I can’t believe we made it to here. For some reason this feels like such a huge hurdle… the difference between today and tomorrow…Its like the big hill and we are cresting and going over.
I had a major freak out this weekend and calmed myself down by making a list… house projects that need to be done before suki-dot comes out. Baby related research projects (doula, peditrician, daycare, vaccinations, and circumcision GOOD LORD?), and shopping to be done including the research on strollers, car seats, and bassinets… I’m feeling overwhelmed with the options. Here’s a poll for those who have finished shopping or have babes on the hip already.
1. What stroller did you choose?
2. What car seat?
3. Why did you decide for or against a travel system?
Here is an updated pic…with the cat included… he looked so snuggly I didn’t want to disturb him. I’m more round this week… think i gained a pound or two… My belly has just begun to get in the way. I can only imagine what it will be like when i get bigger.
10 Comments
May 19, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Lovin the new belly pic. Very cute! Congrats on the huge milestone! 20 weeks is a big deal!!!!! I am 10 wks behind you and 20 weeks sounds like a long ways away! Anyway, these baby decisions DO seem overwhelming don’t they?? As far as Karli and I, you know what bassinet we went with. About the strollers – we want something that is INFANT to TODDLER and we both think that travel systems are way to bulky and heavy. I can’t imagine lifting that big thing after you’ve given birth. Also, as far as car seats – we found this awesome p.eg p.erego one – it comes in a bunch of cool patterns and has a ton of really smart features (eg. non-metal straps that won’t burn baby’s skin if the car seat is in the sun, those can get HOT!, it has a balancer so the seat will lay perfectly flat and has extra head support in the event of a crash and super soft comfy fabric). Also (sorry I’m going on and on) is has straps that loosen and tighten with just a click so you don’t have to manually tighten baby’s straps!!! Big big decisions. I wish you girls tons of luck. Right now K and I are really discussing circumcision. We watched some videos on youtube and it made us seriously sick. Just do your research… I know y’all will come up with a decision that is best for your family. Here is a link though that you may find helpful:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/82971/circumcised_vs_uncircumcised.html?page=2
Looking forward to meeting you two this weekend!
May 19, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Congrats on the half-way mark. I like your wall colors (nice belly shot too!).
May 19, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I second the wall color! We just had our apartment painted and now I am jealous of your deeper green…
Nice belly shot (and cute cat!)!
Hard to believe that it’s halfway, WOW.
May 19, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I’m ten weeks ahead of you and I have no idea what stroller/car seat to get. W have ideas and wants, (and completely unrealistically expensive taste) but we can’t decide which to get. Things we also haven’t gotten yet include crib, changing table, diapers, or um, actually, ANYTHING!!!! I keep thinking once school gets out I’ll get going, but some stuff takes a long time to arrive and you’ve got to order it to get it. Arrggggh.
Luckily we don’t have to worry about circumcision, since we’re having a girl. You haven’t posted about finding out the gender, though, to my knowledge, have you? Are you going to find out?
May 19, 2008 at 6:43 pm
We chose the Chicco Cortina Travel System. The carseat is #1 rated in America and we like the colors. You can check it out here: http://www.elitecarseats.com/Chicco-Cortina-Travel-System.pro or here: http://www.chiccousa.com/product.php?productid=159&cat=18&page=1
As for circumcision, we decided against it. We couldn’t justify cutting off a peice of our child for looks which is what it boils down to. Her brothers are circumcised and mine aren’t. It’s a very personal descision. As long as you do the research and decide what’s right for you, there’s no wrong answer.
May 19, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Stroller and carseat thoughts from the second time around:
We did a lot of research online and in books before going to look at strollers in person – perhaps TOO much. You should read a bit so you know the different options and features, but don’t get stuck on one brand or model before you see them. We chose a Maclaren – and it has been fabulous, we really have no complaints – but now that we are more than halfway to the second installment, I am wishing I’d looked more at Peg Peregos because they have the little step on the back for an older kid to ride on. Small detail we probably wouldn’t have factored in three years ago – but the more important part is we never even test drove PPs because of all the reading we’d done about Macs.
My mom gave us a travel system without asking what we wanted. The carseat turned out to be excellent but we gave the stroller back to her, telling her we wanted her to have one at her house. Truth is, I hated it. It was a big behemoth and took up all the space in our car. We used a Snap & Go while she was in the baby bucket and switched to the Maclaren once she was in the convertible seat.
The Chicco Keyft is a great infant seat. If we were buying one new, that would be a top contender. Britax still makes the best convertible seats, IMO. If you or your donor are large, don’t get the smaller Britax seats (Roundabout or Diplomat) – go for the Marathon or Boulevard). They really do fit in the backseat of most cars, even small ones, and are the best buy because they will last a long time even with a huge kid.
May 19, 2008 at 9:16 pm
yay, belly! yay, 20 weeks!
1. We first bought a Maclaren Techno XT. A year later I rallied to add a volo to the mix. Now that #2 is coming, we also we’re just given by my mom a Phil and Teds. We use the XT the most. The volo is good for public transportation. The Phil and Teds is still in the box in my foyer.
2. We registered for a Britax Decatholon. If I were buying it myself, I’d get a Marathon. Same difference, pretty much, a little less money. The Britax has very high safety ratings, it is comfy, and easy(ish) to use. Worth the money, I think.
We got the cheapest Graco Snugride for when he was teeny tiny. It worked well, but it was not comfortable enough, thus our car rides were pretty hellish… what with the screams and protests from Mr. Newborn.
3. Everyone I know who buys a travel system regrets it. They are very very heavy and tricky to fold, especially with a newborn in one hand while you’re trying to recover from giving birth. We just got the $50 Snap and Go and the Snugride and the whole she-bang was around 100 bucks. When baby number two grows out of the infant car seat, I expect to sell the Snap and Go for $25.
That’s just my humble opinion. Keep in mind that we live in NYC, where you use a stroller so often that a little more of a financial investment is in order.
Happy shopping!
May 20, 2008 at 7:22 pm
congrats on half way! yippee! no advice for products (different country, different brands) other than to say safety should always come first!
lovely lovely little belly!
May 21, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Lovely belly shot! I don’t have any advice on the stroller/car seat because I have no experience, but good luck!
May 23, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Hey we are a day apart. My due date is Oct. 6th
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