So what do we think?

I wrote this post back when I was pregnant of all the stuff I had registered for and bought. We're only a month into using any of this stuff, but here is what I think of it so far.

Crib and 6-Drawer Dresser: Love these. Of course, any crib and dresser will be fine to use for a month, I think the test of whether these particular ones were worth the money will come years from now. But I love the way they look. Timmy has slept in his crib in all but 2 nights since coming home from the hospital. The dresser has worked out great as a changing table.





Bedding: Really, anything would work. We bought one of those bedding sets, and we use a mattress protector under the sheet (has already come in handy when he soaked through a diaper one night), and then a sheet-saver on top (to catch the spit-up if there's any).

Dutalier Glider & Ottoman: REALLY Love these. I knew it would be important to have a comfortable one, but I had no idea how grateful I would be when I was rocking a crying baby at 2am for an hour. This one is particularly good for tall people because it's huge and it reclines, so both PJO and I fit with plenty of room. The ottoman has a stationary foot rest, which can be nice at times. And it has these cool (but discrete) pockets under the arms for nursing pads, nipple cream, mylicon or whatever else you want to keep nearby when you nurse.



Graco Snugride Carseat: I guess this is fine. It looks and feels much cheaper than I thought it would (especially considering it costs $100), but I guess it does its job. It's fairly easy to carry and snap in and out of the car seat base and stroller.

Graco Snugrider Stroller Frame: This has been awesome. It's pretty lightweight and has a decent size basket. PJO and I are both tall and this is pretty comfortable to push around. I think the wheels are kind of a pain because they're cheap and hard plastic, but I only plan on using this stroller for a few months. When we get our next one, we'll probably get something that can do more "off-roading"

Baby Bjorn - still haven't used this because they tell you not to with newborns since the discs in their spines would compress if they can't sit up straight yet.

Sling: A friend let me borrow her sling. I love it and so does Timmy. It is a little difficult to get him in and out, so if I buy one myself, I might buy one that is a stretchy material rather than silk. Pics from a few weeks ago:





Bouncer: We got the boppy Cradle-in-Comfort one. It has already been worth it. He won't always go in it, but when he has, he has been content for up to a few hours at a time.

Swing: This has proven clutch as well, but it's not like he will always go in it. The vibrating chair is especially important I think. When he was screaming and nothing else, not even being held/bounced/rocked would help, the vibrating chair in the swing would calm him instantly. Worth every penny (and that's a lot of pennies!)

Pack-n-Play: so far, a total waste of money. I wanted it for traveling and the days I took him to his babysitter's house or Grandma's, and thought I could use it as a bassinet in the beginning. Well, he HATED sleeping in it (I think because it wasn't firm enough). I'm sure eventually he'll take naps in it, but for now, I have a huge thing taking up space in the nursery (because it has a changing table and mobile). If I could do it again, I would probably just get the smallest, simplest one.

Monitor: Since we were going to use the pack-n-play we didn't think we would need a monitor. Even once we started using the crib, we figured we would hear him fine because we live in a small apartment. Well, when he was four days old and would only sleep in the crib, we panicked and got a monitor because we wanted to make sure we would hear him (hahahahah). We still use the Sony Babycall Monitor and love it. It works really well and can be plugged in or on battery, so you can bring it anywhere.

Breast Pump: Couldn't live without this. I ordered the Pump-in-Style Advanced. It works great. In about 20 minutes I can get about 5-10 oz., including time to set it up and clean the parts. It's painless and simple to use. I would say to shop around online because I paid $240, and it's $330 at Babies R Us. I also bought the quick-clean microsteam bags to try, and they're pretty easy to use.

Milk Storage Bags: I use the Lansinoh ones, and they're good. Sturdy, stand up-right in the fridge, don't leak or puncture.

Nursing Pads: Also use the Lansinoh ones, but I got some free Medela ones with the pump and they're fine too. Really, I think any nursing pads are fine. Just make sure you have them! And at least for the beginning, have nipple cream. I used Medela and liked it. The Lansinoh cream was way too thick to get out of the tube, even after you massage it. I also liked this one. I don't really use it too much anymore though, it's just not that necessary at this point.

Nursing Bra: LOVE this. It's so comfy and convenient. I haven't worn any other type of bra since Tim was born ... I bought a few.

Bottles: I have the bpa-free plastic Dr. Brown's bottles. They seem to work really well. There are more parts to clean (because of the vent inserts), but it's not bad at all. So far they don't leak. I can't compare them to other bottles to know whether the bottles really do reduce gas, but I don't notice any difference in Timmy after I breastfeed v. bottlefeed.

Bathtub: Sure Comfort Deluxe - Seems to work well. It doesn't fit perfectly in our Kitchen sink, which is where we bathe him, but other than that I would recommend it. I like that there is a sling in it to use when the baby is really little.

Diaper Genie II Elite: I would recommend this. It keeps the nursery stink-free, even with about 6-8 poopy diapers a day. I can see why some people hate it, because we went through a whole refill in 2 weeks. But I think those will start to last longer once we start using less diapers.

Baby Einstein Play Mat: He likes it, but he's still a bit to young for it...He LOVES looking at himself in the mirror.

Boppy Pillow: Like it. I use it sometimes for breastfeeding, but he likes to sit in it and do some modified tummy time in it.



Crib tent: We returned it before ever using it.

Diaper Bag: I bought this one and got this one at my shower (it's actually chocolate brown, and the inside is this print in a water-resistant material). I love both. I've gotten a few free ones too (from the pediatrician, hospital, etc...), but I don't really like them so they're still in the closet.

Nursing Shawl: LOVE this! I haven't had to nurse in public too much yet, but I have used it and it's really easy and convenient. I have also used it to pump in my car once. I like how the bamboo part lets you see the baby and your nipples (in case you need to fix a latch or something).

Clothes: I pretty much dress Timmy in footed sleepers or onesies these days. My very favorite sleepers are these from baby Gap... the fabric is a little nicer, the snaps are better than zippers in my opinion, they fit better and they have the built-in mittens. They're more expensive, but I would rather have 3 or 4 of these than 10 of the carter's zip-up footed sleepers.
As far as sizes, Timmy surprisingly fit in newborn clothes for 3 or 4 weeks. We actually had to buy a couple more things for him to wear. But besides that, we haven't had to buy anything. People have bought us (and keep sending) so many clothes that we had to get a huge plastic container to store clothes he couldn't wear yet because his dresser and closet were full. This includes bibs and shoes, which I would never recommend anyone buy... we haven't used them once. Although I did make him try some shoes on yesterday... He wasn't really a fan.




Blankets: Honestly, we could have gotten by without anything but these. Best. Swaddling. Blankets. Ever. Especially for a BIG baby (because those hospital blankets didn't really work so well. And these are big enough to use for everything else too, including covering his car seat when we go out in the sun.



In a few months, we'll be shopping for a stroller and a high chair. But otherwise, we're pretty well stocked.