Baby Gear Advice

I have not used a manual pump that was not an antique but...my electric double pump (medela pump in style) was a LIFESAVER as well as a time saver.

hi K.,

we must be soulmats LOL...i just had my 5th baby 2 wks ago and yes, 4 sons 1 little dolly: ) all 8 yrs and under!!! anyway, i can say the manual pumps always worked for me, i have now an electric one but not tried it yet! seems better not to buy ANYTHING though as many items can be had 2nd hand

good luck! sorry for the errors here, typing 1 handed baby with me

hilarie

hi and congrats!
my favorite baby gear item was the kangaroo korner fleese pocket sling. easy for mom and dad to use. baby easy in and out, in all different carrier positions.
the baby bijorn type carriers hurt my lower back as my daughter got heavier (and i dont have back problems). the ergo baby carrier causes no pain and is also easy to use.
good luck with everything!
best,
L.

I know you're getting so much conflicting advice on products, but here's my addition to the muddle. I just had my second baby four days ago, so I'm in that newborn, want-everything-easy phase right now. I got an Ellaroo wrap and tried it out today at Babies R Us. It was fantastic! I can put it on at home and then put my coat on and when we got to the store I just popped her in. I always hated carrying the carseat into the store and having it in the cart. It's so big and cumbersome. I never had luck with the Baby Bjorn because it hurt my back. I like the Ellaroo wrap much better.
For breast pumps, I used my Avent Isis manual pump every day for months with my first baby. I found it was quicker and gave me more control than an electric pump.
Best of luck to you, what a blessed surprise!

First of all, congrats! What exciting news!!! I can speak first hand about the Bugaboo. It is the single best baby purchase that we ever made. My daughter will be 3 in February and we are expecting #2 in April, and the stroller has grown with us the entire time.

First, it's completely flexible in terms of its configuration. When our daughter was a newborn, we had it set up as a bassinet. It was great! As she grew older, we flipped it to a sit-up position, and now that she is no longer interested in sitting in it, we'll attach the standing ride-along platform so she can hitch a ride with her new baby sister.

Also, it is extremely light weight. I am able to jog with it no problem. I can also maneuver it with one hand, which makes getting in and out of swing doors at the mall so easy by myself. It compacts quickly for easy transport in your vehicle and you can even attach your peg perrego car seat (or Graco) to it as well.

All in all, it is seriously a great buy. The price tag is a little scary but well worth it! Many of my friends told me they wound up buying 3 strollers to accommodate their needs, which wound up costing them even more than the Bugaboo! I highly recommend it : )

K., we had the baby bjorn for no. 1 but switched to the Ergo sling for no. 2 and love it. You can try it out at Be By Baby. Easily adjustable to different sized adults and we can wear baby on our backs, very useful for cooking, light cleaning. When baby is young, you might need help getting on back. Or, do it over a matress. But once a toddler, they help get themselves there. Have fun with no 5!

Get the book Baby Bargains. It is a great assessment of pretty much every product out there and will tell you which ones are the best for your needs. It does not always pick the 'el cheapo' ones, but will tell you which ones are a waste of money or a safety hazard.

I did not use a sling I used a Snuggly. Keeps baby very secure while doing anything from shopping to chores around the house. I know a sling is the in thing but I loved my snuggly (papoose style carrier)

S.

I second Judith on the Ergo! Worth the money, and maybe you could find one slightly loved online...we even got it at Be By Baby--they have a sling class that is $15 and they'll go through all the slings with you, see what works for you, etc. My issue with the hotslings is it doesn't feel as secure (was using a Maya Wrap and Peanut sling but didn't feel safe once she got moving). I have a used Bjorn that didn't work for me either--the weight is too high for female comfort.
I still use the Medela dual pump--I get 4-5oz in 10 minutes (I have very fast milk). I find it comfortable and easy to use. Again, pricey. I have used their manual pump and find it ok, but you may need the speed rather than sitting down to pump with 5 kids!
Good luck, and hope you can find a lot of second hand, slightly loved stuff from friends and shops.

You're my hero. I want 5 kids under 8 too. I think it's really ironic and too bad that you gave up your baby gear 6m ago though. Poor you. Oh well new stuff is fun too. I have a 3 month old and here's what I can tell you.

1. My chiropractor says the sling is bad for your back. Bjorn is better but best is holding the kid over your shoulder. My baby didn't like the sling anyway; he thought it meant he was supposed to eat all the time cuz he was in that cradle position in it.

2. I have a snap & go stroller which I love but if you have a 2 year old girl you may want a 2 seater?

3. I have a friend who was given the bugaboo as a handmedown gift. She says it's nice but not worth the money. Yes, it can be a bassinet and a stroller, but a normal bassinet and normal stroller would cost less than the bugaboo so unless you're concerned about space it's not worth it.

4. I have an electric pump and it doesn't get any milk out of me. I looked into changing parts for it thinking maybe they were the wrong size, but it's a one-size-fits-all thing. I wound up buying a medela manual pump afterall! That one is great. My suggestion? If you're interested in the electric, rent one first from the hospital or LLLeague or something and see what you like best. Those things are a fortune and you can't return them because of sanitary reasons, so you'd better like what you're getting.

5. Re: carseat: All I have to say about this is get a 5 point, lightweight, new carseat. I got mine at a garage sale and the fire dept. guy told me he couldn't ok it because it wasn't new so it may have been in an accident before and might have hairline cracks in it which would make it unsafe, and it was nearing its expiration date. Who knew carseats expire???

I'd skip the Peg infant seat, it's overpriced and lacks many of the great features of either the Chicco Keyfit 30 or the Graco Safeseat 1 (now to be named Snugride 32). Peg strollers still tend to be a good bet. But there are sooo many cool strollers out there to look at.

I wasn't a baby wearer but I've heard great things about both Hotslings and Ergo's. I had to pump a lot with both my kids and loved my double electric Ameda Purely Yours, it lasted forever and I worked that sucker a lot!

How fun that you will now have a little girl to add to your family!

B.

Hi K.,

My advice is to stick with what you know, unless you really hate it. Why stress yourself out trying to master the ins & outs of new equipment? What I learned in the carseat class I took at the hospital before my first was born (she's 3 now) was that all of the carseats on the market are safe (if you buy them new). They've all been tested & approved, so just get the one you like best. Best of luck with #5!

I dont' think things have changed all that much in baby gear. I'm totally obsessed with finding the best, anything to make my life easier.
I have a 25 mo. old and a 7 mo. old. If your strollers accommodate a carseat, then I think you'll manage until your newborn hits 4-6 months.
Also, I loved to use my HOTSLINGS sling with my newborn in order to keep my hands free so I could help my then 18 mo. son at the park. Now I use my Baby Bjorn when I go grocery shopping, and the sling is retired because my daughter no longer likes to be confined in it.
As for an electric pump. I worked full time after my son was born, and it was a God-sent. Yes, pumping is annoying, but I was don't in half the time with a double electric pump. In ten minutes I'd have at least 8 ounces of milk with my Avent Isis Duo. If you're patient, you will get used to it, and it shouldn't hurt.
Good luck with # 5!

I forgot to mention. The Bugaboo is NOT worth getting. If you're really set on having a bassinet option on your stroller, choose the UPPA BABY Vista. It's less expensive and comes with more accessories. I'm getting one for my own sister who just found out she's expecting!

Fabulous: the bebe pod or bumbo with the tray, the peanut shell sling, the hooter hider (for nursing in public with privacy), and the trumpette socks (super cute little socks that looks likes shoes!). Congrats!!

Congratulations (and wow!). I would suggest looking into a pouch sling and a moby wrap! It takes awhile to learn to use them but in the words of my best friend last night "It has changed my life." :) Good luck!

Congrats!! I hope this helps. I LOVE to purchase strollers. I think its my addiction.LOL. Saying that I do not not like the Bugaboo or the Silver Cross. They take up so much room since you need to take apart the bassanet from the main frame. With your lil ones it would be very time consuming. I LOVE the Chicco. For $300.00 you get the carseat and the stroller. The storage and the one hand open feature is a must. Do you ever look at
www. napervilleyardsales.com ? Its great. There was a 3 person sit and stand on there and it was hardley used. To have that when needed would be a great buy. Also I LOVE to shop at bye bye baby in Downers Grove. They have so many cool hip things. Good luck to you!!

Hi K.:

Congrats on expecting number 5!

Here are my thoughts:

I LOVE my bugaboo and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. It's easy to maneuver and, as another reviewer mentioned, easy to push with one hand...... BUT, frankly, I live in the city and I use it everyday and use my car only once a week if that!! If I lived in the suburbs I probably wouldn't have it as it is a HUGE pain to fold and unfold and pack in the car.

I love my Medela pump in style. No problems and worth every penny to me.

My son liked the baby Bjorn but hated a sling that I bought for him. Speaking of Bjorn he LOVES his Bjorn bouncy seat. In fact, that might be the best product that we bought.

Good luck!

A.

Definitely recommend the Ergo baby carrier. The Bjorn I found uncomfortable for my back whereas the Ergo is ergonomically designed to be comfortable and supportive. You can use it longer (up to 45 lbs I think) and in three positions: front, back and hip - I LOVED the back position and so did my son. I got a couple slings to try for baby #2 due any day now, and the one that looks like I might like it best is the Baby K'tan but I won't know for sure til I try it with the baby.

Good luck! If you gave your stuff away to close friends maybe you can ask to "borrow" it back when they don't need it anymore...? So much baby gear has such a short shelf life..

Hi K.,

I have the Ameda electric breast pump and a hands-free boustier. If you're going back to work, it's great to have a double pump -- it takes only 10-15 min to do both sides!

We have the Ergo baby carrier which works as a front, hip, and back carrier -- from birth to about age 5 (back only). We LOVE it! It is so ergonomic and easy to use. It's kind of expensive, but with 5 kids, doing a lot of baby-wearing will probably make your life a lot easier.

We are also very happy with our Graco travel system (the Lite Rider). It's fairly light weight and narrow compared to most travel systems.

I have also heard great things about the Britax Roundabout carseat -- we plan to get one soon. It's fairly compact and you can put your child in the forward facing position (5-pt. harness) up to 65 lbs!

Good luck!!!
R.

I had my heart set on wearing my lil' one around in a sling or mai tai only to learn that she really hated it. She loved facing forward in the Baby Bjorn though. So my advice is to wait and see what your baby likes as far as carriers go.

My 18 year old cat, on the other hand, really loves the mai tai.

As far as strollers go I don't think any stroller is worth 800 bucks unless it also gives back rubs. We have a behemoth of a Graco "travel system" stroller and I hate it. Its huge, heavy, clumsy to fold up and has stupid features, like double cup holders (like I'm going to have two cups of coffee at the same time?)and a weather thermometer (also stupid, if it's cold outside I don't need to look at my stroller to find out.)

Breast pumps: I had a Medela Pump in Style and getting an electric is totally worth it if you are planning on going back to work.

Best of luck!

Bugaboo - not worth it. $800 for a stroller??? Spend your money elsewhere. There are LOTS of great strollers in the $200-400 range. I'm sure you can find one that works for you if you feel compelled to buy another stroller.

Breast pumps - I have an ameda purely yours and it works great for me. I also have an avent manual one that I like but only use for travel. If you just like the sillicone liner to the horns on the avent, you can pick those up for your ameda pump too. I haven't tried the medelas...

I never had a bjorn - always have had slings and I love 'em. For newborns I love the Kangaroo Korner Adustable Fleece Pouch. I also love the storchenwiege or didymos wrap slings, though they are more of an investment. For older babies the ergo baby carrier is great, but not for newborns IMHO.