Who has kids?

[HLxDrummer]

Well, my wife is about 16 weeks pregnant and I am completely overwhelmed with everything we need to buy. I always research everything forever before I buy so looking to get a jump start. Looking for some advice:

Do we need two car seats, one for her car and one for mine? Or just two bases?

Any suggestions on car seats? I really wanted a Recaro for obvious reasons, but it looks like they are bulky and some people don't like them. My wife has an '08 Legacy and I have an '07 Forester.

How does the whole stroller thing work? I've seen people put car seats into strollers before but not sure how that happens.. Are there any good multipurpose strollers (light, portable, good storage, all terrain, etc)?

Any baby monitor suggestions?

Any suggestions or advice in general is appreciated!

[NickS VR4]

To start. For 0-20ish lbs, I would go with the 2 bases and baby carrier. I think we had the Graco 35. Odds are the baby will always be with that carrier, but it will switch between vehicles.

As far as the car seat, we went with the pricey, highly reviewed one, Chicco Nextfit. It's very nice.

Stroller, my wife wanted something light, so went with the City Mini. They have an attachment so you can put the baby carrier in it. Its a "good" stroller. Pros, very light and easy to use. Cons, less storage/options.

Baby Monitor, we went with Motorola, but I think if I could do it again, I would just get a wireless camera set up on the network. Not the proprietary "Baby Monitor" that isn't very flexible. For cheaper, you can get one that does all the same stuff, but can be accessed wherever you want and controlled via smartphone.

Other than that, don't expect much sleep. Have my second kid on the way now.

Also, breast feeding, or bottle feeding?

And most importantly, Congrats!

[atarirx]

Everything will be fine, don't stress! We just had #3 a couple weeks ago and I'm still somehow finding time for the cars too. When they are babies just get a carrier and put a base in each car, it's easy to pop the carrier in and out. We use the Chicco Keyfit 30, and have the stroller to go with it too. As they grow you pretty much need a seat in each car but that's not till later. Baby monitors, just buy whatever is cheap, they all do the same thing!

[KeithMac]

I've got an 8 year old son and a 3 year old daughter, both can be a handful at times but would never go back!.

Big responsibility but big rewards as well :).

We bought car seats for the family Focus and I bought an extra one for the GTO, I believe they are all Graco (very well made).

If you cars have ISO-fix it's a lot less faffing about.

[KeithMac]

Almost forgot, most important thing; Congratulations!.

[NickS VR4]

+1 on the greatest thing. I was scared of how it was going to change my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are a blessing.

[Jimvr4]

Yeah, I got kids. They are 27, 25, and 22 now :lo5l: They were only 6, 4 and 2 when I got my first 3S :)

[95gto]

When the baby is newborn to less than a year old a travel system car seat is really what you want.

Graco Travel System Strollers, Free Shipping on All Travel Systems - Babies"R"Us (http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2256206&ab=BRU_Header:Utility3:Car-Seats:Travel-System-Car-Seats:Home-Page)

These allow you to move a single seat between cars so long as you have a base in each car, and the bases are cheap compared to a full car seat. Not to mention that this setup allows you to load the baby into the seat when you are indoors. This keeps the baby out of the elements as much as possible and allows you to move them in and out of cars quickly and while still sleeping. Also the travel system takes care of the stroller issue, and the stroller can still be used for when the baby is too big for the infant car seat.

The only thing to watch out for with these setups is that the manufacturers will update the design of the bases frequently and parts are not reverse compatible. So if you look at an older model on clearance or a used setup at a re-sale shop, be sure to check that you can still get the correct extra bases you will need.

With respect to the monitors, my wife and I went low tech with just normal audio only monitors. The video monitors are nice but we didn't feel the feature justified the added cost.

[J-Groove]

Congrats!

Here is our little man.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11089040_10102065772152933_6121084243210685150_n.j pg?oh=d4b9d1c731f45b4890d963ae0759363a&oe=564BCD44

So far a lot of good advice, I'm basically going to repeat the same thing said here.

For when they are little, one baby carrier and a base in each car is the most convenient set up.

We've been a fan of the Safety 1st brand. The car seat he is in now looks pretty cool, it is just black and grey.

For the baby monitor, we have a video with night vision, works great, very handy to be able to look at the monitor and tell easier if it is a real cry or a fake cry when they get older.

Best advice to you, is to listen to the LOADS of advice you will receive, but in the end do what you feel is right. A lot of the advice I received I used as a cautionary tale instead of instructions. Look to see kids behaving the way you would like, then see how their parents interact with them. I really like the way 4 of my cousins turned out (1 in college, 1 in high school, and 2 in middle school) so Tiffany and I talked to my Mom's little brother, Uncle John and Gina, to see what they did when raising their kids for tips that worked for them.

-John

[j2k4]

Much of my advice for you would be, oh....passe, I guess, but I would say this - if you have married the right woman, literally half your concerns are ameliorated.

I thought I had the right ideas about raising kids, but my efforts were entirely and comprehensively short-circuited by my having married a wrong-headed woman.

Best of luck with what should be one of the most pleasureful endeavors of your life. :wink:

[GTOJOE]

Congrats mate. we have 2 kids. My son 4 and my daughter is 9 weeks old. We just use standard audio monitors but don't cheap out on them. You get what you pay for. The other thing we invested in is a sleep/breathing monitor. It's a pad that sits under the mattress and has very sensitive sensors that detect the child's breathing. The idea is that if the child stops breathing the device detects it and sets off a very loud alarm so you go running and check on them. It helped my wife a lot as she was paranoid about SIDS. The one I have is by Oricom and it's called the BabySense2.

When my son was born we hired a capsule (similar idea to what 95gto posted above) that had a cradle that was strapped into the car. Then you just lift out the capsule and carry them inside. Was awesome when the child is asleep and you don't want to wake them. Sometimes we found he slept better in it an his cot. Also buy a bassinet. Sometimes the cot is just too big and they feel overwhelmed. The bassinet is nice and small and they feel more secure. We just made sure the bassinet we bought had a solid base for the babysense2 monitor.

Good luck.

Joe

[DocWalt]

Congrats, Lou! Best wishes!

[Echo419]

when people ask if I have kids I say, "I sleep at night and have disposable income. So no. :lol:". :p

[stealthee]

when people ask if I have kids I say, "I sleep at night and have disposable income. So no. :lol:". :p

When I have run into people I went to school with and gotten asked the question, and gave my response, I am asked the follow up, "I don't know why you never got married and had kids." To which I respond, "Because I am sane." LOL

[donniekak]

There are many lessons in life. One of the lessons children teach their parents (hopefully) is how to transition from the self centeredness of teens/early 20's, to being capable of putting another persons interests ahead of your own agenda.

The marriage relationship is a similar lesson. Each person gets more out of the relationship than they put in. However being a nation of mostly petulant adult children, it's hard to find people capable of commitment to anything other than their own petty wants.

[Echo419]

to be clear I am perfectly capable of thinking of others than myself. I just don't like kids or anything that comes with them. ;)

[stealthee]

to be clear I am perfectly capable of thinking of others than myself. I just don't like kids or anything that comes with them. ;)

Along that note, I don't necessarily mind children. I love my niece and nephew will all my heart and more, however I have zero desire to have any kids of my own. I also have almost no desire to even be in any kind of committed relationship. It has nothing to do with petulance, it has to do with who I am and how I am. I'd rather be alone and miserable, than in a relationship and miserable because of it.

[KZNSKY14]

1) One car seat with multiple bases

2) Strollers have different attachment bars that allow most car seats to fit in most strollers. Don't buy a travel system. Generally one of the pieces is lower quality than the others and will break before the second kid. Get a good car seat, and a separate good stroller with the proper attachment.

3) Have a conversation about if and when you plan on having more kids. This can affect stroller choice. Uppababy, City, babyjogger, and others have single strollers that can be easily converted into a double or triple. If you plan on having more invest the money here now, instead of spending it later.

4) You do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, need a bassinet. Resist this urge. The pack and play or swing will work just fine until the baby is old enough to be in the crib, about ~3-4 months. After that the bassinet is useless.

5) They go through clothes FAST! I mean FAST, until 18-24 months. Don't spend a bunch of money on clothes for kids under 18 months. We've got a bunch that were never worn, or only worn waste. At $20 a shot that adds up quick. Garage sales, goodwill, hand me downs, and what you'll get from the showers will be enough.

6) Shoes and socks are useless until they can walk. Get pants and onesies with feet.

7) Buy a unisex diaper bag. You'll end up carrying more often than not. If it looks like purse you'll regret it.

8) You have time to baby proof the house. Not really necessary until they are independently mobile, like month 6 or so.

9) Everyone will get you toys. Keep the highly rated, and educational ones. Return the cheap ones and put the money in a college fund. The kid will never miss them. Don't be afraid to do this, the clutter will add up fast if you don't.

10) Learn to swaddle.

[Unlogic]

That's some really good advise from KZNSKY14, having two kids myself (2 and 7 years old) I agree with every word.