Baby on the way: What to buy?
[Written by Sun-Sentinel staff writer Kathy Bushouse]
I’m becoming a stroller stalker.
Don’t be alarmed – this is all in the name of research. My husband and I are about three months away from the birth of our first child, and as my due date draws closer, I find myself with more questions than I could have ever imagined about products I’ve never cared about until now: Strollers, car seats, baby bouncers, baby carriers, bassinets, cribs, high chairs.
Now, every time I pass by parents, I always try to catch a glimpse of the name on the strollers they’re pushing. It’s been interesting to see what brands people buy, but I’m fairly certain I creeped out a couple at my Publix in Delray Beach over the weekend when I craned my neck to get a good look at their stroller’s manufacturer. (Sorry about the gawking, if you happen to be reading this. But nice Peg Perego)
My Friends With Kids have faced a barrage of baby questions from me – travel system or not? What the heck is a pack-and-play and why does it need sheets? Do I need a bouncer and a swing? Britax or Graco? Peg Perego or Maclaren?
Now if you’d mentioned Peg Perego a year ago, I’d have thought you were talking about some hip indie rock band from England, not a manufacturer of decent strollers with full reclining seats. But these days, all I think about is Peg Perego and which version of their lightweight stroller should make its way onto my registry.
I’m nervous about picking the wrong thing – and spending hundreds of bucks on something I can’t use. I’ve got the latest copy of Baby Bargains to help me narrow my choices, and already the book is dog-eared, its cover bent from overuse.
In my household, I’m alone in my baby product obsession. While my husband wants to make sure we’re not carting our first-born son in a Cardboard Death Trap on Wheels, he’s not going to get caught up in the Britax vs. Graco infant car seat debate that commanded my attention two weeks ago.
“I trust your judgment,” he said to me, after I tried to call him in from the living room the other day to show him the Graco SnugRide (“Patchwork Cows” model) on our registry. Then he went back to watching television.
The problem is, I don’t trust my judgment quite yet. So parents, I need your expertise. What kind of products do I really need for my baby? What’s worked for you? Is there something that I absolutely need, or a product that I should absolutely avoid? How bad do Diaper Champs smell? And do I really, really need a lighted diaper wipe warmer?
I can’t offer you any kind of payment, of course. But in exchange for the advice, I promise not to gawk at your stroller or your car seat anymore.
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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