Disposable Diapers

[bsblady01]

We were a huggies family with all three of my kids. I would tell you not to buy a lot of newborn they don't stay in them long if at all. My kids were all in size one from day one. I would buy her a big box of wipes from sams club you go through a lot of them and you never want to run out.

 

[Disneylover99]

I also really liked the Dr. Brown's bottles.

 

[bcla]

We were a huggies family with all three of my kids. I would tell you not to buy a lot of newborn they don't stay in them long if at all. My kids were all in size one from day one. I would buy her a big box of wipes from sams club you go through a lot of them and you never want to run out.

Kids out of diapers, but we still use baby wipes. Our favorite is the Costco house brand. They work better than any other wipe we've tried.

Our kid was 8 lbs, 3 oz and 21 inches at birth. The hospital supplied Pampers Swaddlers size 1, but for a few months we found Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive newborn fit a bit better since our kid was rather skinny.

 

[wilkeliza]

Not sure what diapers my nephew uses (maybe honest company?) but whatever they are I wouldn't suggest them to any one! Kid has a blow out at least once a day.

On the car seat thing they expire now because it has been discovered that the protective padding breaks down even in non-use scenarios and so even if it sits in a warehouse for 3 years the foam will condense and not be as good as protecting kids in accidents. Of course now you have to replace even after a fender bender simply because there may be microscopic cracks. I get safety is key but I'm pretty sure my mom used and old hand me down car seat with us in the 80s.

 

[bcla]

Not sure what diapers my nephew uses (maybe honest company?) but whatever they are I wouldn't suggest them to any one! Kid has a blow out at least once a day.

On the car seat thing they expire now because it has been discovered that the protective padding breaks down even in non-use scenarios and so even if it sits in a warehouse for 3 years the foam will condense and not be as good as protecting kids in accidents. Of course now you have to replace even after a fender bender simply because there may be microscopic cracks. I get safety is key but I'm pretty sure my mom used and old hand me down car seat with us in the 80s.

I was a kid in the 70s. I sat on an adult's lap - and usually in the front. My family also had a strong dislike of seat belts. My dad's car had a buzzer if there was someone in the seat and the belt wasn't secured. So they buckled it and then sat on top of it.

 

[MainMom]

Pampers Diapers
Pampers Sensitive Skin Wipes (bought in bulk at Sam's Club)
Boudreaux's Butt Paste diaper rash cream (Best Stuff EVER!)

Regarding car seat expiration-it's also due to being exposed to extreme temps in your car. It can break down the materials. We used Britax car seats and boosters. When buying a 5point get one that is FAA approved. It should have a sticker on the side.

 

[mrsheppo]

I always liked using Luvs for disposable diapers. Cheaper than Pampers and Huggies and I don't remember too many blow outs when I used them on my DD. I now use them when I have my grandson even though his parents usually use the Kirkland diapers. As for car seats, the new recommendation is that children should be rear facing until at least 2 and there is a new car seat called Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat. It gives the child an additional 5 inches of leg room as they grow while still remaining rear facing.

BTW, congratulations on the new grandson

 

[mrsheppo]

can you still do that at your age?

Shooting blanks??

 

[roseaster]

Okay, I will tell my tale of woe.

I had 5 kids in fairly rapid succession, then after a 10 year gap I had #6 in March. I will mention that I just turned 46. Being older, not necessarily wiser, but more experienced, here is what I learned in my gap of 10 years and having to start again from scratch.

Target diapers and Target formula are great and so much cheaper. I didn't find any difference in any brand of bottles. Some kids were just gassier than others, burp them well. I will say that I thought the liners were a pain. I got lazy a long time ago. I mix powdered formula with tap water.

The diaper Genies and wipe warmers were a waste of money. The genie was a PIA and the warmer got used maybe once or twice (these were with older kids, didn't bother with this one)

We got the Graco 4Ever car seat. No infant seat, booster blah, blah, blah. Buy one for each car the baby will be in. It's a pain to move the seat. Get a decent stroller that will go from infant to toddler, but you don't need to spend a ton. I didn't like the travel systems with my older kids, didn't bother with this one. We are tall, so umbrella strollers are out. We have a Graco Modes. I like it.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a baby sling with infants. Once they were sitting up my other kids were hit or miss with carriers. 1 liked them 2 of them wouldn't tolerate them. I didn't try them with the twins.

All of my kids loved the baby swing.

Speaking of twins. If you are in the market for a double stroller I preferred the side by side as opposed to the tandem. I have twins then my 10 and 11 year olds are 16 months apart. The tandem was huge and hard to steer.

We got a great and cheap crib and nursery furniture from Ikea.

 

[tcufrog]

Honestly, the different brands of diapers fit differently. You won't know which is the right fit until you put it on the baby. The Diaper Genie requires special bags that aren't cheap. The Diaper Champ can use regular trash bags. I second the Kirkland wipes from Costco. They work well, are inexpensive and are unscented so they're less likely to cause a rash. I also agree the Chicco Keyfit infant seat is a great choice. The base is so easy to install that my parents had no problem figuring it out. You can also buy as many extra bases as you want. We bought an extra one that went back and forth between my DH's and my parents' cars. It's also impossible to put the seat back in the base incorrectly without noticing. As for infant carriers, it really depends on the baby's age. A simple sling is great for a newborn but you need to make sure you put the baby in correctly so that the baby isn't at an incorrect angle. If you do it wrong or wear the wrong size sling you can compress the baby's neck. Look online for instructional videos or go to a store to get fitted and to learn how to wear it properly. For older babies who have head control I love the Ergo. The waist band provides great back support that really helps when they get heavier. For some reason babies love to suck on the straps when they're teething. There's something about the texture of the fabric. I've seen countless Ergos with damp stains in about the same spot for that reason.

The bottle you get depends on your baby and whether you're breastfeeding. They make some great bottles these days that have nipples that are similar in shape and flow to a breast but of course that's unnecessary if you're exclusively using formula. My babies ended up liking different bottles. I suggest starting out with one each of a few different types of bottles. You also need to make sure you get the right nipple for the right age of the baby. The nipple flow changes as they get older.

As for strollers I wish I had just gone with a Snap and Go when my babies were newborns. They're inexpensive, lightweight, have huge baskets and the infant seat just snaps in. As for when they're older and have head control, I love the City Mini. There's a reason why they've infested WDW rental companies. They're sturdy, lightweight, and steer well over rough terrain without getting a full jogging stroller. You can also fold one with one hand while wrangling a squirming toddler in the other. They also fold completely flat and take up relatively little trunk space. You can even buy a soft sided cooler that straps to the back of the stroller without using the basket. It was great for lunch at the park. When I did Stroller Strides I'd use those straps to hold my exercise mat.

 

[tcufrog]

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[Poohforyou]

It's been awhile for me - dd is 16. Anyway, I remember most of my friends recommending pampers but they didn't fit dd right and she'd leak right thru them. I'm glad I didn't buy much before we brought her home. She did well with huggies and another brand I couldn't only find at Wal-Mart - Barney was on them.

I'd recommend getting a package or two to begin with.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Not to get graphic, but I've heard that some may work better vis a vis girls vs boys. The infant versions seem to be gender neutral, but training pants and overnight pants seem to be gender specific even though they functionally identical.

When I was younger, Luvs was marketed as a premium brand - even over Pampers. At a college job my manager had a kid and said she wasn't giving up Luvs for cloth diapers. I guess now it's a "value" brand.

Yep. Everyone I know, including myself, had success with Luvs on our boys but not girls. They are more absorbent in the front as opposed to middle and back so...

 

[winterman]

With DGS, who is now 4, I tried Huggies, Pampers and Luvs. I settled on Huggies. For the next one, due in Dec. I'll start with Huggies, but will switch if necessary.

 

[blana]

I always just used whichever were on sale. While the fit is different for the different brands, I never found t that one was much better than the other. However, I could NOT use the Target or Wal-Mart brands over night on any of my three. My go to brand is the BJs house brand. They were cheap and worked over night.

 

[tazdev3225]

It has been awhile since I had a baby in my house but I now have 8 grandkids and the youngest 2 are in diapers. My daughter will only buy Pampers. Her 2 year old can pee. Pampers are amazing in the amount of fluid they hold before they leak. Never had an issue with a blow out either. I know that my daughters did not like Pampers wipes though and preferred Huggies.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

If these are a gift you might want to re-think it. If they are for you don't buy a lot.

I have a baby, 4 months old. A lot of moms I know have had problems with various brands. 1 mother I know her child got a terrible rash from Pampers, another from Huggies. Personally, I found (with the older kids) that Luvs leaked.

Now if you are really set on buying diapers, or have to, I am using Target brand on the recommendation of a friend who has triplets. I think they work great. On the older kids I have used both Huggies and Pampers with success.

Dd#2 just moved GS to Target diapers and formula. He breaks out with Pampers and Luvs. Was on Enfamil but had bad gas. The generics work better for him.

 

[CarolAnn856]

The two thing she is having a hard time deciding on are bottles and a baby monitor

DS used a bottle, but it took some trial and error before we settled on one he liked. If she chooses one brand, I would only open one package and make sure the baby takes to it before opening up all of the packages.

Same suggestion with the diapers...I found that not all brands fit the same, and depending on the kid, one brand might prevent leaks better than another.

As for Diaper Genie, I ditched mine. Of course, my kids are both in high school now, so maybe they're better now, or maybe mine was defective. But, despite using it correctly and cleaning it all the time, it did not keep the smell away. I ended up keeping plastic grocery bags and using them, and I always double-bagged the stinky ones.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Yep. Everyone I know, including myself, had success with Luvs on our boys but not girls. They are more absorbent in the front as opposed to middle and back so...

Hmmm.

Our son leaked through enough times that we never finished the pack. I gave them away.

Some with the little girl living with us.

Neither time was it worth having to wash the sheets, baby clothes and the adult clothes that got peed on.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Hmmm.

Our son leaked through enough times that we never finished the pack. I gave them away.

Some with the little girl living with us.

Neither time was it worth having to wash the sheets, baby clothes and the adult clothes that got peed on.

Huh... Everyone is different I suppose