[StrongFeather]

is anyone else overwhelmed like I am with all the research on the "to do" list? Car seats, Cloth diapers, etc, etc?

 

[rockdoctor]

I am too! After working all day, I am so tired I don't know how I am going to get all this done. Even though I would rather be researching baby stuff, by the time I have a minute I am wiped and can only read about this stuff for 30 minutes or so. Add to that all the house project and yard projects we need to get done this summer, I am totally overwhelmed.

 

[StrongFeather]

I forgot to add, house hunting ON TOP of all this!

 

[rockdoctor]

Just wait until you move in! The good news is that all this is also very exciting!

 

[octobermoon]

i have my moments but right now i am feeling like things will fall into place.

 

[ilovejeff]

I'm a major pre-planner, so I have a lot of the research done/stuff bought already. The hard part for me is waiting for baby now! Or I'll see a brand that I didn't research and second-guess whether I bought the right thing,

.

 

[2boyzmama]

Get yourself some mommy friends and go have coffee and take notes!!!

Seriously, you learn the most from those who are currently going through it all. I prefer to keep a good mix of crunchy and traditional mommy friends so I can see both sides and pick and choose from the different mind sets. I'm a crunchy minimalist in some ways, and more traditional/mainstream in others.

For example, I really despise strollers, especially those huge "Cadillac" like strollers with the huge designer diaper bag...I'd rather have babe in a sling and a single diaper and travel pack of wipes tucked into the sling with him! But, I can hardly stay on top of laundry as it is, so disposable diapers are the preferred way for me. I breastfeed, and am a huge lactivist, but I'm also practical, so if a bottle of pumped milk is easier, I won't hesitate (but the only time it's easier is on long car rides, when I'm at work, etc, otherwise obviously nursing babe is easier. Luckily I'm a really good pumper with a great milk supply, so I've found it easy to switch from breast to bottle)

If you don't have many mommy friends, start going to LLL meetings in your area, show up to some play groups with a notebook, or just visit a park and be the weirdo sitting on the bench with no kid

 

[jimblejamble]

Oh I know! Let's see...I have a few clothes and the diapers are on the way...still need everything else AND am probably going to be moving next month...by myself!* Ahh!

Well, my dad will be helping me move since he has a truck, but I get to do all the packing, unpacking, and organizing all by myself. I get to break the news to the landlady that we're breaking our lease (one of the benefits of Chris being deployed is that we can break a lease with no penalties! But I still feel bad moving. We just need the room. We love our little apartment though!).

 

[Julia24]

ahhh - I remember those days - It's HARD to be the first of your friends to have kids. If you're NOT the first of your friends, ASK them, they'll be happy to share their wealth of information, yk?

I'm a weird conundrum of crunchy and mainstream as well.

I think we all just find our own comfort zone with parenting stuff - and you will too! Trust yourself

 

[mkksmom]

For car seats, I go to car-seat.org for lots of good info. The rest of the gear, I spent hours reading the reviews on Babies R Us and Amazon and compared my research with another first time mom, but it was my favorite pass-time. That's what I looked forward to every day after work. This time, I am just wondering how on earth I am going to get my house together and if I am having a boy, how will I get the energy to shop? I hope I get that nesting instinct again this time. 5 years seems to have done a lot to my energy level.

The main thing I learned is that you make due with what you have, and if you really need something, you will find a way to get it even if it means sending hubby out to Baby Depot to pick up a new place for baby to sleep (co-sleeper) on the second night home, washing the sheets and throwing it together before bed time.

Another thing is that stuff like bouncer seats and swings don't matter a whole lot because the time they can even use them goes by so quickly. I think the most important feature I needed with my bouncer seat was that it wold fit in my bathroom. Sure, the light-up bar over it bought me 5 minutes to take a shower for a little while, but soothing music and vibration really wasn't important. My daughter mostly napped in my arms/carrier after the first couple of weeks.

 

[Julia24]

oh and btw - I cannot TELL you how many hours I spent researching CDs, but in the end, I really believe it was all a waste

I really did just have to use all the different kinds out there to know what I liked! I would highly recommend that you use the 'xs' size as your 'try it' time, bc that way you're only doomed to using crap you hate for a month or two, yk? (whereas, if you buy smalls - baby might be 4m or OLDER before you need the next size

)

 

[KayleeZoo]

Definately go to car-seat.org to research car seat stuff. It's the best info out there, and you can do it relatively quickly and pain-free that way.

For cloth diapers, I agree 100% with Julia- you have to try them. Seriously. I've cd'd 3 kids, and different things worked at different stages, etc. Kids are built differently, too, and their build changes once they start crawling, then walking, and everything fits differently then. Buy a little of each thing you want to try, and wait till baby gets here and test drive it all.

For gear, we just bought one of everything (and I do mean everything

) with our first and then figured out what we used/loved/hated, etc. I'd definately recommend buying used or finding great sales- it sucks to buy a $100 swing that your baby hates (but for a baby who will only nap in a swing, it's worth 5x that amount) and the kicker is- you never know what your baby is going to like until they get here and you experiment! Being able to borrow stuff is great, too- if your baby loves it, you can buy your own, if he/she hates it, you can return it with no money wasted. And you can absolutely always buy after the baby is born; if all is going well and you don't have a bouncer seat, no need to buy one. If your baby has reflux or needs the vibration to relax, send your DH or friend to Target to pick one up if you have to. It's okay to put a bunch of stuff off.

 

[deymm]

The Family Safety forum here is great for car seats, too.

 

[dosergirl]

i am definitely overwhelmed with all the things i still have to research, like car seats and bottles (even though i am breastfeeding) and more cloth diaper research and all of it!

since i know you are like me and you dont have any mommy friends, i read a lot of mommy blogs. i've gotten some great info from ladies who blog, all the girls from Momversation.com for example.

i keep telling myself that i have "plenty of time" haha, even though it seems to all be going by quite quickly.

 

[loriu]

i feel i have been purging our stuff for 6 weeks now and while i have gotten rid of so much we still have too much crap!

all we need now is a double stroller, but that can wait.

i'm just in a "less is more" mood and want all our stuff out teh window! my poor husband is going bonkers.

 

[CaliMommie]

I have Radian 65'sfor my kids and we love them. High safety ratings & nice and compact. I am getting a Hotsling rather than a stroller, and I already know that I prefer Fuzzibunz. The cost of all of these is overwhelming, though!

 

[vegasgrl]

The first time I started going through the Babies 'R' Us guides I started crying because I didn't think there was any possible way I would ever be able to be prepared.

Now I'm trying to take one thing at a time...right now I'm learning about car seats/strollers. I'm picking up tips from MDC and diapering and pumping, etc., but I'm not pressuring myself to know much at this point.

 

[jimblejamble]

I looked on Amazon and found a couple car seats I liked, then looked at various car seat review sites and chose the best one I could afford. Turns out the one I liked best is the #2 best one on the market. The #1 is over $300 otherwise I'd get it instead (the one I'm getting is $170) but it's just not in our budget.

(is it ok if I post the link? I don't want to get in trouble for advertising)

 

[KayleeZoo]

Jessica, remember that how seats are "ranked" in the market has nothing to do with safety; crash test results aren't made public. Different seats definately have more/better safety features that make them superior, IMO, but they are not officially ranked anywhere besides what sells best in the USA. A seat that fits your child, your vehicle and that you will use correctly every single time is the goal

And I think it's fine if you want to post a link, you're not advertising selling anything. Those of us who are car seat geeks might be able to give you some insight, too, on what you've decided on

 

[deymm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo And I think it's fine if you want to post a link, you're not advertising selling anything. Those of us who are car seat geeks might be able to give you some insight, too, on what you've decided on

yeah, that.