1) favorite brand of disposable diapers (I WILL be using disposable, so this is not a platform to tell me why it's bad for the environment or why I should use re-useable. I just want to know your favorite brand and why.
2) To get a crib with dropside or without. The one we are looking at has 2 versions and whenever I see dropside, try them, they seem way more unsturdy. I'm not sure they are necessary if the mattress is set in the highest position.
3) Favorite brand/style of bottle for baby. I hope/plan to nurse, but I'll still need bottles!
Thanks everyone!!!
23 comments:
Huggies Supremes. Hands down. Strore brands give my kids diaper rashes & pampers get pooped up the back. Huggies Supremes are the ONLY ones that don't leak/have poopsplosions for us...
Dropside. It is SO hard to not wake the baby while going over the crib rail. When you're short (like me) and you have the mattress on the lowest setting (after the baby can sit/stand, it is next to impossible to reach the mattress without a drop rail.
Avent for nursing babies, but if the nipple is too big for baby on the avent ones... I like the soothie bottles. We also did drop-ins too. But... nursing, you'll probably only need 1 or 2 bottles total. Just FYI, leave as many bottles in their packages as possible so you can regift/return if you find you have too many or baby wont take that brand.
1- I use Pampers, but we tried Pampers, Huggies, AND a couple generic brands. We had the least issues with leaking, and believe it or not they retained SMELL better! Haha.
2- I've only had experience with non-dropping sides. I just felt safer knowing that the side didn't come down. I've got a MacGuyver of a kid, so it was probably best that way.
3- We tested TONS of bottles because our son was really gassy. We ended up liking Doc Browns but they were so expensive. Then ended up with Avent and had no problems whatsoever. We didn't use the liners or anything...just the one you pour the milk right in the bottle. It was a bit of a pain disinfecting bottles all the time, but I nursed him too, so that cut down on cleaning.
Hope that helped!
1.Well I have boys and Huggies always leaked for them. I'm Pampers all the way!
2.My oldest son's crib had a dropside and I hated it.So with my youngest I got him a crib without it.
3.Playtex Vent Air or Playtex drop ins. Both worked great for my boys because they were spitters and this helped with gas as well:)
I use Pampers. Like people have said, they retain their smell. And generic ones caused my daughter to have rashes. So pampers all the way!
As for the crib, I like the non-drop rails. The crib is way more sturdy than one with a drop down rail. But my daughter's crib is higher in the back than the front so i can still put her in there.
I went with the Playtex drop ins. I liked that you could push the air out so it helps with the gas.
Good Luck with your shopping!!! Babies are so much fun!
I know you asked for mommy comments...but dads surf blogs too so here it goes:
We always have used Huggies, they rarely leak (all diapers can meet their match down below), and we've never had any diaper rash issues.
We opted for a solid non sliding slide crib for stability. The child will probably only be in there between ages 3 month and 2 yrs so bending over isn't a huge issue.
We had some Dr. Browns bottles given to us and have always used them. We switched to the glass ones with baby #2 to avaoid plastic intake./ They are a lot of parts to wash, but the babies can suck without creating suction.
Just our 2 cents.
Rachel, after 4 babies here's my recommendations:
I do Pampers or Huggies for the first couple of months, but once the babies move into size 2 I use Luvs (unless I have good coupons for Pampers). I really prefer these diapers, not just because they are less expensive, but I love the way they hold up overnight. I just bought a box of Huggies a couple months back and they leaked during the night on several occasions (I have big nighttime "pee-ers").
As far as the cribs, we have two of them because we've had two in cribs for the past 6 years (!) and both of them have the side that goes down. If your little one is a climber (I had two that could climb out of a crib at or before the age of one...too little to move to a toddler bed if you ask me), then before you know it she will be trying to get out of the crib and your HAVE to lower the mattress to the lowest position...making it next to impossible to change sheets and mattress pads if you don't take the entire mattress out or put the side down.
I loved my Avent hand pump and bottles. I also recommend Johnson's brand disposable nursing pads (I know you didn't ask for that, but I just thought I'd throw it in there)
Have fun!! It's all a learning process :O)
-Valerie (Biebel) Hunter
I have tried every type of diaper and the only ones I love are pampers swaddlers..they are very soft and they never leak on me. I just tried some huggies on kenzie that I got at our diaper party and for three straight days she leaked so im back to pampers only. But once they are older it dosent matter what they wear. I buy target brand for austin.
Cribs: I have had 2 different cribs..they were both the slide down type but honestly only used the sliding feature for maybe a month. The mattress has so many height positions you really dont need to use the slide down side.
(bought mine on craigslist for a steal)
bottles: I tried dr browns with austin and wasnt impressed. too many parts, hard to clean and they wernt BPA free. I ended up using Born Free...I love them..(kinda pricy but still using the same ones with kenzie so they last) they have a vent part in them too
Let me know if you need help with anything else I know how overwhelming all this stuff you need can be!
Mindy (wiltse) Marshall
1) Pampers--no leaks. Huggies seemed to come undone alot - though we did use the diapers I gave you when they were little because they didn't have "big poops" as little Rachel calls them and they were cheaper.
2)I prefer dropside simply because of the strain on the back when they are big enough to put in a crib but not big enough to help you in getting them out. Ethan and Rachel both were climbers and I've never had the sides fall. You'll only have the mattress in the highest position when they are really little because as soon as they start pulling themselves up, you'll want to drop it down. So, if you're using a co-sleeper, you probably won't ever have it in the highest position.
3)Anything BPA free. Though we don't use bottles very often. With Ethan I used the ones with the drop in bags that went with my pump just because it was easy...pump, freeze the bag, insert bag into bottle...you get the picture.
Ha looks like you got plenty of feedback, but here's mine:
1. Diapers--I worked in a daycare for 5 years changing about 50 diapers a day(so to say I have experienced my share of diapers is an understatement!!)...I found that Pampers worked best, Luvs and generics were the absolute worst(might be cheaper short term but u go thru more of them), Huggies often had missing tabs or they'd rip off(wasting a diaper...which sucks coz they're not cheap). I 100% recommend Pampers Swaddlers for the newborn/size 1 and 2s. One thign the Huggies newborn diapers have is the little cut out for the belly button...but w/ the Swaddlers you just fold the diaper over for a week..no biggie. They're SO SOFT!! After that, the Pampers Cruisers are better than the Pampers Baby Dry. There was a 3-4 month span of time when Brandon was going from baby body to toddler body that Huggies Supreme fit him better. But I've NEVER had a poop blowout in Pampers. As far as wipes go, that's total preference. I use Pampers because I have a wipe warmer, and their refills come individually wrapped, which helps them from not drying out in the warmer. Just cut a slit in the wrapper and throw the whole thing in the warmer--awesome. Huggies you just get one huge stack of wipes in the refill. Huggies Sensitive wipes are horrible, at least the one pack I bought--they were not soft and stuck and were pretty dry...total waste.
Crib--the mattress will need to be lowered as the baby grows, and unless you're really tall, it's VERY hard to not wake a sleeping child when you try to put them down.
Bottles--my favorite are the Playtex Drop Ins--however they're more expensive in the long run than other bottles because you have to buy the liners. I loved them though because they were SO easy to clean, and every time you made a bottle, you knew the inside of the liner was clean and sterile. I know a lot of people swear by the Dr Browns, but they just seem like a lot of work to clean...and if you have a babysitter, it'd be one more thing to explain to them.
Lots of decisions and lots to think about w/ all this baby stuff! Don't put too much pressure on yourself---you'll try, fail, and adjust in the beginning, but everything will fall into place and click and it'll be smooth sailing from there! :o)
I used to love Pampers with my kids. Then I used Huggies and also Luvs. I think in the end Luvs won. I did the Pampers for the points and Huggies too. Used coupons too. But Luvs seemed to work best for me and my kids.
Crib-my girls had a convertible from Toys R Us. Not sure what the brand was as my kids are 5 and 8 now. It served the purpose for them to sleep and take naps.
Bottles, I liked the Advent as they didn't get gas from the bottles. They were easy to clean and sterilize in the microwave. I didn't care for the inserts so I chose this brand.
Good luck finding the brands that work for you and your baby. Make sure they aren't allergic to them too. Congrats!
Diapers- for newborns I love love love Pampers swaddlers. I haven't found a favorite in bigger sizes yet. Luvs are the same as pampers baby dry but cheaper. We have found that all diapers leak from time to time, no matter what brand.
Crib- I did not know they made cribs with drop down rails anymore. We bought a convertible crib and I have a hard time reaching to put Jason to sleep- I have to stand on my tip toes so I can bend over it and it's on the highest mattress setting. Perhaps I will look into a drop side when we have another baby.
Bottles- I use playtex drop ins and haven't had any issues. I think that you can buy some kind of kit so you can pump right into the drop in liner. My sister also uses the drop ins but she just uses the freezer bags in the bottle instead of the actual drop in liner- I never tried that. I never took any breastfeeding classes and I didn't know that breastfed babies only eat small amounts- most eat 3 oz, some get up to 4 or 5 or 6 oz at a time (newborns eat about 1-2 oz). Anyway, I froze bags of milk with 6or 7 oz thinking that he would eventually be eating that much at a time. Now I have all these frozen bags of milk and Jason only gets a bottle 1-2 times a week so the leftover milk usually just gets thrown away. Also (not that you asked for breastfeeding advice), the first 6 weeks are usually the hardest. I almost gave up after the first week because he was having trouble latching on, but I saw a lactation consultant and all the tricks I learned worked wonders.
Good luck with everything!
Diapers- for newborns I love love love Pampers swaddlers. I haven't found a favorite in bigger sizes yet. Luvs are the same as pampers baby dry but cheaper. We have found that all diapers leak from time to time, no matter what brand.
Crib- I did not know they made cribs with drop down rails anymore. We bought a convertible crib and I have a hard time reaching to put Jason to sleep- I have to stand on my tip toes so I can bend over it and it's on the highest mattress setting. Perhaps I will look into a drop side when we have another baby.
Bottles- I use playtex drop ins and haven't had any issues. I think that you can buy some kind of kit so you can pump right into the drop in liner. My sister also uses the drop ins but she just uses the freezer bags in the bottle instead of the actual drop in liner- I never tried that. I never took any breastfeeding classes and I didn't know that breastfed babies only eat small amounts- most eat 3 oz, some get up to 4 or 5 or 6 oz at a time (newborns eat about 1-2 oz). Anyway, I froze bags of milk with 6or 7 oz thinking that he would eventually be eating that much at a time. Now I have all these frozen bags of milk and Jason only gets a bottle 1-2 times a week so the leftover milk usually just gets thrown away. Also (not that you asked for breastfeeding advice), the first 6 weeks are usually the hardest. I almost gave up after the first week because he was having trouble latching on, but I saw a lactation consultant and all the tricks I learned worked wonders.
Good luck with everything!
Here it is, for what it is worth.
Diapers: Depends on the baby. Babies come in all sizes and shapes and diapers fit each one differently. For newborns, get the ones with the cut out for the cord. I hate to say it, but you'll need to figure out what you prefer on your own based on what fits your baby the best. Some say that Huggies work best for boys and Pampers for girls, but I don't think that is necessarily true.
Crib: Drop side, but it is KEY that the drop side moves into the up position silently and smoothly. When they are little and the mattress is raised the drop size isn't necessary. But, when they weigh 25 lbs and the mattress is low, hoisting them up over the railing can be hard without waking. Buy for the long-term, not just for an infant.
Bottle: Here is my professional childbirth educator/ lactation guru answer: I doesn't matter, as long as the nipple is wide-mouth, slow flow. This would be like a Playtex nurser type nipple. As long as you don't introduce a bottle or pacifier until after breastfeeding is established, then it probably won't matter one whit what the nipple is like.
You'll find that with baby #1 every decision is difficult. By baby #2 they can run with a butter knife and you won't care. :)
Ok so i only have one baby but feel I have tried every product out there so here are my comments.
1. for the first couple of months I would recommend Pampers Swaddlers but by the time they are in size 3's i recommend the pampers baby dry. i like pampers because they have the stretch to them and they smell like baby powder which does help i think. I have tried every brand of diapers and the store brand and luvs tend to cause diaper rashes much more frequently than pampers or huggies. the pampers swaddlers/cruisers come out to about 33cents per diaper and the baby dry come out to about 23 cents a diaper, when you are changing 4-10 diapers a day 10 cents makes a big difference over the course of a month
2. I use a drop down crib, they do seem a little more unsturdy but not enough to be unsafe and it is so hard not to wake the baby when trying to lay them down over a nondrop crib.
3. i use the vent air by platex, these are the only ones I have used so i don't have anyhthing to compare to but they worked well for me.
Good luck!!
Thank you so much everyone so far! Your advice is much appreciated! I know there will be trial and error, but I like to hear people's experiences in certain areas first so I can get some ideas at least of where to start.
I'm still open for more opinions on these topics as well, for sure, so don't stop commenting just because you see 14 so far!
Hey!
We only have a drop down crib, but I never dropped it much... it was fine and Levi has given it MANY a good shake!! It was really nice when he needed the crib at it lowest setting because he was pulling up, but I had to bend over to put him in. It is also nice now that I'm pregnant again and bending over isn't as easy as it used to be :)
As far as diapers - PAMPERS all the way! We used the stages diapers (swaddlers, then cruisers). The only leaks we had would have leaked or "blown-out" of anything. I LOVE them. We started with them because they're what the NICU used for Tyler. Levi also has sensitve skin, so we liked that he never got rashes. With a Sams Club membership they don't cost quite as much. But were worth it for the healthy skin.
We used Playtex Drop Ins, Levi loved them and had problem taking them and nursing. We were mainly searching for anything BPA free. So I would start there, but I wouldn't buy a lot until you know what your little princess likes. Each kiddo is different, and I have some friends whose kids would only take Dr. Browns, but Levi loved the Playtex drop ins.
Hope that helps! Looking forward to seeing your little girl and all that you purchase for her!
Diapers - Pampers, less leaks. Huggies are not bad either. I get whatever I have coupon for.
Bottles - I love Avent. They are simple & sturdy & have interchangable tops to convert to sippy cups. Also, they don't leak during travel.
I got a crib with a drop side just so its easier on the back. She's not big enough to lower it yet though, so not sure if I'll use it or not!
Rachel,
I also like pampers the best. Agree with the Huggies leaking at times, Pampers smelling better, and also I think it is easier to feel when the Pampers are wet.
We have used a drop down crib with Jonah and still using it with Lydia. Both have been in it past 2yrs, and jump around in it, etc...never felt like it would fall apart or anything! I have been happy with the drop down.
I nursed both kids, but when we used bottles occasionally, we used Avent. Never tried anything else, but was happy enough with Avent.
So many decisions, huh?!
-Hope Watson
Wow, you've had a lot of comments!
We use Pampers. We've tried a bunch of others but most of them leave the little jellies.
We are using a crib my sister-in-law handed down that originally had a drop down side. It had a recall on it so they sent us the parts to make it not drop. We haven't had any issues but both of us are amazons so maybe that's why!
And I used Playtex drop-ins. I'm not a fan of doing dishes so it helped with that. I used them mostly when I went back to work but that didn't last long. Once I was at home I didn't need to pump much any more so we didn't use them as much. But you always want to have a little stock on hand so you can go out and get a break from your little girl! You'll need it so take it when it's offered to you. :)
Penny
Rachel,
We've actually tried a lot of different kinds of diapers that we got from our diaper party. When Mara was a newborn, Pampers Swaddlers worked the best. I really liked how they had the notch cut out for the cord stump and they also had the little line that changed color when wet. Pampers definitely smelled the best, and you didn't get that pee smell that came with some other diapers. Mara now is sleeping about 10-12 hours at night and they do a really good job keeping her dry for that long. I had some leakage problems with Huggies and Luvs.
We do not have a drop down crib. Being short, I thought I would have a problem putting the baby to sleep, but so far things have gone pretty good. My mom got a drop down crib, and I didn't like how the sides felt so shaky.
As for bottles, we have been using Dr. Brown's. They are a little more expensive, and there are a ton of parts but they are the only ones we have found that work for us. Mara has really bad acid reflux and tends to spit up pretty easily. Dr. Brown's helped cut down the amount of spit up dramatically. We tried a lot of different kinds, all that worked well, but for our little girl Dr. Brown's definitely worked the best.
Hey Rach... I don't really have a favorite brand of diapers, I usually get what is on sale and I have coupons for but I have only used Huggies or Pampers. But my neighbor has a little boy 3 days younger than Morgan and she said that Wegmans brand diapers are really good and they are cheaper.
As far as the crib, you don't really use the drop side at first when the baby is a few months old but as they get older and can roll and pull themselves up, you have to keep moving it down so they can't climb out so I would recommend a drop side because when it is in the lowest position it can get a little hard to get them out.
Amy Gorzinski via Facebook
We LOVE pampers swaddlers for when they are smaller... but in my opinion, once they get a little older, any brand really works fine.
As for the crib.. although a crib that does not drop down might seem more safe.... the drop down ones are nice because if you have a sleeping baby, and have a long way to bend over and lay them down... they wake up much easier! I am sure whichever you go for will be fine though!
I nursed my babies... and the only bottles I found they liked were the Soothie bottles. But, I think that just depends on your baby... babies are particular about bottles, especially when they are nursing!
For diapers, we used Pampers when they were small (and look for coupons!) and Luvs when they were bigger. I never had any problem with these brands.
I didn't use our crib much, and I didn't realize that there were ones without drop down sides! Shows what I know! We mostly coslept, so I'm no crib expert.
I nursed both my boys too, so bottles were only once in a while at our house. We used the Playtex drop in ones, they were just easier to clean.
You're getting a lot of good advice here! I hope it's not too confusing!
Post a Comment