I can only think that things must have been simpler in the old days. I mean, my grandparents were pretty intelligent people, and being born during WWI and growing up in the Depression, there were certainly no brightly colored educational plastic toys, the lack of which did not cause them any mental impairment.
So the evil marketing people want me to feel as if I am depriving my child by not registering for their super-whoopty-doo playmat/blinking musical thing/you-name-it that is certain to guarantee him or her entrance into the Ivy League, or at the very least will make him or her smarter than Billy Bubba across the street.
So now that my little rant is over - PLEASE HELP!! If you have done a baby registry before what kind of playthings, if any, did you register for? What did you find useful once baby arrived? I really don't want a whole bunch of plastic garbage made in China junking up my house if I can avoid it, but those pesky marketers keep making me doubt myself.
While we're at it, what are some of the other items that you could not have lived without? I really am hoping to make this a stuff-minimal baby experience, so as far as gear and equipment, I'd like to pare things down to the bare essentials.
Choice is a very wonderful thing, but I'm finding that the whole baby product industry is really nuts.
ETA: For all you experienced nursing mamas, is a pump really necessary? They.Scare.Me. I've always considered one benefit of nursing is not having to haul around or deal with all of the paraphernalia that bottle feeding entails. So is it good to have a pump and all that other stuff it entails around just in case, or is that something you would advise waiting on to see if your situation calls for it? (i.e. difficult/painful nursing experience, convenience of letting someone else feed baby while you get some rest, etc.)
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6 comments:
The only toy we put on our registry was a box of wood blocks. I think anything that blinks or plays "music" will actually make your kid stupider. If you have an IKEA nearby, they have great, simple, affordable, wipe down-able, non-toxic toys.
My must-have is a swing. Cooking and babywearing don't mix, so I keep mine in my weirdly spacious kitchen.
I got through three babies with no pump. The very few times we went out (two, I think), I manually expressed (and one baby wouldn't even take the bottle I left so we had to come home early). Expressing is a pain but it can be done. Then last summer I found a brand new, sealed Isis manual pump at a flea market for $10. At that price it was worth it, but I'd happily have gone on with life without one. So I have that and two bottles that I almost never use.
When I had all my nursing probs with Baby 1 I ended up renting a hospital pump for a while. They're the best kind, and probably your preferred option for that (unlikely) scenario.
Thanks Rebekah! Funny that you should mention IKEA, as I'm living in the house that IKEA built. I've not spent much time in the kids department, but when toy time comes I'll have to keep it in mind.
OK, just go ahead and rub it in that we're hours and hours from an IKEA...Got used to having one just down the road on Long Island, and now we're stranded!
Registry stuff...we never registered for much in the way of toys either. The following is probably nothing you haven't thought of, but here are a few random thoughts:
An umbrella stroller is a very handy thing to have around, even just to keep in your vehicle.
We got some of those velcro-secured swaddling blankets as gifts this time around and we're lovin' them! The Boppy brand one seems to keep him snuggest. Seems like the first two would eventually manage to kick loose from being swaddled with regular blankets.
Speaking of Boppy, I used the nursing pillow extensively for nursing BabyOne, frequently with BabyTwo, and now sometimes with BabyThree. But they're good for more than nursing: you can prop babies up in their on their backs to hang out, or draped over for tummy time, and then when they're learning to sit up and tipping over all the time, you can sit them in the middle of it and when they tip they don't hit their heads!
Front pack--LOTS of use out of that...I know you'll probably do a sling/rebozo but in our experience Dad is happier with a front pack. (And BoyTwo preferred the front pack to the sling.) Going on lots of advice, we registered for the seemingly way overpriced Baby Bjorn brand and have been really glad that we did--more durable, more comfortable, more adjustable, easier to get Baby in and out (shouldn't i be getting some kind of kickback for that plug?).
You might not believe it from this list, but we try to be minimalist with the gear too :O
Don't get the excersaucer. Wretched, wretched thing. ;)
Here's what I love having:
1. Stroller with nice, high handlebars so Dad can push it once in awhile.
2. Sling
3. Lots and lots of puke rags.
And that's it. When they get older, we like to have a few wooden toys. We like Melissa and Doug stuff, for the most part. Blocks. Those pull car things. I agree with Rebekah; the stuff that sings and dances makes everyone in a three house range stupid. And angry.
Otherwise, my poor kids play with spoons, cardboard boxes, and plastic Cool Whip containers. By choice. My generous parents make the toy room look like FAO Schwarz, but the babies like playing with trash. Who am I to argue?
As for a pump: I have a Medela that I got with BabyOne, back when I had a full-time job. I've used it with all three babies. This last time it was really handy as I kept having trouble and the baby could only do so much. I do not think, however, that a pump is all that important. If you want to have a store of milk in the freezer for whatever reason a cheap hand pump would do the trick. A cheap hand pump would probably be good enough for the minor snafus that crop up from time to time, too.
Do get yourself a few nice nursing camisoles, though. Target sells them reasonably priced. I really appreciate those things the first few weeks.
Also, I went nuts and got the "travel system" for my first kid--the car seat that fits into the monster stroller thing. We still have that pumpkin car seat (Graco) and like it a lot, but we never, ever use it in the stroller. It's just too much for sticking in the car and pushing around the mall or the zoo or whathaveyou. And as I usually sling my little-bitty guys, the travel system proved to be a big waste of money.
Way late to this discussion--I am woefully behind on my blog reading--but one of my favorite pieces of baby equipment was the doorway jumper. My babies loved it and it was a nice way to keep them contained while allowing for some fun and movement.
Glad to hear all is going well with your pregnancy!
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