Thanks for the comments and recommendations! In light of your wise counsel, and reviews from online retailers, I have decided to fall out of love with the beautiful bassinet and make the stroller my "pricey" item. As many of you pointed out, we'll use it longer and I think if anything is going to be high quality, it should be the piece of gear that will be pushed and maneuvered, rather than the one that just sits in our room. I mean they used to just stick babies in a nice padded drawer to sleep in right?
Since JP and my drawers are full of old swimming t-shirts we can't seem to part with, I think we're going with the Arm's Reach Mini Co-sleeper. I like the concept, like that we can have it attached to the bed or farther away as the baby (and we) may prefer, and really like we can use it for much longer than the bassinet. It's also $260 cheaper, and that's real money. Money that can be spent on diapers, fancy stroller accessories, and/or the gorgeous cognac leather boots I spent 30 minutes viewing from different angles on dsw.com this morning.
(Actually, I already ordered the boots. I got my third progesterone shot this morning and my thigh really hurts and I seriously hate being pregnant and I really miss my sex life and I billed 200 hours in January and it's my birthday in a few weeks and this is my first bonus- shouldn't I get to buy one special thing for me? I'm sure my little girl will love them and be so glad her mommy has them in her closet.)
But back to the baby. For the stroller, I'm 98% sold on the Bob. In small part because I like referring to it as "the Bob," but also because of the amazing number of 5-star reviews it has on every baby review website. But we're not in any rush, so I can continue to shop around and wait for the perfect deal.
My inbox is filled with shipping notices from my online shopping. I'm taking my doctor's orders to not go out and do a bunch of shopping very seriously. And actually, by foregoing the beautiful bassinet (and in my mind, it will always be referred to as such), I can buy a changing table for the downstairs and a few stroller accessories and other not-strictly-needed items, and still stay under budget. So that's good, though it would have been fun to let go and buy something because it was pretty rather than practical. Sort of like it would be fun to buy these shoes. Or these. But I am practical and those are ridiculously expensive, even if they are beautiful and belong in my closet.
Now back to the baby, again. I bought a bunch of baby hangers and a storage bin at Target over the weekend and have slowly begun the process of putting away Landon's nursery decor and getting out some of his old baby clothes. It's bittersweet- I don't miss infant Landon, but in going through those tiny clothes I'm sad and a little bitter about how certain events in those first six months robbed me of any desire to look back on them. Going through his baby outfits brings back a lot of what I avoid remembering, but it's also been helping me remember what a darn cute little guy he was.
Both of those were taken in the midst of some really bad stuff, but look how happy he is! For as much as I fear the sleepless nights, the disruption to our relatively easy schedule, and the logistical craziness of doing anything with two kids, I'm really looking forward to experiencing aspects of the baby phase again. I'm sure it'll still be hard, but it will be a different kind of hard, and at least this time around I know that JP and I can survive anything and still end up smiling, at least at some point. And I'll have some really fun new gear, and a beautiful new pair of boots, along for the ride.
Didn't respond on your last post yet. But, I have a Bob Revolution Duallie (double). We have only used it a few times in the last 2.5 years (trips to the zoo). So, I would definitely recommend the single version. But, overall the Bob has been wonderful - it is an ease to push and is extremely well built.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear you splurged and bought some boots for yourself. I find with two children it is even more difficult to buy things for myself. I always buy for the kids!
Question about your last post...do you think you will ever expand on the *issues* with your in-laws? They sound just deeeelightful and all, but I am curious to hear what lurks beneath. And honestly, I think many people could relate and would love insights into how you cope!
ReplyDeleteI was torn between the Mt. Buggy Urban Duo and the Bob Duallie. I went with the Mt. Buggy because it's more narrow. Narrow was very important to me -- I can fit anywhere a wheelchair can. My stroller fits easily in and out of the DC metro. Also, out of all the strollers I checked out, the Mt. Buggy had the flattest reclining seats. I wanted to start pushing the girls around ASAP. No double stroller allowed for 2 infant carseats to attach. The Mt. Buggy sells carrycots/bassinets for the stroller. I didn't even need the carrycot. I started taking the girls for walks at 3 weeks since the seats were almost flat -- we stuck to the sidewalks, no off-roading;)
ReplyDeleteThe sun shade on the Mt. Buggy sucks ass. I think the Duallie has 2 individual sun shades but I'm not sure how good they are. Both strollers were easy to push around but way too heavy for me to pick up and put in my trunk(just bulky and cumbersome to get my arms around).
My stroller was $750 retail. I purchased it on Craigslist in Los Angeles from a twin mom for less than $300 -- maybe even $250 (my memory is fuzzy). My stroller is in perfect condition!! I'm part of the multiple's group in my new hood and there's a Fall/Spring sale and double jogging strollers are HELLA cheap. If you don't mind shopping around, you might find a used but near-perfect condition stroller for a ridic price.
Oh - I'm so glad you're going with the Arm's Reach co-sleeper! I was reflecting on it further after I posted my comment on your last post, and I think it is the one piece of baby equipment I wouldn't want to give up from her first few months. I hope you find it as useful as we did - and it's held up beautifully for our (still theoretical) baby #2.
ReplyDeleteYou SO deserve to buy yourself some boots and a girl can NEVER have too many boots. My husband told me that I had too many (only 3!) and I threatened that when I'm a fancy lawyer I'm going to buy a new pair each month! He said I have to install a closet in our basement first :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear how to co-sleeper works. We're planning on #2 this summer and I had to give back the bassinet I borrowed from a friend. Isn't baby shopping so fun- it's even better when you can do it from your couch in your pjs rather than running all over the store.
So sorry about the sex life- that must be so hard. When I was pregnant I wanted it ALL THE TIME :)
OK. I have to ask. If the stroller is that much cheaper than the beloved bassinet just how expensive was that thing? I'm in my 60's and frankly find this obsession over baby things a little excessive, even if it is also fun.
ReplyDeleteI included the link to the bassinet in the original post about it -- it is from Land of Nod and is the same price as the stroller. The saved money comes from forcing myself to fall out of love with the prettier sleeping receptacle and buy only one pricey item instead. From what I hear from people who are cheaper than I am, the stroller is worth it, and the resale value is very strong.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the obsession over baby things can be excessive (like the obsession over wedding things, which for some reason annoys me far more than the baby stuff), but as I wrote in the post, this is the first time I have at least some ability to buy something purely because it is prettier or better. With Landon all that mattered is that it was absolutely necessary, cheap, and practical- and preferably small and multi-purpose as well. I've derived great enjoyment from flipping through baby magazines I never opened last time around. The baby won't care, but for me, picking out a piece of baby gear that is not one of the first images when you choose to "rank from low price to high price" has been quite a lot of fun.
ohhh! Cee reader here - you set a date for ttc #2? fun!
ReplyDeleteand LL congrats on the boots - i am so bad at splurging for myself too.
oh, and my kiddo much preferred the Eddie Bauer rocking bassinet to the arm's reach (we inherited both). the arm's reach doesn't rock. but they arm's reach also hold value well in case you want to resell on CL.
ReplyDeleteWe had the Arm's Reach Mini too, and I loved it! Looks like you're already on Craigslist, but I see them listed there all the time for about $60-80 (in fact, I just checked to see if that's the right price, and on the Boston board right now there are about a dozen listed).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you'll get a chance to enjoy your baby's early months this time around!
I bet having baby #2 will cause you to think even more on the good times you had with Landon in the early months. You had some unusually bad times, but I'm sure you've found with parenthood, it's never either all good or all bad. The good news for you is got something really horrible out of the way early and you've already learned, what is in my humble opinion the one single truth of parenthood (or life for that matter) - This too shall pass.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the sex life issue, that would drive me absolutely batty. Luckily you know it's not a permanent problem.
Have fun with the "window" shopping.
But I want to see the boots you actually got! Where's the link to them?
ReplyDeleteI love and want those boots. Why did I just buy more clothes the baby doesn't need when that money could have been spent on me? Enjoy your ability to splurge a little here and there because you've worked hard to get that!
ReplyDeleteI love reading all this. I think it's sweet. I am thrilled you are taking good care of yourself, too.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the link to the boots that you bought? I need cognac boots!
ReplyDeleteWell, I actually ordered two and am waiting to see how they look/fit in real life before picking. They are this pair and this pair. They're a little more Westerny than anything else in my wardrobe, but they I think they will be very cute with leggings and dresses and skinny jeans.
ReplyDeleteLove the cosleeper, used it for both of mine. I often see them at Kid to Kid by Lakeline Mall for $90ish....just a thought. You might check the Pumpkin Patch too. Erin
ReplyDeleteThank you LL! I am the proud owner of pair #2.
ReplyDeleteIf you do decide to get a double stroller, I'm OBSESSED with my stroller, it is the Bumbleride Indie Twin.
ReplyDeleteI have two friends who saw mine after I bought it, and literally sold their strollers within a week and went out and bought it too. Another friend has the Bob and she always says she wishes she had mine, because it is a little lighter and easier to collapse and the basket is bigger. That being said, it took me a long time to decide, they are all great.
Have you checked on craigslist for the bassinet? I love that one too, and I've seen it a few times.
Congratulations on a healthy baby girl! It is really fun to have both, I think!