As we enter this new, mobile stage of life with our baby, there are a whole slew of things I think we're needing that I'd love to have advice on. If you have any input, have blogged or seen articles about good products and wouldn't mind passing them along to me, I would really appreciate it.
Here are the things I 'think' we're going to be needing (please also let me know if this is something we actually may not need):
-Baby Gate-I know we need this one and we need it for Stairs! I'm thinking we need the kind that is not pressure mounted, but actually screws into the walls since its around stairs. Right/wrong? Any suggestions for good ones or ones you didn't care for?
-Cups/plates/feeding "stuff"-I've heard a lot about leaky sippy cups, are there any you know of that are great? Any plates or other feeding things that make your life easier?
-High Chair-Space saver is the key word around here. Do I need one of the big ones, or can I get away with one that straps onto the kitchen chair? Would it be too low since she's tiny?
-Shopping cart/high chair covers-Is any particular one better than the next? I've heard some people talk about ones that are difficult to get on the cart, but I don't know what makes it difficult or easy.
-Umbrella Stroller-Is it worth getting a nicer one, or are the cheapies at B-R-us just as good?
-Babyproofing-I have outlet covers, but I need cabinet locks. Good or bad ones? Any other babyproofing items you need to buy?
Is there anything else you need when babies get mobile? Or anything I should avoid getting sucked into? Thanks so much!!
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6 comments:
don't know about ALL the stuff you've listed, but we have the high chair that straps in the seat... do i strap it in the seat? no. we set it on the table or the counter... it doesn't take that long to feed her and she likes sitting on the table to watch us eat... we will EVENTUALLY strap it to the chair :)
umbrella stroller: the jury's still out on this one... i'm getting a trendsport from babies r us (possibly tomorrow) and with my 20% off coupon, its going be about $40 bucks. i figure if its "way worse" than a maclaren or something, i can buy 2 or 3 of them before i equal the cost of the maclaren. my main feature that i wanted was a reclining back...
here is the link: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3994452
(its a babies r us exclusive)
sippy cups: munchkin makes a "trainer" sippy cup... its the smallest one i've found--we have some of the nuby's that work (work="don't leak") well, but they're a bit bulky for e to hold. the munchkin is a little skinnier. i've not had a problem with either of these leaking.
...that's all we've "experienced" so far! :)
Umbrella strollers - I have a cheap one from Babies R Us that's been great! Great for using in the mall or for any quick errands you need to run.
Baby proofing- you will definitely need corner protectors if you have any sharp corners on a kitchen table or coffee tables.
Mobility- we got a "walker stroller" for Mallory when she was pulling up. It worked like a charm! Plus, to this day she pushes her baby dolls around in it! :)
Baby gates- For the top of the stairs, you'll definitely want the ones that screw into the wall.
Sippy Cups- We've had good luck with the Munchkin brand cups with the silicon rubber tip. Not sure if you're bottle feeding or not, but the rubber tip feels most similar to the bottle in their mouths.
Hope this helps! :)
~Ginny
Grace, for a first time mom, you really know how to ask some good questions with lots of forethought! With my first kids, I discovered the need for cabinet locks AFTER they had gotten in the cabinet. Good for you!
Here are some of my suggestions:
- Baby Gate: Here is a link to one that many of my friends have and LOVE IT: http://www.kidsmartliving.com/newrolkidgua.html?productid=newrolkidgua&channelid=FROOG
- My favorite utensils for kids are the Take & Toss ones, and my favorite bowls and sippy cups were all made by Gerber.
- Definitely go with a space saver chair that straps into your kitchen chairs. It is what we have used with all 4 and LOVE them!!!!
- Go with the Floppy seat as they can be used for resturaunt high chairs and grocery carts, plus they fold into itself to make a bag with handles to carry
- Umbrella strollers: We got a cheap $20 one and it has worked wonderfully! It has been taken on long walks and on vacation and everywhere in between!
- Baby proofing: In addition to the outlet covers and cabinet locks, we also put a corner protector around our fireplace and "caps" on our door handles. Highly recommend all of these as you can never be too careful with safety!
Okay, this is how it worked in our house:
Baby Gate: We actually had a pressure mounted gate that we used for both kids. It worked fine for us and we never had issues. I probably would have gone the screw in rate but if you knew Matt, you would know that he *thinks* he is handy but that's not necessarily the case. Pressure Mounted Gates worked for us.
Cups/Plates: For cups and plates any brand worked for us; we weren't picky.
Sippy Cups: I have found that the First Years cups work well. There is some leakage but no where near like the take and toss cups. The playtex ones w/ the rubber stopper were always difficult to clean. So we tossed all sippies and stocked up on these: http://tiny.cc/gs3gf
High Chair: We used the Fisher Price Space Saver one for the first year or so and then transitioned over to the First Years Seat, http://tiny.cc/94idd. This one fit our chairs/table better.
Shopping Cart Cover: Call me a bad mom but we never used it...it was just one more thing to take places.
Umbrella Stroller: Definitely invest in one. This really does come in handy, especially when they get a little more mobile - quick trips to the malls, walks, parks, etc. We have this one: http://tiny.cc/i8bx4. For the price it's great.
Baby Proofing: We have outlet covers and then put cabinet locks on certain cabinets (bathroom, and one kitchen cabinet), but we didn't do it to all of them.
- This is the baby gate we have and still use: http://www.safety1st.com/usa/eng/Products/Home-Safety/Gates/Details/448-41824-Perfect-Fit-Gate You can mount it or not, but what's nice is I could unlock/open it one-handed if I was holding Emma. We still use it because our bedrooms are upstairs and we want to make sure Emma doesn't wander out of her room in a sleep daze and fall down the stairs. We have it mounted, and it swings either way depending on where we want to go upstairs. (But it works well unmounted as well.) We had the wooden ones from when Zoe was a pup, but those are quite cumbersome to raise the arm/lock it down if you're in a hurry. Except, they're much more affordable.
- I can "third" the prior two comments about the Munchkin training sippy cup, that's what we used! This is best for her gums until she gets teeth, gets used to eating, etc. Just start giving it to her with a little water in it and she'll get the idea!
You likely wouldn't use a special plate for a while. Things are going to get dumped and spilled for a long time to come! It's easier to feed her with a bowl, and when she feeds herself to put a few things on her tray.
You can also give her a plastic coated spoon to keep her hands busy when you start to feed her, and also it might feel good on her gums!
- A wheeled highchair is nice so you can wheel her where you want her, but they are BIG and so it sounds like a seat for your chairs will work best spacewise. You might also want to get a floor mat to put under the chair. Makes cleaning messes easier! If the chairs are low, you would just have to pull up a seat next to her!
- I borrowed a shopping cart cover. I liked it during flu season because then I could bring it home and wash it and not worry about what she might have touched in the cart.
- I never needed an umbrella stroller so I can't help you there!
- Do your cabinets have knobs/handles? Ours don't and so we had to drill into the wood. The plastic pieces break over time with much use.
Wow this is getting long! All just my humble opinion and experience, but take what you will!
i agree with everyone else!
we use a pressure mounted gate, but the frame is wooden instead of plastic and i can't knock it down with all my might.
i used the colorful "disposable" sippy cups to train ethan. they leak a little but he could NOT figure out how to drink from a cup with a valve at first. once he got the hang of it we switched to the playtex sipsters and that is ALL we use. i wasted a good $10 bucks on training cups with soft spouts and two handles.
we use a cheap umbrella stroller from target b/c we hardly ever use it. it works fine.
ethan does not use a plate yet. he uses the tray on his chair or a mat on a table. no point in using a plate any time soon.
you absolutely do not need a full size high chair. ethan's straps to the kitchen chair and has it's own tray. now that he's bigger we can nix the tray and let him eat off the table with us.
i don't know what brand my cart cover is, but i don't think it really matters. ethan used it for maybe a total of 1.5 months and then he didn't need it anymore. it's so big and bulky that as soon as he could sit on his own, i stopped using the cover at all.
for babyproofing: i spent a lot of time and energy training ethan not to go on the stairs. i would purposely not use the gate during a time i knew i had my eye on him. starting at 8 months, whenever he went to the stairs, i removed him, spoke firmly to him and got right in his face. same for the dog bowl. i used the same saying each time. "you may not climb the stairs." and "that is not your bowl." by 12 months he didn't even go near either one... so we only use the stairs gate when we are UP. not when we are DOWN. my point being: don't be 100% dependent on baby proofing items. make sure you ALSO teach her what is dangerous.
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