A few people have been asking me (okay maybe just Jenn!) about what baby gear we bought for Camden and what was useful, what wasn’t, what we wished we had, and what we could live without. So I’ve been doing some thinking and here are quite a few tips we have figured out in our 7 months of experience! This might be a two or three part series, and then maybe even just plain advice might be helpful too!

Bassinet:

Hands down, this was definitely one of the best purchases we made. It’s by “Baby Planet” and we used it as long as we possibly could! The top of the bassinette comes apart from the base so you can move it wherever you want. It also has a vibrating feature as well as soft music. We used those features a lot in the beginning! It also rocks when you push it and turns into a toddler chair when they get older. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s adorable! Definitely worth the money.

Carseat/Stroller Combo:

We purchased the Chicco Sahara travel system and for the most part, are really impressed with it. The carseat is great and very easy to use, clean, and adjust the straps. The stroller is a breeze to push and also very easy to set up and take down. However, the seat belts are a little hard to use and I wish the handle could go either front or back so the baby can face us or face away. The only piece of advice I would have is buy the keyfit 30 series because our carseat only goes up to 22 lbs, and he’s almost reached that mark! The keyfit 30 goes up to 30 lbs. Another tip would be to buy 2 bases. It comes with one, but the base by itself is $79 new. I searched craigslist and found one for $25 and works great! It’s so nice to have one in each car and not have to switch it back and forth.

Swing:

I didn’t think I wanted our baby to use a swing at first, wanting them to be able to self-soothe and not have to have movement to sleep, etc. That didn’t last long! We were given a fisher price aquarium swing which works great and has a lot of usage, but probably any swing would do. It still helps on those sleepless nights when nothing else works!

Dresser vs. Changing table:

We decided to purchase an IKEA dresser with a nice top for a changing table. It works perfect and once he’s out of diapers, it will just be used as a dresser in his room. This particular dresser is awesome too…it holds a ton of clothes, blankets, etc. and you can always squish more into it! Changing tables only last for so long so it makes sense to buy a piece of furniture that can last.

Bouncy Seat:

We bought the Boppy disk seat which has a vibrating and music feature and got a lot of use out of it! Camden actually slept in this for the first few weeks of life and he just melted into it. It’s easy to transport throughout different rooms of the house and molds to the shape of the baby. Definitely a life saver!

Front Packs/Slings:

We actually have 3 different carriers and like different things about each. We had a “ring sling” made for us by a friend with a sheer material (good for the AZ heat) and it’s pretty easy to use. We used it a little in the beginning but was kind of difficult to get a screaming baby into it without dropping him! It has actually worked better as he’s gotten older and good for positioning on my hip and he can sit up in it. We also got the familiar Baby Bjorn front pack. This worked great….until Camden grew so fast it almost broke my back with him in it! I like the fact that the babies can face outward in it and seems pretty secure, but I can only hold him for so long before my shoulders and back start aching. However, if your baby is normal size, this would be a great option! The carrier we have found works the best and probably the longest, is the Mai Tai. We found ours half-price at a baby boutique going out of business, but if you go online, you can design your own and pick your colors, etc. They tend to go for $80-$150 but if you can find a good deal, buy it. It works great, puts less stress on your shoulders and back, and eventually you can carry your toddler on your back. With a 20lb infant so far it has been amazing!

Bottles:

Since I have exclusively breastfed the whole time with Camden and have stayed home, he doesn’t use bottles too often. If you are breastfeeding, the best bottle we have found is the BreastFlow bottle by The First Years. It seems to be the easiest when transitioning from breastfeeding to bottle feeding. Camden was pretty picky in the beginning but has now adjusted really well to taking this one, but all the others don’t really work well. I think you can only buy them at Babies R Us as Target doesn’t sell them.

Breast Pump:

I didn’t think I’d need a breastpump in the beginning, but boy was I wrong! Even if you won’t be working, you will need a good, electric double pump. They are pretty expensive but worth every cent. I had the privilege of using a friends’ who hardly used hers at all (not usually recommended to share but this situation I felt good about). I have been using the Medela Advanced Pump In Style. It makes pumping, which isn’t always the funnest experience, go pretty easy. I used it so much in the beginning for various reasons and can’t imagine not having it. It is easy to transport (I take it on all vacations or any outing when we’ll be gone all day), quick and easy to use. Worth every penny! For the next baby, I will be buying one for ourselves for sure. Along with this topic, I have a great experience with nursing bras. I was able to find the Bravado brand at a maternity shop and wouldn’t wear anything else! I have tried target brand, motherhood maternity, etc. brands and have not been impressed at all. However, the Bravado is the easisest to use, most comfortable and most flattering as well. I was lucky enough to find a few at a consignment sale too for about $5 a piece!

Glider/Ottoman:

We bought a pretty cheap, cute glider set from Target online and have been pretty pleased with it. It’s comfortable and looks good, however there are some downsides to it. If you are going to buy one, make sure it is pretty wide. I can’t nurse in the glider anymore because Camden is too tall and can’t fit comfortably! We use it a lot for just rocking or reading stories, but can’t use it for feeding anymore.

Baby Monitors:

We got the Fisher Price Lights and Sounds monitor and have loved it! It has 2 receivers to put in our bedroom and the living room and one monitor for his room. It has a subtle nightlight on it as well so we use that all the time and keeps enough light for those late night wakings! It also lights up when he cries so if I’m doing the dishes or in the shower, I can see the lights when he’s crying. We bring these with us anywhere on vacation and can’t imagine not having them!

Clothes/Blankets:

We have had a ton of different brands and styles of clothes, either given to us or ones we bought. I love Carter’s brand as the colors are bright and stay bright after washings, but just know they shrink a ton after only one or two washings. Such a bummer when Camden already grows out of clothes so fast! We haven’t really found a certain brand that works the best, but love finding name brand clothes for good deals at consignment sales or resale shops. They tell you babies grow out of clothes fast but it really is true. We have a huge Rubbermaid bin full of clothes that he either wore once or not at all, many with tags still on (and that’s only 0-3 months!) Find outfits or sleepers for the beginning that are easy to use and stick with those, many cute outfits he never wore because we didn’t go out a ton. We also received a ton of shoes for him and due to the hot weather in Phoenix and the practicality of it all, he’s never worn any of them! Especially the hard-soled shoes which doctors don’t recommend they wear anyways. I’ve found the Robeez shoes work the best and stay on, and are good for their feet. For blankets, I loved the 100% cotton carters or gymboree blankets. I’m not a big fan of the flannel receiving blankets as they get pretty worn in the wash and shrink a lot. We have 10-15 of the cotton ones and have gotten a ton of use out of them. I wished I would have bought the blankets especially for swaddling when he was little because he loved being swaddled and the cotton ones were hard to do that.

Diaper Genie:

We were given the DiaperGenie Deluxe which we have been pretty impressed with. It works well, doesn’t smell at all. However, you have to buy their inserts for it which run about $7 a piece and only last about a month. If you buy the Diaper Champ, you can use your own trash bags. I would recommend buying that one.

Bouncer:

We didn’t get an exersaucer for Camden when he was old enough for it, but found a bouncer/jumper by Baby Einstein which works great. It isn’t as overwhelming as the exersaucer which usually has a ton of toys all over it and lights/sounds everywhere…it scared me so I can’t imagine a 3 or 4 month old! My piece of advice is to find something that works whether a jumper or exersaucer because it’s a good tool to use when you can’t always be watching them. We don’t put Cam in it very often because we want him to get a lot of floor time but it’s great when we’re busy around the house. This particular one you can adjust as they grow and hang toys from it too.

Books/Websites:

Whether you are pregnant or already have the baby, these are the books I found most helpful:

The Girlfriends’ guide to pregnancy

Your Pregnancy Week by Week

Your Baby Week by Week

Dr. Sears Vaccine book (or any book by Dr. Sears, Sleep book, breastfeeding book, etc.)

BabyWise and BabyWise for Toddlers

BabyCenter.com

Kelleymom.com (this website rocks! It has the best information for breastfeeding issues, and covers just about anything. I use this website almost daily!)

My only advice about books and websites is to limit how much you read, especially in the beginning when you’re already anxious about everything! If you read too much, everything starts contradicting each other and you go crazy, and forget to just trust your instincts and listen to your baby. Now I use them as a guide but take them with a grain of salt.

Boppy:

We bought a boppy, but honestly haven’t used it a ton. It wouldn’t fit in our glider to breastfeed and when I tried to feed Camden with it, it got in the way more than helped. Camden is super fidgety and I couldn’t adjust him well with using that. However, I would recommend getting one as they make good places to lay babies when they are little and then are good for helping to sit up.

Thermometer:

We bought the Exergen Temporal Thermometer and it’s a life-saver! It works so easy and all you do is run it across the forehead, you can even do it when they’re sleeping! It’s also pretty cheap, so I wouldn’t mess with the ear one (which you can’t use until 6 months anyways).

Well that’s all I can think of for now, but I’m sure I can add another post with more! Babies need a ton of equipment, but it’s so much easier when people can help you determine what you need and what you don’t need. Obviously this is just our list and there are tons of options out there for good equipment but this is what has worked for us. Every baby is different too so what works for us might not work for you. It’s almost like wedding planning…figure out what your main priorities are and splurge on those few things and the rest try and find through cheap, creative ways. Then you don’t go crazy broke!

A couple weeks ago we started Camden on rice cereal. We didn't think he'd be opposed at all and we were right! We can't keep this child full so thought it would be a good time to start. I'm really excited as I am planning on making all of his food. There's a great website out there if any of you are wanting to do it called www.wholesomebabyfood.com. We value healthy eating as a couple and are excited to instill that into Camden too even at such an early age. We are trying to buy organic and natural whenever possible and hope he loves fruits and veggies since Matt and I live on these! So far he's had bananas which was a success and yesterday we started avocado which he loved even more it seemed. We're off to a great start! Here's a few pics of his new endeavor:

This little chunk turns 6 months Monday...wow it's flown by! We are loving every moment with him and each stage keeps getting more and more fun and rewarding. We love you little guy! (or big guy)