questions for those of you who are mommies

We're starting to look at baby gear now...and it's SO overwhelming. There are so many choices and brands. Reading reviews online makes it worse because it seems like there are contradicting opinions on almost everything.

if you have time, would you mind recommending car seats, strollers, cribs, etc. We are trying to stick to a budget, so those $1000 strollers would be out of the question.

Thank you!!!!

It has been a while since I had a baby... but I had the evenflo stroller/car seat system..

I *highly* recommend getting a Britax car seat for when the baby is older.

You should join the parenting and pregnancy board over on LIF... You will get TONS of information...

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Posted by jtgarsik

i'm going to pick my sil's brain for ya! her & her hubby did SO much research on baby-gear! the only thing i know off the top of my head is their baby carrier(the kind u strap to urself lol)...and it's by Baby Bjorn..TOP notch brand..i tried that thing on last week & it was so comfortable! and i swear my niece would rather sleep in that than her crib! ...i know the carseat & stuff was super high rated for safety & such..just dont know the name - i'll ask & get back to ya with some info!

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aidan spent DAYS in the baby bjorn.

It's a great invention for city moms...

There was a time I would just walk around the house bouncing him in it.

GREAT GREAT product.

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Posted by carolinep24


aidan spent DAYS in the baby bjorn.

It's a great invention for city moms...

There was a time I would just walk around the house bouncing him in it.

GREAT GREAT product.

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it really is! so much that my bil loves it too...very trendy looking also - it's this chic brown & beige color - so the daddy's don't mind wearing it either!

..and again - SO comfy...for both mommy & baby

When I bought all of my stuff, I used ConsumerReports.org, they are an unbiased magazine/web site.

Graco is a good brand for anything, stroller, playpen, etc

Babies R Us is good for almost everything, good luck!

Here are the things I used the most for the first few months:

- Baby Bjorn or a sling for carrying child
- Graco SnugRide Car seat. You can buy the Graco Snap & Go that goes with this. It is basically a very lightweight shell with wheels that your car seat snaps into in lieu of a bulky stroller until the baby is bigger.
- a motorized swing ( we used Fisher Price Papason)
- a vibrating seat (also Fisher Price Papason)

that will cover you for the first 3 months.

I do NOT recommend travel systems. For me & my gf's we all found them to be too bulky, too cumbersome and hard to navigate.

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Posted by carolinebr

Here are the things I used the most for the first few months:

- Baby Bjorn or a sling for carrying child
- Graco SnugRide Car seat. You can buy the Graco Snap & Go that goes with this. It is basically a very lightweight shell with wheels that your car seat snaps into in lieu of a bulky stroller until the baby is bigger.
- a motorized swing ( we used Fisher Price Papason)
- a vibrating seat (also Fisher Price Papason)

that will cover you for the first 3 months.

I do NOT recommend travel systems. For me & my gf's we all found them to be too bulky, too cumbersome and hard to navigate.

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I do not have a baby, but I have to say, after seeing my brother and SIL with my niece, I have to 100% agree with this.

While the travel systems are a great idea, I think they're much more than you usually need, they're also bulky and on the heavy side. Of course, with a newborn it might not seem heavy, but just wait til baby is 20+ lbs.... its a lot. Also, if you have a car, the travel system strollers take up a considerable amount more room in your trunk.

I love the idea of the snap-n-go (there's also another brand name of the same thing). You can just snap a car seat into it and you have a basket on the bottom and a cup holder I believe.

The baby bjorn is a pricier carrier, but from what I hear from ALL my friends, totally worth it.

I know GRACO is supposed to be a good brand. It was our top seller when I worked at FAO and we we started carrying baby gear.

There is one of tthose little seats too by crap..fisher price? I dont remember but Im sure its on the BABYRUS website. Its basically a little vibrating chair. My godbrother had one and a friend of mine bought one for her daughter. They LOVE that thing. Its subtle vibrations and the kids just go to town.

My brother also had one of those bouncey seats. It susppended from thetop of the doorway and its like a swing but doesnt go back and forth. Basically the baby's feet just barely touch and they can bounce up and down all day because they're supported. he LOVED that. I used it for a friends baby as well and he bounced all day happy as a clam.

I was a maniac w/ reaing review and such when I was pregnant and was really happy w/ most of the stuff we chose.

We did buy a travel systen (Graco- not sure which one) but then we also had the Snap n Go which we used for the first 6 months or so. I didn't want to lug around that big stroller all the time w/ the car seat. The Snap n Go was wonderful, my friend is using it now and she loves it!

I started using the stroller after 6 months or so and I didn't have any issues w/ it. It was very easy to handle and had a good amount of storage for his bag as well as when I went shopping.

My FAVORITE thing was the Fisher-Price Papasan swing than Caroline mentioned. My son LOVED it!! I've actually bought it for 2 other people as gifts and the babies respond really well to it. You can find it at Babirs r us as well as Target.

We also bought a Britax Car seat when my son turned 1. They are pricier than the rest ($300 +) But the safety features are unmatched plus, I'll never have to but another car seat- it goes up to 65 lbs. We bought The Boulevard.

It's a very exhausting process but well worth it. I was reading online reviews as well as getting feedback from other moms.

Good Luck!!!