Griddle Bandits Guide to Baby-Related Crap
Deanna over at The Open Door, who is now pregnant (yay!) after 4 years of agonizing infertility, recently confessed that she has already fallen into the consumer parent trap. Don’t worry Deanna, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.
I got to thinkin’ about all the baby stuff we’ve bought or received or been told we needed. Everything can be categorized into three… um… categories.
Category A: Sometimes Helpful But Not Necessary
- Back/Front Carrier or Sling – I had one of each. I used the front carrier once to walk around South Haven when Luke was only a few weeks old. He slept in it the whole time. It was great but I haven’t used it since because it’s awkward and difficult and he hates being put in it. The sling was nice when I could remember how to put it on. I used that a couple times. I kind of wish I hadn’t given it back to Kari because I could use it on those days Luke just wants to be held.
- Changing Pad Cover – Every time we put a clean one on the changing pad Luke pees all over it. It’s a one time use kind of thing, so we usually leave it off.
- Ginormous Stroller – I hate this thing. It’s bulky and a pain to transport. We’ve maybe used it 6 times. I prefer the cheap umbrella stroller. It’s lightweight and fits in the backseat of my car. I leave it there and that way it’s always available when I need it. **Edited to add: Okay, hate is a strong word. When the stroller is in use I actually love it. It’s comfy for Luke, it has a sun shade, and the tires enable you to do some really awesome off-roading. I just get frustrated with it’s size because I’m little and not so strong. Also, I don’t have a place to store it and that kind of thing will always urk me.**
Category B: Not Worth It If You Ask Me
- Bottle Sterilizer – If you’re ultra-concerned about germs, go for it. I am not.
- Wipe Warmer – This is purely a luxury, in my opinion. If the wipes are really too cold I just rub one between my hands, Mr. Miagi-style. Luke doesn’t seem to mind.
- Ear Thermometer – This is an item I registered for but I was seriously disappointed. You can use it three times in a row and get three different readings. I’m told the forehead one works the best. The pacifier kind give an accurate reading as long as you can keep your baby sucking on it long enough.
- 50 Million Receiving Blankets – For some reason this a popular baby shower item. I know I’ve given a ton of them to expecting mothers. We received a ton and I think we only used 10% of them. If you get a lot of receiving blankets or burp rags at your baby shower, be sure to keep them in the packaging, that way you can return what you don’t need for more useful stuff.
Category C: I Couldn’t Live Without This
- Boppy Pillow – I had a C-section and I breastfed. Holding Luke would have been nearly impossible without the boppy pillow. Also, because of it’s genius shape and firmness, it allowed me to feed him anywhere. No need for special chairs.
- Storage Bins – For all the different sizes they grow through that first year, it’s handy to have them organized in bins and labeled.
- Breast Pump – I went back to work when Luke was 7 weeks old and I continued to breastfeed him until he was 5 months old. Obviously, I couldn’t have done that without a pump. I used the Purely Yours Breast Pump by Ameda and I loved it (about as much as you can love being milked by a machine). It was lightweight, compact, worked terrific, and was almost half the cost of that other pump.
**Edited to add: By the way, I am extremely thankful for everything that was given to us. We have been enormously blessed by our friends and family. In fact, we were so blessed that we received all that we need and more. This is all I’m saying.**
Powered by FireStats
April 9th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Back/front carrier – I used this a lot. But, I would agree it is a pain to get the kid out of…especially if you want them to stay asleep!
Sling – Still trying to figure out how to get that on right
Ginormous stroller – I love mine! I couldn’t live without our Jeep. We take it everywhere and Charly loves it still. Plus it has plenty of room for purses and diaper bags and toys. I have even taken it grocery shopping.:P But, I do have a little stroller for those quick trips….and to keep stashed in the car.
Bottle sterilizer – What is that?;) ..If we keep them away from all the germs, how will they ever learn to get along with them?
Wipe warmer – I used it for a while. It was nice, but yes a luxury. I got tired of putting more water in it and I worried about leaving it on.
Ear thermometer – I haven’t gotten much use out of ANY thermometer. I use my lips. If you can tell if chocolate is tempered by your lips…you can see if a baby has a fever. Even if I do use a thermometer..I can never get an accurate read.
Receiving blankets – I use a good handful, but I can say 50 million would be too many
Boppy Pillow – I use a regular pillow. This worked fine for me, but with a c-section maybe the boppy is more comfy.
Storage Bins – Any how!
Breast Pump – I would have to agree for sure. Although I don’t use it as often, but it works great!
April 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Back/front carrier-used a lot with Jack and because I am trying to sell my house I packed it away and can’t find it. Could really use it because Nolan is huge…18 lbs huge at 4 almost 5 mos, very heavy seeing how I barely weigh over 100 myself.
Sling-never had one.
Ginormous stroller-well I chose a lighter stroller when I had Jack so that hasn’t been bad.
Bottle sterilizer-never had, washing them does fine, and if you really want to sterilize them boiling hot water in a pan works just as well.
Wipe warmer-never had.
Ear thermometer-I used this a lot. I can feel a fever with my lips just as easy, but my husband was obsessed with the degree of temp.
Receiving blankets-definitely get too many of those. Found the swaddle blankets when I had Nolan and loved those. Keeps him all snug and he can’t wiggle his way out of it.
Boppy Pillow- Used for a bit with Jack when I breastfed, but a pillow worked better for me. The boppy seemed to bulky for me.
Storage bins-definitely.
Breast Pump-only had a manual one for Jack and hated it. Maybe if I had breastfed longer I would have needed one.
Burp Rags-I can say that I can’t get enough of these because I have very spitty babies. I use about 15-20 a day. So that means I have to wash a load of them every other day.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Back/front carrier – Don’t know what I would have done without the back carrier. I loved this thing. It has a solid frame and he loved it because he was up higher than me. It made being outside with him in the summer much easier
Sling – Never had one.
Ginormous stroller – I loved mine when I had to carry all the baby stuff around everywhere, but now that all I need is a diaper, sippy cup and some wipes, the smaller one is nice. However now that he is 2, the wagon is the way to go
Bottle sterilizer – Not sure the point when the dish washer can do the same thing.
Wipe warmer – I loved mine. Our house is so cold that it would have been very difficult to change him without the warm wipes. Once he got older and didn’t mind so much, we got rid of it, but kept it on hand for hte next baby.
Changing pad cover – Again our house is so cold that there is no way I would put that naked little butt on cold plastic. I mean, I wouldn’t want my butt on cold plastic, so I just bought the disposable changing covers and when he actually pooped on them, then I would change them. Plus I made my own
Ear thermometer – I totally agree with the lips theory. I could take my temperature 5 times with an ear thermometer and get 5 completely different temperatures ranging from really low to dangerous fever. Having dealt with a couple of scary high fevers, we had to resort to rectal thermometers since they are the only way to get a truly accurate temperature on a baby.
Receiving blankets – I think I used every single receiving blanket I got and every burp rag. Josiah didn’t spit up much, but I don’t do laundry every day or even every other day…so I think even though I got a boat load of them, I used them all.
Boppy Pillow – Couldn’t live without it. I couldn’t have breast fed in the beginning without it. I tried using a regular pillow and I could never get it to work very well. I loved it and I used the boppy covers too, but I made those too
Storage Bins – My attic is a testiment to how necessary storage bins are. The bigger they get, the bigger the clothes, the bigger the bins!
Breast Pump – I had the double, electric pump and I couldn’t have functioned on the road and at work without one. Plus there was no pain and I could watch tv at home while I was pumping
Fleece blankets – we got a ton of these and I thought that I had to many, until recently and Josiah insists on having every one of them on him every night. Too cute! He just asks for more until he knows they are all on him
April 9th, 2008 at 11:27 am
What a great post! This is just the kind of awesome info I’ve been looking for! Thanks to your candid feedback, I just deleted the sling and bottle sterilizer from my registeries. =)
April 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Wow, I am overwhelmed at all this feedback! It’s nice to hear other mothers’ opinions on this kind of stuff because obviously what works for some may not work for others.
Deanna: I’m glad we could help
And I have to say, I have never been more excited for someone I’ve never met to be pregnant. As a long time lurker on your blog, I can say with confidence that you two are going to be fabulous parents.
Heather: If I were as handy with a sewing machine as you are, I would have made my own changing pad covers too. Actually, I should have traded in some of those receiving blankets for more changing pad covers! Luke’s room tends to be the coldest in the house, so the covers are a nice remedy to that cold plastic.
Kari: You’re hilarious. “If we keep them away from all the germs, how will they ever learn to get along with them?”
April 9th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
If I would have been a better friend, I would have made you those changing pad covers like you asked me to a couple of times…you even said you would pay for them. How time gets away from us. Sorry Mindy and Sorry Luke! Josiah still thinks we are going you see Luke if we go anywhere other than to day care. Too cute
April 9th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Oh geez, no apologies are necessary! Are you kidding? You gave us SO MUCH, including that amazing boppy pillow!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:35 am
March 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Great work, I’m impressed with this boppy pillow!
Good stuff I really mean it.
Thanks for sharing.