Best breast pump is hands down the Spectra. Why are you even looking at Medela. Everyone on DCUM plus everyone in my moms group and all of my real friends prefer Spectra. I've used both.

Congratulations on your upcoming addition OP!

- Stroller system - Thoughts on Britax? // We had the Britax B-Agile + B-Safe 35 for our first child, but much prefer the Uppababy Vista + Mesa combo that we're now using for our second. The Vista offers a smoother ride than the B-Agile, and the Mesa seems roomier than the B-Safe. The Vista also provides a more upright seat than the B-Agile, which my toddler prefers. That said, we bought our B-Agile in 2017, and I recently someone with a Britax stroller that sat more upright than mine ever did. Maybe Britax updated their design?

- Bassinet - Thoughts on Halo or The Snoo? // We got the Snoo when our first child was a couple months old. It improved his sleep, but not immensely. Our second child has been sleeping in the Snoo since birth and is a much better sleeper than his brother, but I suspect that's more a matter of temperament than gear.

- High Chair - Thoughts on 4Moms? // We have the Ikea Antilop. It doesn't have a foot rest, so we used an online hack to create one from an extra Antilop tray. No complaints since.

- Changing Pad - Keekaroo or something more simple? // We have the Keekaroo. I like the convenience of being able to wipe it dry without adding to the laundry.

- Portable Bassinet - Pack and Play? // We have the BabyBjorn, but I wish we had gotten the Lotus instead because it can be zipped open on the side.

- Swing/bouncer - Fisher Price SnugaPuppy swing and bouncer? // Our Snug-a-Bear is still going strong. I gather that all of the Snug-a-Critter swings are the same, but never compared them. My only complaint is that the songs--which you will hear so often that they will haunt your dreams--are pretty annoying. Definitely get something that can be plugged in.

- Bottles - Como Tomo and Tommee Tippee? // We used the Dr. Brown's bottles with the vents with our first child. He liked them just fine, but cleaning them was a pain because they have more pieces than most bottles. We switched to LifeFactory bottles with our second.

- Baby Brezza - If we need to supplement or formula feed? // We have the BabyBrezza. It was helpful with our first, who screamed if he didn't get a bottle immediately when he wanted it. He had colic and was generally difficult to calm, so not having to measure a bottle or wait to warm up a pre-prepared bottle from the fridge meant a few less minutes of screaming. Our second is calmer so the Brezza doesn't make as much of a difference. Still a plus, but I wouldn't have bought it this time around. If I were you, I'd wait and see if you still want it once the baby is here.

- Best Breast Pump - Medela Pump n Style? // I like the Spectra S1 much more than either the Medela Pump-n-Style or the Medela Symphony.

- Crib sheets - Burt’s Bees organic cotton sheets? // We have these and they've held up well over many, many laundry cycles.

- Sound Machine - Hatch Baby? // We have the Marpac Hushh White Noise Sound Machine.

- Wipes - Water wipes? // We've been using WaterWipes for many months, and haven't encountered any problems with mold (yet).

I should say pp above and I said breeza not necessary and I want to clarify that I had a NICU baby who initially took bottles, then breastfed a few months then switched to formula. Still not necessary. Filtered tap water straight from the sink (once older, as an infant if you need formula use the ready to feed bottles) works just fine. Not sure what this bizarre bach and forth about water heaters is but I can assure you that is not something most moms are worrying about...

Fwiw a lot of this stuff you’ll have to figure out when baby comes, each baby and family is so different but here are mine:

Stroller system - We have the Citi Mini and used Chico keyfit when baby was an infant. Didn’t use citi mini as infant much, mostly used a carrier which I preferred, total personal and baby preference. Now as a toddler we love the Citi mini (get a belly bad when toddler)
- Bassinet - We used the lotus travel crib bassinet mentioned elsewhere. Didn’t LOVE the bassinet but LOVE the travel crib as a whole
- High Chair - Stokke Tripp Trapp - LOVE this. Can find on Craigslist and last forever
- Changing Pad - We just use a simple plastic changing pad on a dresser
- Portable Bassinet - we never ended up using this much. Had an old family heirloom wood one on our first floor and we just didn’t use it
- Swing/bouncer - My kid never really liked the bouncer
- Bottles - Don’t buy too many before baby is born. We used mam. Baby dependent.
- Baby Brezza - Not necessary
- Best Breast Pump - Spectra
- Crib sheets - Whatever works. I think I bought ours from target.
- Monitor - Infant optics is more affordable and great.
- Sound Machine - We have the hatch which people LOVE but for whatever reason we always had connection issues. We ended up liking the marpahc dohm. Just a simple sound machine.
- Diapers - We used Costco diapers and wipes (the buggies wipes available at Costco were a little easier to pull out) but like others have said anything works and it doesn’t matter much, you’ll figure this out when baby is here
- Wipes - See above

Anonymous wrote:You’ve got plenty of recs so far! My favorite piece of baby gear was the Lotus travel crib. Used it up to age 3 with each of 2 kids and it was still good as new. You can get the bassinet attachment and skip Halo or Snoo, and then use it as your play yard/ travel crib.

We love ours too!!

- Stroller system - Thoughts on Britax? We love the Britax. Uppababy is nice but twice the price.
- Bassinet - Thoughts on Halo or The Snoo? We love The Snoo. I would look into renting instead of buying it.
- High Chair - Thoughts on 4Moms? We used a Graco. I read that the magnetic tray doesn’t work that well.
- Changing Pad - Keekaroo or something more simple? We used a Summer pad with Burt’s Bees Organic changing sheets.
- Portable Bassinet - Pack and Play? This is nice but we use the Fisher Price Baby Dome.
- Swing/bouncer - Fisher Price SnugaPuppy swing and bouncer? We love these but any bouncer will work.
- Bottles - Como Tomo and Tommee Tippee? We use both of these.
- Baby Brezza - If we need to supplement or formula feed? I read bad reviews and it dispensing too much or too little formula. It doesn’t seem worth it.
- Best Breast Pump - Medela Pump n Style? This one or Spectra is good. Get a Haakaa.
- Crib sheets - Burt’s Bees organic cotton sheets? We love these.
- Monitor - Best one? We use Infant Optics DXR - 8 video monitor.
- Sound Machine - Hatch Baby? Any will do.
- Diapers - Pampers Pure or Costco? Both are good.
- Wipes - Water wipes? We used these and Pampers Pure.

- Bassinet - Thoughts on Halo or The Snoo? Had a a Halo, it was nice, but ended up replacing it with the lotus guava bassinet as baby got too big for the Halo quickly. Think I preferred the lotus bassinet anyway

- High Chair - Thoughts on 4Moms? Tripp Trapp

- Changing Pad - Keekaroo or something more simple? Got the Bumbo changer and have barely used it. The plastic is so hard and the baby seemed to find it uncomfortable. Got a regular foam pad with fabric covers topped with a liner and it's much better.

- Portable Bassinet - Pack and Play? It's fine, but don't bother with the changer unless you're under 5 feet tall. Serious back aches.

- Swing/bouncer - Fisher Price SnugaPuppy swing and bouncer? Ours likes this. Didn't for the first 2 months though.

- Bottles - Como Tomo and Tommee Tippee? Lansinoh

- Monitor - Best one? Got a video one and an old school audio one which we've actually ended up using all the time

- Sound Machine - Hatch Baby? Like my lectrofan

- Diapers - Pampers Pure or Costco? Huggies. Prefer the stretchy waist in the back.

- Wipes - Water wipes? Seventh generation are the wettest that aren't water wipes. Huggies natural are okay. Amazon and Costco irritate the baby's skin a bit. I tried a Costco wipe when I had a runny nose and oh man did it stings, so I imagine it's not pleasant for a sore butt.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just in case you don't understand why nobody should drink warm tap water - a majority of homes' water heaters are contaminated with various types of dangerous bacteria. Even at a temperature hotter than most homeowners keep their heaters, it would not be high enough to kill the bacteria. When you take warm water from the faucet, it contains this bacteria from your water heater. It's fine if you're going to boil it and make pasta or something but it's not fine to drink it

This is looney tunes. Ignore.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2094925/

"However, Canadian studies have shown, even when the thermostat is set at 60°C, a high percentage -- approximately 40% -- of electric water heaters remain contaminated because of the lower temperature, about 30°C to 40°C at the bottom of the tank."

NP. Fairfax Water says not to drink hot water from the tap.

https://www.fairfaxwater.org/our-water

the Doona stroller/carseat is life falteringly convenient. I wish i had it with my first two. Without financial constraints- its a no brainer convenience to have.

- Stroller system - We have an Uppababy Cruz and Uppababy Mesa car seat and love both.
- Bassinet - Thoughts on Halo or The Snoo? - We have the Guava Lotus bassinet attachment for our Guava Lotus and I like it.
- High Chair - Thoughts on 4Moms? I got a used Tripp Trapp that we really like.
- Changing Pad - Keekaroo or something more simple? Skip Hop has a cheaper version that I wish we had gotten - babies pee all over the cute changing pad covers.
- Portable Bassinet - Pack and Play? - Guava Travel Crib + Bassinet
- Swing/bouncer - Fisher Price SnugaPuppy swing and bouncer? We have a Graco swing - it's fine. I kind of wish we had gotten the 4moms mamaroo. We have a Baby Bjorn bouncer and it is great to move all over the house and baby loves it.
- Bottles - Como Tomo and Tommee Tippee? We have a combo of ola Baby and Avent. I use the ola Baby to feed him (they are similar to comotomo but have transport tops and a couple more options - you can get at Bed Bath & Beyond/BuyBuy Baby and Walmart (cheapest) and Amazon). I pump and store milk in Avent bottles.
- Baby Brezza - If we need to supplement or formula feed? Wouldn't bother with this unless you're going to end up with straight formula.
- Best Breast Pump - Medela Pump n Style? Spectra S1 for the win. But I use Avent bottles with this cause I didn't like the Spectra ones. I also have freemie cups that I'm trying to use at work.
- Crib sheets - Burt’s Bees organic cotton sheets? Ehh honestly I've liked the Target Cloud Island ones.
- Monitor - Best one? Infant Optics
- Sound Machine - Hatch Baby? I don't like the noises on the Hatch - I prefer the Dohm/Hushh and highly recommend the Hushh for travel but don't buy off Amazon cause they have a problem with fakes.
- Diapers - Pampers Pure or Costco? Costcooo!
- Wipes - Water wipes? Target brand wipes are fine and Costco ones are nice too.
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Stroller: loving our Uppababy Vista so far, it’s bulky but so smooth, we specifically bought this one because you can add a second seat and we expected to have 2 kids pretty close in age
Bassinet: like one of the PPs, another Snoo believer here; paid $500 for ours used and getting ready to pull it out for our second baby, got 6 months of use with our first so I consider the investment well worth it; our kid was sleeping 6 hour stretches at just a few weeks old and through the night by a few months
High chair: Stokke Tripp Trapp - pricey but great quality and still looks new despite all my kid puts it through, love how simple and streamlined it looks at our table
Swing: our baby loved swings from 3 weeks until at least 4 months and we got a used FP snugabunny that was a workhouse. If you get one, make sure it has a cord (some FP swings are only battery operated).
Sound machine: we got the Hatch as a gift and it’s pretty nice, operating it through the app is very useful and it’s good looking too
Diapers: Agree you should wait and see what fits best, we like Earths Best but discovered this by trying a bunch in the first few weeks
Wipes: Seems like we are the only Water Wipes fans on here but we’ve been using them for a year and never once experienced mold, they’re wetter than a lot of others we have tried so I think they clean better and I like that they don’t have chemicals

The best bottles are the one your kid drinks from. For my kid it was Tommee Tippee or Comotomos. He would not drink out of the Dr. Brown's at all.

If you have friend with recent babies, talk to them. Some friends are eager to dump baby stuff on you and it really is for the best. For instance, my experience is swings are all the rage for like 4 to 6 weeks and then they just take up a ton of space in your apartment, so swings can go through a dozen babies without getting worn out. My brother gave me a bunch of stuff from my older nephew which then I gave back for my younger nephew.

Honestly, the best gear for baby is gear that you find easy to use and that you will actually use. Take bottles for instance. Dr. Browns and the ones that came with bad inserts were all the rage. I hated them. Think about how tired you will be, how maneuverable and easy you need a stroller to be, or how you might want to change diapers (on the floor, couch, changing table, etc.). With the exception of the baby monitor, I preferred very simple things as far as gear is concerned. Simple to me means not a lot of parts or crevices to clean and easy to use one-handed when I'm exhausted.

Some kids like the swing vs. bouncy seat, so if you feel the need to buy one or the other, keep the receipt.

Skip Hop, Britax, Graco, and Uppababy all make wonderful products.

Baby Monitors are great tools when you have a large house, or one with a lot of steps. Suggest one with video, adjustable sound, night vision, temp, two-way communication, one with a decent batter, and one with the correct frequency for your living situation to avoid interference.

Stroller system - We have the City Mini GT with a Chicco Keyfit 30 attachment and LOVE it. I don't find the basket lacking in space, but I also am more suburban so I don't use it for groceries, etc.
- Bassinet - No advice here, had a Moses basket from a friend
- High Chair - Stokke Tripp Trapp.
- Changing Pad - We just use a simple plastic changing pad on a dresser
- Portable Bassinet - 4Moms Breeze. I actually have strong thoughts about this. The set up/break down is infinitely easier than a PnP
- Swing/bouncer - Can I say Rock n Play? Joking, but that thing was a lifesaver
- Bottles - We use Dr. Browns and don't find the pieces annoying. But, don't go crazy with buying all of one bottle before the baby is born. See what they like.
- Baby Brezza - Not necessary
- Best Breast Pump - Spectra
- Crib sheets - Whatever works. We have Pottery Barn and also no name brands.
- Monitor - We had an old Motorola that worked great...until it broke. Ended up getting a Yi camera and we like that just as well
- Sound Machine - Sleep Sheep
- Diapers - Wait until the kid is born and test them out. My son liked Pampers, my daughter has a booty and Huggies fit her better.
- Wipes - Amazon wipes bought in bulk. Water wipes do nothing and aren't worth the cost.