDeleteRachel
Congrats!
ReplyDeleteBaby stuff not to live without: some type of carrier. All styles are good for various times, but I've found the most versatile is a mei tai. I've tried basically every style of carrier there is, and mei tais give the best back support and can be used from birth to 35-40 lbs. My last baby wouldn't use any other carrier from age 2 weeks on, and I carried my 3.5 year old on a 5 mile hike with no back pain and she even fell asleep! There are lots of brands, but Ergo and Babyhawk seem to be the most popular. I made my own, and there are lots of tutorials out there if that interests you.
The only other thing that someone hasn't already mentioned is a car seat tent/canopy/cover that attaches to the handle of the car seat and covers the baby, keeping out germs, weather and nosy strangers. Definitely useful.
Congrats again!