Below are reviews of just some the beloved baby items that junk up our tiny, already cramped rowhome... if you want to skip my rambling reviews and get right to the meaty center I will break it down with some pros and cons at the end of each item review.
* Please note: in my defense, a handful of the things that we have accumulated are hand-me-downs from a generous coworker and from my sister-in-law.
Bumbo
As you can see from the grainy camera phone picture above, Jack is a happy dude in his bumbo. I snapped that artsy shot while I was putting some diapers in the wash... he just sat and laughed and talked to me the whole time. Then we went down in the kitchen and he sat next to me while I made some food. It makes my life soooo much easier. Jack likes to sit up and, since he can't do it on his own yet, this little purple foamy seat make it possible for him to stay happy and sitting up next to me while I get stuff done. I have read reviews that say not to have your little one sit in the seat too long because it doesn't encourage muscle development. Pros:
* Gives Jack a place to happily sit up and watch me do laundry, cook, etc without having to be held.
* Very portable. Easy to move from room to room or take along to family gatherings.
* Babies look adorable sitting in a seat like a little tiny grown up.
Cons:
* Doesn't work well for babies with chunky thighs. I knew Jack was on the chunky side but at just shy of four months he was already starting to outgrow this... I think we only have a couple more weeks until my little chubby buddy can't fit his fat little legs in anymore. (** update.. he just turned five months and he still fits! I guess his thigh chunkiness has plateaued for now)
* Could be mistaken for a tool to help develop babies trunk muscles which is does not.
Playmat: Tiny Love Super Deluxe Lights and Musis Gymini Activity Gym
At first I didn't really want one of these... I thought they looked kinda busy (and by busy, I mean tacky) and I didn't think Jack would really care one way or the other if you had some colorful mat to lay on. I was wrong. He loves this thing and I love it too. I did a lot of research, read a lot of reviews on Amazon and decided on this one... more expensive but well worth it in my opinion. I rarely opt for the Cadillac version of items but I'm sure glad I did for this. Reviews of other activity gyms said that the hanging toys were heavy and were prone to fall off and clunk little ones on the head... not the Tiny Love Super Deluxe.. the toys are soft and colorful. Each toy has at least one neat feature for kids to explore... the giraffe rattles, the ears on the elephant make crinkle sounds, etc. There are two music features (classical music and kiddie nursery songs) and I don't find them nearly as annoying as I thought I would. The playmat also has a mirror which has turned out to be a favorite feature of Jack's... he just looooves to roll over onto his belly and have nice long conversations with himself.
Pros:
* Cute toys that can be switched up/moved about. Each toy has its own feature for kids to explore.
* Music is not obnoxious.
* Folds up and snaps which makes it easier to transport from room to room or to a family gathering.
* Easy to wipe down when baby spits up a gallon of milk.
Cons:
* One of the more expensive playmats.
* Can't think of anything else... it is pretty great!
Bonus advice: I would like to mention something regarding my feelings about this playmat, as well as other items I have purchased or been given...... I am very quick to get discouraged if Jack doesn't immediately take to an item. For example, when we got the playmat he liked the giraffe and only the giraffe. I was convinced that the mirror and the other animals would never interest him... why did I spend all this money and all he cares about is a cloth giraffe with a rattley butt?? Then he started reaching for toys and he became interested in the other animals. And he started rolling over and quickly came to love the mirror. The moral of my rambly story.... don't write off a baby item right away... give it time.
Video Monitor: Lorex Live Snap
I really wanted a video monitor... then I thought "Who do I think I am?? Am I sooo obsessed with technology that I can't get by with a regular old monitor??" The answer is: no, I can get by with a regular old monitor... but do I want to?? NO. Here are some reasons that I came to realize that life is easier for us with a video monitor:
1. I'm a new mom. I like to stare at Jack 98% of the time that he is sleeping to make sure that he is breathing. With the video monitor I can now stare at him while I catch up on Project Runway, do laundry, wash dishes and pet my cats.. I am much more productive since getting the video monitor.
2. Jack's room is on the third floor ("wow, they must live in a mansion!" you say?... no, no.. just a very creaky, very narrow rowhome)... sneaking up the creaky stairs to make sure he is breathing is very hard.. the video monitor makes my obsessive worrying easier.
3. In addition to creaky stairs making my sneaking more difficult is a loud bifold door. We took the door off of my closet and repurposed it to be a door to the third floor. Sounds pretty crafty huh? It would be if it actually fit. Again, makes sneaking difficult.
Overall, the monitor makes spying on my son much easier.
Pros:
* No interference with other electronic equipment.
* Great night vision. I read reviews of other video monitors and it seemed like some have lights that flash at night to capture pictures of little dudes... the Lorex has excellent night vision which doesn't light up the room at all.
* Ability to have up to four cameras synced up... doesn't mean much for us now but it will be great when we have more kids or a playroom we also wanna keep an eye on.
* Two way communication. Worked great a few times when I knew that all Jack needed was a little white noise when a car outside woke him up... so I clicked the two way talk and "shhhh"ed him back to sleep. Also good for controlling wives who want to give instructions to husbands putting babies to sleep.
Cons:
* Kind of expensive... but no more expensive than other video monitors. We were lucky enough to get the monitor through my dad's credit card reward points... but knowing how great it is I would totally pay $199 for it.
Munchkin Elmo Mirror
Josh talked to guys at work who all had the same problem! They suggested we get a mirror that swivels... so off to Babies-r-us we went. We only found one in the store that had the swivel feature we wanted and it had a big Elmo on it.. I thought it was kinda tacky but my hatred for all things brica trumped the tackiness of a giant red Elmo head and we purchased it. I LOVE it. I can see Jack's face so much better... it is a normal mirror, not a fish eye mirror like the brica, so I get a clear view of him. Plus, Jack loves sitting there staring up at Elmo... they have had some pretty deep conversations.
Pros:
* Jack likes it a lot.
* Solid and we haven't had any issues with function (besides our own mistakes.. see con below about bumping)
Cons:
* Only have a view of his face (not a wider picture like we had with the brica fish eye style mirror) so if he leans forward pretty far then I can't see him very well.
* If someone bumps the mirror when getting him in or out of the car seat then we can't see him. But it is an easy fix to reach back before starting to drive and swiveling the mirror back so I don't think of this as a very big problem.
Jumparoo: Fisher Price Rainforest Jumparoo
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| It is hard to get a good picture of him in his jumparoo because he never.stops.jumping! |
I thought this one was kinda tacky (obviously I'm not a huge fan of super busy, colorful baby crap... even though I should have listened to my sister who was a nanny and told me that babies love colorful, tacky crap) but Josh picked it out and so I read reviews and found that it got the best reviews. According to reviews, the seat spins much easier than other models and brands.
Pros:
* Very easy to assemble.
* Folds up... great for us with such limited space... we can tuck it away if we have company.
* Different volumes of noises and music. So while I eat my morning cereal we choose no music (me + mornings + loud monkey sounds = bad mood)... afternoon bounces have mid-level volume music/sounds and evening bounces depend on how much elephant honking and monkey squaking I can take.
* Variety of toys and activities.
Cons:
* I have heard (not researched much on my own) that jumparoos are not great for the developing hips of little dudes (and dudettes)... so we limit the bounce time.
* Takes up quite a bit of space. If you have a play room or a large house then it isn't a problem.. but for people with teeny, tiny houses it is a large item to bring into the mix.
Cloth Diapers: LOVE. We have a lot of different types. I will review them on another post. Tooooo much to review and discuss on here. Please let me know if you just can't wait for my reviews/suggestions post and I will email you or answer any questions you might have!
Other items that are great and deserve a shout-out......
Swaddling Blankets: Aden and Anais blankets I love these blankets. They are a little pricey but well worth it. Great for swaddling, perfect for covering up while nursing because they are lightweight, and also great to lay out on the floor and let baby play and roll around because they are bigger than most receiving blankets.
Dr. Brown's bottle warmer: I have not personally used it because I only nurse Jack when I'm home but my mom (who watches Jack) is obsessed. It is pretty expensive and we probably wouldn't have bought it for ourselves but it was a gift and I'm so glad we have it.. my mom says it is very, very easy to operate and I'm hoping it will deter anyone else who watches Jack from using the microwave to warm his bottles.
Sassy go go bugs: Jack looooves these silly little bugs that attach onto his carseat handle... they keep him occupied when he is being wheeled around Ikea for hours and hours.
Boppy: I like the boppy. I could live without it but it certainly comes in handy sometimes. I used it occasionally when nursing at the beginning and now Jack sits in it while I fold laundry.
Boppy lounger: Was nice when Jack was a little, little guy. He could lounge next to me and doze while I did laundry (I feel like I'm constantly doing laundry) or replied to emails. It is nice to have but I probably wouldn't have purchased this if I had to do it again.
Ergo carrier: LOVE. My sister-in-law let me borrow her sling and I did not like it... admittedly, I think I couldn't figure out how to wear it properly. Jack has had pretty good neck control for a while now so I have been able to use the Ergo and I love it. Very easy to put on and so comfortable. My mom also loves it and uses it almost every day to take Jack for a walk around the neighborhood.
One con is that it gets very hot. In hindsight, I should have ordered a performance or sport Ergo because they are made with more breathable material... I didn't know about the different types when I registered.
Graco Snap n go stroller frame: This is perfect to keep in the car. Soooo much easier than the big, bulky stroller that came as part of the travel system. Don't get me wrong... I like the big stroller (the Cadillac) for walks around the city but the graco frame (the Civic) is great for trip to the store, the mall, Ikea, etc.
That's not even everything we have.... just some of my favorite stuff. See, I told you we have too much!!
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