Anyone up for a little shower talk? - Page 2

[NamastePlatypus]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

Really really. Perhaps I just have excessively strong poopers; I've used all different brands, from el-cheapo WalMart diapers to those wickedly expensive Pampers Swaddlers. I have seen some poop accidents that would have made my hair gray... if I hadn't been so busy laughing.

that was/is e!

I LOVE the diaper decor for cloth. I got it for sposies but I still use it for cloth. We use large diiaps and I wash every three days at the most!

[nolonger]

I'm with nausicaamom on the diaper pail; we were gifted diaper service for the big kids, and the pails they gave us came with a lid and a deoderizer that we quickly stopped using because the smell practically knocked you over when you lifted the lid to put in a used diaper! Once the air was allowed to circulate, it wasn't bad at all, except maybe on the last day when we had toddler poop in there. The service only delivered/picked up once a week, so I'm looking forward to a much cleaner house with washing my own. I have four dozen prefolds (we used 80 a week during the newborn phase with the service) but I intend to do a load of diapers every other day and a load of clothing on the days I don't do diapers, although those sort of plans tend to be derailed by adult children and teenagers who do their own laundry and put it off until they get the sudden urge to monopolize the machines for hours if not days at a time.



I am so not expecting a shower this time around, but would love the attention of a gift-free or gift-optional party. I wound up with a LOT of clutter the last time around from well-meaning people giving me strollers, high chairs, bassinets, playpens, sposies, and other things I never used. I also felt a lot of resentment that I *had* to give my kids excessive quantities of plastic character toys and dress them in clothing I didn't like to avoid hurting other people's feelings.

I'm too old for that kind of sucking up now and it might have something to do with why I purchased so much baby gear in this first trimester.

I would suggest being VERY explicit about what you need and where to get it: a Maya wrap and an Ergo, rather than "a baby carrier", and make sure that the guests know where to find those things, either online or at brick-and-mortar stores. My biggest ticket items were the car seat, the bicycle trailer, and the breast pump, and I don't see why you can't arange things so that guests can give you $20 towards a $100+ item.

Not all newborns can wear sposies. I tried, but they gave her such horrible rashes that it looked like chemical burns because it was. Even with cloth, I couldn't keep the dipes pinned on 24/7 and had to lie the baby down naked on a diaper sometimes or just accept the fact that I was going to get peed on. Nobody EC'd in the '80s and early '90s!

If all else fails, one can never have too many receiving blankets or prefolds. Even if your well-meaning but childless friends inundate you with the gerber prefolds when you have plenty of Fuzzi Bunz already, they will come in handy for spit up, potty misses or diaper leaks, leaky breasts, emergency mama cloth, and a million other situations. After my kids potty trained, I used them for pretty much everything mainstream people use paper towels for and always wished I'd had more.

[eilonwy]

I've tried several different diaper-holding things, and honestly the least-stinky thing we've used is a regular laundry basket in the bathroom, dedicated exclusively to diapers. Then again, I've had very little toddler poop + newborn diapering to deal with (though I probably will this time-- Bella is so not going to be out of diapers before SeaMonkey arrives). Also, Mike rinses poopy diapers in the sink before they go into the laundry basket. He's a good man.

But yeah-- just a regular laundry basket, one load a day during the newborn period, probably every other day or every third later.

[Nature]

Originally Posted by noordinaryspider

I would suggest being VERY explicit about what you need and where to get it: a Maya wrap and an Ergo, rather than "a baby carrier", and make sure that the guests know where to find those things, either online or at brick-and-mortar stores. My biggest ticket items were the car seat, the bicycle trailer, and the breast pump, and I don't see why you can't arange things so that guests can give you $20 towards a $100+ item.

This was what I had trouble with. I must be blessed with family that doesn't give a crap what you really want. Seriously, they asked what I wanted last time and the only thing I needed was a carseat. I wanted a Britax Marathon for dd, and even said if they got just half the amount from people that I could cover the rest. Yup yup. They agreed. When the day came, I opened the box and found a crappy All in One seat. They paid nearly the same amount as the Britax, and it wasn't returnable either. I cried for days after that.

So now I don't even get my hopes up when someone asks for what i need or want.

[phillybama]

It looks like I will have two showers in December. I hate that some people might not be able to attend because of holiday parties and such, but waiting until January just scares me. This is my first, and my mom had both of her kids pretty early.
The first one in my hometown for old friends and family and one here in Philly for my local friends. My SIL is throwing the one down south and she is wanting a "gift card" shower, so I don't have to ship everything back. I am flying down, so it would be tough. I am a little weirded out about it (might be tacky), but it does make practical sense in my situation.

The friends shower being held much closer to where I live will be the typical shower, I guess. I have registered at Target (no Babys-R-Us within public transit distance) and www.findgift.com for the harder to find items. I am getting most everything I need hand-me-down, so I will register for extra CDs, baby shampoos, lotions, first-aid kits, . . . that sort of thing.

[Gracecody]

Originally Posted by True Blue

Another great idea is a book shower....everyone buys books for baby and big brother instead of things you don't really need. We always love getting books!!!

I did this when the people at work (I work in a library) insisted on having a shower...just asked them to choose their favorite children's book, new or used! I think they enjoyed choosing and giving them as much or more as I enjoyed receiving them...and the great thing is that they were for various age levels so ds still has a stash of books waiting for him as he gets older! And they're all these wonderful classic books, some from the 50's and 60's.

[Gracecody]

Originally Posted by Nature

This was what I had trouble with. I must be blessed with family that doesn't give a crap what you really want. Seriously, they asked what I wanted last time and the only thing I needed was a carseat. I wanted a Britax Marathon for dd, and even said if they got just half the amount from people that I could cover the rest. Yup yup. They agreed. When the day came, I opened the box and found a crappy All in One seat. They paid nearly the same amount as the Britax, and it wasn't returnable either. I cried for days after that.

So now I don't even get my hopes up when someone asks for what i need or want.

I finally have to comment because your family sounds SO much like mine! I got the Eddie Bauer/Cosco travel system from them last time, and the parents on the other side insisted on giving us $500 for a crib because dh's older brother (the first to have a baby) also spent $500 on a crib. Fortunately we were able to talk her into using it for other things but she already has been asking me if I'm going to pick out a crib for this baby. I want to say, enough with the flipping crib already, I don't want one!!!!!!!

I cried over my carseat too. So did ds, he HATED that thing and was a totally different boy when we switched him to a convertible carseat!

[ScarletBegonias]

with dd i registered online for a britax convertible carseat, cloth dipes and covers, and a few random things like an organic towel, wet bags, etc.

my mom threw me a HUGE shower (i made all the food) and i got NOTHING from my registry. just a bunch of crap from target. and target gift cards. sheesh, people at least they could have gotten me gift cards to the freaking site i was registered at. only my mom's fam and dh's fam got stuff off the registry. they are cool that way.

this time i am registering at a local boutique that carries everything from carseats to co-sleepers to bunkbeds, ergo's sheepskins and lots of organics. i am putting on my list:

-britax carseat
-breast pump (i need one this time)
-sheepskin
-ergo infant insert
-arms reach co-sleeper
-double jogging stroller
-lots of little items like toothbrushes, prefolds, nightlight etc.

my strategy this time is to register for all sorts of crazy stuff at a store people can physically shop at. this way, i can return all the small stuff and get something nice, or people will buy me the expensive stuff i would NEVER buy. i probably sound greedy and/or materialistic, but that's not the case at all.

there are about 40 ladies (whom i love) at our church who will come to my shower. last time i got lots of beautiful crocheted and knitted blankets from the older ladies, but lots of plastic, polyester and junk from the middle aged moms and girls my age. all of these women are my friends and i love them, but there is not a crunchy bone in any of their bodies! plus there's my dad's family (which is HUGE) who have $$$ and they all love to shop. they spend their days at the galleria (mall) shopping at places like pottery barn and buying 60" plasma tv's for every room in their house. :

so i know they will shop for the baby because they are all generous people. they did for dd and every baby in the family that's born. if i say i don't want anything (like i did last time) they won't listen and they will buy stuff anyway, it mine as well be things i like and would use if i had it. i won't spend $400 on a jogging stroller *ever*, but they do and feel that all mom's should have one too. whatever.