Sometimes Helps to Be First

Almost 6 years ago, I gave birth to my son. For our family it was the first child and the first grandchild, but among our friends, it was also the first baby. I know my husband since 5th grade and know many of his friends longer than that, some since nursery school. So it was amazing (and comical) to see these guys come to the hospital and our house, and have absolutely NO CLUE what to do with a little baby, what to bring and how to act.

Now that all of our friends have a child, and some with 2, 3 or even 4, new babies in our group are no longer the novelty that they once were. But even now, we are meeting new friends, some of whom are getting ready to have their first babies, and where are they coming for advice? You guessed it, your truly.

Hot topic today is registering, so here come some product tips - feel free to add your own in the comments!

Stroller
Without a doubt, my most favorite thing was the Kolcraft Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier. When the baby was little and we could still carry them around in the car seat, this stroller was so easy. Open quickly, close quickly. Baby goes right in in their car seat carrier. And the best part was the ginormous basket on the bottom. In 6 years I've yet to find any other stroller with such a large and well placed basket to store all sorts of stuff. Every mom with an infant should have this stroller. Hands down.

Infant Carrier
The Kolcraft Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier mentioned above fits most car seats and our absolute choices was the Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat. Know for it's safety, this car seat exceeded all of our expections. Very comfortable for the baby with lots of padding and easy for the parents to carry. And for those winter babies, don't forget the JJ Cole Original Infant Bundle Me which eliminates any need for bulky jackets, snowsuits or multiple blankets. It kept my son so warm in January and February and looked so comfortable, I wished they made them for adults!

Exersaucer
Both of my kids spent an incredible amount of time in their exersaucers and my daughter's was much more fun than my son's was, although they were only three years apart. The exersaucer helped to develop leg muscles and motor skills and kept them entertained and safe. We went with EvenFlo SmartSteps Exersaucer Entertainer for my daughter and were very happy, as was she. Even now at almost 3 years old, she still tinkers with the toys as she passes it by. We probably should be getting rid of it soon.

Swing
When my son was born, my husband refused to have big pieces of baby equipment all over the place, so we opted to go with the Fisher-Price Aquarium Take-Along Swing. Easy to bring with us pretty much wherever we went, easy to pack up, easy to store. And on the nights my son had to sleep in the swing because he was cranky, the music volume was adjustable and everyone was happy.

This is what works for me! Visit Rocks in My Dryer for more tips!

Happy registering, all!