Thirtysomething

Stuff I've Learned

I've recently been compiling a list in my head of all the products I love and don't love since Rolo's been born, and I thought I'd post it:

Stuff I Could Live Without

-the Dr. Brown's microwave sterilizer=total waste of money. Yeah, it makes things easier when you first sterilize the bottles when the baby comes home. But then you never really use it again.

-the beloved Vera Bradley diaper bag. I have two of these and I thought it was what I wanted. In practice, it's an awkward diaper bag. It's lightweight, which is a pro, but I've found that I need a bag that goes across my chest.

-things with hoods. It can be seriously difficult to find baby jackets that don't come with hoods. Hell, even many sweaters and some shirts come with hoods. Totally annoying. Here are the instances in which your child may need a hood: 1.) if the seasons are changing and it's warm, you're not bringing a hat, but if it gets breezy, you'd like your baby to have some protection or 2.) it's the middle of the winter and your kid is going to be outside for a long period of time (i.e. a parade or...something), wearing the hood over a hat. Other than that, no need for a hood. I think one coat or snowsuit and one sweater with hoods are plenty. If the child is not yet sitting up on his own, it means the hood either has to be up when the child is in a car seat or stroller, or if the hood is down, he's laying on it uncomfortably.

-the Boppy pillow. While I'm a big fan of a couple of the other Boppy products (see below), this one was kind of a waste. I've used it occasionally to prop Rolo up on the floor or on a bed, particularly for tummy time. But as a breastfeeding aid, it didn't work for me (for the short time I was actually nursing). It would always slip away from me as Rolo nursed and would require constant readjustment. And since I was trying to actually get Rolo to successfully latch on, this distraction was annoying beyond belief. I've heard that a similiar pillow, My Breast Friend, (sorry I can't type that without gagging from the cheesiness) is better because it straps to you, preventing the slipping.

Stuff I LOVE:

-Britax Diplomat. It's one of the safest car seats out there, and Rolo really likes it (well, other than getting strapped into it). It's almost the same seat as the Britax Boulevard, just a smaller version. The Boulevard is HUGE, and when rear-facing, almost always requires moving your front seats up. My plan is the use the Diplomat, and possibly, if we ever have another kid, to get the Boulevard for Rolo (who would be forward facing by then) and use the Diplomat for kid #2. Anyway, they are pricey, but of all the things parents plunk down hundreds of dollars on, I think something like a car seat is a much better value than, say, fancy bedding. The car seat could save your kid's life. Know what's going to happen to that fancy bedding? Your kid is going to urinate on it.


-Born Free bottles. I finally broke down and got Rolo BPA-free bottles. Although I'm still using the Dr. Brown's for day care right now, the Born Free seem to work really well. Plus the parts are easier to clean than the Dr. Brown's.

-Stuck On You labels. Seriously, these things stay on the bottles, no matter how many times you wash them (although admittedly, we hand-wash bottles, no dishwasher) and they are much cuter than having to write your kid's name in permanent marker on bottles and sippy cups for day care.

-the Zoomby blanket. We got this as a gift and we used it instead of one of those infant carrier muffs. It kept little Rolo super toasty warm.

-side-snap shirts. Gerber's and Carter's both make these and some have cute little designs on them. For a summer baby, I thought these were great. Rolo wore one of these and a diaper to bed many a night.

-sneaker socks. Need I say more?

-The Boppy swing and activity mat. We're still using both of these, although, the swing's days are numbered as Rolo is just getting too big for it. I've heard people complain that the swing isn't "bright enough", as if I suppose, babies only like swings that scream colors at them. I happened to love the muted tones. Rolo spent many a morning deep in conversation with "his bees" (which hang from the swing). More importantly, he took many a long nap in that thing. The activity mat we used from the time he was about 4 weeks old and he's still entralled with it.

-pacifier tethers, like this one. Not only good for holding a pacifier, but also for attaching lightweight toys (like toy keys) to the kid so they don't wind up on the floor when out in public.

I'm going to try to post periodically about kids' products I use. Not that my reading audience, all 3 of you, is interested in that. But, whatever, this site is about me. No, seriously, keep reading.

Labels: baby, baby style, parenting, Rolo

posted by DJ Heavy D @ 6:50 AM