Ok, so this post has been in the works for a week. Sorry for the delay. I had it close to done and my laptop died. It's in the laptop hospital (iHospital) and will be back soon. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you so much to everyone for the comments regarding immunization. As Dont Lick the Ferrets said, immunization can be a hot topic. We're pretty open minded though and really appreciated the input. We made our decision and we are going to immunize Addison. We are however, going to take people's advice on doing them one at a time and a few of them once she is older and her body is more able to handle them. It seems like a safe and sane approach and the healthiest option for Addison and those around her. So, on to baby Stuff....
CARRIERS
We did a lot of research on this before Addison was born and really thought we knew what we wanted. We researched Bjorn, Ergo, Moby, Peanut Shell etc etc. So, here's how it went for us.
I wanted a Moby, but felt Moby stupid and only imagined myself in a mess of fabric, so, the first carrier we bought was the Ergo with an infant insert. It seemed perfect, until we got it home. Now, I'm bigger then normal right now, but I'm not HUGE, and neither is Jen. However, for whatever reason, the strap that comes with the Ergo did not adjust and therefore, did not fit either of us right. There are a couple of different kinds of Ergo as well. The kind we got was really complicated. No one with a newborn needs anything complicated. I think we'd all agree on this. So, back went the Ergo.
On the second trip to Day One (our baby hub), Jen went without me and called me when she got there. We then decided on the Peanut Shell.
*Side note - Baby Bjorn is a great option by the way, but we kept wanting something that was going to keep Addie close to us with as little between us as possible.
Well, Peanut Shell gets home and we discover that they dont give you any directions. It's just a box with the single piece of fabric item in it. There arent even any basic instructions on the box. I tore that sucker apart thinking that I missed something. So, after staring at the woman wearing it on the box for about 20 minutes, I put Addison in it. She sinks to the bottom of the fabric chasm like a rock. She stares at me, I stare at her all mooshed up and then at Jen before asking for help to get her out. So, a few days after this, Peanut Shell goes back to Day One and they say that we just got the wrong size.
I'd had it by then, saw the Moby on the shelf and said, "That's it, we're going with the Moby". LOVE IT. It seems like it would be difficult to use or get used to, but it's really not. It comes with GREAT instructions and you can even go online to see demonstrations of the different holds. That's probably one of my favorite parts is that there are different ways to wear it and different ways to carry your baby as the baby grows and gets different control of their own body. The only downside was that the only color they had was black. At that moment, I didnt care, and now, I LOVE IT. So, if we had to give an educated opinion on carriers, we'd definitely say to go with Moby :)
SHORT SCOOP ON ORGANIC BATH PRODUCTS
We have a wonderful support staff at Day One and they hit the advice on this one out of the park. We highly recommend it for newborns and honestly, children of any age. The brand name is Little Twig. They have several different kinds of bath bubbles and after bath body oils. They have one that is fragrance free for those of you who like that. We get the Lavender, Lemon and Tea Tree oil. They are organic, phthalate free, pediatrician tested and approved, paraben free, mineral oil free, nut, soy and wheat free, non irritating, have no synthetic fragrances, are hypoallergenic and ideal for sensitive skin. We have a nightly bathtime routine which has helped establish our night sleeping routine.
We toss the entire container of baby oil into the tub while one of us is bathing Addie so that it warms up, but doesnt overheat (we dont recommend heating any other way). After she's out and diapered but not yet dressed, we put the oil on her tummy and legs and then the lotion on her hands feet and right now, dry forehead. Body milk and baby oil. Love it, live it, highly recommend it :) We do use a few other side products made by Aveeno Baby and Aveeno's always great because it's so gentle.
CAR SEATS
I'm going to get flack for this I know, but hands down, if you can save for it ahead of time, or if you can afford it now, the Orbit, is THE best carseat out there. We've gone to demonstrations on it and researched the heck out of it for months. It was created by two dads and engineers from here in the Bay area. It reduces the impact pressure on a baby's neck in an impact crash from several hundred pounds down to single digits. The baby sits deeply in the seat which Addison seems to love. It comes with a UV protective 'paparazzi shade' and the ease of use with this seat is ridiculous. I was able to pull up the stroller portion and put it in the trunk on the day I left the hospital after my C-section. Ridiculous. If you're in an accident, even if the seat's not damage, just to ensure that you and your baby are safe, they replace the seat for free.
The carry arm on the seat is flexible and therefore you dont get the rubs or bruises that you do with stiff handled carry arms. The base that you put in your car for the seat is immovable once you get it in. The seat is set on it and locks into place, the same way it does on the stroller base. You can position the seat in any position on the base or the stroller base at any degree within the 360 degree turning radius. This makes it really easy to get into the car because you snap it in facing you and then just rotate it to rear facing position.
The only downfalls are: The infant seat is a little heavier then other seats. You have to buy a separate toddler seat once they outgrow the infant seat. And, it's expensive. We got a lot of gift cards for the place where we bought ours which made it a lot easier. Plus, since we're already going for baby #2, we felt that the cost was well worth it since we'll be able to use the system twice. You can go to Orbit.com to see this amazing piece of equipment and see video demonstrations. One caviat: You can get used ones at places like Craigslist etc, but this voids the warranty and it's an amazing warranty with GREAT customer service, so this is something to consider.
Ok, this is long enough for now, so I'll come back in a week or so with reviews on cloth diapers, formula (yuck!), bottles (oh man, we went through it on this one), breast pumps and swings. Hope that all is well with everyone, we're off to South Dakota! :)
