Hello Mamas and Papas,
Stephen is now a year old!!! I can't believe how fast the time went. On May 15, 2011 we had a baseball themed birthday party for him. He seemed to have fun and so did the grown ups. Over the past year I have purchased a lot of baby gear!!! Who knew one teeny tiny little person would require so many gadgets and gizmos. In today's world they literally sell everything!!! The other day I was at Babies R Us and saw a package of "targets" to use to potty train little boys. I laughed out loud and Stephen looked at me funny. I told him, "oh honey boys are just born with terrible aim...it's in your DNA...no product on earth is gonna fix that."
Anyway I thought I would write down items that worked for us and items that were a complete waste of money. I hope this helps...remember to add your 2 cents because..."IT TAKES A VILLAGE..." Until next time...be well
peace,
Kristi
Items I loved:
1. Dr. Brown's Baby bottles : these really reduced Stephen's problems with gas and hiccups. Love them!!
!http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3092104
2. Baby Trend Snap and Go Stroller: Pros:Lightweight (355), Easy to set up (344), Easily stowed (314), Easy to maneuver (241), Durable (213)
Cons:Small basket (35), Poor quality (26), Not adjustable (16), Few features (14), Difficult to maneuver (12)
Best Uses:Newborn (437), Infants (416), Preemies (178), Daily use (98), Travel (75)
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2327597
3. Chicco Key Fit Travel System :
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11217986
*Before you buy any carseat I would research it on Consumer Reports Website. It costs $19 dollars for an online subscription. Well worth the money. I researched carseats, high chairs, strollers and cribs. With so many recalls these days the peace of mind is worth the money.
4. Babi Italia Pinehurst Lifetstyle Convertible Crib :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeezTIpd3Oo
this video shows the crib. My husband's daughter used this brand for her daughter and now her son. We loved it so much that we bought the same one. It is absolutely beautiful and extremely sturdy!!!
5. Video Monitor: Our son's room is upstairs and we are downstairs. I only agreed to this arrangement if my hubby bought us a video monitor. I love this thing. There are a lot out there to chose from. The first one we bought we had to return because 2 babies died after the camera fell into the crib and the cord strangled them. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of that happening. MAKE SURE YOUR CAMERA IS NOT ACCESSABLE TO THE BABY. THIS MEANS YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE RANGE ON THE CAMERA. The unit that was recalled was due to the fact that the camera had a small range and therfor it only worked when it was too close to the baby.
The systme we have now is made by safety first. I mounted shelf near the crib that the camera sits on. The monitor is handheld, which I love because it is easy to carry around. Hubby doesn't care for the monitor because he thinks the screen is to small. It is all about what you prefer. Just make sure THE BABY CANNOT REACH THE CORD FOR THE CAMERA!!! I know it sounds logical but it never dawned on me that the camera could fall into the crib giving the baby access to the cords. Thank God for recalls!!!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3811069&searchURL=true
The one con for any of these systems is the batteries in the hand held units don't last very long. That being said you don't have to plug in the safety first one for very long to recharge it.
6.Chicco Toys Play N' Ride Car Deluxe
http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-Toys-Play-Ride-Deluxe/dp/B000034DOK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1306509940&sr=8-5
This was recommended to me by a friend and it is awesome...Stephen loves it!!! We got it for him for his first birthday. This link shows it as being $101 but when I got it from amazon it was $30...not sure why the huge jump but even so I would pay $100 for it because it grows with him.
7. Step 2 Sizzlin Shape Kitchen:
http://www.amazon.com/Step-2-Sizzlin-Shapes-Kitchen/dp/B0038B7CZE/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1306510271&sr=8-27
Stephen got this for his birthday from his big sister Christie. He LOVES it!!! He is so cute when he is playing with it because he just giggles with happiness.
NOW ON TO THE PRODUCTS I THOUGHT WERE A WASTE OF MONEY:
1. Swaddle me :http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4063576
some people love them...if you have a preemie...don't bother because they won't fit. You can easily swaddle a baby with a receiving blanket. Here's how...1. turn the blanket so it is shaped like a diamond. Fold down the top point of the diamond about half way and place baby on blanket so his neck is resting on the fold. 2. Put his right arm down by his side and left up his left arm. 3. Take the right point of the diamond and pull it across his body and tuck it under his left arm. 4. Put his left arm down by his side and take the left point of the diamnond and pull it tight across his body. 5. Finally take the bottom point of the diamond and pull it up under his chin and tuck it up and over in towards his chest. Now he will be as snug as a bug in a rug and will look like a little burrito :)
2. Green Sprouts Baby Food Mill:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4312596&prodFindSrc=search (this is not the green sprouts one but it looks just like it).
I will be the first to admitt that I am not the best in the kitchen. Having said that I found the mill to be hard to use and not very effective. I find the blender works just fine.
3.Babyprints keepsake by pearhead:
I bought this kit to do stephen's footprint for his first birthday.
It took 4-5 tries to get his footprint due to the material. Then when it dried it looked really cheap...nothing like the picture on the box.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS388US393&q=babyprints+keepsake+pearhead&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1164344895025550414&sa=X&ei=38HfTcPNBan10gGbtaCcCg&ved=0CFwQ8gIwAQ#
Hope this has been helpful to everyone!!!
Please feel free to add your 2 cents...
