The Baby Gear Post

I have always found these super helpful in terms of seeing what other people have registered for their kiddos, so I'm sharing our favorite registry items. Keep in mind, I don't have an actual baby yet to give a full review, so take these with a grain of salt. I will do an updated review once the little man is here and he gives his opinion on all this "stuff".

The Stroller:
So J and I (and the puppy dog) take a ridiculous amount of walks. Spencer gets 3 LONG walks a day and on the weekends, we typically take her to the park or hiking or some other outdoor activity. So we knew that we needed a stroller to fit into our lifestyle - something all terrain that could handle bumpy paths, grass, etc. Every.single.one of our friends with kids recommended the Bob Revolution. I don't know if I could name a family we know that doesn't own that stroller. It's also all over the internet as the Cadillac of strollers. So that's what we got, right? Wrong! We bucked the trend and got the Baby Jogger City Elite.

We just fell in love with this stroller when we test drove them at Buy Buy Baby. Really, what sold us was the super easy close on it - you just grab a strap in the seat and the entire thing collapses. It's one-handed and pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen. It's also significantly smaller (in terms of width and length) than the Bob and I felt it was easier to maneuver because of that. It still has big tires (smaller than the Bob) and they are foam filled, meaning you can never get a flat tire. I could seriously go on and on about how much we love this stroller. My generous in-laws purchased this for us and I seriously almost cried when it arrived. Oh and it has the biggest canopy I've ever seen - since our child probably won't be blessed in the melatonin department because J and I are so fair, it was important that we could protect his pasty skin from the sun!

The Car Seat:
Again, a lot of research went into deciding on the car seat. We had it narrowed down to the Graco Snugride 30 and the Chicco KeyFit 30 and ultimately went with the Chicco because it seemed like most people really loved theirs. The #1 thing we heard about this seat is how easy it goes in and out of the base in the car. We got the "Adventure" color and it's a really pretty (and gender neutral for any future kiddos) green color. So far we love it!

The Baby Carrier:
I became obsessed with my research of baby carriers. I really want to wear the little dude as much as possible and again, putting him in a carrier seems to fit in with our lifestyle of being active if we ever don't feel like bringing the stroller out for walks. There's so much information out there about what is best for baby, best for the parents, etc. in terms of carriers. We actually registered for 2 carriers after determining that a wrap was probably best for the newborn stage and then we could move him into a more traditional front/back carrier when he's bigger and has better neck control. Again, people swear by the Moby wrap. That thing scares and intimidates me, so we registered for the Baby K'Tan.

 There is less wrapping/tying that goes with the K'Tan and it seems generally easier to put on yourself. One of my good friends pretty much wears her baby all the time and she swears by this one over the Moby. I was able to try hers out and fell in love. So that's what the little man will be snoozing in when he's a wee thing.

As far as the traditional carrier, we went with the Beco Gemini

 The thing I liked best about this carrier is that the baby has the option to face in or out when you are carrying them in the front. They don't recommend you let the baby face out for a long period of time because of over stimulation, but I wanted the option in case we have a curious kid on our hands and he wants to see the world. The Gemini is supposed to have really good back support for parents as well, which is obviously important. 

Changing Pad:
Oh boy - the debacle of the changing pad! I had seen the BabySmart Cooshee Changing pad all over the blogosphere.

It seemed like the most amazing thing ever - no cloth changing pad covers to deal with having to change and wash constantly when it gets poop, pee, barf or any other bodily fluid I don't even know about yet on it. It gets rave reviews everywhere, which is probably why it was completely sold out world-wide. Trust me, I searched and searched for any sort of sketchy website in India I could get one of these. No dice. I was about to give up and just get the traditional changing pad with the cover but I couldn't accept defeat yet.

So I did what any hormonal crazy pregnant person does - I started stalking Ebay. And lo and behold, one finally popped up. And then I got into a bidding war on a random Thursday afternoon, which resulted in me becoming the WINNER of said auction in the last 3 seconds! And yes, I totally fist pumped and danced around my living room when I realized I won it. And I actually got it for about $25 cheaper than it retails for, even though I was totally willing to spend several hundred dollars on this sucker. So it now holds the spot as my #1 most favorite baby item that we will ever own. Also, baby boy will be staying in diapers until he's 7 so that I can continue to use it (totally kidding!!)

The Diaper Bag:
I hate diaper bags that look like a diaper bag - what grown woman wants to carry a bag with Winnie the Pooh on it? Well maybe some do, but I do not. I wanted something that looked like a purse/bag that I would carry in my "non mom" life. I fell in love with the Skip Hop Versa

It's big, but not gigantic. It has a normal strap that can be adjusted to make it longer so you can use it messenger bag style. Tons of pockets on the inside and outside. Oh and the inside lining is the most fun shade of bright blue! I seriously want to start using this bag now! J had no opinion or input into the diaper bag, so I just went with what I loved!

Baby Monitor:
We've heard that video monitors are really worth the extra money, just so that you are able to look in on the baby without constantly getting up to check on him. Anything that allows me a few extra minutes of sleep seems like a good idea to me. We decided on the Motorola Digital Video Baby Monitor, with the 2.8" screen

It gets great reviews everywhere so I have a feeling we will love it. I'm really tempted to try it out by putting it in our living room and see what Spencer is up to at night!

Other Items:
The Nosefrida - super gross, but I'm SO excited to suck some snot out of my newborns nose!

The Miracle Blanket - we got 2 because I've heard these seriously live up to their "miracle" name and we won't want to be without it if one is in the wash.

The Ultimate Crib Sheet - I'm a fan of easy sheet changes in the middle of the night when the little man pees or barfs everywhere.

Fisher Price EZ Clean High Chair - I like that it has the word "clean" in the name, which is not something you normally hear when thinking about feeding a baby.  My BFF swears by this as being easy to clean, compact and nice neutral prints so it may actually match your dining room decor!

Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets - Every single mom I know says these are the most amazing blankets ever. So of course, I need to have it! And my wonderful mom found the CUTEST print ones at this baby boutique in my town, so baby boy will have puppy dogs on his A&A blankets!

The Boppy - I don't think this really needs an explanation. We got 2 covers at the recommendation of everyone.

Things we didn't register for because we got as hand me downs:
A Swing
A Bouncy Chair
A Pack N Play
Nursing Cover
Bottle Warmer

So that's our list right now - I'll probably do an update at 3 months and maybe again at 6 months to see how we are liking all our gear!