Baby STUFF - What I've learned

OK this post is admittedly, not interesting for MOST people.  But it may be for a few, so I'm posting it anyway.  I recently wrote two long emails to a pregnant friend who wanted to know what my opinions were on baby stuff.  I'm, for the most part, copying and pasting it into a blog entry.  This is for you, if you're pregnant, planning on being pregnant someday, or REALLY bored.  Read at your own risk, and take the following into consideration:
1. These are opinions
2. They're meant to guide during the baby registry process (overwhelming!)
3. It's not well-written 
4. The focus is what I learned, valued, or wished I would've done differently with baby STUFF

Bottles
I wish I would've registered for bottles.  I felt so confident that we'd only breastfeed that I didn't register for any besides the ones that came with our pump.  Well, those medela bottles were tough because the nipples deflate and there's no way for air to get out.  Even when I was just pumping and bottle-feeding my breastmilk - it would've been better to have good bottles for that.  Now we have bought ourselves 18 total at Target.  We bought 9 of these in the smaller 6 oz size.  And now we've moved up to buying 9 more of the 9 oz size.

Multiple Dishwasher Baskets
We've upgraded to two dishwasher baskets.  They are so handy.  We tried cramming it all into one basket for too long. :)  Stuff gets cleaner when it's spread out.

Bottle-drying rack 
This is a godsend.  You wouldn't know it until you see a tiny bit of mold under the edge of your newborns bottle.  YUCK.  Towel drying was not sufficient.

Bouncy Chair

I LOVED having the bouncy seat.  Just somewhere to put baby while your hands are busy or you feel like eating or being in the bathroom etc.  I also think it's good for newborns to have some moments of not being held (not staunch on this, because they are so amazing to hold and it goes too quick).  But it seemed to help Gwen adapt into some independence in napping etc.  Plus they get to just sit and play and enjoy looking and stuff.

Boppy
In hindsight - we probably could've gone without the Boppy pillow.  It goes in the realm of "nice, but not necessary" in my mind.  And since I don't like baby stuff all over the house, most of the time it stays in Gwen's closet and isn't needed enough to get it out.

Excersaucers

Excersaucers are amazing.  We just got one from a friend who was done with it.  It's not fancy or new but she loves playing in it.  I was feeling like maybe it'd be "too much baby stuff, and we don't need one of those" but now I don't know what I'd do without it.  It's such a good spot for her to be in this pre-walking phase while I'm making dinner or checking my email.  (And I think when she is walking, I will love that it contains her!)

ERGO

ERGO or some sort of baby carrier.  We love our ergo.  So comfy for her and me.  Great for walks or walking around Minnehaha Falls (no stroller ability), stores, or times like last week when I went to help a new mom clean house and needed my hands free and Gwen to be happy.  She was in it happily for 2.5 hours and even took a little cat nap on me.  Seriously love that thing.  I don't wear it much at home, but I could.  Also, amazing in the airport.  And I just love how it feels like all the good parts of being pregnant, but then you can take it off and rest your back! :)

LONG Sleeved Onesies!  
They are handy to put under stuff and necessary right at the beginning when you want baby to be warm enough.  Everyone gave us short sleeved ones, and we had to buy these on our own (NB, 0-3, and now 9 month sizes, --the basic white gerbers are great at the beginning, but then the sizes run small.)

Doorway Jumper

Probably not a 'must have' but we really like it and use it daily.  If you have a doorway (with trim!) that you spend time around, it's a good place for baby to play and get some energy out.

Diapers

For newborns we liked Pampers, by far.  Huggies have big thigh holes and leak easier.  After newborns, the diaper brand doesn't seem to matter quite as much.  Whatever people had given us was fine.  But in general, I dislike Huggies because they leak the most.  The babies r us brand is good.  I've never tried Target.  We order big boxes online through Amazon, because they have an Amazon-Moms deal that is the cheapest way to get diapers.  Luvs is the cheapest brand and they work well, but have weird smell. :(  And whatever you do- don't use the Luvs wipes.  They are cheap for a reason.  Too wet.  Gwen had never had diaper rash before we used them, and now she does.

Butt Paste

Love it.  Better than Desitin.  Smells good. 

 Playmats

Again, I thought these were maybe unnecessary, but we were given one and Gwen loves it.  At first it was just looking.  But now it's grabbing stuff that hangs down and kicking the bars to make stuff shake.  At least for the first 7-8 months of life, this thing is golden.  Not sure how much she'll like it once she's on the move.  I like to change the toys that hang down, and I've never used that weird whale attachment.  Then again, maybe she'd like it!

Glider's aren't amazing

I feel like this is a no-brainer to everyone but me.  Get a really comfy chair for the baby room.  We got a basic wooden glider on craigslist and it just wan't comfy enough so I almost always opted to sit on the couch instead.  Now we have our old lazboy recliner in there, and it's amazing.  A wider seat allows for comfy book reading together and good tipping back area for feeding.  

STROLLER-

I thought this was one of the hardest decisions of all!  There are endless options and everyone does something different.  We picked this Phil&Teds stroller and a cheap umbrella stroller.  Reasons why Phil and Teds: 

1. We plan on having another kid within 2-3 years, and it converts easily into a double stroller (2nd seat came free when we bought it with a special deal going on).  

2. It pushes nicely - that three wheel design is great for tight turns.  

3. It has an attachment, that you have to buy separately, so you can SET THE CARSEAT in it.  That was so key during the first 3 months when they are too little for sitting in a regular stroller.

But beware, they aren't light, and take up a fair amount of trunk space.

Also, we love that cheap $30 umbrella stroller for times when we aren't specifically "going for a walk."  It's super handy in stores or visiting grandparents or whatever.  It doesn't take up room and is really light.  And if it breaks, we already feel like we've gotten $30 out of it.  FYI, Gwen started being big enough for it at about 4 months.  I wondered that while we were buying them.

So that's what we did, but you guys will figure out what you like best.  We found that USA Baby was the only place with Phil&Teds if you want to look at one.  I've also heard great things about the CityMini brand.