Baby gear advice - Page 2

[coldandsleepy]

Ah, we outgrew our Moby early... earlier than I would have liked.  I think I moved him to a woven wrap around 3 months.  (He was almost 20 lbs at that point.  He was outlandishly huge as an infant.) 

My woven wraps (all homemade) were my favorite carriers by far... so comfy and I felt like they actually looked cute on me.  But I couldn't get the hang of getting my gigantic kid onto my back in the wrap by myself. 

I've been happy with the Ergo, though agree that being able to take it off and hand it to someone else (as with a Beco) sounds really appealing.  Honestly, my biggest complaint about the Ergo is that I think it's extremely unflattering on me.  Straps make me look squishy.  :P  We have gotten a TON of use out of the Ergo though, I find it really easy for a back carry or a front carry, and my husband'll actually use it, unlike my wraps.

[Conchobhar]

Originally Posted by AfricanQueen99 

Still using the Moby for a 2.5 y/o?

Oh no!  Nonono...  The homemade Mei Tei, mostly.  I did do a back carry with the Moby for a couple months after she was 1, but it was too awkward.  Sorry, I needed coffee before I answered.

[AfricanQueen99]

Ohhhh.  Now we're on the same page.  I just couldn't get my head wrapped around an older kid in a Moby since they sag so much.  Man, they're so perfect for infants, though.  (A little brag - I got my Moby at a thrift store for $2.50 because the women selling there had no idea what it was!)

Yeah, I was using my Mei Tei for back carries for my daughter until shortly before my son came (she would have been 3-3.5 y/o).  The MT is just so awesome!

[shiomi]

Originally Posted by AfricanQueen99 

Still using the Moby for a 2.5 y/o?

I have numerous friends who used mobys with their kids well into the 35-40 pound range. Back carries, side carries, front carries...  So long as they don't stretch lengthwise they're fine in my experience, but that's just me.

[Conchobhar]

Originally Posted by AfricanQueen99 

Ohhhh.  Now we're on the same page.  I just couldn't get my head wrapped around an older kid in a Moby since they sag so much.  Man, they're so perfect for infants, though.  (A little brag - I got my Moby at a thrift store for $2.50 because the women selling there had no idea what it was!)

Yeah, I was using my Mei Tei for back carries for my daughter until shortly before my son came (she would have been 3-3.5 y/o).  The MT is just so awesome!

It IS awesome!  The only gripe I have about it is since it's not an "actual" Mei Tei, the pressure on my shoulder that I've had surgery on gets to me after a while.  Thankfully DD likes to walk, so she tends to want out before I get to that point anymore.  But it's why I'm saving up for an Ergo.

[freestylemama]

I think essentials are really determined by your lifestyle and where you live. 

For my DD, the following were essential for the first year:

car seat

cloth diapers and wipes and all of the stuff that comes with them (bag, sprayer, Weleda Diaper Care, peri bottle for wipes, good detergent, stain stuff, etc.)

moby at first and ergo later

bouncer or swing (for showers, eating and potty)

high chair

safe place for baby to sleep

boppy

clothes and shoes

pump b/c I worked part time

blender for making baby food (we already had this)

diaper changing station

The following weren't essential, but were very nice:

light weight stroller (we got a Maclaren Techno and after 3.5 years of very heavy use, it still works great and is ready for another baby)

bike trailer (DH and I shared one car until very recently, so a nice stroller and trailer were great- we didn't use this until DD was one and could support a helmet)

running stroller (b/c we like to run)

pouch sling for popping the baby in and out easily

Didn't use:

baby bathtub

baby moniter

pacis

mesh food thing

wipe warmer

pack and play

For this baby, we decided to go with a bucket car seat instead of the convertible right away.  I'll be doing preschool drop offs and will have a lot less flexibility with my time than I did with my first.  We also are now a 2 car family, so we will probably not get that much use out of our stroller.  I would recommend skipping the travel system and getting a nice, long lasting stroller.  There are several like the Techno available now for a lot less, which is really great.

[BeanSprout Mama]

I absolutely adore the Moby and did not find it to be limited to only the tiny baby phase.  I still carried my DS2 in it up until he refused to be carried any more. He was somewhere in the neighborhood of 27-28 lbs at that point and it was not a problem to carry him at all, the Moby still worked just fine.

I also have a pouch sling made of fleece that I absolutely love for cold weather, so I'm sure we'll get a ton of use of that one when the baby is born.

[Psmythe]

I love my Moby.  I had to put Hubby in it every time though.  He liked the Bjorn better because he could manage the buckles himself.

We had a Boppy for everywhere, they're really handy for nursing in a parked car.  Not essential, but we had one in the bed, one on the couch and one at my Mom's just because we had been gifted with extra ones.  They're good for when baby is almost sitting up on his/her own too.

I wish I'd gotten a nursing stool.  In order for my feet to reach the floor from any chair in our house I have to sit forward some, including the glider.  Cheap solution was to duct-tape two phone books together and leave them under the edge of the couch when we weren't nursing.  Pretty much free, not very stylish, but easy to hide!

We had a mini-co-sleeper that hooked to the side of our bed.  I wish we'd gotten the bigger one sometimes, but the little one was handy for trips to the IL's.

Hubby's favorite was the tub thermometer.  He just isn't confident we aren't about to scald our baby unless Froggy says its safe.

We used a bouncy seat for the first few months, the really simple kind that I could bring with me to the bathroom etc...  so nice to ice stitches or run a sitz bath with two hands instead of juggling or waiting for someone to come around to help.

We didn't get a glider until after our son was a year old, I can see how they'd be handy right off though!  We were lucky and had an easy sleeper.

We got a pack & play but pretty much only used it as a changing station when he was really little, it's at my Mom's now as a downstairs napping spot.

We're cramped for space, so smaller and simpler was always better.  No room for swings or those exerpod thingies, wearing baby while doing things seemed to do the trick.  That or setting the bouncer at a good vantage point to whatever action was going on.