I'll call this post "The Big Stuff"... You know, the expensive things that you often wonder, "Do I really need these expensive things?!" and "Are they worth it??"... These are my opinions, so take them with a grain of salt... I did ask for opinions from friends, but for the most part, these are my opinions only!
* Baby Swing ~ We absolutely loved our swing. I think we had the most basic swing that Fisher Price makes. It just went front to back, but Abigail slept in it and spent a lot of hours in her first few months in that thing. I would highly recommend a swing to anyone who is debating about it. For us, spending the extra money on all of the bells and whistles was one worth it... we'll find out if baby #2 likes it as much as Abigail, I'm crossing my fingers!!
* Bouncer ~ We had the Rainforest one, and we really liked it. I believe we received it as a gift, so it was worth the money (hehe!), but I found that she wasn't able to stay in it too long as she got too big for it pretty quickly. Or at least in my opinion, she was too big for it.
* Exersaucer/Jumparoo ~ I'm not sure what the proper name is for this, but I believe it was a life saver. We had an exersaucer, not a jumparoo, but I think I want a jumparoo this time. I'm contemplating investing in it. The exersaucer we had was a hand me down, and had been through two kiddos before Abigail and was missing some toys or they were broken. I have to say that I loved it anyway, it kept Ab's entertained for long enough for me to shower or to clean up after diner, etc. This is one investment that I think is worth it!
* Pack-n-Play ~ We travel to our families a lot. Both of our families are out of state, so it seemed necessary at the time. However, both of our families have purchased pack-n-plays, so I'm not sure that it actually was. We have used it when babysitting, so in that way it's been nice, but was it worth the money? I'm not sure... I did use it when she was tiny and I needed to shower. It would have been just as easy to let her hang out in her crib, or the bassinet, but I used the pack-n-play. So yeah, this one is a toss up for me!
* Breast Pump ~ If you are planning to breast feed than a pump is essential. And, not just any pump, but a
Medela
pump is the only one to buy. It is more expensive, but it’s amazing. It
sounds silly, but the other ones are cheaper for a reason. I used disposable
Breast
pads and I liked the Lansinoh brand. They were in a purple box. I tried
the Gerber ones and the Medula ones, also, but these were the softest while still
being really absorbent. I also liked that brand’s
milk
storage bags the best. They hold up to 6oz, I believe, and were very sturdy. I used the Medela ones
in the beginning, b/c she wasn’t drinking as much (this was all after I
went back to work and was primarily pumping, and just nursing at home). I tried using the Gerber brand, too, but found that they tore easily and were just not the same quality. The
First Years makes an incredible
storage
box for the milk bags for the freezer. It flattens them so they freeze flat
and then can stack. I would highly recommend this!
As for a crib and changing table, you know, the really big stuff, those are, in my opinion, personal preferences... You know, decor, how many kiddos do you think you'll have, etc.
Okay, everyone else ~ what are your opinions on these things?!
