Better baby gear brands?

Question

I am looking for baby gear (stroller or travel system, car seat, playyard, bouncer, highchair, etc....). Is there a brand that anyone would recommend or any brand to steer clear of? Is there a web site I can access to find out the safety rating on any of these items?
Thanks in advance,
Jennifer

Answer 1

The suggestion of going to Babies R Us and playing with things is a good idea.
Infant seats are just as safe as convertible seats, when used correctly. Also, most average size newborns will not fit correctly in a convertible seat. When looking for an infant car seat, make sure to get one with a front harness adjustor. You should adjust the straps each and every time and if the straps adjust in the back, this is hard to do. Graco infant seats are excellent choices. They have the Safeseat 1, which goes to 30lbs. Most kids will make it beyond one year in this seat. It is large, though. Evenflo infant seats(Embrace, Discovery) are hard to use correctly. The handle MUST be down in the car and it must have 1.5" of clearance in front of it. This is almost impossible in most cars. Most Evenflos adjust from the back, but there are a few out there that have the front adjust. Cosco/Eddie Bauer are ok. They also have a front adjust now. The Combi's are nice and light. The Chicco Keyfit is wonderful. It has a super nice infant insert. Peg Perego's are safe, but way overpriced. $220 for an infant seat???
As for strollers, Chiccos are good and so are Gracos. You do not have to get an all in one travel system. Most of the strollers are huge. The Chicco systems, however, are light and easy to use. The Peg Perego's are pricey, but they take any seat. Evenflos are not very sturdy. The wheels get bent easily and they fold onto the ground. Cosco/Eddie Bauer strollers are ok, just huge and bulky.
For pack and plays, any brand is safe. Gracos are super easy to set up. Baby Trends take forever to set up. Evenflos are alright. Chicco has some out now that are also nice.
For highchairs, anything but Evenflo. They are hard to assemble and fall apart.
For convertible car seats, Britax is awesome. The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe is made by Britax and is great. Graco and Evenflos are overpriced and do not last as long. Cosco makes two seats that are great, the Uptown and Scenera. The Alpha Omegas and 3 n 1's are overpriced and will not be the last seat you need. Total marketing scam.
For cribs, Babi Italia, Delta and Jardine are good brands.

Answer 2

The first item is a baby monitor. A lot of people do not sleep like corpses and hence they can hear they baby crying a few steps away. However, for those who wish to keep a closer eye on the infant there are other alternatives that will not cast you an extra coin to set up. For instance in the modern age every house hold has a laptop or a computer with a webcam and a smart phone. It is possible to link the laptop and the phone to act as baby monitor.
A nappy wrapper is also another item you should definitely skip. This is because this is just a fancy dust bin dedicated to nappies and diapers. They all come with the catch phrase that they keep the smell out but over time you realize it was all a hoax. As soon as the baby starts eating as opposed to suckling, it will stink terribly.
If you live in a small apartment, you don’t have to cram the small living space with unnecessary gear such as a changing table or a cod. This is because many couple use their bed as both this items and they mange just fine. However, as the baby grows bigger you will eventually have to sacrifice on the cod.
Bottle sterilizers are also not essential as boiled water does a great job of the same as well as a dishwasher. Some gear is even quite unnecessary such as wipes warmers.

Answer 3

In strollers I love the peg perego's I like the pliko they are a bit expensive but very sturdy for a full stroller. ( I have 2 that have lasted almost 4 years) For a lightweight stroller the Jeep one is cheap and great. Carseats the first one the peg perego primo viaggio. Then I use the britax for front facing but it can also be used from birth. Playyards graco has some great ones I advise you to buy one with a changing station it's better than buying a changing table and cheaper. High chair I have the peg perego 4 years still working and looks brand new. Strongly recommend the fisher price baby glidder it's better than a bouncer it helps fussy babies. You can go to consumer reports and find out safety ratings and baby center has a lot of feed back as well as amazon. You can buy all of those things in amazon. com Good Luck!

Answer 4

Here's the stroller I have: http://www.amazon.com/InStep-Safari-TT-Single-Stroller/dp/B000EI2O3Y I absolutely love it. The handle is adjustable for shorter or taller people. The front tire has the option of swivel or locked (locked is only for running or jogging, swivel for everything else), storage basket, weight limit is 50lbs, seat fully reclines, choice of 3 or 5 point harness.

We have the Evenflo Embrace carseat and we like it a lot.

Playyard--Graco

Bouncer--Fisher Price

Highchair--we had one for the first kid (don't remember brand), for the second we're just going to put a booster seat onto one of our chairs

Skip the diaper pail

We got one of the cribs that converts into about a billion different things, but have never used it for anything other than a crib

If your baby will be born while its still cold out you should definitely get a car seat cover--I love the one by Kiddapotomus http://www.amazon.com/Kiddopotamus-CozyUp-Carrier-Cover-Navy%252f/dp/B000DZUCDC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4732618-8532818?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1172895355&sr=8-1 so much better than a blanket over the carseat

Swing--graco open top, get the one with 3 speeds (you'll never use all 8 if you get the one with more), but make sure you get the one that has a reclining seat.

Check out www.amazon.com/grocery for Huggies and Pampers diapers delivered right to your door with free shipping and no sales tax

Answer 5

As far as the car seats go, the infant car seats are not near as safe as the convertible car seats nor are they as cost efficient. I had infant car seats for my twins, but was very unhappy with them so after doing some research, I decided to go with the Britax Marathon convertible car seats. They have a very high safety rating and they go from 5 lbs all the way to 65 lbs. They are a bit more pricey than a lot of models on the market, but they are so very worth it, i've never been happier with any of the other baby products that I own and thats saying a lot because I probably have one of everything on the market. The only other thing that I very very highly recommend are the Bumbo seats, they're only about $40 and once your baby can hold his or her head up on their own, they're the most useful item you can own for baby care. I use them for bathing, watching movies, playing, feeding and when we go to the store I take them along and my girls sit in those inside the cart because they're not yet big enough to comfortably sit in the seat of the cart. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

For price, durbaility and safety ratings, Graco products are your best bet. As for swings and bouncers, I really like Fisher Price. They seem to be safer and sturdier than the other brands. Also, the staff at Babies R Us is AWESOME and will help with whatever questions you have, and will show you exactly how an itme works. WhenI bought my Graco Snug Ride car seat, we even took the display model out to my car!

Conggrats and happy shopping!

Answer 7

I bought this book second hand on Amazon for $4 that rates everything from cribs to bouncers, Its called Baby Bargains. For example the Graco Snug Ride carseat is rated an A. The Jenny Lind crib is rated a best buy as a low-priced crib. This book is awesome!

Answer 8

I love all chicco products. I have their sahara travel system and high chair and love them both. (The high chair takes up a lot of room though.) If you look on amazon.com or babysrus.com, you can read all the customer reviews, which I found extemely helpful when I was registering. If you are really concerned about car seat safety, you can pick up a copy of consumer reports, or visit this website:
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
or
http://www.car-safety.org/

Consumer reports recommends Graco Snugride as the best carseat for infants and Britax for infant-to-toddler seats.

Answer 9

Graco is my fav. after 3 kids i still tend to buy graco, for quality and usability. With 3 kids under age 5 i need things that will be safe, last and are easy to use and if i'm really lucky able to use with one hand if at all possalbe lol.

Answer 10

i went to babies r us and stood there for an hour (plus their employees are very helpful) and i folded and unfolded picked up and closed..hours of doing this, make sure you can pick up the stroller wtih 1 arm folded up (picture holding the baby putting the stroller in the car) but anyways just go to babies r us and they'll tell you the lastest safety guidelines and what brands - goodluck