Baby item recs againhigh chair etc

I have registered, but am wondering if there are any must-haves as far as
infant toys or items go......in particular, I am curious about toys for
babies under a year old. Other items I have not registered for (well
actually..it's not about registering for all of these, it's about what *I*
need to get!) include a crib mattress, some kind of waste basket to put
dirty diapers in that doesn't stink, bottles, baby care items such as nail
clippers/thermometers/gumcare etc........soft books......a waterproof
mattress cover......etc. Also I have not picked out a swing yet. I think I
prefer the kind that sit on the ground, but does anyone use one that hooks
over the doorway? I am afraid of those, lol, are they sturdy?

Any other toys or items that babies like? Also........I WILL need a high
chair. I don't need to spend a lot of money on one. Most are cloth...are any
vinyl and easier to clean? I can't use one that hooks over the table
etc...we have a glass table. I was able to pick strollers and car seats etc
but I have not been able to pick a high chair, I registered at BabysRUs and
people have requested that I start a registry at stores that are more local
to their home. Honestly, I don't know where else to register. I can't think
of any stores that are close to my inlaws....they have Babysrus and Target
but no one wants to drive 25-30 minutes to shop and they have requested that
I register for somewhere "in town" for them........all they have is Wal-Mart
and Belk Department Store there.....any ideas on that? Should I register at
Walmart? they do have more selection than Target, which is where I also have
a small registry. The problem is that babysrus has many of the same items as
Walmart. I know you can call Babysrus if you forget to mark an item off
someone's registry, I was thinking about having people use my babysrus
registry to shop elsewhere and call to mark it off? BTW, I thought since
people didn't want to leave "town" to shop but really want to shop, would
enjoy shopping online since they have the Internet, but my DH tells me that
none of his inlaws or my MIL will shop online. So they won't do that or
drive 30 minutes to BabysRUs. LOL!

Jill wrote in message
r.com...
I have registered, but am wondering if there are any must-haves as far as
infant toys or items go......in particular, I am curious about toys for
babies under a year old. Other items I have not registered for (well
actually..it's not about registering for all of these, it's about what *I*
need to get!) include a crib mattress, some kind of waste basket to put
dirty diapers in that doesn't stink, bottles, baby care items such as nail
clippers/thermometers/gumcare etc........soft books......a waterproof
mattress cover......etc. Also I have not picked out a swing yet. I think I
prefer the kind that sit on the ground, but does anyone use one that hooks
over the doorway? I am afraid of those, lol, are they sturdy?

Any other toys or items that babies like? Also........I WILL need a high
chair. I don't need to spend a lot of money on one. Most are cloth...are
any
vinyl and easier to clean?
we have wood-chosen for that reason. (from Mothercare)
Debbie
I can't use one that hooks over the table
etc...we have a glass table. I was able to pick strollers and car seats
etc
but I have not been able to pick a high chair, I registered at BabysRUs
and
people have requested that I start a registry at stores that are more
local
to their home. Honestly, I don't know where else to register. I can't
think
of any stores that are close to my inlaws....they have Babysrus and Target
but no one wants to drive 25-30 minutes to shop and they have requested
that
I register for somewhere "in town" for them........all they have is
Wal-Mart
and Belk Department Store there.....any ideas on that? Should I register
at
Walmart? they do have more selection than Target, which is where I also
have
a small registry. The problem is that babysrus has many of the same items
as
Walmart. I know you can call Babysrus if you forget to mark an item off
someone's registry, I was thinking about having people use my babysrus
registry to shop elsewhere and call to mark it off? BTW, I thought since
people didn't want to leave "town" to shop but really want to shop, would
enjoy shopping online since they have the Internet, but my DH tells me
that
none of his inlaws or my MIL will shop online. So they won't do that or
drive 30 minutes to BabysRUs. LOL!

"Jill" wrote in message
r.com...


Any other toys or items that babies like?

My daughter has absolutely loved the Sunshine Symphony (Learningsmith?).
She has been playing with it for over a year now, which is unheard of in a
baby toy. When she was a tiny infant, I would sit her in her bouncy
chair with the toy attached to the toy bar, and she would bat at it to hear
the music. Then she began playing with it actively during tummy time,
kicking at it with her gym. At six to eight months, she started teething on
it and dragging it around, and at 13 months, she has it attached to her
rocking horse, and she wiggles the whole structure to get it to play. It's
an amazing toy! My baby gift of choice.

Also........I WILL need a high
chair. I don't need to spend a lot of money on one. Most are cloth...are
any
vinyl and easier to clean?

I have a second hand plastic (what else?) high chair with vinyl (or
vinyl-ish) padding, that is very easy to clean. Previously I had that cute
wooden high chair with the top that is attached on hinges, with cloth pads.
What a complete PITA that was. The tray constantly threatened to bonk the
baby on her head, or pinch her fingers, it was impossible to keep clean, and
the cotton cushions needed daily laundering. It went back to the store
after a week. So definitely stay away from that model, and cotton
upholstery.

One feature I wish I had is the drop-in tray/dish thingie. It's an inset
that is used for serving food, and can be removed for washing. That would
be nice to have -- if you have a choice, get that.


HTH-

Donna

Jill wrote:

I have registered, but am wondering if there are any must-haves as far as
infant toys or items go......in particular, I am curious about toys for
babies under a year old. Other items I have not registered for (well
actually..it's not about registering for all of these, it's about what *I*
need to get!) include a crib mattress, some kind of waste basket to put
dirty diapers in that doesn't stink, bottles, baby care items such as nail
clippers/thermometers/gumcare etc........soft books......a waterproof
mattress cover......etc. Also I have not picked out a swing yet. I think I
prefer the kind that sit on the ground, but does anyone use one that hooks
over the doorway? I am afraid of those, lol, are they sturdy?


Do you mean a Johnny Jump-Up sort of thing? I've never seen
a swing that hangs in the doorway. If at all possible, I'd borrow
a swing. Some babies really don't like them, and you can use
them for *such* a short amount of time. Well, if you have a
small baby, perhaps you can use them for longer, but I've hardly
gotten a decent amount of use out of my swing and I've had three
kids!


Any other toys or items that babies like? Also........I WILL need a high
chair.


Why? I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I'm on baby
number three and have never had one (by choice).

I don't need to spend a lot of money on one. Most are cloth...are any
vinyl and easier to clean? I can't use one that hooks over the table
etc...we have a glass table.


Sure, but you can use the little seats that strap to a
chair if you're short on space. Those are all plastic, so no
worries about cleaning. Some of them you can even put in the
dishwasher ;-) There are also wooden high chairs.

Best wishes,
Ericka

I have registered, but am wondering if there are any must-haves as far as
infant toys or items go......in particular, I am curious about toys for
babies under a year old.

I wouldn't bother registering for toys. People will choose those just fine on
their own, and it's not as if there are any specific "must haves". Babies will
play with household objects (plastic bowls, tissue boxes) as much or more than
with Toys. Sure, there are toys that tend to be more interesting or have more
developmental value than others, but I'd let people who want to buy toys pick
whatever appeals to them. If you want something specific later, well, most
baby toys are inexpensive.

Since you're registering for things you won't need for several months, though,
do consider putting an exersaucer on the list. They're very useful for an
older baby who's outgrown bouncy seats and the like.

Also I have not picked out a swing yet. I think I
prefer the kind that sit on the ground, but does anyone use one that hooks
over the doorway? I am afraid of those, lol, are they sturdy?

Swings are a YMMV thing. Many babies don't like them, but some parents
consider them an absolute lifesaver! The thing is, you won't know until after
the baby's here. They take up a lot of space, too. I'd recommend steering
anyone who wants to give you a major item toward a carseat or high chair or
exersaucer or crib mattress instead of a swing.

AFAIK, there's no such thing as a swing that hooks in a doorway. I guess
you're referring to a jumper. These are used for older babies. I admit they
seem unsafe to me, too, and besides, installing one would make it hard to
actually go through the doorway! We didn't have one and certainly never missed
it.

Also........I WILL need a high
chair. I don't need to spend a lot of money on one. Most are cloth...are
any
vinyl and easier to clean?

Actually, IME most of them are vinyl. Or, well, it's not vinyl, but it's some
sort of plasticy stuff that you wipe clean, although the manufacturers might
call it "fabric". We have the Chicco Mamma and liked it a lot, but it's
pricey. Graco has a few lower-priced models that get good reviews.

I registered at BabysRUs
and
people have requested that I start a registry at stores that are more
local
to their home. Honestly, I don't know where else to register. I can't
think
of any stores that are close to my inlaws....they have Babysrus and Target
but no one wants to drive 25-30 minutes to shop and they have requested
that
I register for somewhere "in town" for them........all they have is
Wal-Mart
and Belk Department Store there.....any ideas on that? Should I register
at
Walmart?

I don't see any reason you can't duplicate registry items; in the worst case,
you'll have to return a few things and exchange them for other stuff. But you
might also look into whether there is a local independent baby store that
offers a registry; most of them do, so don't limit yourself to the chain
stores! Many of them belong to the "Baby News" network and have online
registry.

I never did register for baby stuff, though. We figured we'd buy the major
equipment ourselves, or if anyone wanted to buy us a stroller or whatever,
they'd ask us what model we wanted. I gave a list of specifics to our parents
and the people who hosted our shower, in case anyone asked, but otherwise we
figured that most people would give clothes or toys, and there wasn't much
point to registering for specific clothes or toys -- anything and everything
was welcome! It worked out fine.

Holly
Mom to Camden, almost 3
EDD #2 6/8/04

For what it's worth, we never used a swing, a walker, a doorway bouncer,
and exer-whaterever, etc. We didn't need a high chair until eight
months, so didn't get one until it was needed. Grandparents and close
friends often say, I want to buy you (specific item) when you need it,
let me know which one you want you want or how much it will cost and
give you the money for it. I really don't see the need to fill your
house up with a bunch of stuff you're not going to need for half a year
or more and don't know if the baby will even be interested in it. So of
that stuff, I'd wait to try it out at other people's houses and then get
what the baby actually responds to.

On the other hand we were/are really specific about toys. We didn't want
anything plastic near the baby until he was well past putting everything
in his mouth, and we're still vehemently against almost anything
requiring batteries and making noise and flashing lights. Those are our
personal preferences, so we do birthday and x-mas lists for ds for
family and anyone who asks for ideas of what ds would like.

Regarding specific infant toys, at most I'd go with a few really
brightly colored soft toys to wave around in front of their face, maybe
a mobile with music for the changing area, and maybe one of those soft,
bright playmat thingies with different textures and those half-circle
hoops over the top with toys hanging down. Around 4 months or so they
might start teething, so some simple non-toxic wooden teethers to gnaw
on, and in our house, there is no such thing as too many books. We
started with books from before ds was born and books are a big part of
every day life around here. Once the baby gets to about 9-12 months, you
start to see their development level and what "non-toy" things they are
attracted to around the house and start giving them those things and
buying them things corresponding to the skills they are working on at
the time. (stacking, sorting, etc.)

-Karen, mom to Henry 3 1/2 and someone due 4/24/04-

Jill,

I'd love to look at your registry. Do you feel comfortable about letting
me? You CAN email me!

~Carol Ann

: I have registered, but am wondering if there are any must-haves as far as
: infant toys or items go......in particular, I am curious about toys for
: babies under a year old.

I was told that the Tiny Love toys were a hit.


:Other items I have not registered for (well
: actually..it's not about registering for all of these, it's about what *I*
: need to get!) include a crib mattress, some kind of waste basket to put
: dirty diapers in that doesn't stink, :bottles, baby care items such as
nail
: clippers/thermometers/gumcare etc........soft books......a waterproof
: mattress cover......etc.

Recommendations I got:

~Diaper Champ b/c you can use your own bags
~Get a good mattress
~Lots of bibs
~Lots of diapers (including cloth ones)
~Lots of baby wipes
~Lots of onsies
~Lots of washcloths

:Also I have not picked out a swing yet. I think I
: prefer the kind that sit on the ground, but does anyone use one that hooks
: over the doorway? I am afraid of those, lol, are they sturdy?

The ones I registered for are specifically recommended by moms.

:Honestly, I don't know where else to register.

Me either! I tried Walmart, Target and Pottery Barn for Kids, but I'm just
not keen on them. I prefer to stay in one store. Additionally, some of my
friends said they will use the registry as a guideline and purchase where
they want. So, two registries would be overkill, IMHO.

I can't think
: of any stores that are close to my inlaws....they have Babysrus and Target
: but no one wants to drive 25-30 minutes to shop and they have requested
that
: I register for somewhere "in town" for them........all they have is
Wal-Mart
: and Belk Department Store there.....any ideas on that?

Send them a printout of the items you registered for at www.babiesrus.com
and let them use it as a guideline.

You are so fortunate to have so many people to consider. Let them look at
the one registry you have and use it. It most definite you will receive
more than you need of a particular item, YOU can take it back to the stores
since they don't want to make the trip.

~Carol Ann

In article m,
"Jill" wrote:

I have registered, but am wondering if there are any must-haves as far as
infant toys or items go......in particular, I am curious about toys for
babies under a year old. Other items I have not registered for (well
actually..it's not about registering for all of these, it's about what *I*
need to get!) include a crib mattress, some kind of waste basket to put
dirty diapers in that doesn't stink, bottles, baby care items such as nail
clippers/thermometers/gumcare etc........soft books......a waterproof
mattress cover......etc. Also I have not picked out a swing yet. I think I
prefer the kind that sit on the ground, but does anyone use one that hooks
over the doorway? I am afraid of those, lol, are they sturdy?

My favorite baby items:

Baby Trend Snap-N-Go LX stroller frame: wonderful, lightweight, easy to
attach any carseat to. Forget the big fancy strollers, this is the one
that will live in your trunk and go everywhere!

Baby Bjorn: front carrier for baby. DS and Daddy loved it. First
snuggled in to a warm chest, and later facing out at the world. Now
we've upgraded to a Kelty backpack, but this was great for the first 6
months or so.

Bouncy seat: one that vibrates, reclines to sleep in, maybe optional toy
bar (ours had lights and music). It was calming, soothing, we used it
either vibrating or just bouncing it with our foot, and DS often napped
in it. Or if he was more alert, it was a good way for him to sit up and
look around.

Glider rocker: Mommy's favorite. the chair to nurse in, rock in, felt
great while still pregnant, too.

Arch toy: The ones with dangling toys, for baby to lie on his/her back
and stare up at, flail at, and learn to grab at. Great for playtime. My
favorite: Tiny Love Gymini 3D Activity Gym (age 3 weeks - 6 months)

Links: you can buy a box of little plastic links that connect together -
use them to turn any toy into a dangling toy. They fit with the arch
toys above, or use them to dangle toys from any convenient pole, chair,
etc. Also, they work great as baby's first rattle - just a few links are
easy to grasp and shake.

Sleepers: one piece, footed, snap-up outfits. Cotton, or fuzzy "blanket
sleepers" at night. DS lived in them. Save the two piece or fancier
outfits for later - this makes changing baby easy.

Mobile - battery operated: DS loved his mobile, but we had to keep
rewinding it, until I found a battery operated attachment (works with
any mobile)

Blanket - Once DS started showing a preference for one of his baby
blankets, I encouraged it by giving it to him whenever he slept, and now
it's his attachment object, and seems to help him soothe and go to
sleep. In fact, I went out and bought a second identical one, just so
we'd always have one. The brand of our blanket is "Cover Me", and a
friend's babies are also attached to that brand of blanket. They might
be hard to find, though; a web search didn't turn many up.

Music CDs by Raffi, video of Raffi in concert with the Rise and Shine
band, Raffi board books (Baby Beluga, Five Little Ducks, Wheels on the
Bus) - DS is a big Raffi fan.

Exersaucer (Megasaucer, whatever) by Evenflo - baby sits inside, spins,
bounces, and plays with toys (age 3 months - walking)

Baby jumper seat - the seat on springs that hangs from a doorway and
lets baby jump. DS loved it! It let us eat dinner in peace, while he
went bounce, bounce, bounce. Ours was a hand-me-down made by Fisher
Price, but looking on line the one that looks most similar is the Graco
Bumper Jumper. (age 5 months +)

Padders slippers - cute and really stay on baby's feet, great for baby's
first winter.

Sippy cups with no-spill valves, various makers

Magical Activity Walker (Today's Kids) - push toy with a fun front panel
of buttons to push to play music, hear animal sounds, etc. (age 6 months
- 2 years)

Of course we also used a crib, car seat, swing, monitors, baby bathŠ but
these are the things that really stood out for me.

**********

Other notes:

My other piece of advice is to pick up the book "Baby Bargains," which
is sort of a Consumer Reports of baby stuff.

Looking over my list, I thought I'd also mention that we did also buy a
big stroller, not one of those stroller/car seat combos, but it lives in
the garage and we only use it around the neighborhood. For travelling
and keeping in the trunk of the car, we always used the snap-n-go when
he was in the infant car seat, and an umbrella stroller (those are the
cheap lightweight folding ones) after that.

Our crib and infant car seat were hand-me-downs (recent and known safe).
We borrowed a swing and assorted infant play gym things. We tried
various baby baths but none particularly stood out. The monitor was a
gift and it's worked fine. The high chair was a gift.

We didn't buy a changing table; instead, we put a curved foam pad on top
of a large deep dresser, and that's been great.

For baby bottles, Avent is considered a very good brand. I used them for
expressed breast milk. For a breast pump, I recommend renting a
heavy-duty electric one for comfort and efficiency.

**********

Baby things we didn't use:

- The quilt from the bedding set (came with sheet, bumper, ruffle, and
quilt. I imagined baby would lie on the quilt, or I'd drape it over
something artistically, but it's been mostly crumpled behind the rocking
chair.

- baby booties in size less than 1 year - we got some cute sets as
gifts, little frogs or bunnies, but before he was even crawling, it was
much easier just to put him in socks. By 6 months it was summer so we
didn't bother, and at 9 months he fit into 12-18 month size Padders
slippers.

- 2 piece outfits in size less than 6 months. When he was an infant, it
was much easier to dress him in onesies and one-piece snap-up outfits,
and they seemed more comfortable for him. Having separate elastic waist
pants was too much trouble usually, especially if it didn't have a
snap-open crotch, given all the diaper changes we were doing. In fact,
anything without a snap-open crotch, especially overalls without a
snap-open crotch, didn't get used much.

- diaper pail deodorizers - they smelled worse than the diapers

- baby oil, lotion, powder etc gift basket. We used the oil a little
for cradle cap, but otherwise we never used any of that stuff. When his
skin is dry, I prefer unscented hypoallergenic lotion (I'm sensitive to
perfumes). The best unscented diaper rash cream I've found is Johnson
and Johnson's.

Karen wrote:
For what it's worth, we never used a swing, a walker, a doorway bouncer,
and exer-whaterever, etc. We didn't need a high chair until eight
months, so didn't get one until it was needed.

We had the same experience as Karen. We never bought or needed a swing,
a walker, a stroller, etc., and we waited on a high chair until ~9
months. We did buy a small and convenient umbrella stroller when
Sproutkin was 18 months (she was in a front carrier or backpack or sling
until then, which was loads quicker and easier for me).

IMHO, prioritize your needs. Lots of people spend hundreds of dollars
on expensive travel systems, swings, cribs/bassinets, etc., and then
rationalize away the bigger stuff as being out of their budget
(personally, I think the safest carseat you can find should be pretty
high on the priority list). Go for quality of gear over quantity. If
you need more stuff later, that's easy to fix. If you fill your house
with stuff that never gets used, you've thrown your money away.

I'd get/register for the necessities (essential: carseat, clothes,
diapers, breasts) and add a few things you think you'll find necessary
(bouncy seat, bassinet or moses basket, Bjorn, baby monitors) and then
just see what you need from there. It's nice to shop for stuff like
gliders/rockers when you have the baby and can test out armrest height,
and it's nice to get out of the house with your husband -- short,
pleasant excursions like shopping for baby gear is a nice way to get
some exercise and fresh air during the first few months.

Mary S.
mom to the Sproutkin, 22 months