The kid thread: Planning, pregnancy & parenting

[jenna30]

kjsh -- If I remember correctly, 3 weeks was when LO started to get gassy. He would also get a few fussy periods.

I've read on other forums, that babies hit a growth spurt at 3 weeks, too. Not sure if that's true, or not.

[yogiii]

kjsh - There is a growth spurt around 3 weeks. Also around 3-4 weeks some bfing babies start to clusterfeed in the evening/night. I think until about the 12 week mark, most babies (without colic) have a fussy time in the evening.

[Deleted]

I was told to take a prenatal vitamin with a DHA supplement, so I got a bunch at the drugstore yesterday (buy 1 get 1 free, so it came out to something like $7/month).

Sorry I haven't been here in a while! I missed a lot, so belated yay and/or boo

I'm about to hit 12 weeks but DH and I went to Babies R Us to start looking at stuff we'll need. Babies are not cheap! Some of that stuff is totally unnecessary though.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I took Flinstones Complete my entire pregnancy, I don't think they contain DHA, I'd have to look. I tried to do the supplement for awhile but with my cotton mouth I could not get them down. I also LOATHE fish because it so hard to get fresh in Iowa, I'd have had to pay a king's ransom to get it.

Pregnancy went fine, Gwen seems to be fine. If she doesn't get into Harvard at 18 we'll blame mom for not taking DHA while pregnant.

Baby's R Us has a lot of stuff you don't need, but they have really good deals on stuff too. I got 20% off a new baby monitor yesterday our cheap ones are just that... cheap and crapped out on us.

We missed the diaper wipe sale too, the sales rep told us they sold out in the first HOUR on Friday. I noticed they did not have a limit on how many you could get so I bet some people just totally cleaned them out.

I got a really good deal on clothes at Babys R Us yesterday. They had a coupon for take an extra 40% all clearance items and I had a $10 off a $50 clothes purchase coupon thanks to my rewards card. I got 3-6, 6 and 6-9 so that should hopefully take us clear thru April.

MoneyJenny sign up for a Rewards card. You get all sorts of coupons from Toys R Us and Babys R Us. Plus you can get a free box of diapers/formula for a certain amount purchased.

I found out to my delight that Babys R Us is one of the few places that doubles up on coupons! Yay!! That certainly makes their coupons a lot more valuable to me.

[krr627]

frugalnurse - welcome and good luck TTC!

eternal - glad to hear your shower went well

jenna - yay for a good check up on baby E.

As for me, looks like I'm on to the 9th cycle TTC. I took a test yesterday morning at 12 DPO because it was looking good, but it was negative. My temperature dropped a lot this morning and I've had some spotting too. So AF will probably be here within a few hours. Argh! and

Stina, how are you doing? Have you tested yet?

[yogiii]

krr - sorry to hear that

[starearedkid]

Today my husband and I are going to try to register at Babies R US. Baby Girl won't be born until May, but we are both off--and I really need to limit my choices. I probably won't have a baby shower BEFORE the baby is born--so I need to prioritize. My parents, MIL and grandma are buying our nursery things (changing table, crib, rocker and bassinet) so right now I just need to narrow my choices down and see what is AVAILABLE. It is so overwhelming at times. I did pick out the bedding though; so we will get that.

I think the only other big things we will definitely need before baby girl is born is the stroller/car seat. And obviously clothes and small things like that. We plan on spending a week with my family at the beach this summer, when she is between 1-3 months old, so I am also looking for baby beach items (tents and things like that)

Wish us look--who knows HOW this will turn out.

[eh230]

Yogiii, Henry was super whiny this weekend too. I think sometimes it is just a developmental thing. He is very close to crawling, and all he wants to do is pull up and stand. I also think he might be getting a sixth tooth. For some reason he just doesn't understand when I tell him that he is bumming us out with all of his whining.

[Deleted]

thanks for the insight, DQ. I absolutely fell in love with Classic Pooh sheets and mobile but:
1. I can't justify asking for/paying for a $130-180 sheet set
2. half of the stuff is out of stock and/or only available at Babies R Us.
I want to do our registry at Target. They have pretty good stuff for decent prices. Our fallback choices for the nursery are a safari animal theme or a pond animal theme -- both of which are sold at Target.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Baby's R Us sells separates. At the one in Omaha there is a HUGE wall of all their bedding sets and I can buy the pieces separate if I want. If there is a piece or two you really want you could buy them separate and buy the rest at Target.

We already had our bedding set by the time we checked out Baby's R Us for the crib. Good thing too because I found A LOT of bedding sets that I wanted!

[jenna30]

I didn't buy a bedding set... just bought 4 sets of sheets. I will buy a mesh bumper if it looks like LO will need one.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

20/20 we didn't need the crib set since I removed the bumpers now that Gwen can roll over and you can't use the quilt.

But whatever, it made me happy at the time and it wasn't a costly set to begin with. I enjoyed looking at it while it lasted.

Everything else I either cheaped on or someone bought me, so it was not the end of the world. The quilt makes a good playmat on the hardwood floors.

[moneymaven]

eternal - I am so glad the shower went well!

DH and I had a long weekend, but it was good. On Friday night, we were up way too late cleaning the house for the maternity photos, then we woke up early for baby care class. We had class until noon, then we had photos at 2pm. They were a lot of fun. Then we went out to dinner with our neighbors. On Sunday, we literally slept in all morning and I only got out of bed to make myself breakfast and use the bathroom! We had lunch at my sisters, then spent some time with DH's cousin Sunday night. My office is open today, so back to the grindstone.

I hope to get my home office organized tonight - it went into disarray when they brought another computer and phone to the house from my office for me. DH and I have our last baby class tomorrow night and then plan to head over to BRU to return some extra items we got at the shower and get some last items that we think we still need like sleeping sacks, extra sheets, etc.

[Sam_2.0]

I am really thinking about going with a toddler bed set instead of a crib bedding set. You can't really use the bumpers anyway, and the quilt is worthless. Target has some really cute toddler bed sized sets, and I could save the comforter in the bag for when he/she is old enough to transition to a toddler bed. And I like that the sets are not quite so baby-ish. If we have a boy, I am really leaning towards the outer space themed set. Those rocket ships are too cute!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I found swaddling Gwen in a blakent a lot easier than trying to get a newborn into a sleep sack, but that's just me. Plus blankets are cheaper and have more than one use.

I loved open ended gowns though, so easy to just pull them up and change her.

Now we use sleepers because she doesn't go to the bathroom as often. Whoever decided to put snaps up just ONE SIDE of a onesie needs to be shot.

[yogiii]

We also just bought sheets and a mesh bumper. I was pleasantly surprised at home many homemade quilts and blankets we received, so in the end it worked out well.

[muttleynfelix]

We also just bought sheets and breathable bumpers. If Ben wasn't such a nut, we might not have done the bumpers. Even the breatheble ones don't last long because you really only want to use them until babies can pull up. Given my son's climbing ability at 12 months, I understand why. My grandma made me a quilt that I hung on DS's wall. We also got 3 other homemade blankets and another blanket that embroidered with DS's "stats" on it.

[ladyki]

Jan 16, 2011 22:36:16 GMT -5 eternal sunshine said:

Hi ladies! Baby shower at my mother-in-laws went great.

Hi Eternal- glad to know your baby shower went great. Dont worry to much on getting all of things that use still need before baby Cole is born. Dont stress yourself on that. Just get the basics and get whatever u still think that u might need after Cole is born. Many times you think that you really need something and end up not using it at all.

I went crazy trying to look for what I thought would be a perfect large diaper bag, people had already given me a couple of small ones, but I wanted a large one, lol. I think I have only used the one that I bought about 6 times. Now I want a smaller one, but I want to go pick it.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Eternal i agree with ladyki that you don't need it all before Cole is born. You may find you don't even need it.

Personally I did what a lot of ladies on here suggested to me and waited on the swing. We ended up not purchasing a swing and don't intend to, we don't miss it. My MIL bought one and we had it in the house for a little while but it took up so much space that I decided to give it back. Gwen is not overly fond of swings, she likes her bouncy seat much better.

Same with the diaper pail. I was CONVINCED we needed one because of "baby stink" and poo. When I looked at how much the damn refills cost I decided it wasn't worth it. We just use a regular old trashcan with a tight fitting lid. I got one with the push pedal so I can flip open the lid with my foot while dropping the diaper in. Works just fine.

I got the huge diaper bag too and I've only used it a handful of times as well. I was convinced we needed a giant diaper bag. Well at first we did because I kept trying to pack the entire house into it. Now at six months and since I no longer bottle feed when we are out I don't need a giant bag. I use it because I refuse to admit I made a mistake. lol.

Got rid of the changing table cover because after the fifth time she pooped on it I wondered why I was making myself do so much laundry when the pad is waterproof, I just take a wipe to it or stick it under the shower head.

Ditto with things like the diaper wipe warmer, the bottle rack etc. I found out we didn't miss any of it.

I am glad we got the crib and mattress beforehand because we got sweet deals and just don't have the time to put it together right now, but she's slept in our room in a pack-n-play for the past six months so if we had not gotten it beforehand, it wouldn't have been any skin off our noses.

I've found Gwen takes up a lot more room than I thought a baby would. Buying all those "must have" baby items like travel systems, swings etc would have crowded us out of our house! No wonder some people feel they need a bigger house once baby is born!

Waiting on a lot of that stuff allowed us to better evaluate once she was actually here.

[kristi28]

We skipped the changing table all together and went with a dresser instead. We just attached the changing pad to the dresser so that it couldn't come off. We throw a receiving blanket onto the pad so that the plastic isn't in contact with her skin. We ended up with so many of those that I just threw them in the laundry if anything got on them.

We also skipped the travel system. They looked really nice, but a dear friend said that she didn't like hers as it was too big to go in a lot of the aisles in many of our stores. We found a collapsible stroller that the seat would lay completely down for when she was tiny, and she can still use it at two. Best of all, it fits nicely in the trunk of her car, so we just take it with us anytime we might need it.

The weirdest thing that came up with baby girl was that she absolutely hated having anything pulled over her head. We didn't end up using any of the onsies that we were given - we ended up buying the snap front undershirts instead. We really loved these, as you could tuck the sleeves inside of whatever outfit she was wearing and put it on all in one motion.

So I agree with all the others who suggested that you get a few of what you really need and then wait and see what preferences your baby has so that you don't end up with boxes of diapers that don't fit your baby or 20 onsies that they won't wear or ....

[yogiii]

We also skipped the changing table and just got a changing pad that snaps onto the dresser.

Again, same as kristi and going for just 1 stroller. I'm a big fan of mine, it is the Chicco Liteway

We got a swing about 1 month in and it was great for DS and his colic but I'm glad we waited on that as it is a big purchase.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I skipped it when I reread how much they weighed. WITHOUT the carseat the one I was looking at weighed in at 35 lbs! No way I was going to be able to lug that thing in and out of the trunk on my own. What a PITA.

I got the Graco SnugRide instead which fits my carseat onto a base. The base weighs in at 10 lbs. I can lift it and open it one handed. It's a lot easier to use. I'll have to stop once she outgrows the infant carseat, but by then hopefully she will be able to sit up so we can use the umbrella stroller we got as a gift.

We got Pampers as gifts but they give Gwen really bad butt rash for some reason. Fortunately we only got a couple packages and I didn't buy any. We switched to Huggies/Luvs and have not had any problems since.

[alphayankee]

Has anyone tried Wonder Bumpers as an alternative to a traditional crib bumper or mesh bumper? I used a mesh/breathable one with DS#1, but discovered Wonder Bumpers several months ago. They are padded wraps for the individual crib slats. I was able to make some fairly inexpensively. The "real" ones are reversible and use zippers and are WAY out of my price range. Mine aren't reversible, and I used velcro. So far, DS#2 hasn't had any issues with getting hands or feet stuck. I LOVE the look of them. I was able to pick coordinating fabrics and it gives the crib a really unique look.

[mommax4]

Diaper bags are one thing I've gotten pickier about. I agree that for 1 baby, you don't need a huge one. It just encourages you to put more in it! However, I had mine close enough together to have 2 in diapers that a bigger one was a must. A trick I found to keep a big bag organized was to use gallon sized zip-lock bags to keep clean clothes in. It kept them clean AND provided a place to put dirty ones once you changed the outfit.

[mommax4]

alpha-I hadn't seen wonder bumpers, but they sound pretty cute. I doubt I'll go to all the trouble to make them though. We actually haven't used a bumper of any kind since DD1 was a baby and we haven't had any problems.

[gardenergirl]

eternal - glad you had a good shower. That's a lot of onesies/sleepers! Keep the tags on some of them, if you got a lot in a certain size you might not need them all. I found when Olivia was first born I need a lot because she would always throw up on them, but as she got older she needed fewer.

drama - what does BRU double their coupons up to? I used a $5 coupon on diapers when I was there Friday, that would have been great if they'd double that one!

stare - it is really overwhelming registering for baby stuff. I was so overwhelmed by all the bottle types there were - a whole wall to choose from! When DH and I registered we spent about 2 hours at the store and left with only about 8 things on our list! It was just too overwhelming. My suggestion is start the registry at the store but then go online and add things. Read reviews. They are super helpful. Gives you more time to think about your needs/wants. And it's super easy to add/delete stuff online. So try not to get overwhelmed tonight. Know you can always change it later.

changing table - I LOVE my changing table. Mainly because DH and I are tall and it hurts my back to change on the floor or on a bed. That, and now that Olivia is older, and SO much more wiggly, I have more control of her up on the changing table. Just my opinion.

jenna - glad you had a good checkup at the doc with Baby E.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

what does BRU double their coupons up to?]

Don't know. I used the 40% off coupon and then the $10 off a $50 clothing purchase coupon. I am not sure how much higher they would have gone.

I like my changing table as well. I bought it used and repainted it. It'll be sold to the consignment shop once she is too big for it.

I tried changing her anywhere with just a mat but I started having back problems. I looked at the dressers but they were more than I was willing to spend.

We got her a cheapy lingere dresser right now and use the closet to the max. I plan on getting her a much higher quality better dresser when she gets older and a lot of the baby items are out of the room.

[gardenergirl]

alpha - I had never heard of Wonder Bumpers. I looked them up and love the idea of them. How did you make them? They are SUPER expensive, but the idea of them is awesome.

[gardenergirl]

Oh I see what you are saying about the coupons now. I thought maybe you meant, if you have a coupon for $.75 they double it to $1.50.

All the furniture with the exception of Olivia's crib was used too. I gave her one of my dressers that was handed down to me from my Grandmother. Her changing table belonged to a little boy I babysat ages ago and she has closet in her room so she was good to go there.

[zbear]

sam- that's awesome DH helped clean!

jenna- glad baby E's checkup went well. He's a growing boy!!!

eternal- glad you had a grea baby shower, despite all the no shows.

krr- sorry about AF. Baby dust to you next month!

stare- I think we are going to try and register soon too, probably this weekend! It feels early since I'm also due in may but the baby shower is coming up in March and we haven't looked or compared anything! I'm totally a planner and like to compare prices, safety, etc. DH gets very annoyed at me sometimes lol

great suggestions on what to/not to buy and what's not necessary. I think we'll wait on the swing and stuff but somehow I've already collected 3 diaper bags lol, one of them being a huge one which I just know I won't use. Oh and momma3x- good suggestion on the ziploc bags for dirties!