Browneyedsaur Dreamersaur Eiresaur Hungrysaur Jerseysaur Laughosaur Join Us


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

My Baby Gear 101

I am still here! Still pregnant! I am 38 weeks and 6 days. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I clock 39 weeks and head in for my weekly doctor's appointment. Plus, our crib will *finally* be delivered tomorrow! Yay!

So, in honor of our crib being delivered, I decided to blog today about baby gear. I admit, I became a little bit obsessed about researching and selecting the best baby gear ever. But, it wasn't me. It was the crazy nesting instinct taking over! I swear!

First, a few good resources:
  • Baby Bargains. Buy it. (On Amazon for the best deal.) It was my Bible. But don't be afraid to disagree with it. And check out their blog also. Good recall and industry info. Make sure you get the latest edition of the book. The 2009 one has a green cover.
  • I have heard good things about Consumer Reports, signing up for an account and also their baby gear book. I kept meaning to check that out but never did. It also came out in 2009 though, so it'd be worth checking out. If you do buy it, let us know what you think!
  • Also, love this Baby Gear 101 site that Shopasaur turned me onto. But be careful, if you are like me, when I read about cool baby stuff, I Must Buy It. It's a crazy urge. I blame not being able to shop for cute shoes right now.
  • And if you like coupons and daily temptations, sign up for e-mails from BabySteals.com and GreenBabyBargains.com. I discovered these sites only a few weeks ago and I am already one of their beeeeeeest customers.
  • Also, my name is Politisaur and I am an Etsy addict. Browse the baby gift guide. Or baby toys. Or do a search for anything "Amy Butler." I swear I have decorated my entire nursery on Etsy. Oh, and yes by all means JEWELRY counts as maternity clothes. When you are feeling fat, a new necklace can really brighten your day. Or take the attention off your belly.
  • Finally, I am all about a good deal. So you should know a few things: Buy Buy Baby takes Bed, Bath & Beyond unexpired coupons. Score! But most items (baby monitors, breast pumps, Baby Bjorn, etc.) are MUCH cheaper on Amazon than at BBB or Babies 'R Us. You can also find great deals at Target, Walmart, Diapers.com and BabyCatalog.com. Plus, just Google the product name and check out the Shopping Results. Oh, and don't forget Craigslist! You can also check out this coupon article from Parenting magazine.
Whew! And I am just getting started!

Here, now, are our baby gear choices -- and a random assortment of other purchases and gifts. You will find that moms are very opinionated on what they chose and why. We each like to believe that we chose the BEST in every category for the BEST reasons. So just be careful about asking moms for advice. And know that if you disagree with any of my choices, that's OK. Just don't tell me because I might freak out and go into labor.

Big Ticket baby gear items first, grouped in random but sort of organized order:
  • Best Chairs Upholstered Glider Rocker in espresso -- $700, from BBB (gift)
  • Nursing stool -- $15, from Craigslist ($34.99 at BBB)
  • Exercise ball (for labor) -- $19.99, from Amazon
  • Hot/cold packs (for labor) -- $15.95 + shipping, Etsy
  • Sleep bras, nursing bra, nursing tops, nursing gowns and robes -- Motherhood Maternity
  • House shoes (for hospital) -- $40, Restoration Hardware Outlet
Sorry, that was kind of a long list... Hopefully it'll be a good resource. And before you say that I am crazy, obsessed mother to be who has fallen victim to buying everything under the sun, may I point out that I held my ground and did NOT buy a wipe warmer. Or a bottle warmer. Or a pretty bumper. And I am holding off on the breast pump until I know for sure that I'll be pumping when I go back to work.

So there.

Oh, and happy shopping everyone!

3 comments:

  1. Wow! This is an amazing list, thank you for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for posting this list! It's really helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for this...now I have another list to compare my list too! LOL! I hear you on the nesting thing. I am SO doing my best not to go too crazy! I hope Miss Lima Bean makes her debut soon...you are totally READY!

    ReplyDelete