I have been thinking of doing this awhile for anyone that is a new mom or expecting a new baby. When I was registering for gifts and thinking about different types of items Leah would need, I didn't really have a lot to go by other than reviews on Target.com which always seem to have very mixed opinions. I didn't really have a lot of other moms around to ask about best brands. So I thought I would write out some opinions I have about the things we did end up getting. I'll split this up into a couple parts so it's not so long.
Bottles: Phillips Avent
Pros: baby approved, easy to clean, durable
Cons: leaky, somewhat expensive
I bought this brand on recommendation from a lactation specialist at our hospital. They say they are clinically proven to reduce colic and that the nipple makes switching between bottle & breast easier. I didn’t really try a lot of other bottles, so I can’t really say if this bottle is the best at these things, but I do like it and so did Leah. I did try the Playtex Ventaire bottle, and I found the nipple to be too small and the baby didn’t take them as well. The one downside of the Avent bottles is that they tend to leak at times, if you don’t screw the cap on tightly. It can be easily remedied by unscrewing & screwing it back, but sometimes that can get frustrating when the baby is ready to eat! They sell all the bottle with a #1, slow flow nipple, which Leah outgrew by 2 months, so I had to go out and get faster-flow nipples more than once, which did get expensive.
Breast Pump: Lanisoh Double Electric
Pros: inexpensive, fast, easy assembly, portable
Cons: loud
I have been pumping exclusively for 6 months now, after Leah didn’t take well to the breast. That means I’ve used this machine 4-6 times every day. It usually only takes me 10 minutes to fill a 6 oz. bottle (but that probably varies between women). It has different speeds & suction levels so you can adjust as you get more proficient. We bought this pump because it wasn’t the cheapest, but it also wasn’t the most expensive. I think it’s cheaper than many because it doesn’t come with the fancy carrying bag. However, I found a lunch box that it can fit in perfectly. Although you cannot buy replacement parts in the store, the parts are actually interchangeable with the Medela brand ones they gave me at the hospital, and you can buy them online, rather inexpensively. The only things I don’t like are a) it is very loud when it’s running and b) the bottles are small, so if I want to pump more than 4 oz. on each side, I have to stop, empty them & refill them. My Avent bottles are too wide to use with the pump directly. I think I still have plenty more use out of this machine!
Diapers: Luvs
I have tried all 3 major brands of diapers: Huggies, Pampers, and Luvs. Although Huggies always offers coupons, Luvs still tend to be the cheapest, and they seem to fit Leah the best. They seem to hold up the best, as well. The only downside is that they are a little too “plastic-y,” making them noisy when the baby moves.
Diaper Disposal: Baby Trend Diaper Champ
Pros: can use regular trash bags, easy to change the bags
Cons: diapers sometimes get stuck in lid, doesn’t really disguise the odors
Personally, I think a trash can would work just as well as this, but it was inexpensive and this particular brand required no extra purchases or special bags, just regular kitchen bags, so we figured why not. The handle is easy to turn with only one hand. I suppose it does help disguise the odors some (especially the newborn, pre-solid food diapers)—I don’t really smell the dirty diapers in the baby’s room constantly, unless I haven’t cleaned out the pail for awhile. If it gets too full, the handle won’t turn and you have to open it up to get the diaper un-stuck. It can fit a lot of diapers, though—we only change it about once a week, so I guess that’s at least 30 diapers. You can’t dispose of wipes in it, either, unless they’re tied into the diaper, because they stick on the lid and won’t go into the pail.
Car Seat: Graco SafeSeat Infant Car Seat
Pros: safe, easy to put in & out of the car, easy to get baby in & out
Cons: bulky
We chose this seat based on the color and price. We received it as a gift with the travel system (stroller). I love how you can leave the base in the car, and just pull the seat in & out fairly easily (although it does take 2 hands), then you can carry the baby around in the seat. It does weigh about 15 lbs., so it is heavy, and sometimes we also have a hard time fitting it inside high chairs at restaurants or in shopping carts. It has a button you can push to loosen & tighten the straps to get the baby in & out easily, which is probably one of my favorite features. And the sun-cover can go down far enough to cover the baby’s whole face. It also accommodates babies up to 30 lbs. so it will probably last right up until Leah’s 1-year birthday when we can then get a convertible seat.
We do have another seat that I was given that is an Evenflo. We rarely use it, though, because the straps don't loosen quite as easily and I don't really like the handle on it, or the sun cover. It is actually a little lighter, but I just got attached to the Graco one so we don't really use this one.
Another great feature of the Graco one is that you don't have to have the base to use it-- you can use a seatbelt to buckle it directly in the car. So we didn't really get a second base for Brett's car-- he just takes the seat & buckles her in. Makes traveling easier!
Stroller: Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System
Pros: easy to put car seat on quickly, handles are good height, lots of storage space
Cons: bulky & barely fits in my trunk
I do appreciate how much storage space this stroller has and the fact that you can use it with the car seat, or without and the baby can recline at different levels. However, the thing is a beast! We have a regular-sized car and it barely fits in & out of the trunk. It is already all scratched up from hitting the top of the trunk on its way in & out. It would probably be fine if we had an SUV or bigger car, though. I’d like to get a smaller stroller now that Leah is getting bigger.
Bathtub: Safety 1st Complete Bath Care Center
Pros: can grow with the baby
Cons: not easy to collapse, baby slides down into water
I really don’t like this tub all that much. I originally picked it because it can collapse to save space. However, it doesn’t really get much smaller, and it’s not easy to do, because if you don’t click it in right, it will leak all over. It comes with a cradle that you set up to incline the baby, but when she lays on it, she keeps sliding down into the water & I have to pull her back up. Leah doesn’t seem to mind, but then she loves the bath anyway! I think next time I would like to get a different tub that has a better cradle to keep her from sliding.
To Buy or Not to Buy:
Boppy pillow- Yes, if breastfeeding; No, if not
Bottle warmer- No! It is quicker & easier to heat a mug of water in the microwave
Wipes warmer- No! The wipes are hard to get out and they dry out quickly
Changing Table- No; a dresser with a changing pad on top is just as good
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