Reddit mentions: The best hook-on & booster seats

I found a travel high chair that attaches to a chair WAY better than the ones that go onto the table. I bought one of those originally for travelling, and it only worked on ONE table we encountered. I got this one, and it works great! I only encountered one chair it didn't work on, and luckily it was a restaurant that had their own high chairs so it wasn't an issue.

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My kid started throwing her cups at around 8 months, and since we used muchkin 360 cups, milk would splash out when they hit the floor. I didn't want to react when she did this, so she learned that it wasn't a game, and that if she threw her cup she wouldn't get it back, but I was getting REALLY annoyed with constantly cleaning milk off the floor. So I got these tethers which worked great. That way she'd still get the consequence of losing her cup, but I wasn't cleaning the floor. You can also use them to tether toys to a stroller which is nice.

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Also teaching your kid sign language for "all done" "milk" and "more" is super handy. My kid only really has taken to "all done" but it's still handy.

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For the first few months, I LOVED my silicone bibs. I would just hand wash them in the sink, and they rolled up small in the diaper bag. They have this pocket thing that would catch food, and were awesome all around. Unfortunately my kid rejected them around 12 months, so I had to switch to cloth bibs. However, not all kids do, so I highly recommend silicone bibs!

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If your kid is like mine, try to find fabric bibs with snaps. I found the velcro attaches to things in the wash, so I only use ones with snaps now. Being crafty I actually removed the velcro on those bibs and replaced them with snaps, and made a bunch of my own fabric bibs, but not everyone has access to a sewing machine.

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On the topic of bibs, I also recommend having one or two sleeved bibs on hand. I find them a bit of a hassle to get on and off for every day, but they are great when the kid is wearing a nice outfit, and dinner is going to be something that stains. I got this one, and it works great. I do find the neckline gaps a bit, but I would just put a cloth bib underneath.

One thing my husband and myself did was start using couponing techniques to stockpile diapers. I was regularly able to purchase those giant 300+ Pampers packs of diapers on Amazon for between $5-$10 dollars and free shipping. We focused a lot on getting lots of size 3 and size 4 diapers. My son is still in size 3s and nearing 9 months and we have never had to run out to the store to purchase diapers. Many times we ended up paying under a cent per diaper. So if you have the space, couponing + stockpiling for diapers worked out well for us.

We also got a trust going. Included in the set up was handling what would happen to our son in the event that my husband and I died in a car crash or something that made him an orphan. It goes beyond inheritance but covers who guardianship will go to, how much money they'll have access to, when and how much our son can begin to draw, and so on.

Something else to be looking at is schools in your area. I live in an area with not so great public schools so making sure we can afford to send our son to a private one if we're still here when the time comes became a priority. If there are good public schools then you're set here.

Some other random tips:

• Don't buy an infant bucket seat. Your kid will grow out of it before they're ready to not be in a carseat and now you'll be paying for a convertible car seat. Buy a convertible carseat from the get go. For toting your baby around in the newborn months, buy a baby wearing carrier like an Ergo. Once they get older you can use the stroller if you want, but buggies designed just for tiny infants is a similar waste of money.
  
  
• Instead of a huge bulky high chair, get a high-backed chair that attaches to tables. We use the Regalo which you can get on amazon for something like $20. It has a five point harness, collapses to a small size and can be used at home and on the road. To clean it you just toss the fabric part into the washer and the rest is metal so you wipe it down.
  
  
• Kids can be REALLY picky about which bottles or which pacifiers they use. See if you can find a friend or family member with an assortment of pacifiers and bottles to try out on your kiddo and see which one they like before making a full investment. We were given a bunch of Dr. Brown's pacifiers and our son would only use the Nuk ones.
  
  
• If you do end up needing or using a baby swing (we'd have died without ours, only way to get colicky baby to nap) make sure you have a model that can be plugged into the wall or else you'll go through a ton of batteries in no time at all. A trick for the swing is that the faster you make it go for the younger the baby, the better. If you don't want to pay full price, just keep an eye on craigslist and try to hit yard sales. We got so much great, barely used baby stuff doing that.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to exchange stuff you don't need or want after a baby shower. We exchanged all of the newborn outfits we got, and were happy we did when I popped out a nearly 10lb baby who didn't even fit newborn clothes.
  
  
• If your wife plans to try breastfeeding, she is entitled to a free breast pump. I'd highly recommend that if she is able to, she pumps to start trying to build up a small stockpile of milk. This will be especially important if she heads back to work, but it's nice to have if you guys need to go out or someone other than her has to be watching the baby.

We didn't have ours when my son was a newborn, so I have no personal testament to add, BUT - there's a FB group called Keenz Stroller Wagons- Love & Community (closed group, so you'd have to request to be added) that's basically a cult following (I say in jest, but seriously - people LOVE this thing) if you want to dig into it deeper. There are several people there who use their Keenz for a toddler and a newborn. The safest way of carting around both that I've seen, and what I plan on doing in the future if we have another, is having the toddler sit on one side and the newborn rest in a lounger or a boppy or a dock a tot on the other. Once the newborn can sit assisted, people have strapped in things like the hiccapop or a bumbo until the infant is old enough to sit without (my son was around 10 months when we got ours and sat in it fine on his own).

ETA - Just googling images of newborns in the Keenz and this one shows what looks like twins in a double boppy, for context. Here are a few googlable images of how it compares to doubles side by side and front/back for context. It tends to fold up smaller than most double strollers, and while it looks to be very bulky, it's actually more compact than the doubles I've seen in person.

ETA2 - AND - one of the greatest things about the Keenz is that it will be functional LOOOOOOOONG after the kids have grown out of the stroller age. I can totally see us using this thing to cart around baseball gear or soccer gear or dance gear or... whatever gear, in 10+ years. The same cannot be said for the double stroller, which has a shelf life of a few years.

I didn't read this whole list.

You need as much as you need to make several daily outfit changes (onesies and footie-sleepers were the primary clothing depending on the season). One day we had hourly clothing changes from breakfast through dinner. (And not just for the baby, me, too.) In the newborn phase, diapers may need to be changed hourly, too. So just...a literal ton of onesies and diapers for the first 3 months. Socks never stay on - so if it's cool, just use the footie sleeper/creeper things.

If you plan to breastfeed - you need boobs. You don't need a pump or anything unless you plan to work before the baby is about 6 months old. You might need breast pads. I did with one kid, didn't with another. If I was leaking, there was a good chance the baby needed to be fed. I had reusable pads. I had a nursing pillow and it was a huge waste. Just use regular pillows. Or a rolled-up baby blanket. Or do laid back breastfeeding and you won't need a pillow to hold the baby up.

Also...6-10 DOZEN cloth diapers??? I had 2 dozen that I used for 3 years. (Rotating "2 dozen"...I did do mostly sized diapers, but always had about 2 dozen at a time. I sold them off as my kid grew out of them, and bought used for some things.) I wrote about my general cloth diaper needs a bit ago: where to begin with cloth. I also didn't really have a diaper pail...just a 5-gallon bucket in the bathroom.

Don't buy equipment like strollers swings, etc until you are sure you want them. I used a baby carrier (Infantino Sash is a good style that is inexpensive and versatile without the high price point of "fancier" carriers - can also find them used in a lot of baby consignment shops). By the time I needed a stroller with one kid I had pretty specific needs and didn't need a big/expensive stroller that needed to fit a carseat or anything. Also, babies grow out of those "bucket" seats pretty quickly. You might just start out with a convertible. I had a high chair but rarely used it. A small booster that sits on an existing chair worked better for our home setup. We had one sort of like this...but it was less bulky looking. I don't remember the brand. And I rarely used the tray - I often just had the baby sitting at the table. If I used the tray it was b/c I had brought the chair away from the table into another room.

Also...I would get a lot of clothes from consignment b/c you go through them so so quickly. You could buy 3 dozen onesies for the same price as a single pack of nice onesies brand new. And your kid is going to do disgusting things to them.

We bought this bad boy:

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-SpaceSaver-High-Chair-Lattice/dp/B00FB5ARHK/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1397182588&sr=8-15&keywords=space+saver+high+chair

for about $50 bucks at babysRus, but had a coupon, so it was only $30. I love it so far!

I have some friends who also bought the SummerInfant seat mentioned

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Deluxe-Comfort-Booster-/dp/B000JVXZF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397182701&sr=8-1&keywords=summer+infant+space+saver

and really like it, and it's just $20! It's sorta flimsy, so if you're wanting to get years out of it, I'm not sure it would go the distance, but it just might! So far they love it, though, and for just $20 you can't beat it!

I like that philosophy! Might as well be somewhere nice.

We have the Inglesina fast table chair that we got on Craigslist. Packs super small, and attaches to most tables. We don't actually have a dining table in the Airstream, though. Would work great on a picnic table.

I've got this in my cart right now, which seems like the perfect camp chair and table combo.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B078K1W9B3

It's more expensive than you asked for but I highly recommend this Bumbo seat: Bought one of these for my first nephew and it lasted all three boys through infancy. Perfect for providing sturdy, hard-wearing seating whenever your family goes camping.

Nowdays you can also get a version with a tray, like this Mamas & Papas Baby Snug and Tray - Raspberry

Under $10: The Peepee Teepee for the Sprinkling WeeWee: 5 Camping in Cellophane Bag - Perfectly themed for changing junior's diapers out in the wilds.

Congratulations!
We used St. Vincents. We are used to St. Vincents because I spent alot of time there when my grandmother was sick.

Absolutely loved it. We're not really religious and that is not an issue there but many folks seem to think it will be.
We had to stay an extra day or so because my baby had low sugar when he was born. I was induced 2 weeks early because my gestational hypertension was no longer controlled by medication. The nurses were wonderful, the room was great.

These are the recommendations I usually make to those expecting:

• I recommend reading the Happiest Baby on the Block. (seriously swaddle, for reals)
  
• High chairs are a waste of space and money, use one of these. We used it until probably 5 years old. It reclines for baby use, then it's just a booster seat for them to sit at the table once they transition to that.
  
• If you can, get a futon or single bed to go in the nursery (if you're not co-sleeping). My husband and I took turns being responsible for the baby at night. That way, we were only missing out on a good night's sleep every other night.
  
• If your infant (say less than 6 months) scream cries every time you lay them down, it might be acid reflux. It's very common and very treatable but very disconcerting and frustrating when it is happening.
  
  Best of luck to you!
  

I registered for these two items:

I am so excited about this item. It goes under the mattress and has a setting to vibrate or make a heart noise when the baby cries. It also has a remote control.

http://www.amazon.com/Cocalo-7934-960-CoCaLo-Perfect-Calming/dp/B00CJIK754/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2M93L27U523J9&coliid=I3KJJGALUZTWEE

This high chair can easily fold away, and it comes with a carrying case for visiting grandma or going to restaurants. It looks nice and sleek which is a nice bonus.

http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Rialto-Booster-Licorice/dp/B00CRW5U4A/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2M93L27U523J9&coliid=I3JH312M4NQH4D

Why such a focus on a footrest?

Edit to add: we have this Inglesina one that attaches to a table. We had a Chicco high chair that was a handmedown, but ended up preferring this one and ditching the Chicco. We’ve taken this on trips, and we take it out every weekend when we go get coffee. The tray can go in the dishwasher and while it says to hand wash, I stick the whole cover in the washing machine. One of the best baby purchases we made.

As a 4x parent, I am no expert, but more of a skilled advisor.

A "nose frida" is helpful for when a child gets congested and wont let you use "the bulb" on their nose. https://www.amazon.com/NoseFrida-The-Snotsucker-Nasal-Aspirator/dp/B00171WXII?th=1

Bumbos are nice for when they are a few months old - plop them in that bad boy and it helps them if they are tired of laying on their back: https://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-B10056-Floor-Seat-Blue/dp/B0092NNQ98/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1484947425&sr=1-1&keywords=bumbo

Blankets & burp cloths galore - you can never have enough!

If you are a worrier, a SIDS monitor is helpful, but they are spendy: (and currently out of stock, but its a starting point!) https://www.amazon.com/Owlet-Baby-Monitor-Current-Version/dp/B013PY7FJQ

Maybe add some "days off work" to your list?

Also don't forget things for YOU - make sure you have food, clothes, nursing bras, nursing pads (to stop leakage), lanolin (to stop cracking) tissues, and netflix/hulus to last you a couple weeks (it will fly by and you wont' feel like dragging the kids to the store for just one or two things).

Otherwise--I say don't worry too much about it. As long as the kids have food to eat and diapers to poop in, you don't NEED a whole lot else (want is different!). Good luck!

Get her a dolly, some stuffed toys, and some blocks. OR DUPLO!!!

Also since I assume you will be keeping her forever now make sure to get her a bed with cozy sheets and a high chair like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Deluxe-Booster/dp/B005IWM8PU/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1395800754&sr=8-15&keywords=kid+high+chair

You can carry it with you. Other things, have her help you pick out shoes. Some pretty clippies for her hair. Sippy cups, toddler spoons and plastic plates/bowls. Bath soaps/shampoos for babies, soft wash cloths, a fingernail clippy set for kids. A soft brush/small comb for her hair.

All of these things can be found at Target or Wal-Mart for reasonable prices. You can worry about potty training later.
It is normal to be scared and nervous. Those fears mean you will probably do a-ok because you will try to do it right. Try to have her help you pick out some things because she will enjoy it. She is going to be scared and sad and feel abandoned and the best thing you can do is tell her how happy you are to have her and hug her a lot.

We used a Clip on high chair
and it was so helpful we had a couple other families pick one up. Great for family parties and camping.

The best safe place is in a Pack n play and camping our kids always slept in a Sleep sack. Ridiculous looking, but it’s a sleeping bag with arms. We had them in lighter weight and a warmer one. I would be more worried about keeping their head warm than their hands.

neat, I will have to keep these in mind for when my twins get bigger: currently when we go to restaurants with the twins we use these booster seats so they have their own tray and they fit in most booths so the boys feel like they are sitting at the table but have their own space to try foods safely

We use this seat. It's not super compact but works with any chair and is a little cheaper. It has definitely helped make going out much easier!

Here is a great option for a high chair that takes up less room and is easy to get out of the way when you need to.

http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Easy-Diner-Portable-Highchair/dp/B0000A1O7P

I think /u/OMGTwins has a really good recommendation. Here is the US link. Alternatively you could get something like this which is a high chair but reclines and long term you could use it as more of like a portable high chair.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IWM8PU

This is the only high chair we have used in 19 months, if you don't want to upset her it is also a great travel high chair we bring it a lot of places.

Well, the good news is that in a couple of months, the baby will be waaaay more independent (but also will be getting into absolutely everything). Your husband needs to give you breaks, though. I'm a working mom, and my husband is with the baby during the day; when I get home from work, I am 100% on with the baby until bedtime. When your husband gets home, he needs to be on with the baby and the kids until bedtime. He is a grown-up and a father, he does not get to play games on his phone when there is work to be done.

During the long day, when you need a minute to get a snack, or go pee, though, my best solution at that age was the bumbo multi-seat. My daughter loves slamming her toys down on the tray; it keeps her happy and playing safely for a couple minutes when either my husband or I needed to set her down. It's age-appropriate for 6 months through toddlers, doubles as a high chair if you strap it to a regular chair, works great on the floor, and is comfy. We loved it so much, we got a second one. We also have a walker, which we started her with at 9 months, and a bouncer, which she loved at 6-9 months, but she's kind of over the bouncer now that she's trying to walk.

Also, no shame in some educational TV if the situation is dire. Like, I know, screen time bad; but I had a month where my husband was super sick with the flu, I was working from home every day, and had to manage my 7-8 month old daughter; by the afternoon, I just had to have something else engage her for a bit because I needed a break.

Piggy backing on this suggestion we have this- folding booster with tray And love it

Have you tried a bumbo seat? As long as she can hold her head up she can use it. It fully supports her back to allow her to sit up and see what's going on. You can get a tray that attaches so she can bang teethers and rattles and such on it.

Edit: https://smile.amazon.com/Bumbo-B10056-Floor-Seat-Blue/dp/B0092NNQ98/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1480706101&sr=1-1&keywords=Bumbo

The one mentioned below from target on sale for $84.99 is like what we had. I don't recall the brand but it rocked side to side and it strapped them in like a car seat kind of.

Bumbo is a brand. Sold at target too. https://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-B10056-Floor-Seat-Blue/dp/B0092NNQ98

My family just loves these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013JYK9JA

Bumbos are cool little devices that keep baby in a sitting position as well.

We have ones of these Chicco "hanging" high chairs and another like this version. They can both be taken apart and the fabric parts tossed in the washer. They also break down into smaller segments, so we can take them with us when we travel. Our boys are about 17 & 19 pounds and will probably be able to fit in them a little while longer. Once they grow out of those, we'll use a booster-type seat that clips onto a regular dining chair.

Have you considered a travel high chair (or pricier)? 'Tis what I'm planning to buy if no one gets the high chair off my registry. :)

We have bar top tables so we used bar chairs and a booster seat for her to sit on and buckle into https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JVXZF2/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_bBHr07_g75_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=5PDQWGKQ8CNP6RDJDZG5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=bbeefcce-7adf-5644-99de-d90a782541e5&pf_rd_i=166795011&th=1

Looks like a bumbo seat to me. I never used one, but I’ve seen them a lot.

ETA: link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GX31F2/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_D0TVDbMZ4ABKD

Get a bumbo chair.

Bumbo Floor Seat, Magenta https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J40BG46/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OFdrDbVSTBMCY

We have five kids, so things here have lasted at least that long:

Baby Bjourn Babysitter which goes by a new name now.
NoseFrida Snotsucker is the grossest name, but very handy and BIFL
Bumbo floor seat is a plastic seat kids sit on, on the floor
Boppy is a big U-shaped pillow for floor sitting or nursing
Wood stacking toys - either Ikea or Melissa & Doug
Saddleback leather/Love41 bucket bag for a diaper bag

Don't bother with a high chair; they are a pain in the ass to clean, and a pain to deal with if you want to go out to eat. Get something like this instead:

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Deluxe-Comfort-Booster-/dp/B000JVXZF2

Seriously, we had something like this, and used it until they grew out of it, and used the high chair twice.

Yep pretty much. My son hated it also and would almost immediately cry, but after after a few weeks, he got more used to it. Tummy time also strengthens their neck and core muscles so they can hold their head up better. Its very beneficial. If she hates it so much, just do it in short bursts often. We would commonly do 3 or 4 minutes before he hated it too much and would cry hard enough that I couldnt handle it and had to pick him up. To get rid of the flat spot, just gotta keep them off of laying on it during the day as best you can except for during naps. Carry them, put them in bouncy chairs, tummy time, anything you can think of that stops them from laying on their back during awake hours will work.


We had one of these which worked really well also once they are old enough: https://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-B10056-Floor-Seat-Blue/dp/B0092NNQ98

Edit: lol at the downvotes. I dont mean leave your kid crying on their tummy for hours. Just that they are probably going to cry for a couple of minutes which is perfectly fine because nearly all kids hate tummy time at first. Pick them up after a few minutes if they really hate it!