There is a lot of baby gear out there. Here's the advice I will give you, my friend, based on my 4 months of experience. Obviously I'm not an expert. Just a new mom who wants to write a blog.
Bouncer
The Bouncer has been invaluable to me. Need to take a shower? Put the baby in the bouncer. Need to cook dinner? Put the baby in the bouncer. Want to let the dogs lick the baby's feet? Put the baby in the bouncer? We registered for this
bouncer, and we use it every day. Little Man didn't interact with it for the first month, so I thought it wasn't going to be a good purchase, but he loves it now. I like the one we've got, because the toys can be removed when it's time to go to sleep. These contraptions are great, because they don't take up a ton of room, and they are portable. Easily fits in the PT Cruiser alongside the car seat and stroller. We're still using this at 4-months-old.
Good to know: For the first two months, the thing doesn't bounce unless you make it bounce. By month three, Little Man had learned to bounce himself.
Activity Gym
Memaw bought Little Man one of these. For the first couple of months, I kept thinking the baby HAD to be bored. Unless we were holding him, all he did was lay there. He couldn't hold toys, he couldn't watch tv, all he ate was milk...so I begged my mom to let me have the activity gym she had bought for her house. It's kind of like
this, but older. She bought it at a consignment sale. Positives? They are portable, colorful, and easily stored. Negatives? Little Man hated laying on it the first couple of months. Turns out he wasn't bored. He did just want to be held. He likes it a little more now, so we take it to the sitter's house so he'll have something to do.
Boppy
Couldn't have lived without the
Boppy during the first four months. It saved my arms while Little Man and I were learning to breastfeed. I can do without it now, but choose not to. Here's a picture of the little guy laying in it the way the label says not to. Sorry for the terrible quality.
Someone gave me a
My Breast Friend pillow, but I never used it. I like how soft the Boppy is. Plus I didn't want to have to strap myself into a pillow every time I needed to feed the baby, which is a lot those first few weeks.
Tummy Triangle
A dear friend bought Little Man
this right off my registry. In theory, it's a great item. In practice, baby hates it. Baby doesn't like tummy time, and this triangle thing just reminds him how much he hates it. Verdict: Skip it.
Swing
We were given a used swing. Ours is a basic model, and it must be a few years old, because I can't find anything like it online.
This is the closest I can find. It came in handy for the first month. We could put him in the swing any time he cried, and he would instantly calm down. It was the only way I got the dishes washed while on maternity leave. I don't think it's a major necessity though. He's 17 weeks today, and I don't think we'll ever really use it again. If you don't have a lot of room, skip the swing. I'm glad we didn't purchase one.
Jumperoo/ExerSaucer
At 3 months, Little Man started to need a little more interaction and mobility, which we found in this
thing. If you've got room for it, get one! They aren't exactly cheap, but I'm sure you can find a used one that's like new. We received a previously owned one from a friend.
Good to know: They aren't exactly portable, which my husband learned when he tried to move it from my son's room to the living room. We basically replaced the swing with this once he could hold his head up on his own.
Doorway Jumper
If you don't have room for the Jumperoo, get one of these. Little Man loves it as you can see in the picture. We ended up with two. The
one in the picture has no frills, but it's light and super portable. We leave this one at the sitter's house, since I'm obviously not going to carry the Jumperoo back and forth. Watch out for the weight limit on these (this one is 24lbs.). Once he starts walking, I don't think we'll be able to use it anymore. We just took it out of the box two weeks ago (15-weeks-old).
We were also given a used one similar to
this that we keep at home. It lights up and Little Man loves it. The thing can move from room to room with me while I'm cleaning, getting ready for work, watching Netflix with the hubby...
Play Yard
This pic was taken just a few weeks after Little Man came home. (Roxy tried to reach the baby but was denied, thank you very much.) We received the
Safety 1st Play Yard as a gift.
(Side Note: Play Yard is the official name, Pack 'N Play is Graco's brand name. Kind of like Kleenex and Band Aid.)
I'm glad we have this. It's basically become a piece of furniture in our living room. Many of my friends with kids keep one in their bedroom, but since we had a cradle, we use it in the Living Room. We're using it less and less as he gets older, since he doesn't have to sleep as much. If you don't have a lot of room, you could skip this one and just use your crib. They are fairly portable (just don't try to break it down quickly), so if you travel a lot, I would recommend it. Then again, ours hasn't moved from the living room, so don't take my word on it...
Bumbo
I've heard rave reviews about this crazy
thing, but short of this great photo opp, Little Man won't sit in it long enough for me to see the point. Maybe he's still too young. I'm sure we'll start using it more when he starts eating solids.
We ended up with two of these (one new, one borrowed/used), and, no, I did not pay attention to the
recall, because I think it is ridiculous. Both of my Bumbo's are belt-less. Good lord, of course you're baby is going to get a fractured skull if you leave him unattended on the kitchen counter. Can we all get a little bit of sense?
What did I miss? These are the entertainers we use on a regular basis.
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