This week I told Dustin I was going to take my ipod (and listen to my vbac meditation CD.... I know I'm lame but whatever, I think it helps.) and go walking on that trail by our house and he told me he didn't want me going walking by myself because I'm getting to that stage where I'm big now and some crazy ass weirdo might kidnap me and cut my baby out, so he insisted I go to the gym in our complex instead where a security guard is near by. The whole time I was at the gym though I kept looking over my shoulder waiting for someone to attack. This is the world we live in? We have to worry about these things?
Or maybe we're both just paranoid.
We had a little date last week! It wasn't anything super steamy or romantic, but anytime we're out and about without the two year old, I consider it a date. We registered for a few things (new stroller, car seat, nipple shields, nip cream for when they get all bloody and scabby (sexy right!) a cute nursing cover, & crib sheets just to name a few.) I literally have 9 items total on my registry. And then went to Star Bucks to enjoy some tea and a pastry. Only a few more weeks and then we'll be a family of 4. We've got to take these quiet moments alone while we can!
As we strolled Babies R' Us hand in hand looking for necessities to zap and add to our list of desired baby items, we became more turned off than ever realizing just how silly most of the gadgets were to us the first time around. Like the shopping cart cover for instance. I registered for one last time and ended up taking it back. It seemed like such a pain in the butt to lug that bulky thing in and out of stores just so my son wouldn't be exposed to a few germs. Or what about the wipe warmer! I got that stupid thing too. It died my wipes out and was a waste of money. Don't get me started on the Diaper Genie! Maybe it was all of my years as a nanny that made me hate the damn thing, but seriously, it doesn't work! You still smell baby poo wafting throughout the house and you have to buy refills! I just use plastic bags and toss them in the trash on my patio. A lot of this stuff is really useful, and I'm not knockin' you if you use it, It just doesn't seem totally necessary, in my opinion. I'm probably just too lazy to lug the cart protector thing around and my mentality is, life's hard kid, learn how to deal with cold wipies! AND, "You drink breast milk, your immune system should be good to go! No cart protector for you!" But whatevs. I really think It's more that I'm too lazy and cheap. They make you think you need all of these essentials but I really don't think you do.
What baby items did you use that you feel like you couldn't live without?
My Moby Wrap and cloth diapers - oh and my organic cotton breast pads.
ReplyDeleteI do use my shopping cart cover EVERY time I go to the grocery store. I LOVE it!!! I keep it in my trunk and just park next to the cart returns - sometimes I have to park far to get a cart but that's ok, a little extra walking does the heart and buttocks good!!!
ReplyDeleteOoooh, I feel you. I err on the side of paranoid. You think you're paranoid til it happens then you wish you had been more careful or you're grateful you were. I think Dustin's right in wanting to protect you when you're more vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteThere is just way too much crazy crap out there for babies! We didn't even get a swing we're such minimalists. Like, we have blankets and a few toys. End. of. story.
ReplyDeleteThe things I used the most were his Moses basket (LOVE that thing). We could lay him in it as soon as he fell asleep anywhere in the apartment and then carrying him into the room without waking him up. And it fits everywhere and it's easy to travel with. Of course he only fit in it for a few months but its cheaper than a bassinet.
And his infant bouncer seat that was $2 at a garage sale. That is definitely my favorite baby thing.
Oh and wet bags if you're cloth diapering. Have one in every single room of the house so you can just throw the dirty ones in there.
Honestly, I'm with you--most of the stuff we got I took back and just got diapers instead! I will say that Aveeno baby products were a gem we started using to help Levi's eczema, which is now gone, thankfully. But I loved it and it made him smell wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and am so PUMPED for your VBAC! Please give us all the details...I'll be waiting (bwa ha ha). You're so encouraging! -Holly at http://mamaplainandtall.blogspot.com
It's amazing how fear-mongering the baby industry is. Like they put different brands / versions of the same item next to each other & they're all different prices & you know they're trying to guilt you into buying the most expensive one because it will THE BEST & THE SAFEST & if you DON'T get the most expensive one your baby will surely die.
ReplyDeleteEesh. Go with your gut. Mamas around the world are raising their kids in straw huts & igloos & their babes are fine. Since this is round two, you know what you like & what you absolutely need, so just prepare for that & go with it.
It always amazes me the silliest things that the market can convince people to buy. Unfortunately many women do buy into these contraptions and honestly beleive it will help shrink thier hips. I for one am very skeptical.
ReplyDeleteOh mama the things they say we need.. ugh and $55 thats some expensive velcro
ReplyDeleteyou look gorgeous in that picture
-its true most of the products are unnecessary and plain out right silly.. but I love muslin swaddle blankets, I used them for everything, burping, wrapping, sun shade cover, blankie.. you name it who ever bought us those got their moneys worth :)
The mesh fruit holders were a total waste of money for us, Conrad was freaked out by the swing until he was about 6 months, so we would go on a lot of walks to calm him, he hated the bouncer for the longest time. Now that I think of it, he was a pretty lazy baby! ;)
ReplyDeleteI do want to buy a ton of those muslin swaddle blankets though. those are so soft and cuddly!
i am right there with ya on the baby seat cover, wiper warmer and diaper genie.. we to took all those back, and yes we even registered for 'em. with my first the baby item i couldn't live without was my boobs (thank god those are attached!) i was my son's pacifier. and with my second i would probably have to say pacifier purses, these saved me not having to dig through the diaper bag. But i haven't had babies in 5 years, and those are the things that popped in my head :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE my Beaba baby food maker. I know I could have make baby food without it but the Beaba made it SO easy I was never tempted to go buy jared food instead. And the Bumbo seat. It's not a necessity but I got it for free from a friend (it was purple, and I have a boy, but who cares!) I used it as a high chair for months and months. My son never tried getting out of it so we were able to bring it anywhere and everywhere for for nearly a year. I'm with you on the cart cover and the wiper warmer! About 3/4 of Babies R Us is a complete waste of money.
ReplyDeleteSo excited you only have a little while longer! I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl :)
I loved my bumbo chair too! Conrad lived in that thing! I remember him loving having stores read to him while he sat in it! Super essential, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteI ALSO loved my food processor. I'd make 2 weeks worth of food within an hour and store it all. It was easy-peasy! I tried the jared food when I was a nanny and vowed to never feed it to my baby because to me, it tasted like a penny and something that can stay on the shelf for 2 years is just weird to me! ;) If I wouldn't eat it, I didn't want to feed it to him to eat.
I'm SO excited to find out if my baby is a boy or a girl too!!!! I'm SO so excited. My father in law thinks it's totally a girl, my granny thinks it's a boy, I think it's a girl maybe, and conrad thinks it's a girl. We'll see! Either way, we'll be very happy.
I just read this blog about this girl who was about to have her first babe and she said that post-baby pouches offended her and she would not leave the house without one of those hip shrinkers. Whatevs.
ReplyDeleteAnd babies need germs.
Dude, I'm tellin' you, I've got (generic) spanx in every single color! Girls' gotta sick in the extra skin! I'm all about that, but I don't think it "shrinks" your hips.... and It's SO expensive! Yikes!
ReplyDelete*DON'T tell anyone, but when conrad was an all day binky user, if he dropped it, i'd just suck off the germs and put it right back in his mouth. Fighting my battles. Some stuff you just have to let go and not get too paranoid over. You know? ;)
I have three babies and they are all different and loved different things!! A good swing, a good bouncy & a moses basket were my top three things for each child!
ReplyDeleteused my diaper genie for livi..not for willow! haha...i got sick of buying refills for it. HATED the wipe warmer! it always dried my wipes out! so now i don't use that either. the grocery cart cover i keep in my trunk and used every time for olivia...poor willow has used it maybe, twice? i don't have time to fool with that thing now! hahaha....poor, poor second baby.
ReplyDeleteit's funny how with the first you think you need EVERYTHING. and with the second you realize you don't. i mean, i remember carrying around a packed diaper bag with olivia. now i just carry around a big leather tote with a few diapers, wipes, and a nursing cover.
here are my favorite baby things i have successfully used for BOTH:
aveeno products (olivia has sensitive skin!)
7th Generation diapers (love love love love them)
the ring sling
nursing cover
breathable bumper for the cribs
anyway...SO excited for you and to see that baby soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH, and the food processor for baby food....that's a good one too!!
ReplyDeletethat shrink hips thing is too funny! just another way for them to make money, i suppose. and i so agree...those diaper genies do not work!!! haha :) loved this post.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to buy some Aveno baby products now that you ladies are saying it's the best! <3
ReplyDeleteLove you. Love that I'm learning SO MUCH about pregnancy and babies from you. Truly. You are a wealth of information.
ReplyDeleteMiss you.
I just wanted to chime in and second the Aveno lotions.. got rid of Isaac's eczema in a matter of days! And the muslin swaddle blankets. Granted Isaac only let us swaddle him for all of a month, we LOVED them. Particularly these from Target: http://www.target.com/aden-anais-Target-Zooaroo-Swaddle/dp/B0026717P2/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton
ReplyDeleteChelsea, funny how I agree with you on all the unneccesary stuff ( Jared and I always luagh when we see a packed- to- the- gills diaper bag. Been there, done that), but I was looking at that hip-shrinker thing and my post-4-children body wondering if I should have tried it. True, it's not helping the fat go anywhere , but I can see the advantage of helping your body with The actual hip-spreading while you still have the relaxin hormones in your system. Seems like you could use an ace bandage though, for 99 cents!
ReplyDeleteWe did the same thing with our binkies, and my hubby is a microbiologist. I guess you and I are good company.
My 2nd baby girl is 6 months old and I will tell you that instead of a Diaper Genie we have the Diaper Champ which is absolutely amazing at keeping odor in and it uses regular trashbags! I buy the cheapest ones. We used the same one for both babies!
ReplyDeleteAlso, Cetaphil skin products are a must for sensitive babies! Both girls have/had eczema and our pediatrician told us to throw out anything scented which is 99% of all baby products.
Thanks for the info! I never thought of using Cetaphil for babies! Great idea!
ReplyDelete;)
Oh, I got both the wipe warmer and the seat cover....I don't always use it now that our son is 2.5 but when he was a baby I almost always did. I'm a germaphobe though! I do love it and it can be a pain to add one more item to your shopping cart,but it's worth it. I have seen some really cheesy ones though that don't cover, but his is perfect. As for the wipey warmer, probably only used it for about a year and only in the winter, but it never dried ours out, we added a bit of water to it usually...
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree there are sooo many worthless baby things out there, and so much junk that no one needs...I mean who needs walkers, swings, exersaucers, jumpy things, bouncys...theres so much gear its nuts!
I have to say my fav baby item would be the aden and anais muslin swaddle blankets. those are amazing!