Archive for the ‘Shopping’ Category

Car Seat, Check

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

After much searching, I finally picked out a car seat.  I needed something that fit into the Micralite Toro Stroller we already purchased, something very safe, and something user-friendly.  Well, my bible the Baby Bargains book suggests either the Graco Snugride or Snugride 32 as the best buy for an infant car seat.  The problem is that I was not happy with any of the fabric selection of the Snugrides I saw and according to Micralite Customer Service the Graco adapter does not fit the Snugride 32.  So I kept searching.  At our local baby specialty shop, I saw a Lily Snugride 35 (new this year and replacing the 32) and I fell in love.  It was adorable.  The fabric was soft and plush, much more up to my standards.

lily

But it was the 35, so it couldn’t fit in my stroller, right?  Well, I’ve never been one to take “No” easily.  I decided to compare the bottom latch parts of the Snugride and the Snugride 35, and they are remarkably similar.  It looked like they would both fit the same stroller.  I came back to the store the next day with my  stroller and adapter, and I tested out the Snungride 35.  It perfectly clicked into the adapter and was tightly secured.

Now I have my perfect car seat.  And for anyone else with a Micralite Toro and Graco adapter – it does work with Snugride 35 and I would assume also Snugride 32 since they both fit the same base.

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Diaper Bag Dilemma

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

I am having the hardest time finding a diaper bag I like. Probably because I am so picky. Here are my requirements:

  • Not too big. I don’t want to carry around an entire nursery worth of stuff.
  • Messenger bag. I hate totes. Those 2 handles annoy me when one handle falls off my shoulder.
  • Stroller straps.
  • Water/Poop resistant.
  • Not made out of that shower-curtain-like material.
  • Not pink and overly girly. Maybe a hint of pink.
  • Not hideous.
  • Did I mention not too big?? because that seems to be the hardest of the criteria

Here are a few I have found, but I’m not really convinced on any of them.

diaperbag1

Bumble Bags Jessica Messenger Bag – I saw this one at a local store early in my pregnancy. I really liked it, but I didn’t buy it because I had plenty of time to find a diaper bag. It was only $80 at the store, so now I’m kind of kicking myself for not buying it.

diaperbag2Ju-Ju-Be Be All in Houndstooth – I love houndstooth. This one looks very fashionable. The problem is that in the picture that shows scale with a model, it looks huge.

diaperbag3OiOi Floral Messenger – This one is also fashionable. But according to the dimensions it’s larger than the Ju-Ju-Be, so it’s probably too big.

This decision is made harder by the fact that none of these are available at local stores (anymore) so I can’t touch and feel and “try on” the bags. Sigh. So I’m holding out for hopes that the right bag is out there somewhere. Anyone have any recommendations?

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New Purchases

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Last weekend we went on a small baby-moon of sorts and did some baby shopping.  Here are a few of the new purchases…

Pottery Barn Kids. By far my favorite place we visited.  I wish there was one closer to my house…but oh the money I could spend.

butterfly knob

Beautiful Butterfly Knobs

shelf
Collector’s Shelf

Ikea. Another place I love.  Not quite as cute, but very practical.

Antilop High Chair, toys, storage, and safety supplies.

frog

The Container Store.  Got cute pink and green containers and storage options for the closet.  I’ve never been so excited to get organized!!

And for myself I bought this cute dress on sale at a pea in the pod.  It’s so soft and comfy.

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Decision Made.

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

mytoro

I went with the Micralite Toro.  I got a slightly used one off of Ebay for only $370.  So far I love it.

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Stroller Decisions

Friday, August 21st, 2009

I am the worst at making decisions. I waffle, back and forth, and back and forth. I just really don’t want to make the wrong choice. And what if I decide wrong and then the whole world comes crumbles all because I choose the WRONG STROLLER. NOOOOOOOO!

There are two strollers that I like, but cannot decide between the two. Here are some details.

The Micralite Toro

Micralite Toro

The Baby Gizmo review of it is great. It’s only 19 lbs, has a very easy fold, and is only 24″ wide. I think this stroller would be great for easily pulling in and out of the car, easy to travel with, and would probably be the only stroller we ever need. But as with everything there are some flaws. The storage is small and hard to get to. The seat is not reversible. The handle is hard to adjust. The napper bar doesn’t come off. Overall those flaws are not very big. I have not seen one of these in person. I really wish I could. I think I would know if this stroller was the one if only I could feel it push.

Maxi-Cosi Foray

Maxi-Cosi Foray

The Baby Gizmo review of the Foray is also very positive. This one has a smooth ride and is easy to push. It weighs 33 lbs. The width is 24″. I like how the handle can be easily adjusted and the break is very easy. The seat looks very nice, and it even has a cup holder. The storage is bigger and easier to get to. The seat can be reversed. Now for it’s flaws. The fold isn’t as easy as the Toro, and you have to remove the seat. Also the model I tried at the store seemed like the handle wasn’t very sturdy. It made me fear the stroller might easily break after long-term use. I also found some reviews online that said parts wore out fast. Although, most of the reviewers said Maxi-Cosi sent replacements for free. But there are A LOT of reviews of it, and almost all are very positive.

My bible, the Baby Bargain book, gives the Toro a C and the Foray a B-. Baby Bargains sites long term durability as a problem with the Foray and design flaws as a problem for the Toro.

In an effort to help me decide I have made a table of Cons for each. Now it’s just to decide which stroller’s Cons out-weight the others.

Toro Foray
Storage Smaller
Handle Adjustment
Napper Bar Design		 Durability Questionable
Folding Harder
Larger/Heavier

All this and I STILL haven’t decided…sigh.

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Baby Shopping

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Bassinet
I am so excited about my first baby purchase. I bought this bassinet at a garage sale last weekend for $20. The Bassinet looks new and very clean.

As you can see, Minnie is very interested in it. Both her and Chi Chi couldn’t stop smelling it when I brought it home. Then Minnie discovered the mobile. She wanted to pull the teddy bears off and keep them for herself. I can only imagine what these crazy dogs will do when we bring home an actual baby…

In other baby shopping news we bought a crib this weekend!!! My father-in-law is delivering it today and I cannot wait for it to get here. I don’t know why I can’t wait. It’s not like I’m going to take it out of the box yet. It’s not like I can actually use the thing yet. I guess I’ll just stare in amazement at it for the next few weeks. I find myself opening the door to the soon-to-be nursery a couple times a day just to look at the bassinet. Somehow baby stuff makes it feel real. There really is a baby on the way, it even has stuff accumulating in a room. Now that’s proof. Hard evidence.

Baby Cache Tampa Crib
The crib is made by Baby Cache, a subsidiary of Munire. It got an “A” from Baby Bargains. Baby Bargains is my new bible. I love it. The crib also got good reviews here. My mother hates the crib. She thinks its to cold or sterile or something along those lines. I think it’s the clean modern lines that bother her. But I love them. Apparently the crib is so exciting it makes me loose my ability to form complex sentences when talking about it… scary.

We haven’t bought a dresser to go with the crib yet. I just didn’t like the one that is sold with it. It has one of those side door cabinets that I find all together useless.
dresser-useless
So I think we are going with a desser from the Walmart Canopy line instead. I’ve read great reviews about the Canopy line. I think I’ll get it and check it out. The great thing is that if I don’t like it Walmart takes back anything.

dresser

I think the dresser balances out the mod style of the crib with a bit of classic and I like the fact that it isn’t matchy-matchy.

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Notes on Nurseries

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Pure Design Nursery

Last night I happened to catch an episode of Pure Design on HGTV. In this episode Samantha created a safe, eco-friendly nursery for a hip & stylish expecting couple. I found it very inspiring. I know that it’s meant to be a baby’s room, but I just really don’t care for all the usual over-the-top kiddie looking decor. I found this room to be a nice balance between stylish enough for the adult parents to love and fun/funky enough to make a great baby room.

My Favorite Parts of the Room:

  • Great celadon color on the walls. I just love this color. Our spare room (one day nursery) is actually already painted a color close to this. {She used 2028-60 Celadon Green from Bejamin Moore}
  • I love the rocker used in the room. I can’t find exactly what rocker was used in this room, but the lines of it are very similar to the Luca Glider. I love the chocolate option but at $945 I would never buy it…I could buy a whole new sofa with that kind of money.

    • Pure Design

    image source: celebritycaps.blogspot.com

  • I liked the way they used some inexpensive items and re-purposed items. The crib is the Gulliver crib from Ikea (only $100) and the changing table was re-purposed from a dresser they already had. Even though these items were cheap they looked very stylish in the room.
  • Great handmade toys/animals from miru’s friends

  • The organic bedding and mattress came from Baby on the Hip (although cute, it’s a little expensive for my taste).
  • Hand made items like the cut out animals glued onto the wall. (She used wrapping paper and wallpaper to cut out animal shapes, then children’s glue to adhere them to the wall). I also liked the hand made mobile. A simple and colorful mobile was made using 2 dowel rods and some small chinese lanterns.

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Baby Shopping

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

IMG_1430Creative Commons License photo credit: Jose C Silva.

I believe very strongly in certain superstitions. Not the black cat, mirror, umbrella kind…. No, more like jinxes. I believe you shouldn’t talk about how great things have been going with something that seems fragile and unstable. I also believe you shouldn’t count your eggs before they’re hatched lest some more powerful force stomp out your eggs with only your lost hope left pitifully oozing.

In relation to work, the second I say “I haven’t heard from X client in a long time, everything must be going great for them.” Not two seconds later they call because the earth is crumbling around them, their building is on fire, and oh yeah- the num lock is turned on.

How does this relate to baby shopping? Well, I think that doing any shopping or mere browsing for a baby I don’t yet have is like being too over-confident that I will have a baby. I feel I don’t have the right to go baby shopping yet.  As soon as I go purchase a set of cute-as-a-button booties, the universe would see this act and conspire to ensure I never have the corresponding wearer of these booties. I mustn’t let the universe know what I want or else it will surely not let me have it. Dammit, I hope the universe can’t read blogs…

Nevertheless, I got a free pass for some baby shopping last weekend. I strolled the fluffy, pastel aisles of target and didn’t fear the rathe of fate breathing down my back. I felt quite confident that I would be safe because I was baby shopping for someone else’s baby shower. And I had the blue registry sheet in my hand to prove it and protect me from some universal jinx.

It was lovely…all the soft, fluffy, cute, adorable things to choose from. Surely I will drive myself mad trying to pick from the green lamb blanket and the blue monkey blanket when the time arrives. For now I’ll just sit quietly waiting for another baby shower invitation (aka free ticket to baby browse).

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