My good friend Kristy asked me to help her to go register as she gets ready for the arrival of her first baby. So exciting - and so nerve-wracking! Everyone who's ever set foot in a baby store knows that it's absolutely out of control how much stuff there is, and how easily you can get distracted from what you actually need. For example, when we walked into our local Buy Buy Baby to start registering, they gave us a "recommendations" list that said that we needed no less than 12 white onesies in every size up to 24 months, a warm mist humidifier, a cool mist humidifier, and 4 sets of crib sheets. I mean, don't people own washing machines?! Needless to say, we pared down quite a bit and tried to find as much stuff as we could that could do double duty, and save us some space. We relied on the advice of our family and friends with kids when making choices, as well as a few other good resources that are out there. Here are two books that we found to be really helpful as we got ourselves put together before Caroline was born...
The Lila Guide began as local resource guides for parents, with tips for kid-friendly restaurants, the best parks, classes, and outings for families, and stores for good gear, among other things. Think of it as sort of a Zagat's Guide for parents. The editors then decided to put together The Lila Guide Baby Gear Guide. There are many fabulous parts to this guide, including lists that tell you what you definitely need, what would be nice to have, and what to skip, as well as lists of the best-ranked gear in each section. I think my favorite part is that these guides are comprised of real-world parent recommendations, rather than just having a bunch of editors put together a book about what they think we need. The guides are also available online at www.lilaguide.com , where you can join for free and customize the site to your closest local city and keep a calendar of upcoming events in your area. We still use ours, and Caroline's 18 months old. Not much has lasted that long with her...
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YES! BABY BARGAINS! That is numero uno on my to read list. I suppose I should wait until I'm actually pregnant, and in the spirit of bargains, I should also wait until my cousin is done with her copy of the book. Regardless, I have heard that it is fantastic!
Too funny, Gris! Glad to see you stopping by! My copy, btw, has passed through several hands at this point. Not sure where it is these days, but hopefully it's making someone else's hunt for that perfect high chair a breeze...
The copy of Baby Bargains that you guys gave us when we were expecting Christian has been to ever single baby store in the DC area---it's like Consumer Reports for baby stuff. (Although, they don't really like our stroller too much Jenny!)
I know - Bugaboos aren't exactly bargains, but hey! They are still fabulous! What good is cheap if it's not also chic?!
Will and I had a 24 hour "lay over" in NYC a couple of years ago. We decided to go to Central Park and hang out by the boathouse. Little did we know, we were actually stroller shopping. Love those bugaboos. They were our clear favorite (well, until we looked at pricing). Though not pregnant (hoping for a 2009 baby), Phil & Ted's has moved into the number one spot for the moment. I know they're mostly jogging strollers, but I jog, so there. ;)
No worries, Gris! We aren't offended that you are deviating... Actually, the Phil and Teds strollers are absolutely fabulous, as well, and you are right, they are less-expensive. Unfortunately, with the wheelchair, they didn't work out that well, but my severaly friends who own say that they love them. I have to admit that when it's set up like a double-stroller, with one kid riding in a seat UNDER the other, it looks a little strange, but I can see a kid really liking that! That's exciting that you all are thinking about a baby - gives new meaning to A LITTLE Gris Gris - hee hee!
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