3. Questions for the group? Do I really need the $900 Uppababy Vista stroller just because every book/article says it’s the best? LOL. We just started looking at the Baby Bargains book for big ticket stuff and I’m amazed/overwhelmed. What strollers are people looking at?
Also, how many strollers do I really need? I don’t want to buy more than one (we don’t have tons of storage space), but some stuff says it’s helpful to have a second smaller/lightweight umbrella stroller.
We have the city mini which is still on a higher end of range of what you can spend but I’m not entirely convinced it was worth it. It’s easy to fold up, but DD is not super chill about sitting in it all the time and we only really use it on special outings. Neighborhood walks weren’t as frequent as I would have liked when she was younger because she didn’t enjoy it and now she just rides her trike when we go on walks.
I haven’t seen the need for an umbrella stroller yet and she’s 28 months.
I did purchase a separate jogging stroller second hand that also hasn’t gotten much use because I can’t make it far before DD gets restless. And I haven’t used it at all during this pregnancy.
Post by pinkalicious on Dec 3, 2018 12:51:39 GMT -5
1. How far along are you this week? 23 weeks today- baby is viable according to my doctor
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? Baby is moving all the time now. My blood sugar is pretty well controlled with metformin now. I need to still be really careful with my carb intake, but I am a little less stressed about it.
3. Questions for the group?
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? I don't really know what I want, I have stuff on my amazon wish list, but I'm just eh. We have a new house, so I'd love some furniture and decor for the house.
3. Questions for the group? Do I really need the $900 Uppababy Vista stroller just because every book/article says it’s the best? LOL. We just started looking at the Baby Bargains book for big ticket stuff and I’m amazed/overwhelmed. What strollers are people looking at?
Also, how many strollers do I really need? I don’t want to buy more than one (we don’t have tons of storage space), but some stuff says it’s helpful to have a second smaller/lightweight umbrella stroller.
Lol no. If you tried to get "the best" car seat, stroller, crib, swaddle blankets, monitors, diapers, and every other category of baby gear you would go both insane figuring it out, and broke.
I had 3 strollers for my first baby: a frame stroller to snap her car seat onto, which was all we used for the first 6 mo., and then starting at 6 mo., an umbrella stroller and a Bob. I am not buying anything new for #2 until/unless the need arises.
The frame was really handy for the beginning, but you can pick them up used pretty easily because no one uses them for very long.
The umbrella is our most-used stroller. It's a Maclaren Triumph, and we use it for walking around downtown (my office/her daycare/my office parking garage are all a couple blocks apart), for travel, etc. I like how lightweight it is, and how little trunk space it takes up. Given how much we've used it, it was worth springing for a more expensive brand, although we didn't get THE most expensive.
The Bob has gotten less use than I planned, and was probably not as necessary as initially thought. I got it because I wanted to be able to run with a baby, but it turned out that when I was easing back into running (and rehabbing an injury at the same time), adding a stroller made it even harder, too much so. Plus when I was running it was my "me" time and I preferred to leave her home with Calvin anyway. But we have used it some, and hopefully I will again. It's also been useful for amusement parks, Christmas tree farms, the beach, and various one-off type stuff.
If I had a do-over I might get a more multi-functional stroller like the City Mini GT, instead of the Bob and maybe one of the others (add car seat adapter and skip frame? I'd be so hesitant to give up the umbrella). But what I have works, and doesn't require me to spend $, so I will try not to.
3. Questions for the group? My pants are getting pretty tight already in the waist. Is this normal? I just bought a few of those bella band things that will hopefully let me keep wearing my regular pants for another month or so, wasn't quite ready to get into maternity/limited wardrobe quite yet.
I only have 2 pairs of non-maternity pants that still fit, and they are postpartum (read: big) sizes from last time. I'm otherwise in maternity full time. Granted it happened earlier/faster this time than with #1, but even with #1 I remember moving to maternity pants around 12-13w. Don't be uncomfortable, it's a normal time to switch.
melmaria we got a (used) BOB and a Chicco Liteway Plus. The Plus model accepts a carseat (though only they Keyfit) so it was able to double as a frame and later an umbrella. I rarely use it once we ditched the bucket seat, though it's great to have when I have to schlep him to the doctor with me and need to keep him contained. We do use the BOB daily for walks in the neighborhood, and take it with us when we go camping as both of those uses are a lot less smooth.
I plan to get a double now, but will only get a BOB or City Mini GT.
If I had a do-over I might get a more multi-functional stroller like the City Mini GT, instead of the Bob and maybe one of the others (add car seat adapter and skip frame? I'd be so hesitant to give up the umbrella). But what I have works, and doesn't require me to spend $, so I will try not to.
About five different people have told me to get this one so far. I think we're also going go push around strollers at Bye Bye Baby and just see how different strollers feel/what's comfortable to us.
This is where we screwed up - I went to buy buy baby to push them around and ended up falling in love with the uppa baby vista and cruz. Not sure ultimately which one we'll get, but I kind of wish I hadn't ever gone! LOL!
3. Questions for the group? My pants are getting pretty tight already in the waist. Is this normal? I just bought a few of those bella band things that will hopefully let me keep wearing my regular pants for another month or so, wasn't quite ready to get into maternity/limited wardrobe quite yet.
I only have 2 pairs of non-maternity pants that still fit, and they are postpartum (read: big) sizes from last time. I'm otherwise in maternity full time. Granted it happened earlier/faster this time than with #1, but even with #1 I remember moving to maternity pants around 12-13w. Don't be uncomfortable, it's a normal time to switch.
This helps. I know everyone is different, it was just surprising to me. I also ate all the carbs in first tri, which is so away from my normal eating habits, so i'm sure this didn't help.
melmaria — my gut says you do NOT need a $900 stroller no matter what the reviews say. 😊 I splurged on a Bob with my DS a few years ago and I got a good holiday sale. I like it for running but also gravel paths and events like fairs or trips. The car seat adapter is available for many brands and was super easy to use. Unless you feel a Bob is too big for your needs I would recommend it.
This is exactly what we did too, melmaria. We did end up with a hand me down light weight stroller too, but we still use to bob most of the time (DD is 2y10m).
If I had a do-over I might get a more multi-functional stroller like the City Mini GT, instead of the Bob and maybe one of the others (add car seat adapter and skip frame? I'd be so hesitant to give up the umbrella). But what I have works, and doesn't require me to spend $, so I will try not to.
About five different people have told me to get this one so far. I think we're also going go push around strollers at Bye Bye Baby and just see how different strollers feel/what's comfortable to us.
I looove my City Mini GT. I find its really versatile, can take a beating, and the one hand close is clutch. I rarely use my umbrella (UppaBaby G-Lite) because I find it hard to close and you can't steer it one handed and its not great on uneven sidewalks or off road. The GT's only downfall is that the underneath basket is really small.
Post by KellyEasterbrook on Dec 3, 2018 14:18:35 GMT -5
1. How far along are you this week? 12w+6d
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? The NT scan and NIPT testing came back low risk last week. We found out it's another little girl. We're really excited, but it does bring up a lot of complicated feelings since our loss was also a girl. My blood pressure was really high at my appt, which I've never had happen. I had them redo it right before we left (and after we had the good news on the NT scan), and it had already gone down by over 30.
3. Questions for the group?
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? I just really want an ultrasound without bad news. We have a 16 week scan scheduled two days after Christmas. They should be able to see if there is a recurrence or not of the severe heart defects that affected our daughter. I really couldn't care less about anything else right now.
Post by EloiseWeenie on Dec 3, 2018 14:20:40 GMT -5
1. How far along are you this week? Exactly 1 week until c-section!! Tonight's goal is to pack the hospital bag.
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? I'm am so ready to not be pregnant anymore!
3. Questions for the group?
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? I wanted a new pair of Soma PJs to wear while I'm recovering. I ordered 2 pairs, one for now, one for under the tree. They are so stretchy and wonderful.
2. We have the baby shower this Saturday. All of my co-workers and our family are super excited about this for some reason. It's pretty awesome to see everyone so happy about this little man.
3. Not this week.
4. We don't celebrate holidays. We usually just tell each other or whoever in my family what we would like throughout the year.
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week?
Soooooo tired and sore still. I’ve been nesting like crazy and working on cleaning up and rearranging DS’s room to make room for baby. I’m insane and did a solo trip to Ikea today to pick up floating wall shelves and curtains to use as a room divider.
3. Questions for the group?
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? Glass bowl for my mixer, Fitbit Versa, pre-natal massage
3. Questions for the group? Do I really need the $900 Uppababy Vista stroller just because every book/article says it’s the best? LOL. We just started looking at the Baby Bargains book for big ticket stuff and I’m amazed/overwhelmed. What strollers are people looking at?
Also, how many strollers do I really need? I don’t want to buy more than one (we don’t have tons of storage space), but some stuff says it’s helpful to have a second smaller/lightweight umbrella stroller.
Lol no. If you tried to get "the best" car seat, stroller, crib, swaddle blankets, monitors, diapers, and every other category of baby gear you would go both insane figuring it out, and broke.
I had 3 strollers for my first baby: a frame stroller to snap her car seat onto, which was all we used for the first 6 mo., and then starting at 6 mo., an umbrella stroller and a Bob. I am not buying anything new for #2 until/unless the need arises.
The frame was really handy for the beginning, but you can pick them up used pretty easily because no one uses them for very long.
The umbrella is our most-used stroller. It's a Maclaren Triumph, and we use it for walking around downtown (my office/her daycare/my office parking garage are all a couple blocks apart), for travel, etc. I like how lightweight it is, and how little trunk space it takes up. Given how much we've used it, it was worth springing for a more expensive brand, although we didn't get THE most expensive.
The Bob has gotten less use than I planned, and was probably not as necessary as initially thought. I got it because I wanted to be able to run with a baby, but it turned out that when I was easing back into running (and rehabbing an injury at the same time), adding a stroller made it even harder, too much so. Plus when I was running it was my "me" time and I preferred to leave her home with Calvin anyway. But we have used it some, and hopefully I will again. It's also been useful for amusement parks, Christmas tree farms, the beach, and various one-off type stuff.
If I had a do-over I might get a more multi-functional stroller like the City Mini GT, instead of the Bob and maybe one of the others (add car seat adapter and skip frame? I'd be so hesitant to give up the umbrella). But what I have works, and doesn't require me to spend $, so I will try not to.
I feel pretty much the opposite, which I think just goes to show that...it depends, on the needs of the parent and on the baby's disposition. We initially got a City Mini GT, and I do think it's a great stroller - comfortable, easy to fold up, dependable. We weren't going to get a BOB, because we drastically underestimated how hard parenting is (we're morons) and figured we'd just leave the baby with the other parent while one parent ran. Eventually we realized that anything that we had to do anyway that we could include the baby on, we should do with her - and that included running. So I ran a lot with her, until she was about two years old. (Caveat: All runs were well under an hour, probably closer to 30-40 minutes.)
For neighborhood walks, the BOB made the City Mini obsolete. For travel and city stuff, I think an umbrella stroller would have had the advantages of the City Mini but been even smaller and more convenient.
Something about it being December has suddenly lit a fire under me. I went from thinking we have plenty of time to, "HOLY CRAP WE'RE HAVING A BABY NEXT MONTH, WE HAVE SO MUCH LEFT TO DO." lol.
Omg, right?? I have not done much prep, and I suddenly realized we have no tree yet, and I don’t even know what room baby will go in. Oy. All they really need is clothes, diapers, food, a place to sleep, and some love, right? It will be ok, but a busy month is ahead.
Yeah, katespade , I definitely did a double-take when you said "having a baby next month." I've been counting down the weeks, but phrasing it like that is still a bit of an eye-opener!
1. How far along are you this week? 15 weeks today.
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? I haven't played in a few weeks. Things have been crazy and then I got strep throat which was AWFUL. I'd never had it before and hope to never have it again.
3. Questions for the group? Talk to me about headaches. What's normal? I have an appointment tomorrow but I've been getting daily headaches for about 2 weeks now. I can't really pinpoint a trigger. I'm miserable and Tylenol does nothing.
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? I can't think of anything which is new for me so I'll be stalking some of your ideas.
3. For 2nd time moms, tell me about what your contractions felt like/how you knew it was time to go to the hospital? With DD, I had a regular check up appt at 39+4 and the doctor told me I was 6 cm dilated and needed to go in. I don't remember really feeling anything to that point, and then when I got to the hospital I got an epidural pretty quickly and ended up needing pitocin to move things along. This time, the baby has been super low for the past month+, and I'm so nervous its going to move fast and I'm not going to realize I'm in labor.
I went when I could no longer breathe through the contractions on my own and knew I needed to push soon.
Were you also effaced when you were 6cm? I was 4cm at 36 weeks and then 6cm by 39 but wasn't effaced. As soon as I was effaced AND dilated active labor began in full force.
1. How far along are you this week? 15 weeks today.
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? I haven't played in a few weeks. Things have been crazy and then I got strep throat which was AWFUL. I'd never had it before and hope to never have it again.
3. Questions for the group? Talk to me about headaches. What's normal? I have an appointment tomorrow but I've been getting daily headaches for about 2 weeks now. I can't really pinpoint a trigger. I'm miserable and Tylenol does nothing.
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? I can't think of anything which is new for me so I'll be stalking some of your ideas.
I get frequent headaches too and they only thing that helps is 2 Tylenol with a cup of coffee.
Post by cherryvalance on Dec 3, 2018 16:32:38 GMT -5
melmaria, lifestyle and budget were the deciding factors for us. We got the regular City Mini (and love it), but we also knew we were going straight to convertible seats so we needed something that reclined completely when DS was little. We also bought a $25 umbrella stroller from Target for the few times we'd need to take him in tight spaces where the regular stroller would be a pain. I hate it, but it does its job.
Buying used is really the best idea, though. I'm searching for a used double right now, after seeing how little wear and tear is on our stroller after pretty heavy use.
Have you considered buying used? There are a ton on my Facebook Marketplace, and I actually scored a Cruz for $75. After replacing the canopy for $30, it basically looks new.
I just started looking at big ticket items like strollers/car seats/cribs/etc yesterday after the Baby Bargains book arrived in the mail - so not yet. But I will!
Have you also checked out Lucie's List? I ended up using it more than Baby Bargains.
melmaria Where do you live? I bought a uppababy Vista for my first back in 2013 and it was hands down my favorite baby purchase. And it’s still in great shape and ready to go for baby #2, which makes me feel better about the initial investment.
But we live in NYC and walk everywhere and don’t own a car. I used to joke that the Vista was like my SUV. I could fit a weeks worth of groceries in the basket underneath, and my kid slept exclusively in the bassinet (with stand at home) for the first two months of his life. And continued using it daily until he was 3, so it got a ton of use. Uppababy has great customer service and swapped out worn down wheels for free. It’s also one of the few strollers my 6’2 husband could push comfortably. Believe me, he was desperate to find a cheaper stroller that he could push comfortably. 😂 He haaated the umbrella stroller I bought when J was 3.
But I could see it being too big for suburban life! Not something I’d want to haul in and out of cars frequently.
brooklyn, we live in a Minneapolis suburb, but a very walkable/urban-ish one. So I envision being able to use the stroller to walk to restaurants, coffee, the park, etc. I'm taking 6 months of leave and since this baby is due late April I hope to get a lot of outdoor/neighborhood walking in - otherwise I'll go stir crazy at home!
But, our family is spread out all over the Twin Cities, as is certain child-stuff we'd like to do (the zoo, the Children's Museum, etc.) - so we'll definitely need a stroller that's not too much of a pain in the ass to get in our cars as well. (We both drive SUVs, mine is a smaller one).
So - we kind of need something that works with both aspects of life, I guess!
Good to know about stroller height. My H is 6'3.
Definitely check out the city mini GT. It is easy to fold but still very easy to use on city streets. Plus it has adjustable handles for height differences.
Talk to me about headaches. What's normal? I have an appointment tomorrow but I've been getting daily headaches for about 2 weeks now. I can't really pinpoint a trigger. I'm miserable and Tylenol does nothing.
I get frequent headaches too and they only thing that helps is 2 Tylenol with a cup of coffee.
This is the same as me. I was getting pretty bad migraines, and it could sometimes take up to 4 Tylenol (not all at once) and 2 cups of coffee before they were gone, which seemed excessive but it was the only thing that would work. When it’s not a migraine, I found putting an ice pack on my forehead has been helping lately, along with a couple Tylenol and a cup of coffee.
I get frequent headaches too and they only thing that helps is 2 Tylenol with a cup of coffee.
This is the same as me. I was getting pretty bad migraines, and it could sometimes take up to 4 Tylenol (not all at once) and 2 cups of coffee before they were gone, which seemed excessive but it was the only thing that would work. When it’s not a migraine, I found putting an ice pack on my forehead has been helping lately, along with a couple Tylenol and a cup of coffee.
I believe the caffeine helps because it dilates the blood vessels and (this part may be wrong) that relieves the tension &/or pressure. Definitely the magic combo for me.
1. How far along are you this week? 20 weeks tomorrow! So excited to be only 4 weeks from viability!
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? We had our anatomy scan last Thursday. Both babies looked great, although I found out baby boy has marginal cord insertion. Since he's been measuring behind his sister the entire time, this earned us extra growth scans as we progress. My cervix has also shortened by over a cm in the last 2.5 weeks, which makes me so nervous. Next check on the 14th.
3. Questions for the group? Nope - but so many thanks to namasteak for the Keyfit 30 deal rec!!
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? Nothing. We're renoing the basement to prepare for twins and that will be all gifts and non-baby spending for a long while!
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? Excited to reach 24 weeks! Our crib arrived today, and I can't wait to get it put together. I'm still trying to decide on a photographer for newborn photos, and whether I want maternity or other baby photos too.
3. Questions for the group?
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? A robe, slippers, prenatal massage
2. Pregnancy-related AW/vents/randoms for this week? I'm so sad that my skin is reacting to the KT tape, even the one for sensitive skin. My back and round ligament hurt so bad. Thank goodness for my chiro appt tomorrow.
I also have a gut feeling that I have gestational diabetes. I'm so big now and I'm already up 30 pounds (I gained 40 total last time and my OB didn't want me to gain more than that this time). I cant believe I still have 12+ weeks of this. My GD test is next week.
3. Questions for the group? Nah.
4. What's on your holiday wish list this year? A couple of books (Reese Witherspoon's book, a biography on Dr. Red Duke who I adore), socks, replacement bands for my fitbit, some mugs and Yeti tumblers. Not too much fancy.