Analyzing the Baby Registry

There have been a lot of new pregnancies announced recently!

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It makes me miss the big belly, the baby kicks, and the anticipation leading up to D-Day.  I loved being pregnant, and I've missed it terribly.  So this week I'm reliving my pregnant days, and hopefully I'll help a few of the newly pregnant in the process.

I remember when we created our baby registry.  Good Lord that was stressful!  Truth be told, I had no idea what I was doing.  My cheap self tried to cut cost wherever possible and my OCD self tried to avoid cluttering the house with useless junk.  I've come to realize some things really are worth the money and some things really are useless.


Worth the Money

Double Breast Pump.  I've bitched about my single pump countless times.  It's a great pump, don't get me wrong, but it takes me twice as long to pump.  And being a working momma, I have zero time to spare.  Unfortunately, the Medela double pumps cost more than my car payment, so I still haven't made this purchase.  (Also, I feel like buying a double pump is like admitting I'll never be a SAHM.)


Space Saver High Chair.  (Thanks for the rec, Jaye Fay!)  Our teeny, tiny house can use all the help it can get in space saving.  Our first, more traditional, high chair has been re-homed to Grammy and Grampy's house, where Lulu gets one of her two meals each day.

YAY for saving space!

Baby Carrier.  Sadly, I cannot recommend the perfect carrier.  I've rotated through four different carriers/slings/wraps and I haven't really loved any of them.  Currently rocking an Infantino Flip and it's okay.

Repin' the Infantino at Natural Bridge State Park

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace.  Lulu is still toothless.  That doesn't stop her from drooling up a storm, though.  This necklace drastically reduced her drooling after just a few days.  I know it sounds crazy, but it really works.  There is a noticeable increase in drool on the days that we forget to put her necklace on. 

Extra Prefolds.  Note the strategic placement on the high chair above, ready to catch rejected pears in a moments notice.  You can never have enough burp cloths, I recommend a minimum of two dozen.  During our first three days home with Lucy, Casey ran out to the store each day to buy another package of cloth diapers.    

Jumperoo.  It never occurred to me to buy one of these until I saw pictures of another friends baby in one at daycare.  (Hi Becky!)  Lulu loves hers!  She'll spend 15-20 minutes in it at a time, just playing and having fun; which gives me a chance to get a couple things done around the house.  We found ours on clearance, score!


Not Worth the Money  

Wipe Warmer.  (Sorry, Meg!)  Maybe it's our secondhand warmer, but the wipes are cold by the time they reach Lulu's tush. 

Bottle Warmer.  Casey prefers to run the bottle under warm tap water in the sink.  It gets the job done quicker and more accurately.

Travel System Stroller.  Where to begin...I hate ours.  It.is.MASSIVE.  It is confusing, it's heavy, it's bulky, it takes up the entire trunk, it just sucks.  Do not buy a travel system.  I've heard great things about jogging strollers, but they're a little pricey for this girl.  Baby #2 will be getting the Baby Trend Snap N Go stroller.  Hello, compact!  And then we'll use a cheapy umbrella stroller when Baby #2 gets older (or bigger, whichever comes first).

Moby Wrap.  Casey loves to remind me of my stupid expenditures.  I wanted to like the Moby, I really did.  I read so many rave reviews online, I just knew it would be the perfect solution to our babywearing problems.  Except, I didn't understand what a "wrap" really was (mind boggling, I know); I didn't realize the Moby was 5.5 meters of fabric that I would have to wrap around my body.  Even after I learned how to put the Moby on, I didn't like the limited carrying positions.  It was ideal for a little Goosey, when she enjoyed snuggling against Momma; but now that she's gotten older and more curious, she is constantly whipping her head around.  So, in my opinion, it's not worth the money for two months of use.

Travel Swing.  We have two swings.  One is really nice, it's huge, but really nice.  And the other is small, portable and lacking power.  We received the Fisher Price Rainforest Swing from Casey's co-workers - it was phenomenal!  Sadly, I didn't realize this until after re-homing it.  It had music, a mobile, and a lot of power; it also has a leg span of 5 feet (precious space that our house couldn't forfeit).  So we bought a travel swing for our house; which was very compact, but I have a problem with the power source...  It only takes batteries!  D batteries, nonetheless!!  So not only is it expensive to use, it has limited swinging capabilities.  If you find yourself in a similar predicament, just get over the space issue.

If you take anything away from this post, be it the importance of a double breast pump and the mistake that is the travel system stroller.  What are your must haves?  Have you found any baby gear to be totally useless?