Baby Stuff Reviews

Okay, this will probably end up being a long post.  I have debated about how to organize this, but I have decided on reviewing items by category.

Items will be rated on a scale from 1-10.  1 being absolutely useless and 10 being I can't imagine having a baby without said item.

Also, I am by no means an expert.  These are just my opinions from the first 11 weeks of being a mom.  : )

Breastfeeding Supplies:
*Milk Maids Reusable Nursing Pads: 9
I have the OBV (organic bamboo velour) luxury ones and I love them.  These are great because they are large (5 inches in diameter I believe) and are made with a step down process.  They are also PUL backed, so you don't have to worry about leaking.  They are super soft (a good thing) and they don't get cold when wet (another good thing).  I put the link to the FB page b/c these are super hard to find.  She will announce where and when she is stocking on FB.

*Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads: 9
I love that these are made of bamboo, backed with PUL, and are thin.  The heart shape also makes them less visible under clothes.

*Green Sprouts Organic Reusable Nursing Pads: 2
These are very, very thick, scratchy, and get cold when wet.  Also, they aren't PUL backed, so you they will leak.  They are so thick that there is no way you can wear them under a shirt without them being completely obvious.  Just skip these.

*Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads:3
I don't care for disposable products like these.  I actually only used them once and just didn't care for the itchy papery feel.  Definitely go with the reusable product.  Also, the disposable pads have chemicals in them (similar to those in disposable diapers) that I didn't want on me or going in baby's mouth.

*Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump:9
I am thankful that I had a breast pump before G arrived.  However, I strongly advise on sterilizing and knowing how to use your pump before your child arrives.  Some people advise on not opening the pump until you know you are going to successfully breastfeed.  Let me tell you, when you are so engorged that your child can't latch and it takes 3 hours to get him/her latched on, you will wish you had that pump ready to go!  The Ameda PY works well and I like that it is a closed system. A closed system means that no milk goes through the membranes, so this is one that is actually safe to buy used.  It works just as well as the Medela, but costs half as much.

*Boobs: 10.  Haha!  Just kidding, but, they are super important for breastfeeding.

*Ameda Hydrogel Pads: 10
Hopefully you won't need these.  However, I was given very bad BFing advice in the hospital and ended up with cracked, bleeding, blistered nipples.  They were going to give these to me in the hospital, but were actually out.  I had to drive to Babies R Us the day after I got home from the hospital to buy these.  However, they were a life saver!!!  They allowed me to heal.  They may seem pricey, but they lasted 5 or 6 days for me and allowed me to continue breastfeeding.  The $16 these cost is a lot cheaper than having to switch to formula!

*My Brest Friend Pillow: 4
I got this pillow b/c everything I read about nursing pillows said this one is recommended by lactation consultants.  Honestly, I discovered I didn't need a nursing pillow.  I have a short waist and the nursing pillows were putting her up too high.  If I needed one in the beginning, I would have chosen this one.  It is nice that it is nice and firm which makes it easier to properly place a newborn to latch.

*Boppy: 6
The only reason I rated this higher than the Brest Friend Pillow is that it has other uses.  It is great for propping up G or during tummy time.  I do use it for "lazy" nursing (meaning I want to be hands-free).

Bottles:
I am not going to say much here other than have several different kinds and don't open more than 1 at a time so you can return them.  I now have several bottles that G won't take and I can't return them.  She has decided she only likes the $9 per bottle Tommee Tippee bottles.  We have one and that is plenty for now.

Baby Containers:
*Graco Lauren Crib: 6
G hasn't slept in her crib yet, but this crib seems like it will do the trick.  We got it in white and some of the paint seems to be wearing away.  Kind of like the wood wasn't primed before painting.

*Fisher Price Snug-a-bunny swing: 10
Love this!  It plugs into the wall (a big plus!), plays music & nature sounds, has a mobile with a mirror, and has 3 different seat positions.  This is how I get G to sleep if she is fighting it (which happens a lot)!

*Fisher Price Snug-a-bunny bouncer: 8
This is definitely nice to have, but not a necessity.  It moves around the house with us and it is a nice place to put G while I am cooking, eating, or taking a shower.  It has vibration, music, and nature sounds.  G loves to look up at the little birds too.

*Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper: 10
This is another life saver!!!  Our friends got this for G and I don't think it was even on my registry.  Many nights G will sleep in this and she takes a lot of naps in it as well.  She is also content to hang out in it while I fold laundry, do dishes, etc.  The nice thing about this is that it folds compactly and is easy to take with me if I am going out of town.

*Graco Pack n' Play with Newborn Napper: 9
G slept in the newborn napper for about the first 6 weeks.  The vibration and music feature on the napper and bassinet are great.  The light also comes in handy.  The changing table was great for in the beginning for middle of the night changes.  We had to stop using the changing table when she reached 11 lbs because it started to lean.  I like that the vibration thingy works on the bassinet part too.

*Uppababy Vista Stroller: 10
I feel like this is the BMW of strollers.  I love that it has a bassinet included (we even have a stand for it so we can use it in the living room).  It rides smoothly and the front wheels lock so you can jog occasionally with it without worry.  It has a regular seat too which can face you or away.  We also purchased the car seat adapter, so our car seat fits with no problem.

*Graco Snugride 35 in Logan: 8
I love everything about this except the fact that it is hot.  I don't know if other car seats are better or not with this though.

Baby Carriers:
*Beco Butterfly II:10
I don't know if I could survive without this!  It is great to use during shopping, cleaning, walking, whatever.  What I really like about this carrier is that it is easy to do a back carry with a younger child.  G falls asleep in this thing all the time!

*Boba: 8
I don't use this one much yet as G is still a little too small for it.  It will be great when she is older though.  I like that it has stirrups so that her feet won't dangle when she gets older.

*Moby wrap:  4
I just didn't care for this because it was soooo hot!  G and I would both be super sweaty within minutes.  If I had had the Beco when she was first born, I would have just used that with the newborn insert and been just fine.

Clothing:
Seriously, you will probably get a lot of clothes if you are having a baby shower.  We had a lot of NB sized clothes, but G was only able to wear them for maybe 2 weeks before she outgrew them.

*Carters Side Snap Shirts: 10
I found the side snap shirts to be much easier in the beginning than onesies.  G didn't like onesies going over her head and the shirts rubbed her umbilical stump less than the onesies.  Buy the Carters over the Gerber ones.  The Gerber ones shrink and won't last as long.

*Towels: We were given a few of the special baby hooded ones.  They are nice but not necessary.

*Mittens: Another thing I got because I was told I needed them.  G never had a mitten on her for one day.  She didn't scratch herself once either.  They are actually not great for motor development.

*Socks:  Ditto mittens.  I *think* she wore socks once or twice.  She is a hot baby and doesn't really need or want them.

*Hats: Ditto mittens and socks.  G hates hats with a passion.  In the hospital they kept putting hats on her and she would start screaming.  I would remove the hat and then they would come in and put it on while they were checking on her.  Screaming would commence.  It was a fun cycle, let me tell you!

*Sleeping attire: In the beginning, I loved the gowns with elastic at the bottom.  They made all of those middle of the night diaper changes much easier.  There is no way I could master those crazy snapped ones at 3 am.  We then switched to footed sleepers which were nice.  I definitely recommend zippers over snaps (see previous comment about snaps).  Now she sleeps in a long-sleeved onesie with a halo sleep sack.

*Aden and Anais blankets: 9
Make sure to get the expensive "boutique" ones, not the ones from Target or BRU.  The boutique ones are 47" x 47" and are more stretchy and soft than the other ones.  I got one of the boutique ones free from a cloth diaper order that I did on Black Friday.  G doesn't throw up or leak out of her diapers (yay for cloth!), so one of these blankets has been enough.  I would love to have more but I am cheap.  Keep an eye on www.babysteals.com, because these come out all the time.  It isn't as good of a deal as it seems though because of shipping.