Cribs and strollers and other baby stuff

[Deleted]

I've been slowly building up a list of baby things and reading reviews on Amazon.  At first I thought we'd keep the crib in our room for a few months, but then I started thinking maybe a bassinet-type thing would be more convenient while the baby is still small.  What have you done or plan to do with sleeping arrangements for a newborn?

Also, what strollers do you plan to get?  I want a stroller/carseat combo system and narrowed my choices down to Chicco Keyfit, Britax B-Agile, and Graco Snugride.  Once the baby hits 30 pounds, you need to get a bigger convertible seat, right?  There is so much stuff to keep track of.

Also, I feel silly asking, but what kind of bathing situation do you have planned?  I plan to get a small tub like the First Years tub, but I don't think I'll use it in my big bath tub.  I'm thinking since I have double sinks in the bathroom I'll just use it on that?  I am very new to the infant stuff and don't really have anyone readily available irl to ask besides MIL and my mom, who both had kids 30-40 years ago. 

[achi]

We have the crib in our room but haven't used it much yet since I had to have a c section. We set up the stroller with the bassinet attachment so I don't have to get in and out of bed every time he needs to feed.

[polarbearfans]

I am in the guest room with the halo bassinest and a rock n play.

I have had some quality issues with the bassinest being wobbly. Halo has been fabulous with replacement pieces, but I'm about to return the whole thing if the next replacement top doesn't solve the issue. The first was defective in a different way lol. It's too expensive to keep if not stable. The problem got worse over time. I love love love being able to move it from bed and pull her close, but I want to either being able to use it for another kid, loan it out, or sell it. Baby is only about 3 weeks old and it's barely hanging on. I think I just had a defective unit.

Rock n play has been great if I'm trying to put her down near a feeding or her reflux is bad. If she is feeling good, she will sleep in her pack n play or crib, but those are not in sleep rooms. I would t want a full size crib in my bedroom. If we didn't get the halo or pack n play, I would have bought a cot or aero matress and slept in her room

[pooh8402]

We have a PNP with a newborn napper attachment in our bedroom, and that's where DS is sleeping right now. It has a changing pad attachment too, which is super convenient for MOTN. He takes most of his naps on me or in his RNP.

I love my Chicco Keyfit car seat, and it snaps into the Chicco Liteway Plus stroller very easily. We haven't used the stroller yet though. I like this stroller because it is essentially an umbrella stroller that also accepts a car seat, so I only needed to buy one. I LOVE installing Chicco infant seats/bases as opposed to the other ones. I know Graco car seats are very popular, but to me, their infant seats feel cheap compared to Chicco and Britax. Britax makes excellent seats though (I'll probably get a Britax when we switch to a convertible) and Graco makes excellent combination and booster seats.

DS still has his cord stump, so we're still doing sponge baths on the bathroom counter, so I can't vouch for our bath tub yet.

[Muddled]

This will all really depend on your set up. I'm an urban dweller, so I'm doing things a bit differently than most.

We are starting out with a bassinet by the bed, then will move Kid into a crib in another room.

For a stroller, we have the Valco Snap. We needed something lightweight and wanted one that we could put an infant in with no carseat/carrier necessary. We still waver a bit on which carseat we will get, but we are skipping straight to a convertible. We don't have a car and will not get enough use out of a seat in the first year to make it worth getting one.

In regards to bathing, we are not doing a separate tub. We'll do a little padded bather thing, which will just keep Kid in place and out of the water. It can be used in the sink or the tub.


Look through Lucie's List and Baby Bargains. Ask a lot of questions. I think you'll figure out what will work best for your situation. And if you realize later that something else will work better, then you will adapt. That's the best we can do.

[boiler717]

I super stressed over sleeping arrangements. In part because of the size of our house -- nursery is at the other end of the upstairs from our bedroom. Downstairs our main living room is one side, the playroom and my office are on another side of the house. I definitely need some sort of containment-sleepable device in the main LR, play room, and my office plus something for our bedroom. I'm going with:
- bassinest in the bedroom
- PNP (FP travel lite) in the playroom; I wanted something lightweight and that had a newborn area
- RnP, bouncer to move around the house but probably stay in the LR
- DH is building a rolling stand for the UBV bassinet so I can move between rooms once I'm back to work
I'd love to find a great bathroom sink tub that is cheap. Puj and the blooming flower seem to be the only bathroom sink options I can find but for $50 I don't know.

[polarbearfans]

Forgot the car seat and stroller... We have the chicco keyfit 30 car seat and snap it into the uppababy Cruz for stroller. Love the stroller and I have used it a lot. The under basket is huge and perfect for shopping.

[meltoine]

I bedshare, but keep a cradle in my room for when I need to put him down (going to the bathroom, etc).

I have a graco snug ride and the accompanying stroller. I've never used the stroller, but my grandmother insisted on buying it. I prefer to wear them, so I just use a lightweight stroller once they're too big to wear for certain outings. I also have a double jogging stroller that I use for running.

I have an infant tub and I use it in the regular tub. It doesn't fit in any of our sinks except the kitchen sink.

[preppy]

For sleep we have the crib in her nook in our room but also have the bassinet from our stroller and borrowed the bassinet stand from a friend and we plan on having right next to the bed at first.

I have heard that most stroller travel systems aren't fantastic and to pick your stroller and then get an adapter for the car seat you want. Though I think the b-agile is the exception to this. We ended up with the uppababy vista and just picked up the uppababy Mesa infant seat today. Clearly haven't used either yet.

We got the stokke collapsible tub with infant insert.

A lot of our choices were based on the fact that we live in a city and have limited space.

[patches31709]

As far as sleeping arrangements, we have her in the RNP in our bedroom. Tried the bassinet, but after two sleepless nights we gave up. No room for a full size crib in our bedroom, and I don't think she'd sleep in it anyway. I think she'd find it too big space-wise.

We have a Chicco Keyfit30 and the Chicco Bravo stroller - got it as a travel system. We absolutely love it. I found the Chicco carseat to be so much easier to get in and out of the carseat base and stroller than the Britax, which I wanted to love.

We set up the infant bathtub on the kitchen counter. I think height-wise, it is wasier right now.

[lindsaymg]

We bought a Halo Bassinest to use for the first few months beside our bed. I chose it because our room is too small for a PNP.

For a car seat we went got a Nuna Pipa which I love with adapters for the Uppababy vista. I love the extra sun cover the Pipa has over other seats and I have come to be partial to the hard latch things as opposed to the ones that you have to tighten. This decision was also made because my due date was a little too close for comfort with the delayed release of the 2015 Mesa.

For napping I imagine she will use a swing or bouncer we keep in the living room or her crib (which is in the same area.

[preppy]

Aug 1, 2015 20:16:24 GMT -5 lindsaymg said:

We bought a Halo Bassinest to use for the first few months beside our bed. I chose it because our room is too small for a PNP.

For a car seat we went got a Nuna Pipa which I love with adapters for the Uppababy vista. I love the extra sun cover the Pipa has over other seats and I have come to be partial to the hard latch things as opposed to the ones that you have to tighten. This decision was also made because my due date was a little too close for comfort with the delayed release of the 2015 Mesa.

For napping I imagine she will use a swing or bouncer we keep in the living room or her crib (which is in the same area.

Side note on the Mesa - we went today to get the cybex aton with the GC's from our shower and randomly they had the Mesa in stock in store in the gray we wanted, which is showing unavailable online eveywhere. Like you I didn't want to wait and it was too close for comfort and I was totally surprised. Hopefully we like it! Glad the Nina pipa is working well for you!

[liverandonions]

We have a bassinet with a removable basket in our room so we'll be able to move him from room to room if he's sleeping. We moved our daughter into her crib at 7 weeks.
Our car seat is the Graco snug ride 35 and the matching stroller. We put her in a convertible right around her 1st birthday. She's 2.5 and is only 27lbs.

[brandienee]

We are using a Pack and Play in our bedroom, but have a crib in the nursery. I am hoping that the baby will be in the nursery by a month to get some use out of it before we move. The pack and play is going to be heavily used, I am imagining.

We got a Mamaroo as one of our shower gifts, so that will go downstairs for the baby to sleep in, (You can adjust it so they can lay back. Yay!

Our travel system is the Britax. We spent HOURS test driving strollers and carseats, and liked this one the best. We are opposite of patches31709. We had a ton of trouble trying out the Chicco key fit 30. I wanted to love it, but for us, the Britax B Agile just seemed easier and less hassle. Moral of the story, spend an afternoon at the baby store and play with all of the travel systems. What works for us, might be different for you.  

[belovedbride07]

We plan to keep the babies in our room in a full-size co-sleeper, with their cribs set up in their own room down the hall. I hope they'll sleep in the room with us, but we'll have to see what happens.

I need a double, so this won't help you much, but I'm currently looking at the Contours Options Elite. I really want an Uppababy Vista (and have for years), but they are so expensive! I was going to buy a used one, but with twins I would need a 2015 so the second seat reclines.

I'm also looking at the basic First Years tub. Using it in the big bathtub will probably be most convenient for us. I'm sure we'll do baths in the kitchen sink, too.

[Koala]

I think we are going to try starting the babies in their cribs in the nursery since it is right next to our room. (They will probably share a crib at first). We have bouncers and rnp for napping.

Our stroller requirements were also different. We got a city select and the car seat adapters for the Cybex Aton q's.
We have a couple of single umbrella strollers for when they are bigger.

[mcfelix]

This is what we did for DS, so we will do the same with DD.

We had a cosleeper in our room. Didn't work well for DS so we ended up having him sleep either on my chest in Our bed or in the Rock and play next to our bed. We moved him to the crib in his nursery at either 6 or 8 weeks, I can't remember. We did get a second rock and play for this baby so we can keep one on each floor of the house.

We have the graco snug ride car seat, and used it with the adaptor for the uppa baby vista.

We borrowed a swing from a friend last time (a big FP one) but barely used it. We used bouncy seats much more often, so we have two of those (one for upstairs and one for the main floor).

[mcfelix]

Oh and bath time - we used one of those plastic tubs with a bath sling. We would use it on the kitchen counter when he was brand new, and then would put it in his bathtub once he was a little bigger. Once DS was able to sit up, we used the munchkin inflatable duck tub.

[miamigirl]

I think she will sleep in our room in the stroller bassinet or the MamaRoo for the first few weeks and then we'll transition to her crib (her room is right across from ours, a few steps away).

For a stroller we got the Uppababy Cruz with the optional
Bassinet. Obviously I haven't used it yet, but I really like how light it is.
We got the Nuna Pipa as our carseat and I love it (again, havn't used it). I was going to go with the Mesa at first, but when they delayed its launch I started doing more research and decided on the Pipa instead.

Regarding bath time, we got the 4Moms tub. Again, haven't used it yet but I like it.

Good luck!

[dcn]

Ds slept in a rock no play next to our bed for the first 3-4 months. I could move it easily during the day too.

We had a keyfit and snap n go, I would highly recommend it! We also had a bob with a car seat adapter that we used for longer walks. We used the bob as our main stroller then got an umbrella stroller when he was 9 months or so.

I had a baby bathtub that we used in the big tub. The one we had was huge though so I donated it and will get a puj or other small tub to use this time.

[noodleoo]

Aug 1, 2015 15:23:59 GMT -5 polarbearfans said:

Forgot the car seat and stroller... We have the chicco keyfit 30 car seat and snap it into the uppababy Cruz for stroller. Love the stroller and I have used it a lot. The under basket is huge and perfect for shopping.

We just ordered the Uppababy Cruz yesterday!!! I'm so excited, I can't wait for it to come in!!

we have the Chicco Keyfit 30 also and I love it.  Very easy to use and Baby is happy in it, she sleeps mostly in the car. We started out with the Ketfit Caddy stroller frame which is super easy, but the wheels aren't great. I figured we'd decide on a full size stroller later. I've been researching like crazy and finally decided on the Cruz. It has an adapter for the Keyfit 30 so you can take the stroller seat off and snap the car seat right to the frame. I kind of wish we had skipped the caddy and gone straight to this, but I didn't know what I would want when we registered. The Cruz is awesome mainly because of the huge basket, relatively light weight, and foam filled rubber wheels. I'm so excited!!! Can you tell?

We put baby straight into the crib when we got home. She was way too loud to keep in our room, I have no idea how people do that. I got no sleep when she was with us. We have a pack and play, bouncer (Tiny Love Gmini), and RNP in various parts of our house for her as well. It is nice to have a few places to put her to mix things up. I put the RNP in the bathroom while I shower, I love how portable that thing is. 

For baths, we found the easiest thing to do is just take her in the shower! H holds her and rinses her, I stand outside and soap her up and stuff. I hand her to him and then take her when she's done and dry her off, etc. we only wash her twice a week or she really needs it. New have a bigger plastic tub we'll use when she's bigger. 

[Susie]

1. Cribs: We have a crib in her room, which we will transition her to ASAP. Our room shares a wall with her room, so at least right now I am comfortable with the idea right away, to whatever extent possible. We have a Chicco playard with a removable bassinet that I expect will go in our room at first. Still investigating rocking/etc. devices in case we need that at first. If she needs a RNP to sleep, I foresee us putting the RNP in the playard (without the bassinet) so the dogs don't lick her.

2. Strollers: I'm feeling really indecisive on this.  We picked out the City Mini GT (adjustable handle FTW) for general use, and a BOB Revolution Flex (also with adjustable handle) for running, and registered for both.  But then a friend gave us their Graco Snug Ride car seat, 2 bases, a Snap & Go, and a BOB adapter for it.  So now I'm questioning the need for the City Mini (especially at $350) even though I loved it, if I have a Snap & Go for the first year, and a BOB (and probably eventually an umbrella stroller).  For right now I'm just going to let the City Mini sit on our registry (whereas the BOB I will buy if we don't receive as a gift).

3.  Bathing:  No specific plan or gear yet.  Assuming kitchen sink at first.

[chickadee77]

1. Our first night was pretty funny, but we ended up settling with the PNP in our bedroom. Her crib didn't fit through a standard door opening, so this is something to consider - if you plan to move it, you might need to dis- and then re-assemble. (Added note - make sure you assemble crib IN the nursery if it won't fit through a standard door - I reminded H of this multiple times and still arrived home with him standing proudly next to the assembled crib - in the dining room. Sigh.)

2.Love, love our Britax B-Agile system. Eventually, yes, you'll need a convertible seat, but we still use the stroller a ton. I'm considering getting something a bit smaller for travel in addition, but haven't bit the bullet yet.

3. Bathing - God, I hated that damn baby tub. Get this instead. smile.amazon.com/Leachco-Safer-Bather-Infant-Bath/dp/B00005JIVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438537068&sr=8-1&keywords=Leachco+bather You're welcome.

[Deleted]

Thanks for all the info ladies!

[Deleted]

I have used a $7 sponge pad in my.larger bathtub for the last 8 mos. We hang it up to dry. DS has not figured out that he can sit up in the tub yet

I Used a RNP in our room for 3 months, and then the crib is his own room. If we have a second, I'll probably transition sooner.

I have a peg perego car seat, attachment and city mini GT stroller. We haven't user the seat with the stroller since he was like 4 months. DS is 8 mo now.

[ssg73]

Aug 2, 2015 12:38:57 GMT -5 chickadee77 said:

3. Bathing - God, I hated that damn baby tub. Get this instead. smile.amazon.com/Leachco-Safer-Bather-Infant-Bath/dp/B00005JIVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438537068&sr=8-1&keywords=Leachco+bather You're welcome.

Totally agree this thing was awesome

[hbomdiggity]

1. I swore DS would sleep in his crib from night #1. Friend gave us an arms reach co sleeper and I only took it because I didn't know how to say no. Yep, we are going at 6 weeks in the co sleeper.

Despite our tiny house, the crib just seemed so big. And it's just easier to roll over and put a hand on him to calm him/find the pacifier, etc. I am starting to be ready with moving him, but this has been the most surprising in terms of my non-mom self being so wrong.

2. Same friend gave me her snap and go. It stays in my car and I use it for quick trips. I like its convenience, but it's not very nice and I wouldn't have bought it with my own $.

My good stroller is the Cruz. It stays in the house because we live in an urban area so I use it daily. I wanted something that I could use immediately with a newborn without a car seat. I could get the adapter, but I don't want to be constantly switching out.

When I drive somewhere that is a lot of walking though, I take the Cruz. It's just lightyears ahead of the snap and go.

3. I have the FP bathtub which I use in our big tub. I registered for the pug, but just ended up getting this one. He fits well in it well and I think we will get more use out of it. That said, it's big and we don't have a good place to put it since we are currently sharing a bathroom.

[Deleted]

I REALLY appreciate all of your recommendations! I decided to get a PnP with napper/changer attachments to have downstairs. The Leachco bathing pad looks like a great idea, so I will probably get one of those too. As for the crib, H said he doesn't mind moving it around, but now I'm concerned about it fitting through the doorways. So I'll be doing some measuring to figure out that situation. If it doesn't fit then I'll probably get a small arm's reach co-sleeper bassinet thing.

We still have to go to the store to try out various strollers, but I think I'm pretty well sold on the Chicco Keyfit carseat. Now we'll have to decide on what stroller to get with it.

I like the idea of the RnP but with a big dog, I would only use it when the dog is crated for safety.

[fezzik]

L slept in a rock n play in our room for the first 3 months and it worked really well.

For a car seat, we used the graco snugride and also had the compatible stroller. We had no issues with either.

I think we switched to a convertible car seat a little before a year, but could have used the infant seat longer (she actually still hasn't quite hit 30 pounds). Amazon had a good sale on britax car seats, so I figured we might as well start using it as soon as it came. For future reference, I love the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat.

[fashionx]

We have the Chicco Keyfit 30 and Cortina stroller. I like it - works well together and stroller grows with baby.

I got my mom's family bassinet (75 years old) to use in our room for the first couple months, and purchased a new mattress and skirt for it. I like having her in the room so I can react more quickly in the night, or listen to determine if she's just making a noise in her sleep vs. actually being awake and needing one of us. We have the changing pad on the dresser in her room.

We haven't used our PNP yet, but will likely have it downstairs with DH in his office when we're both working and I need to concentrate on things or have to be out of the house for whatever reason (we both work from home).