I can’t believe I wrote this post 4 years ago! My little boy is now a KIDDO and no longer a baby or a toddler. I figured this is as good a time as any to refresh this baby gear roundup list, just in time for Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales too!
On the Go: Strollers, Car Seats, and Carriers, oh my!
The big ticket items when it comes to baby gear include strollers, car seats, and some infant carriers. We researched many types and brands, and asked all of my friends who have kids what their recommendations were.
Travel Car Seat – currently on sale!
I cannot sing enough praises for the Pico Wayb forward facing car seat which is currently ON SALE at Nordstrom for Black Friday! I purchased this used for over $350 and now it’s on sale for $285. This will eliminate all of your travel woes, what with lugging a bulky heavy car seat through the airport and installing it into rental cars and Ubers. The Pico Wayb is super light and compact at only 8 lbs, folds up beautifully into a backpack, and clips into and out of cars in just 5-10 seconds. It even fits into overhead bins if you don’t want to gate check. This is my BEST travel hack for flying and traveling with kids yet, and I’ve recommended it to all my friends with children. If your child is 22-50 lbs and can fit in a forward facing car seat, and if you have travel plans coming up, THIS IS A MUST! I’m considering getting a second!
Strollers
We were debating between the Uppababy Vista, the Uppababy Cruz, and the Babyzen Yoyo. The Uppababy strollers are so solidly built, has huge storage capacity underneath, and are easy to maneuver on city streets, grass, or gravel. We eventually went with the Uppababy Cruz, mainly because it is more compact and lighter than the Vista (I could not lift the Vista easily in and out of my car trunk). I am really happy with my choice. It has extendable handlebars, which is clutch for my husband and I who have a huge height difference (he’s 6’2″ and I’m 5′!). It also has a large under carriage storage space so we can use it to carry our groceries or shopping bags, and it maneuvers very easily across all types of terrains. As a dermatologist, I also really appreciate the extendable UPF50+ sun shade for extra UV protection, and there’s a peek-a-boo flap in the back of the stroller for extra air circulation. You can also put the seat facing you or facing outwards very easily; I love seeing Dotori exploring the world!
I also got the Uppababy bassinet that easily clicks into the same stroller frame, which we used until Dotori was 4 months old. I like the zippered top which I can tuck a blanket under to keep Dotori warm, and it also works with the same car seat adapter as the regular stroller.
If you have more muscle strength than I do, if you are planning to have multiple children who need to be in strollers at the same time (though the Cruz can be used with a toddler who stands), or if you need a large undercarriage storage space, then a Vista may be the better option for you. It comes with the bassinet, which we got separately from a friend since it’s not included with the Cruz. The Vista is definitely a more heavy duty stroller, but it was just too heavy and overkill for me.
The Babyzen yoyo is a great travel stroller because it’s so light and compact, more so than the Uppababy Cruz. I also extensively researched the Bugaboo Ant and the Uppababy Minu, which are all similar light yet feature-packed travel strollers. Given that we aren’t traveling on planes or even road trips right now, we have held off on purchasing a travel stroller for now, but when I do, I will probably choose the Uppababy Minu for its one handed fold.
Car seats: Last time around we used the Nuna Pipa because our friend gave us her Nuna Pipa. I was debating between the Nuna Pipa or buying the Nuna Pipa Lite or Nuna Pipa Lite LX (which has more features than the Nuna Pipa Lite), since I care a lot about weight. In the end, because the Nuna Pipa can be used without the base and therefore easily transferrable from car to car (and into taxis), I stayed with the Nuna Pipa. I also love all the features it has like the dream drape which is a wrap that goes around the stroller to protect baby from wind, rain, cold, bugs, etc. It is 2 pounds heavier than the Nuna Pipa Lite, so I struggle sometimes to carry that plus my growing baby in the car seat to transfer to my Uppababy stroller, but it’s doable.
One tip: since I got my Nuna Pipa secondhand I didn’t know I needed an infant insert. Don’t make the same mistake I did; make sure you have it on hand before baby comes!
In order to use my Nuna Pipa with the Uppababy Cruz stroller base, I have this easy to use converter. It clicks directly into the stroller base, and you can arrange it so baby faces you or away from you.
Infant carriers
I have the Boppy infant carrier and the Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier. The Boppy is really straightforward and easy to use, and can be used for inward or outward facing carrying up to an infant weight of 35 pounds. I found this the easiest to use, but its straps run long on me. It fits my 6’2″ husband better.
The Ergobaby Omni 360 is more versatile and can be worn in more ways, from front carry to side hip carry to back carry. There are more ways to adjust the straps so it fits your size, and there’s a lumbar support pad in the back. I also like the little pouch in the front for carrying tissues, a foldable hat, pacifier and other essentials.
Sleep: What We All Want More Of
Even typing out the word “sleep” makes me nostalgic for the 10 hour delicious sleeps I used to take before baby (ha!). We went through a lot of different sleeping baby gear, from the high tech to the low tech. Here’s what products worked for us.
The Snoo: currently on sale for 35% off on Amazon! This is a pricey smart crib that changes its rocking speed and the volume of its white noise to match your baby’s crying. It is customizable so you can set the volume and rocking levels as well. It also tracks your baby’s sleep and shows you when the baby is sleeping vs. when the Snoo is soothing the baby. It comes with 3 swaddles (small, medium, large), which can be worn arms in or arms out when your baby is ready to wean. Honestly I could go on and on about our experience with the Snoo, but I’ll try to make it short.
Pros: The Snoo is aesthetically pleasing, matches any decor, and it works most of the time! It helped rock Dotori back to sleep maybe 6-7 times out of 10 that he woke up in the middle of the night. It will NOT soothe him to sleep when he’s hungry though, so don’t worry that the Snoo will affect your nighttime feeds.
Cons: It took us a few weeks for Dotori to get used to the Snoo; he just HATED being in the Snoo swaddle. And we struggled with how expensive it was, given that it didn’t always put him to sleep when he woke up. I almost returned it at one point but I had already thrown away the box, and then now in retrospect I’m glad I kept it because it did help once he got accustomed to it. Sometimes the noise and rocking actually made him MORE frustrated and cry harder. I was worried that he would get too used to being rocked to sleep, and therefore we’d have a hard time transitioning to crib, but I have not actually experienced that. After we finally got into the rhythm of things, he liked the Snoo and it helped keep him asleep for longer periods of time.
Overall: how well the Snoo works depends on your baby. I’ve had friends who returned it within a few weeks, and I’ve had friends who swear by it for all their babies. Luckily you can rent the Snoo and pay monthly, or you can try it out if you purchase it and return it with a full refund within 30 days. Make sure you KEEP THE ORIGINAL BOX it came in if you want to return it; otherwise, you’ll have to pay to buy a new box to return it.
OK well that Snoo bit there almost derailed this post. On to the rest of the sleep stuff.
Halo Bassinest: Dotori slept in this when he was a newborn and he seemed to enjoy it. Once he got used to the Snoo we kept the Halo outside in the living room as another crib he can rest in when we are out there. It also plays lullabies to help soothe the baby.
Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible Crib: Dotori slept in this crib for the first nearly 4 years of his life and he loved it! We went through all the stages and settings, from different mattress heights to taking off one wall and installing the toddler wall. I chose this crib because it’s petite friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and transitions well as baby grows.
Marpac Dohm White Noise Machine: Noise machines are essential to drown out the outside noise. Plus babies are used to hearing white noise because they used to be in our bellies for 9 months. I have THREE, and the Marpac Dohm is now my own personal noise machine as well. It is pretty straightforward, with two settings for volume. It can get loud, which I appreciate, and I’ve taken it on trips with us too, to block out unpredictable noise at hotels.
Hatch baby rest sound machine: The hatch sound machine is more high tech than the Marpac Dohm; this one comes with multiple lights, multiple sounds (lullabies and natural noise), and even an app to customize all the settings. Lots of bells and whistles. This is the one currently in Dotori’s room, and I’ve heard of parents using it even when their kids are toddlers, to teach their children when is an appropriate time to wake up using the lights.
Nanit Plus Camera with wall mount (CURRENTLY 30% off at Amazon! Even better deal: Nanit plus camera with flex stand and travel pack for only $185 at Babylist, which I just purchased for baby #2): I lump this under sleep because I mostly use this camera to check when Dotori is sleeping. This is an awesome camera, though also pricey. It is worth it though. The camera can display color, but at nighttime, it has night vision so all the images are still super sharp and clear. The best thing about it though are the Nanit Plus insights. The insights give me an overall “highlights reel” video of the day and night; it records when he falls asleep and when he wakes up and even how often I visit him. The insights track his overall sleep at night and during the day, and gives me tips on how to help him sleep better too. It’s pretty phenomenal, especially as we are sleep training and trying to figure out just how he’s sleeping.
You can also share the feed with grandparents and friends; my mom loves watching Dotori when he’s in his crib! The nanit also keeps track of temperature and humidity, and 2 way audio allows you to talk to baby as well, depending on which Nanit you purchase.
For travel, I purchased the Nanit flex base (currently 30% off on Amazon!), which I only discovered this year. You can pop off the Nanit camera monitor and easily put it onto the flex base which comes in a nifty case for travel. This way you can set up your Nanit at any hotel or if you go to Grandma’s house, and still keep track of baby.
I hope this guide was helpful; I will tackle more topics in a different post such as pumping and breastfeeding. Please let me know if there’s any specific topics or categories you want me to cover!
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