Up first: Big Ticket Items
Carseat - Graco Snugride 35
No complaints here! It has been fairly portable, though heavy, and we liked that it could easily snap in and out of the base in the car and onto the stroller for running errands. In hindsight (and someone did give us this advice) we could have gone with the Snugride 30. I doubt most babies actually make it to the size limit in the 35 before outgrowing it in other ways. Gavin was around 20+ lbs at 8 months and partly because it's winter and he's in bulkier clothes, the straps were getting way too tight.
New carseat! - Diono Radian RXT
We've only been using this seat for a week or so, and so far so good. The one thing I don't like (which I was somewhat prepared for since I read it in reviews) is that it is extremely hard to tighten. Maybe it's because he's still a bit small for the seat and once he's bigger it may be easier but right now, I have to pull the tether SO HARD to get it snug on his chest. And it will be next to impossible to travel with....
Stroller - Baby Jogger City Mini GT
Loooove it! We've been really happy with the stroller. I'm so glad we went with the three wheels, it's been so easy to maneuver through all the condo doors and the grocery store and it folds up SO EASILY with one hand. I wish the undercarriage was bigger for holding more stuff, but we've made it work.
Stroller Accessories:
Carseat Adapter - MUST HAVE. This made it sooo easy to keep Gavin in the carseat and snap it onto the stroller. Great for when he was sleeping since we didn't have to take him out. The adapter wasn't the easiest to take on and off so we just left it on which made it a bit awkward to fold up but once you got the hang of working around it, it was fine. We kept it on the stroller until our Europe trip at 5 months and then had Gavin sitting right in the stroller itself.
Jolly Jumper stroller caddy - great for water bottle, phone, etc. and nice to have the zippered section
Baby Jogger Wind/Rain Canopy - this has been key for rainy days or for everyday use as soon as the weather turned cold, but word to the wise: DON'T leave it attached and fold the stroller up! It ripped along the seams on both ends and kept getting worse with the cold. Now we have a new one and will make sure to detach one end of it before folding.
JJ Cole Bundle Me - we chose this winter bundle for the stroller as it seemed to be great quality and long lasting (can extend to accommodate a child up to about 4 years old!) The only downside I've seen with this is that there isn't a way to cinch the opening tighter, so Gavin can easily get his arms out. Still need to make sure he is in lots of layers and has mitts on and this is another reason we always use the wind cover.
Car mirror - I forget what brand we have but they are all fairly similar. A must have for the car to easily glance in the mirror and see baby while rear facing in the carseat.
Crib - Oeuf Robin Crib
Hahaha, maybe I can let you know how we like the crib once Gavin actually starts sleeping in it? In hindsight, we maybe should have held off on the crib until we saw what kind of sleeper he was. I'm glad we found this one on sale though as cribs can get so expensive, and I do like the simple design of it. (It has NOT been easy lowering the mattress though!) We used the Arm's Reach co-sleeper bassinet (borrowed from a friend) until he was almost 6 months old (we stopped using it after our Europe trip and once Gavin was too big/could move around more and sit up). This was a fantastic bassinet, kept Gavin close to easily pull into bed for nursing but he could be in his own space too. If space in our bedroom allowed, we would definitely have considered doing a side-car with his crib and pushing it up to our bed but unfortunately there just isn't room. I won't get into detail with Gavin's sleep troubles, but needless to say, he does not sleep in his crib yet. He will sometimes nap in it during the day or start the night off in the crib, but as of now, sleeps with us. And we're all happy with that :) Oh, and the crib mattress. We got this on sale as well but spent a bit more on this to get a good one. Better to get a higher end mattress and go less on the crib since the mattress is what gets used and needs to be safe and comfortable and last a long time.
Other nursery furniture - Pretty much the only things we bought specifically for the baby were an IKEA dresser to use as a change table, a display shelf for books and decor, and the glider. The glider is awesome but hasn't been used as much as I'd hoped. If we had more room and it was actually IN the nursery, maybe we would sit there for story time. As of now, story time is Daddy's domain and the boys cuddle on the futon in the nursery for stories. I would definitely recommend using a dresser as a change table as opposed to one of the open shelved traditional change tables. So much more functional and nice being able to have things put away in drawers.
Babywearing
Boba stretchy wrap - We used this wrap for at least the first 3 months or so and LOVED IT. I actually bought it off Kijiji, still new. I would definitely recommend searching Kijiji for baby stuff since some people are selling things that are brand new for cheaper than store prices. Gavin seemed to like the wrap a lot and usually fell asleep in it. We didn't wear him ALL the time, which I think was good because then we could use it as a soothing technique or to put him to sleep when needed. It took a few tries to get the hang of tying it but then it becomes second nature and it's amazing to have your hands free! We also had a woven wrap which I never really got the hang of using. I wish we had given it a better try since I know so many people love the woven wraps and you can use them longer than stretchy wraps (which start to sag when baby gets too heavy) but we really liked the stretchy wrap.
Boba carrier - We did some research and because the Ergo carriers required an infant insert and this one didn't, we decided to get the Boba to use once Gavin "graduated" from the stretchy wrap. We started using it when Gavin was about 3 months old. Again, it took a few tries to get the hang of putting it on and getting it comfortable but it worked out pretty well. Once we got the Ergo however, this one has barely been used. It's just a little heavier and the fabric is thicker so for our sweaty little man, we preferred using the Ergo.
Ergo Performance carrier -*cue angels singing* Definitely one of our best purchases for baby. We LOOVE this carrier! I know a lot of people have the Original or Organic Ergos but this one (Performance) was a little sportier, lighter weight and more breathable fabric which were all what we were looking for. We still tend to use the stroller more often, especially now that Gavin is way heavier, but he will still fall asleep in the carrier most of the time which is a great trick to have up our sleeves, especially for church or for Daddy trying to get him to sleep at night. I used this for our Carrier Fit classes as well and it was very comfortable. I use it a lot when going to classes now just for shuttling to and from the car. No point in getting the stroller out for a two minute walk from our parking spot to class but it's awkward just carrying him in my arms with bags, etc. so this is safer and I can tuck him inside my coat on the cold days. Would 1000% recommend this carrier to anyone, so worth the investment.
