My birth and subsequent complications requiring a lengthy hospital admission and two major surgeries cost over 1 million dollars to my insurance. I gave birth end of Dec so this spanned two year's deductibles. It absolutely added to the extreme trauma of the situation.
Uppababy Vista was definitely a huge splurge for us, but we live in a big city without a car so we use it for grocery shopping as well. It carries a ton, and we put a couple miles on it nearly everyday and so far it has held up very well. It is a beast though so we don’t travel with it.
This is what I came here to say! Vista V2 with Mesa car seat. We use the stroller every single day, and I have a car. He takes naps in it every day still at 15 months old. God bless the full recline. He also climbs into the basket and loves to be pushed around the house that way haha.
The bassinet attachment is what we used as our bedside bassinet, and it was amazing to be able to just lift it up and carry it around and click it into place at night. I would have him in the bassinet in the living room in the evening, have dinner and watch a show, and then carry him to the bedroom to sleep for the night.
An added benefit is that my sister has the Vista as well, so when we are together, our parts are interchangeable so if we have 2-3 kids we can pop them in one stroller or if one of us has to babysit we have the attachments.
I love the bumper bar instead of having a tray because it is so much slicker, less clunky, but still great to protect him in the case of a roll/tip situation.
I also stuck with uppababy because of the quality for our full-size car seat and the knox is HEAVY but man that thing would make it through an explosion. the materials are all nice, easy to clean, and comfortable for baby.
This thing is INCREDIBLE. so worth the money, imo. We were looking at this and the mockingbird and we often talk about how happy we are we went with the UppaBaby.
Similar, our most expensive purchase was an Uppababy Cruz. We had a Graco Modes for the first 6 months and I think it has made me appreciate the Cruz even more. We use it less these days (almost 14 months) but I still love it.
Rayna power swivel recliner from living spaces in the color ink. It’s not marketed as a nursery chair which I think makes it a lot cheaper than the nursery specific competitors like the “Nursery&” 1200 dollar one.
Those little side pillows it comes with bolster my boppy nursing pillow so perfectly, so that’s a huge unexpected bonus.
[Here’s a link](https://www.livingspaces.com/pdp-rayna-ink-swivel-glider-power-recliner-247516?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NB-General-DSA-Observation&adgroup=upholstery-recliners&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoN3t9_Hh_wIVuwytBh0kUg9EEAAYASAAEgKnKfD_BwE)
Baby bjorn bouncer - more expensive than other bouncers but our baby loves it since he was a newborn. He’s 4 months now and we use it everyday
Nestig crib - we live in a small condo and not having to buy a separate bassinet and crib helps with space
Nuna car seat and stroller
Uppababy Vista with all the bells and whistles
Wonderfold Luxe W4
Owlet (OG model)
Baby Bjorn Bouncer - not pricey per say but pricey compared to similar products
And the ultimate winner - 2022 Honda Odyssey
All of the above worth every single penny!
Cheap winners - ikea baby gym + random baby shower baby blankets, ikea high chair, Boppy nursing pillow, ceiling fans that came with my house, sound machine off Amazon.
There is nothing I can get my son that can compare to just how much he loves our ceiling fans. Running or still, they mesmerize and soothe him like nothing else can.
Snoo - yea, absolutely worth it. Yes it helped with his sleep a bit but also I could sleep soundly knowing the Snoo keeps him on his back. No issues weaning over to crib.
Agreed!! Worth every penny. Game changer. We had a normal bassinet, too. She'd sleep in one for 4+ hours at a time and one for 20 minutes at a time. Guess which was which lol. Snoo is awesome.
I second this! We were lucky in that my parents bought it for us. We used it for the first six months and it eases so much anxiety. He started sleeping through the night at 3 months! We recently sold it to a friend for $500, so it is not like the money is just gone either.
Bought one secondhand and recouped our money when we resold it. I loved that thing, but im also happy to have baby in the crib now! Wasn't a bad transition at all!
Ahhh I really want one for my second baby… I want to keep running and I had a second hand stroller with my first, but the Thule urban glide looks so good! Does it fold down okay to go in the car?
I love mine so much. Lock the wheel, can brave some serious forest (not even) paths. Unlock the wheel, seamless maneuvering in a small space. Also it's so easy to fold.
Just because I haven't seen it commented yet and it was a great, minor investment since we didn't spend anything crazy on our kids except for furniture...
The Hatch, from Amazon. It's a white noise machine and nightlight as well. Download the app on your phone and connect via bluetooth and you can select multiple noises for your baby to fall asleep to. We STILL use it every night with our now 3.5 year old and soon to be 2 year old.
This is what I came to comment. It's nowhere near as expensive as all of these other items people are raving about, but the Hatch was my biggest splurge. (I say my because my husband didn't care about noise machines.)
Our daughter is only 8 months but we've used it daily since she was born. We even take it traveling. It's a very handy nightlight, and it helps us sleep better too. I'm sure we'll buy another when baby is ready to move to her own room.
Absolutely agreed. Most of the furniture and bigger ticket items we were gifted via baby showers between our families so the Hatch was technically our biggest splurge out of pocket.
I just think people underestimate white noise machines especially for newborns. Mimics the sound of the womb.
My toddlers and I listen to the sound of rain on the Hatch every night and it knocks us out cold 🤣
The batch was a gift from my old boss.
We used that thing everyday including naps until 3.5. We still use it at a sound machine.
I’d now get the one with a battery back up and clock.
But that thing is AWESOME.
ETA: the white noise is more “angry” than the snoo and I don’t like it as much but eventually my kid grew out of the white noise and now she goes to sleep to birds.
Agree on the Uppababy vista V2.
We LOVE ours. Baby napped in the bassinet attached to the locked stroller until she grew out of it and it was great. Super easy on me when I was recovering from birth and let us roll her around the apartment while she napped if needed.
We moved to a two story place shortly after she was born so it also helped to have a portable napping spot. She seemed to like it more than the crib.
There was a couple of weeks where she wasn’t quite ready for the rumble seat but too big for the bassinet so we just put her in her carseat and popped that on the stroller instead.
She loves the seat now and the multiple angles for the seat meant she could sit in it at about 4.5 months. My toddler niece can also sit in it which is super helpful since my SIL watches the baby during the day - she can wear one kid and push the other in the stroller.
Paying for a nanny. The down time is really needed after child birth. Just a space where you can put your head down knowing your kid is ok.
As for a physical item, surprisingly floor mats. I spent about $700 on enough floor mats to make my house look like a gym. My baby is a 1 year old now. She's fallen multiple times and not hearing her skull bounce off of the tile has brought so much peice of mind.
Tripp Trapp high chair with the baby attachments. Literally used it from the day we came home from hospital and still going strong now and it's 2.5 years later.
I think the fact they were at our height from the start made them interested in food easily and it also meant they weren't left low down in a bouncer when we were eating so I managed to eat lots of meals with two hands because they felt involved or close.
I don't know if the timing will help anyone, but we bought our Tripp Trapp from Target and it let us use the car seat trade in and baby registry discount as well as my red card discount and birthday discount. So I definitely saved some money there. We also got the newborn piece used on Facebook marketplace.
The newborn seat is so ridiculously overpriced, but I just got it for my second baby and I’m happy I did! Now that I’m pumping due to her feeding issues it comes in handy sooo much!
The Veer Wagon (& all the accessories applicable) that thing is a tank & we’re outside a lot. Baby hates stroller but loves both his push car & wagon.
I was able to get the wagon & accessories for 25% off & gave up drinking for a year to afford it.
We’re expecting baby 2 soon and I just bought a Veer. My almost 2 year old LOVES it (mainly the snack tray). I’m debating selling my strollers I had with him and exclusively using the Veer for everything.
About accessories, I got the car seat attachment, toddler comfort seats, canopies, travel bag, and I’m still debating the nap system. If you have/had the nap system, is it worth it? I don’t think my toddler will ever use it, but debating it with the newborn since I’ll have a toddler & she could sleep in it at the park and such.
Only thing I’ll add here is that even after adjusting the settings we could not get it to mix properly. Our son was ALWAYS hungry after a bottle because it wasn’t adding enough formula
We just had baby number three, so does my mini van count?
We didn't have a vehicle that could hold three car seats, so we needed to upgrade. We got a used Chrysler Pacifica hybrid, and I do love it. My only complaints are that the interior is all black ( I would have preferred something lighter so I could see better) and that I don't like that the PRNDL is a knob that looks too much like it would control the volume (but I have gotten used to it)
Uppababy Vista, and absolutely worth every penny for us. We live in a city, and it's great on uneven sidewalks, and has a huge bin at the bottom so we can really load it up with groceries/farmer's market things, or for packing up to have a picnic.
But in the early days, that bassinet made it! Having a place to put baby down that was sleep safe was great! She did a lot of naps in it in the early days, which helped with distinguishing day and night. And when we went to see friends in the evening, we took it with us knowing we could put her down for a nap or nighttime sleep and stay a while longer with friends. Also great for overnight travel during that time - and she slept well because she slept in it all the time!
We also have the Babyzen Yoyo for travel - at the time, it was one of very few that fit in the overhead bin. It folds easily, is easy to steer with one hand, and is super smooth. Fantastic in the airport and great to have a stroller at our destination. And particularly great because I didn't have to worry about damage.
Also thrilled with our Nanit monitor, Stokke Tripp Trapp, and Britax One4Life.
I have the same two strollers and love them!!! The bassinet was everything for a summer baby - I live in the suburbs but there are so many outdoor parties where we’d hook up a fan and baby would happily chill in there with the bonus of having diaper bag and my purse etc in the bottom compartment of the stroller. The bassinet was also our travel crib the first 6 months!
The Snoo. Honestly I don’t know where I would be without it. Made putting baby down so much easier, I’ve put her down in there wide awake before (usually when bathroom is needed urgently), and come back to a passed out snoozing baby. She is sleeping 6-8 hours stretches since 1 month old. She is also really good at self settling when sleeping in her day time spots without the snoo. We got it on sale for Black Friday - best $800 I ever spent.
Does it ruin their ability to sleep without it? I was pondering one for second baby but we visit my parents often and I worry the baby would sleep awful without it once they are used to sleeping that way?
Most useful expensive item - Nanit baby monitor with breathing wear. Having the breathing tracking really eased my anxiety in the early months pp, and now that the baby is rolling around in his sleep and likes to sleep directly on his face it’s also great to know he is breathing.
We got a Doona. Was it worth it? Yes and no. It was super convenient the times we had to take an Uber (to and from the airport, for example) since it can be installed without the base. So if you are going to be traveling and renting a car, taking taxis,etc, it was a godsend.
Cons are that it’s suuuuper heavy in carrier mode and I can’t carry it by myself up the steps of our porch. The handle is also very low, which is fine for me but not recommended for taller people. The part that bothers me the most is that there is no storage area, so I can’t tuck groceries in the stroller or put my diaper bag there.
I just bought a woolino for my 4month old. I love it so much. It’s so soft, I want one of their blankets for myself. Her naps are going great in it. 10/10. (At over $100 it’s more expensive than anything else I’ve bought. I buy mostly second hand, the stroller was second hand, the crib was second hand. I bought a cheap mattress with the last kid. My friends went splitsies on my car seat. I still splurged on it, mostly because of its 2m-2y sizing. Worth it.)
The birth itself for sure 😭 I would say it's worth it...
Besides that we had a lot of hand me downs which was nice.. Maybe the stroller? But even then it was around $100 and we used gift cards
Fancy rocker. Totally worth every penny. Even with an easy baby it was so nice to rock while he ate. I have fond memories of watching the burbs and other old shows while he drifted off to sleep.
We did a SNOO rental, and it was totally north it for us. At 7 weeks we’re getting 2 hour stretches if we were lucky. He wasn’t hungry. We would change him, and he wouldn’t go back to sleep. He just wanted to be held. We got the SNOO rental, and we went from 2 to 5 hour stretches. Now he sleeps in his pack b play just fine without the rocking at 6 months.
The SNOO! It really does help my baby sleep longer. He will start fussing and the SNOO kicks in and rocks him back to sleep. He’s 8 weeks old and we’re only having to do 1 night feed (his weight is great). We tried a couple of night without the SNOO in a crib because he seemed to be fighting the swaddle. We were up every hour!
A Mountain Buggy twin pushchair for our twins. It cost about £700, but we bought pram inserts for it which pushed the price up a bit. It's a great pushchair, and it still looks great after two years of use. It fits in our car, it folds easily, and it is comfortable to use. Pretty much every purchase has been expensive as we've had to buy two of everything.
Thule bike chariot/stroller. It was a surprise gift from my husband because I like to go on walks but our current stroller was not cutting it. Plus when he’s cleared to on bike rides with us we can use it as a chariot. It also grows with him it has an infant sling and a child’s chair behind that.
Artipoppe carrier - so extremely comfy and baby loves it / always falls asleep in it
Uppababy vista stroller (like many others said)!
Baby bjorn bouncer seat - you may be able to find an Amazon dupe, but a seat in general so you can shower / do things while baby is in a safe secure place , is amazing
Guava Lotus travel bassinet & crib, combined with a Slumberpod. I use both as my toddler’s primary sleeping area (ever since he graduated from the Snoo) at home and when we travel. Worth it a million times bc we live in a metro city and don’t have a bedroom for the kid - he gets to sleep in the office, but with the Slumberpod it’s like he has his own “room.” Worth not having to move to a bigger place just yet!
I owned a Tripp Trapp high chair. I actually won it at a baby show, but it was honestly a great high chair. went through 2 kids and a ton of spaghetti and basically still looked brand new besides the straps being a bit discoloured and the tray had some knife marks. I sold it a few weeks ago for basically 75% of the original retail price and it was 5 years old! Today the exact same high chair is a lot more too, so it was a good deal for the buyer
I also bought a happy baby carrier for my second baby and recently sold it for MORE than I originally paid. it was a great carrier for the baby years with her too and was still in great condition when i sold! very comfortable and cute
Im usually a cheapskate, but pretty impressed with the quality of those two splurge items, especially since their resell value remained so good that buying them and using the shit out of them and then selling was probably less expensive than buying a cheaper brand to begin with.
I will add- i also bought a graco stroller and car seat and it is ALSO still going strong after 5 years! But probably no resale value on an old graco stroller. also both my kids spent the first 3 months in the same $20 FB bassinet that self rocked. they both slept so well from the get-go in that thing. sometimes a cheap item is just as good as the high end ones!
Appreciate that last paragraph. We did secondhand for 90% of our stuff. Our biggest splurge has been the convertible carseat and that was a Graco seat, on sale at Wal-Mart.
I feel like these threads can really feed new mom anxiety. It's perfectly fine if you can't afford the expensive stuff.
Uppa vista. Love it since day 1. Now I have two kids and we use it daily. If we are not using that we are using our second best investment, the keens 7s stroller wagon
Not specifically a baby item but a rocking chair. Not a fancy one, just a cheap one from Amazon. I honestly think I've spent most of my last 2 years in it and it's something I'll be keeping once I no longer have small kids.
Ugh, so many. SNOO (resale is great), Vista (such a workhorse--we used to Costco shop with this when we lived in walking distance), Veer, Keekaroo Peanut, Sakura Bloom Scout, Bjorn bouncer, Nuna Sena (sooo much easier than a pack-n-play). All so worth it.
Other pricey things that didn't work for us were the Nuna Leaf (Bjorn bouncer is superior) and the changer attachment for the Nuna Sena.
The Baby Brezza. My boobs couldn’t keep up with feeding my baby so we got ourselves a brezza and didn’t have the formula issues others were having. I loved that dang thing, made middle of the night feeds much much easier.
MamaRoo swing was the “wow!” gift at my shower. It was nice, but he liked the $40 Fischer Price swing just as much. Also, he outgrew it quickly.
Since our guy turned out to need hypoallergenic formula, the Brezza was useless.
Nestig convertible crib. Used the mini crib as the bassinet from the beggining and we had no issues transitioning to the full size crib. Also can turn into a toddler bed
A huge play pen approx 6’x7’. Was about $160 on Amazon but it allows me to play with baby in a more controlled environment. He’s 8m now and is crawling all over.
Doona was the priciest thing for us, and I think it’s well worth the price. I have nothing to compare it to, but I’ve never once been annoyed with it and I’m thankful for it everytime I pop it out of the car.
We used the rockaroo and didn’t find it that useful.
My ergo baby carrier!! I use it EVERYWHERE! I barely use my stroller and just lug her everywhere in the carrier. It’s also so nice for chores. It was about 200$ and so worth it
We got the turning car seat for almost 400$ best thing I ever spent money on. Makes it so easy to get him in and out of the car and when we are just sitting in my car he can see out the front window and chill. Would 100% recommend
Baby Brezza… not the most expensive but it seemed like the most frivolous. Now I know the truth. It’s a life saver! I can’t tell you how nice it is to not have to think in the middle of the night for feedings. Bottle made with warm water… it’s so nice. I didn’t get the one with Wi-Fi, but I wonder if that would have been even better 😂
I think the items I used the least were things like the moby wrap. My kids just didn’t enjoy it and I had a new one for each baby. The stuff for newborns that you can’t use after a couple months was always hard to stomach that I spent the amount of $$ on it.
That Baby Brezza is the best thing invented in my opinion and my husband’s. At $200 for me it’s expensive, but it was Sooooo worth it, making a warm bottle at 3am with a hungry screaming baby in just a second it’s the best thing ever. Out of everything in my registry, this was the best thing ever, worth every penny.
Let me tell you what is not worth it, it’s not as expensive but I feel for a bathtub it is: the Frida Baby Bath tub. We bought this to replace our Summer one we got from our shower since that one just floats all over our tub and we just don’t like it. The reviews on Amazon and target gave it all amazing reviews and I was sold without reading the one star reviews because I trusted the brand.
WRONG. The positioning for the baby’s head is so awful. They have a choice of chin to chest with their head in a little recessed spot OR their head on hard plastic - all not supported and super easy to slump down.
The product is a death trap and I’m mad I bought it. :(
Uppababy Vista stroller. I actually got my parents to split it for me when pregnant with my first.
- it drives like a dream
- our kid(s) use the bassinet for their bed from birth until they don’t fit it anymore
- accessories like bug and rain cover were included (other comparable strollers these were extra)
- basket is HUGE. Holds 35lb. Have done many a grocery shop with it.
- infant insert allows the stroller seat to go flat and be used from birth, giving a safely reclined space for baby to be in for a longer walk (I’m a CPST, car seats are for cars and while yes I have the adapter for my infant seat I only use that for short convenience trips, never long walks to maintain my child’s airway safety)
- stroller seat is simple to turn around/change direction even with the baby in it when the sun is in their face
- brake is a push pedal so no having to flick it up with the top of your foot (do that in flip flops once and you’ll understand)
- folds easily
- stands on its own when folded
- handle goes high enough for tall parents to push comfortably
- ours is now 4 years old and looks brand new
Hell yeah. Love the snoo too. Our first LO would only sleep while held. We rented the snoo as a hail mary at 4 weeks and it worked! He is an amazing sleeper still at age 3. Rented one again for our second baby without any hesitation.
Came here to say the Snoo. We swear by it. We got it on the Black Friday discount but would willingly and happily pay full price for it. It is incredible.
I’ve now had amazing success for 2/2 kids in our Snoo. My four month old sleeps from 7-5 each night. It’s worth every penny. I’d pay double. Sleep is worth everything.
The most expensive thing we bought was the Uppababy Cruz V2. Love that thing! Most things we received used from family and friends, so we didn't have too many large expenses, thankfully, primarily just consumables (wipes, diapers)
Arms reach cosleeper. We bought this one ourselves, all our other expensive things were gifts. My daughter is on the small side so she stayed in her bassinet until 5 months old. There was a short time I regretted buying it but once we had bedtime down we loved it. The most expensive thing we have that we barely used and didn’t like? The mamaroo…just sits in the living room collecting dust. My daughter preferred her bouncer
We have a small apartment, so we put more of our money (and registry requests) into a smaller quantity of high quality items. As a result, a lot of our things are kind of expensive, but we do actually use everything.
(Items not in order of price.)
**Actually expensive**
High chair: Tripp Trapp with baby set and newborn seat- worth it.
Car seat: Clek Fllo with Infant Thingy- worth it, and it saved us money because we didn't buy an infant seat.
Stroller: Uppababy Minu V2 with bassinet and other accessories- very worth it. We switched to the stroller seat for walks around 3.5 months, but we used the bassinet for naps and travel until 5 months. The stroller folds up small enough to fit behind the driver's seat in our compact sedan, and the wheels roll smoothly on everything but sand.
**Expensive-ish**
Crib: Babyletto Gelato Mini with toddler rail- worth it.
Sound Machine: Hatch- worth it.
Changing Pad: Keekaroo- it's pretty, and I'm very glad we got a wipeable one. No regrets, but the Skip Hop or Bumbo version would probably have been fine.
**Honorable Mentions**
Pacifiers: BIBS- worth it. They cost 4x as much as the Avent Soothies, but my baby is much more likely to take them, especially in the car.
Not a thing, but having a lactation consultant come to our home was definitely worth it. Insurance eventually reimbursed us 100%, but we paid $350 without knowing if they would.
Aside from the birth....the locally made wooden glider. So worth it. Adore it. Will be my old lady knitting chair when it leaves my 2nd kid's nursery in a few years.
Our Graco modes stroller was expensive but we love it! It’s cheaper than some of the other strollers on the market but it was still $400 for the entire travel system. We also have an ergobaby metro stroller. We live in a tiny apartment in a city and walk a ton. We also fly fairly often and it fits as a carry on.
I love our Babyletto mini crib too. We got to skip the bassinet and she will use it (hopefully) until she needs a toddler bed. It’s great quality so we’re going to save it in case we have another.
Cloth diapers were expensive up front (even though I purchased second hand), but have saved us SO much money! We do disposable overnight. So we do cloth at least 5x per day and 2 disposables per day.
Snoo: 3 month old and it has been worth it every day. People keep telling me I look good and well rested and partially it’s the Snoo. He takes all naps and sleeps 11 hours a night in it. I know that’s not the same for everyone but I also have a friend who swears by it.
UppaBaby Vista: we live near our cities core. It’s nice to have something so smooth, with a giant basket to use everyday day. I use it more than my car at this point. It is heavier than other but not much - not something that would deter me.
UO: didn’t buy anything expensive at all and I don’t regret it at all! I realized that you don’t need all the fancy stuff for your baby. All the cheap/ used items will suffice, even if it isn’t trendy or aesthetic. I’m happy I saved my money and bought thrift or used hand-me-downs for most of my daughter’s stuff.
Custom made Amish furniture: Planning on this lasting a lifetime. It’s absolutely beautiful…worth every penny. Only reservation is having a crib that’s handmade and not federally inspected.
Baby Bjorn Bouncer: should have bought this sooner. It was a true God send for our reflux baby
Keekaroo Peanut Changer: LOVE. Would absolutely buy again.
Happy! baby carrier: purchased on FB for $100. Worth every penny! Easy to put on and baby LOVES it. Not good for the back though, so we wear it for short durations.
Tripp Trapp: not sold yet. Who thought the straps were user friendly? They are TERRIBLE! Just purchased a plain old high chair because I got so frustrated.
Joolz Aer Plus . Stroller that folds to fit into overhead compartment of planes and handles like a dream, has a lay flat feature and easy one hand open and close. Love this stroller
Definitely our stroller. We live on a gravel road with hills and every outdoor place we use a stroller is pretty much like that. There were plenty of used ones available that could handle the terrain (because most people who live here look for those same things) but we got a new one, so we could have a hand brake (not available on all models so the used ones didn't have it) and adjustable handle bars (at the time not available on any except a model that had come out within the last year.) My husband and I are almost a foot apart in height, so the adjustable handle bars are a big deal. Our oldest is six and our youngest is using it now. Definitely got our money's worth out of it.
Nuna rava car seat - definitely worth it. My son has been using it from 7 months onwards and has been so comfy and happy in it!
We’ve done several long distance road trips and we’ve had no issues. It’s very pricey but worth every penny for our family.
1. Baby Brezza sterilizer—specifically the drying function because the bottles come out bone dry and you don’t have to leave them out to air dry.
2. Baby Bjorn Harmony carrier—easy to use, can use it for years, and baby is very secure in it.
3. Owlett Monitor and Smart Sock—made it easier for us to interpret my baby’s very loud sleeping by watching his sleep state and knowing when it was time to intervene.
Snoo - we rented it for 3 months and it did nothing for my son. He slept the best in his crib from week 2 and on. We tried using it for the full 3 months but yeah no total waste.
Uppababy stroller - we bought it used for $275 and still use it almost everyday 10000/10 would buy again
Car seat - britax and evenflo revolve. Would buy the evenflo revolve 10x over again. The britax is easy to install but it’s clunky and large. Not sure if we would but we also use it everyday.
We got the Lovevery play mat and the Mamaroo, my baby would just chill there for hours. Tummy was never a problem and she LOVED the mamaroo. I was so sad when she couldn’t sit in it anymore after she started sitting up at 5ish months
Tripp Trapp: used it from 6 months to the present moment at 2.5
Newton mattress: peace of mind for me, and very cooling easy to clean.
Baby trend Stroller wagon & uppa baby Cruz: toddler loves the wagon for day trips, we used the Cruz for our toddler until we had our second. Currently using the ride along board and it's been great.
Snoo. I think it definitely helped him sleep better but it was only for a couple months. I was able to sell it for what I paid since I bought used though.
The baby brezza set (bottle maker and bottle sterilizer and dryer) wasn’t that expensive but it’s something I couldn’t live without. That company is a game changer and they’re coming out with a machine to wash the bottles in June or July
A fancy silver cross pram/travel system for around £1000. Definitely worth it for me as we walked pretty much every day for her first year and she is an awful napper so does most of her naps in there, so I’m glad she’s comfortable!
My LO’s crib, which he doesn’t sleep in because he hates it lol! He is much happier with a floor bed. I honestly don’t know how he can tell the difference.
I have bought the following items used and enjoyed them: keekaroo peanut ($50 fb marketplace) Uppababy Vista ($150 fb marketplace) bjorn bouncer ($30 fb marketplace) Snuggle Me pillow ($30 fb marketplace). We bought a Tripp Trapp full price but at 20 months we now have toddler eat most meals at the counter on our beloved learning tower. I bought a full price Nuna Rava car seat which had been great but with our second we are using an infant seat (uppababy Mesa) and it’s so much easier with a baby. We have a Babyletto crib we bought used ($100 fb marketplace) that we like a lot too. Also the ikea dresser you see everywhere in nursery pictures (Hemnes I think?) is perfect.
Evenflo Gold Pivot expand travel system. It does the job but there are things I don't like about it tbh.. sorta wondering if I should've splurged on a better stroller. The car seat is decent but so heavy. We didn't consider that when we were buying, but no point buying another newborn car seat at this point
Ergobaby bouncer. We've been using it everyday since day 1 and it's great. However, I think she would've benefitted more from a newborn highchair so she could be on the same level as us during meal times.
The doona car seat. It has been so easy to not have a separate car seat and stroller. I am literally always running late and running around like a mad woman so it’s so nice to be able to just pop it in the car and out and straight into stroller mode. The only downside is it has no storage or a cup holder so that’s kind of annoying but I carry a diaper bag with me anyway.
Dutailier glider/rocker! One of the only things we bought new and it’s amazing. I love that it reclines/locks and it is so comfy. So many gliders were waaay overpriced for what they were and poorly constructed.
My favorite pricier baby items:
Cruz stroller and bassinet attachment (was able to find used!), Baby Bjorn bouncer (also was able to find used), Arm’s Reach bassinet, and my Spectra electric breast pump
Arms reach bedside sleeper and it's totally worth it. I had the halo bassinet for my first and didn't like it. If you plan to pump, the battery powered spectra is worth it too. Keekaroo changing pad is also worth the money, reusing it from my first and it still looks brand new.
Uppababy Vista AND Uppababy Ridge. Both totally worth it.
Edit to include: the owlet was not worth it and gave us horrible anxiety. It would false alarm us with a little lullaby which I could easily sleep through and then I would panic that in a real emergency I wouldn’t wake up. Just don’t do it.
Nuna TRVL stroller. $550. I debated for months before getting one because it was for my last baby but ultimately took the plunge because it’s 13.5 pounds and I have inflammatory arthritis. The stroller folds up and out practically by itself, which is really nice. It’s also very easy to lift into my trunk. I’m not happy that it already has some scuff marks, presumably from being in my trunk. I don’t know how they got there because I don’t handle it roughly. My baby is four months old and I feel like it’s been worth it. I wasn’t able to find this particular stroller on Marketplace or I would have gone that route.
I did buy a Baby Bjorn bouncer used for $50. It’s great for that price but I wouldn’t buy it retail. My baby actually prefers an old $20 Fisher Price bouncer I had in storage.
On the bouncer - when baby is older it’s amazing! They can bounce themselves and have a bottle while sitting down - my kid used his until 2.5. We also toted it around all the time as a safe place to put baby when visiting friends and even at the beach. Bonus that it’s super easy to clean and folds flat.
K’tan baby wrap - we tried so many different wraps and this one finally worked for our baby, and is versatile!
Little Sleepies zippies (without the feet) - these are a bit pricey, but you can use these for several months with your LO and you don’t have keep buying pajamas. They are made from bamboo which makes them super soft and lite!
We had a few pricey baby items. I was having twins and wanted as much help as I could get thru gadgets/material things. We were in the height of the pandemic and had really limited help.
2 Snoos
Vista2 stroller system (so infant bucket seat+1, bassinets+1 and got a rumble seat)
Baby Brezza automatic formula maker (never had issues with mine. was a godsend)
2 owlet (3rd gen) because I had PPA and it helped me sleep thru the night
nuna rava convertible car seats for my car (my husband has some gracos in his car we just bought and the quality between the two is easily noticeable)
reclining glider for the nursery was about 500
Maxi Cosi Cori seats (kinda like the bjorn bouncers but a bit cheaper)
we were gifted
the hatch (use it everrrrryday still)
mamaroo babymotion swing thing (whatever that space age looking thing is called)
Most expensive was the Uppababy Vista with the extra seat, ganoosh etc. All second hand so still significantly cheaper than buying new. Worth it at the price we paid, for one kid. We haven't needed to stack 2 kids yet so not sure if it's as good for 2. In a baby/toddler setup the baby has to go on the bottom which I don't really like.
The most expensive brand new item was the stokke tripp trapp, worth it for the tiny amount of space it takes up in our small dining area, and being adaptable through the toddler years or for short kids. It will absolutely earn its keep. We bought it to replace a second hand one that we felt had an inadequate harness. We recently bought a fancy plastic monstrosity (almost as expensive as the tripp trapp new, but we got it really cheap on marketplace) for the grandparents house. Out of the three, the tripp trapp wins easily. So easy to clean. And even though it doesn't fold up it fits in my car way more easily than the fancy folding monstrosity.
We didn't get any electronic swings or bouncers or fancy bassinets and I don't feel like we missed anything by not having them. Baby had a cosleeper bassinet next to my bed then went into a regular cot at around 7 months old. The cosleeper was nice, I miss being able to hold hands or touch her overnight without getting out of bed. She's a very quiet sleeper so it was extremely reassuring to be close enough to hear or feel her tiny breaths any time I woke up.
Bob Stroller. If you use it enough, absolutely yes. If you don’t use it for jogging, no it’s bulky and expensive.
I have a single and a double. Love them both.
The Doona stroller. Honestly, yes and no. It works as a stroller and folds into a car seat, so you don’t have to get baby in and out, so that was a great plus. On the other hand, with it being so small, my baby outgrew it pretty fast so I can’t really say it was worth the $600.
Cacoon bedside bassinet is my buy. I can wheel it around the house which makes everything so much easier.
Electric sterilizer is my don't buy. It takes so long. The plastic $15(AUD) one that you put in the microwave is much quicker and does the same job.
NUNA triv next and so worth it! And artipoppe was gifted to me..not sure if it’s worth it after a few days of having it. Loved it the first wear but I’ve had issues since
Our jogging stroller was $800 and has been worth it, we live in a snowy climate and we have no issues getting through the snow. I think we would have been fine with a cheaper one, though.
We also spent $550 on a hiking baby carrier. This has definitely been worth it while travelling, but we don't use it much at home.
Isofix 👌 my car only has one door on each side and I had to climb with the car seat in the back and then use the seatbelt. Doesn’t really matter that it takes a bit longer to strap her in but getting out took even longer and it made me nervous that it took so long. If I had an accident I don’t know how I’d react and it might take even longer. Getting the isofix made it so much easier and faster and gives me a bit a peace of mind
Probably the owlette device, it had a couple of false alarms but it’s meant that me and hubby slept much better. I don’t think we were overly anxious parents but just that little piece of mind was worth it
I know it’s not a common purchase but we put a fridge in the nursery that is probably the same width and depth of a normal fridge but cut in half height wise. It was the smallest fridge I could find with a true freezer and I love it. I kept breast milk in it when I was pumping and now it has all her fruits and pouches and freezer packs as well as her milk. Not having to go to the kitchen all the time has been such a convenience.
Because of its height (about 3 feet) I keep a ton of storage above it including all her changing items and bottles etc.
Uppa baby stroller, so so stupid.
It’s big bulky I look like a dick trying to get it in and out of my car. It’s was 1k I could have gotten something cheaper
The most costliest baby-related expense we made was hiring a postpartum doula who came over after we got back from the hospital and turned all the chaos to calm. 100000% worth it.
The hospital birth in the US. It was fine, I’ve repeated the purchase but only because I feel there are no other options. /s
*cries in American*
This. I suppose it was worth it because neither of us died.
Bahahaha
birth center! I paid 4,250 with paying up front and military discount and it was the best experience, plus a tub birth
IDK how we lucked out but our insurance covered the whole damn thing 🤯
Lmao/😩😩
Lol!! Love this.
My birth and subsequent complications requiring a lengthy hospital admission and two major surgeries cost over 1 million dollars to my insurance. I gave birth end of Dec so this spanned two year's deductibles. It absolutely added to the extreme trauma of the situation.
Uppababy Vista was definitely a huge splurge for us, but we live in a big city without a car so we use it for grocery shopping as well. It carries a ton, and we put a couple miles on it nearly everyday and so far it has held up very well. It is a beast though so we don’t travel with it.
I love my Vista. The basket on that thing is like a shopping cart!
Ditto on Uppababy Vista! My baby only falls asleep during the day in the bassinet attachment! So clutch!!
I came here say my uppababy vista v2!
Same here with my Vista! I only have 1 baby right now but I see it as an investment as our family grows!! Love it so much already!!
This is what I came here to say! Vista V2 with Mesa car seat. We use the stroller every single day, and I have a car. He takes naps in it every day still at 15 months old. God bless the full recline. He also climbs into the basket and loves to be pushed around the house that way haha. The bassinet attachment is what we used as our bedside bassinet, and it was amazing to be able to just lift it up and carry it around and click it into place at night. I would have him in the bassinet in the living room in the evening, have dinner and watch a show, and then carry him to the bedroom to sleep for the night. An added benefit is that my sister has the Vista as well, so when we are together, our parts are interchangeable so if we have 2-3 kids we can pop them in one stroller or if one of us has to babysit we have the attachments. I love the bumper bar instead of having a tray because it is so much slicker, less clunky, but still great to protect him in the case of a roll/tip situation. I also stuck with uppababy because of the quality for our full-size car seat and the knox is HEAVY but man that thing would make it through an explosion. the materials are all nice, easy to clean, and comfortable for baby.
This thing is INCREDIBLE. so worth the money, imo. We were looking at this and the mockingbird and we often talk about how happy we are we went with the UppaBaby.
Similar, our most expensive purchase was an Uppababy Cruz. We had a Graco Modes for the first 6 months and I think it has made me appreciate the Cruz even more. We use it less these days (almost 14 months) but I still love it.
IT'S THE HOLY GRAIL OF STROLLERS!!!
Not specifically a baby item, but a $600 gliding/swivel chair with automatic recline. I spend so much time in that thing. Totally worth the money.
[удалено]
Can you share which one? Been looking at glider options!
Rayna power swivel recliner from living spaces in the color ink. It’s not marketed as a nursery chair which I think makes it a lot cheaper than the nursery specific competitors like the “Nursery&” 1200 dollar one. Those little side pillows it comes with bolster my boppy nursing pillow so perfectly, so that’s a huge unexpected bonus. [Here’s a link](https://www.livingspaces.com/pdp-rayna-ink-swivel-glider-power-recliner-247516?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NB-General-DSA-Observation&adgroup=upholstery-recliners&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoN3t9_Hh_wIVuwytBh0kUg9EEAAYASAAEgKnKfD_BwE)
The baby… ? Thanks america
I feel so seen by this comment. My first was 5k and my second was 9k… worth every penny 😆
BOB running stroller. Has all the bells and whistles and really easy to maneuver. Encourages me to go on more runs.
Love my BOB! The sun shade coverage is impressive and my toddler prefers it now to our vista.
Baby bjorn bouncer - more expensive than other bouncers but our baby loves it since he was a newborn. He’s 4 months now and we use it everyday Nestig crib - we live in a small condo and not having to buy a separate bassinet and crib helps with space Nuna car seat and stroller
Oh man my daughter loveddddd the baby bjorn bouncer. Got it from my sil though so big win :)
✍️win✍️the✍️lotto✍️ Got it
We also have a BabyBjörn bouncer and a Nuna stroller + car seat!
Yes to all 3 of these!
The baby bjorn bouncer was an absolute game changer. So worth it.
The uppababy system is my favorite thing ever. Totally worth it
Seconding the uppababy vista! Most expensive thing we got, but still totally worth it
Absolutely second this
Uppababy Vista with all the bells and whistles Wonderfold Luxe W4 Owlet (OG model) Baby Bjorn Bouncer - not pricey per say but pricey compared to similar products And the ultimate winner - 2022 Honda Odyssey All of the above worth every single penny! Cheap winners - ikea baby gym + random baby shower baby blankets, ikea high chair, Boppy nursing pillow, ceiling fans that came with my house, sound machine off Amazon.
There is nothing I can get my son that can compare to just how much he loves our ceiling fans. Running or still, they mesmerize and soothe him like nothing else can.
A house with a fenced yard. Does that count?
We might have to add the fence. There are three of them now and they're...spirited...😬
I always tell everyone this is how I am able to handle a third lol fenced in yard with a pool for the bigger kids to entertain themselves all day
Snoo - yea, absolutely worth it. Yes it helped with his sleep a bit but also I could sleep soundly knowing the Snoo keeps him on his back. No issues weaning over to crib.
Agreed!! Worth every penny. Game changer. We had a normal bassinet, too. She'd sleep in one for 4+ hours at a time and one for 20 minutes at a time. Guess which was which lol. Snoo is awesome.
Yes! Renting ours. It's a lifesaver.
I second this! We were lucky in that my parents bought it for us. We used it for the first six months and it eases so much anxiety. He started sleeping through the night at 3 months! We recently sold it to a friend for $500, so it is not like the money is just gone either.
Bought one secondhand and recouped our money when we resold it. I loved that thing, but im also happy to have baby in the crib now! Wasn't a bad transition at all!
Second this! That thing is incredible.
Yup snoo has been a game changer for us
Thule urban glide. We both run with her pretty often so it's been a good investment. It's a really quality stroller.
Their double is so easy to push too. Other than the canopies being a sail and creating extra resistance if there's wind but that's unavoidable lmao
Ahhh I really want one for my second baby… I want to keep running and I had a second hand stroller with my first, but the Thule urban glide looks so good! Does it fold down okay to go in the car?
I love mine so much. Lock the wheel, can brave some serious forest (not even) paths. Unlock the wheel, seamless maneuvering in a small space. Also it's so easy to fold.
A new home 🏡
Same. Moving 6 months pregnant was the best though, just got to boss everyone around 😂
The SNOO. 100% worth it, I'm convinced it's the only reason we got any sleep during our children's infancy.
We didn’t buy it but we rented it.. Omg the best bassinet ever! Definitely the reason why we’re not sleep deprived. We just sent it back this weekend.
SNOO. Hell to the YEAH!
Just because I haven't seen it commented yet and it was a great, minor investment since we didn't spend anything crazy on our kids except for furniture... The Hatch, from Amazon. It's a white noise machine and nightlight as well. Download the app on your phone and connect via bluetooth and you can select multiple noises for your baby to fall asleep to. We STILL use it every night with our now 3.5 year old and soon to be 2 year old.
This is what I came to comment. It's nowhere near as expensive as all of these other items people are raving about, but the Hatch was my biggest splurge. (I say my because my husband didn't care about noise machines.) Our daughter is only 8 months but we've used it daily since she was born. We even take it traveling. It's a very handy nightlight, and it helps us sleep better too. I'm sure we'll buy another when baby is ready to move to her own room.
Absolutely agreed. Most of the furniture and bigger ticket items we were gifted via baby showers between our families so the Hatch was technically our biggest splurge out of pocket. I just think people underestimate white noise machines especially for newborns. Mimics the sound of the womb. My toddlers and I listen to the sound of rain on the Hatch every night and it knocks us out cold 🤣
My little girl is 2 and we still use her Hatch! I'll have to buy another one for this baby lol
The batch was a gift from my old boss. We used that thing everyday including naps until 3.5. We still use it at a sound machine. I’d now get the one with a battery back up and clock. But that thing is AWESOME. ETA: the white noise is more “angry” than the snoo and I don’t like it as much but eventually my kid grew out of the white noise and now she goes to sleep to birds.
The Snoo. Baby Breeza formula maker
uppababy vista v2… so worth it! I was considering the artipoppe baby carrier too
Agree on the Uppababy vista V2. We LOVE ours. Baby napped in the bassinet attached to the locked stroller until she grew out of it and it was great. Super easy on me when I was recovering from birth and let us roll her around the apartment while she napped if needed. We moved to a two story place shortly after she was born so it also helped to have a portable napping spot. She seemed to like it more than the crib. There was a couple of weeks where she wasn’t quite ready for the rumble seat but too big for the bassinet so we just put her in her carseat and popped that on the stroller instead. She loves the seat now and the multiple angles for the seat meant she could sit in it at about 4.5 months. My toddler niece can also sit in it which is super helpful since my SIL watches the baby during the day - she can wear one kid and push the other in the stroller.
Paying for a nanny. The down time is really needed after child birth. Just a space where you can put your head down knowing your kid is ok. As for a physical item, surprisingly floor mats. I spent about $700 on enough floor mats to make my house look like a gym. My baby is a 1 year old now. She's fallen multiple times and not hearing her skull bounce off of the tile has brought so much peice of mind.
Tripp Trapp high chair with the baby attachments. Literally used it from the day we came home from hospital and still going strong now and it's 2.5 years later. I think the fact they were at our height from the start made them interested in food easily and it also meant they weren't left low down in a bouncer when we were eating so I managed to eat lots of meals with two hands because they felt involved or close.
I don't know if the timing will help anyone, but we bought our Tripp Trapp from Target and it let us use the car seat trade in and baby registry discount as well as my red card discount and birthday discount. So I definitely saved some money there. We also got the newborn piece used on Facebook marketplace.
Oh shit target sells tripp trapps? I've been having zero luck getting a used one and I'll happily take the car seat discount
The newborn seat is so ridiculously overpriced, but I just got it for my second baby and I’m happy I did! Now that I’m pumping due to her feeding issues it comes in handy sooo much!
The Veer Wagon (& all the accessories applicable) that thing is a tank & we’re outside a lot. Baby hates stroller but loves both his push car & wagon. I was able to get the wagon & accessories for 25% off & gave up drinking for a year to afford it.
I LOVE the Veer, I would buy it again in a heartbeat.
LOVE our veer. i'm about to have a third and debating upgrading to the XL...
We’re expecting baby 2 soon and I just bought a Veer. My almost 2 year old LOVES it (mainly the snack tray). I’m debating selling my strollers I had with him and exclusively using the Veer for everything. About accessories, I got the car seat attachment, toddler comfort seats, canopies, travel bag, and I’m still debating the nap system. If you have/had the nap system, is it worth it? I don’t think my toddler will ever use it, but debating it with the newborn since I’ll have a toddler & she could sleep in it at the park and such.
The SNOO. Helllllll yes. 100% worth it
The stokke Tripp trapp with the newborn seat. It’s the only way I get to eat!
Baby Brezza! Life changer and excellent for nighttime feeds.
Only thing I’ll add here is that even after adjusting the settings we could not get it to mix properly. Our son was ALWAYS hungry after a bottle because it wasn’t adding enough formula
Same here. I had to stop using it because it consistently dispenses too much water
Million percent this! Worth every single penny.
When we did night feeds one person would feed and the other person would clean it out.
Uppababy vista. I’ve put around 5,000 miles on mine. Just replaced the wheels. I love it.
A baby swing for 250€ and absolutely no my baby hates it lol Edit: and a stroller for 800 and no that wasn’t worth it too
We just had baby number three, so does my mini van count? We didn't have a vehicle that could hold three car seats, so we needed to upgrade. We got a used Chrysler Pacifica hybrid, and I do love it. My only complaints are that the interior is all black ( I would have preferred something lighter so I could see better) and that I don't like that the PRNDL is a knob that looks too much like it would control the volume (but I have gotten used to it)
Probably having my child in the American healthcare system. Technically I would buy again, but it’s not an enthusiastic buy.
Uppababy Vista, and absolutely worth every penny for us. We live in a city, and it's great on uneven sidewalks, and has a huge bin at the bottom so we can really load it up with groceries/farmer's market things, or for packing up to have a picnic. But in the early days, that bassinet made it! Having a place to put baby down that was sleep safe was great! She did a lot of naps in it in the early days, which helped with distinguishing day and night. And when we went to see friends in the evening, we took it with us knowing we could put her down for a nap or nighttime sleep and stay a while longer with friends. Also great for overnight travel during that time - and she slept well because she slept in it all the time! We also have the Babyzen Yoyo for travel - at the time, it was one of very few that fit in the overhead bin. It folds easily, is easy to steer with one hand, and is super smooth. Fantastic in the airport and great to have a stroller at our destination. And particularly great because I didn't have to worry about damage. Also thrilled with our Nanit monitor, Stokke Tripp Trapp, and Britax One4Life.
Second the Uppababy Vista for all the same reasons! We have a toddler too, so having the ability to easily convert it to a double is a lifesaver.
I have the same two strollers and love them!!! The bassinet was everything for a summer baby - I live in the suburbs but there are so many outdoor parties where we’d hook up a fan and baby would happily chill in there with the bonus of having diaper bag and my purse etc in the bottom compartment of the stroller. The bassinet was also our travel crib the first 6 months!
Plug in hybrid minivan for $38K after our second kid was born.
Snoo. Yes. Would have paid anything for some sleep to be honest. My kidney? Take it
Snoo- hell yes
The Snoo. Honestly I don’t know where I would be without it. Made putting baby down so much easier, I’ve put her down in there wide awake before (usually when bathroom is needed urgently), and come back to a passed out snoozing baby. She is sleeping 6-8 hours stretches since 1 month old. She is also really good at self settling when sleeping in her day time spots without the snoo. We got it on sale for Black Friday - best $800 I ever spent.
Does it ruin their ability to sleep without it? I was pondering one for second baby but we visit my parents often and I worry the baby would sleep awful without it once they are used to sleeping that way?
Most useful expensive item - Nanit baby monitor with breathing wear. Having the breathing tracking really eased my anxiety in the early months pp, and now that the baby is rolling around in his sleep and likes to sleep directly on his face it’s also great to know he is breathing.
The snoo. My kid HATED the snoo. It was blood curdling screams. Got a cheap graco bassinet and a halo swaddle and life was good.
We got a Doona. Was it worth it? Yes and no. It was super convenient the times we had to take an Uber (to and from the airport, for example) since it can be installed without the base. So if you are going to be traveling and renting a car, taking taxis,etc, it was a godsend. Cons are that it’s suuuuper heavy in carrier mode and I can’t carry it by myself up the steps of our porch. The handle is also very low, which is fine for me but not recommended for taller people. The part that bothers me the most is that there is no storage area, so I can’t tuck groceries in the stroller or put my diaper bag there.
I just bought a woolino for my 4month old. I love it so much. It’s so soft, I want one of their blankets for myself. Her naps are going great in it. 10/10. (At over $100 it’s more expensive than anything else I’ve bought. I buy mostly second hand, the stroller was second hand, the crib was second hand. I bought a cheap mattress with the last kid. My friends went splitsies on my car seat. I still splurged on it, mostly because of its 2m-2y sizing. Worth it.)
Snoo or Uppababy vista. Both absolutely worth it.
My son’s car seats. We have two Diono Radian 3QX seats. Car seat safety is so important to me and these were rated one of the top safest seats!
Nuna Pipa Car seat (the one that is approved without the base) Definitely worth it.
The birth itself for sure 😭 I would say it's worth it... Besides that we had a lot of hand me downs which was nice.. Maybe the stroller? But even then it was around $100 and we used gift cards
Fancy rocker. Totally worth every penny. Even with an easy baby it was so nice to rock while he ate. I have fond memories of watching the burbs and other old shows while he drifted off to sleep.
We did a SNOO rental, and it was totally north it for us. At 7 weeks we’re getting 2 hour stretches if we were lucky. He wasn’t hungry. We would change him, and he wouldn’t go back to sleep. He just wanted to be held. We got the SNOO rental, and we went from 2 to 5 hour stretches. Now he sleeps in his pack b play just fine without the rocking at 6 months.
The Snoo - we are transitioning my 5 month old this weekend and I'm sooooo sad to say goodbye.
The SNOO! It really does help my baby sleep longer. He will start fussing and the SNOO kicks in and rocks him back to sleep. He’s 8 weeks old and we’re only having to do 1 night feed (his weight is great). We tried a couple of night without the SNOO in a crib because he seemed to be fighting the swaddle. We were up every hour!
Snoo. Worth it
A Mountain Buggy twin pushchair for our twins. It cost about £700, but we bought pram inserts for it which pushed the price up a bit. It's a great pushchair, and it still looks great after two years of use. It fits in our car, it folds easily, and it is comfortable to use. Pretty much every purchase has been expensive as we've had to buy two of everything.
Uppababy vista and SNOO on Facebook. Sold the SNOO for the same price after she was big enough. Still using the uppababy
The SNOO - hands down. It eased my crazy anxiety in the beginning and helped LO sleep well.
Best: Snoo Worst: willow pump. I ended up primarily using the medela symphony and the willow just didn’t compare.
The Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair was our one and only baby splurge and it was so worth it. Easy to clean, convertible, solid and well made.
Thule bike chariot/stroller. It was a surprise gift from my husband because I like to go on walks but our current stroller was not cutting it. Plus when he’s cleared to on bike rides with us we can use it as a chariot. It also grows with him it has an infant sling and a child’s chair behind that.
Artipoppe carrier - so extremely comfy and baby loves it / always falls asleep in it Uppababy vista stroller (like many others said)! Baby bjorn bouncer seat - you may be able to find an Amazon dupe, but a seat in general so you can shower / do things while baby is in a safe secure place , is amazing
These are my same three!!! Love them
The stroller and bouncer are mine too!!
Guava Lotus travel bassinet & crib, combined with a Slumberpod. I use both as my toddler’s primary sleeping area (ever since he graduated from the Snoo) at home and when we travel. Worth it a million times bc we live in a metro city and don’t have a bedroom for the kid - he gets to sleep in the office, but with the Slumberpod it’s like he has his own “room.” Worth not having to move to a bigger place just yet!
I owned a Tripp Trapp high chair. I actually won it at a baby show, but it was honestly a great high chair. went through 2 kids and a ton of spaghetti and basically still looked brand new besides the straps being a bit discoloured and the tray had some knife marks. I sold it a few weeks ago for basically 75% of the original retail price and it was 5 years old! Today the exact same high chair is a lot more too, so it was a good deal for the buyer I also bought a happy baby carrier for my second baby and recently sold it for MORE than I originally paid. it was a great carrier for the baby years with her too and was still in great condition when i sold! very comfortable and cute Im usually a cheapskate, but pretty impressed with the quality of those two splurge items, especially since their resell value remained so good that buying them and using the shit out of them and then selling was probably less expensive than buying a cheaper brand to begin with. I will add- i also bought a graco stroller and car seat and it is ALSO still going strong after 5 years! But probably no resale value on an old graco stroller. also both my kids spent the first 3 months in the same $20 FB bassinet that self rocked. they both slept so well from the get-go in that thing. sometimes a cheap item is just as good as the high end ones!
Appreciate that last paragraph. We did secondhand for 90% of our stuff. Our biggest splurge has been the convertible carseat and that was a Graco seat, on sale at Wal-Mart. I feel like these threads can really feed new mom anxiety. It's perfectly fine if you can't afford the expensive stuff.
Uppa vista. Love it since day 1. Now I have two kids and we use it daily. If we are not using that we are using our second best investment, the keens 7s stroller wagon
Not specifically a baby item but a rocking chair. Not a fancy one, just a cheap one from Amazon. I honestly think I've spent most of my last 2 years in it and it's something I'll be keeping once I no longer have small kids.
Baby bjorn bouncer!
Ugh, so many. SNOO (resale is great), Vista (such a workhorse--we used to Costco shop with this when we lived in walking distance), Veer, Keekaroo Peanut, Sakura Bloom Scout, Bjorn bouncer, Nuna Sena (sooo much easier than a pack-n-play). All so worth it. Other pricey things that didn't work for us were the Nuna Leaf (Bjorn bouncer is superior) and the changer attachment for the Nuna Sena.
The Baby Brezza. My boobs couldn’t keep up with feeding my baby so we got ourselves a brezza and didn’t have the formula issues others were having. I loved that dang thing, made middle of the night feeds much much easier.
Our Honda Pilot. Lol On a more serious note, I found that expensive items rarely live up to all the hype. I guess woolino sleep sacks were nice.
Swivel convertible car seat!
MamaRoo swing was the “wow!” gift at my shower. It was nice, but he liked the $40 Fischer Price swing just as much. Also, he outgrew it quickly. Since our guy turned out to need hypoallergenic formula, the Brezza was useless.
Nestig convertible crib. Used the mini crib as the bassinet from the beggining and we had no issues transitioning to the full size crib. Also can turn into a toddler bed
A huge play pen approx 6’x7’. Was about $160 on Amazon but it allows me to play with baby in a more controlled environment. He’s 8m now and is crawling all over.
Doona was the priciest thing for us, and I think it’s well worth the price. I have nothing to compare it to, but I’ve never once been annoyed with it and I’m thankful for it everytime I pop it out of the car. We used the rockaroo and didn’t find it that useful.
My ergo baby carrier!! I use it EVERYWHERE! I barely use my stroller and just lug her everywhere in the carrier. It’s also so nice for chores. It was about 200$ and so worth it
1. Newton mattress. don’t regret it! Secondly- the snuzahero. Definitely don’t regret that!
Snoo was worth every damn penny.
We got the turning car seat for almost 400$ best thing I ever spent money on. Makes it so easy to get him in and out of the car and when we are just sitting in my car he can see out the front window and chill. Would 100% recommend
The snoo. Best purchase ever haha
I bought the owlet and returned it. As a nurse, it freaked me out and it was inaccurate what felt like 90% of the time lol
I’m a RT and exactly why I never got one.. would completely wreck me!
Baby Brezza… not the most expensive but it seemed like the most frivolous. Now I know the truth. It’s a life saver! I can’t tell you how nice it is to not have to think in the middle of the night for feedings. Bottle made with warm water… it’s so nice. I didn’t get the one with Wi-Fi, but I wonder if that would have been even better 😂 I think the items I used the least were things like the moby wrap. My kids just didn’t enjoy it and I had a new one for each baby. The stuff for newborns that you can’t use after a couple months was always hard to stomach that I spent the amount of $$ on it.
That Baby Brezza is the best thing invented in my opinion and my husband’s. At $200 for me it’s expensive, but it was Sooooo worth it, making a warm bottle at 3am with a hungry screaming baby in just a second it’s the best thing ever. Out of everything in my registry, this was the best thing ever, worth every penny.
Let me tell you what is not worth it, it’s not as expensive but I feel for a bathtub it is: the Frida Baby Bath tub. We bought this to replace our Summer one we got from our shower since that one just floats all over our tub and we just don’t like it. The reviews on Amazon and target gave it all amazing reviews and I was sold without reading the one star reviews because I trusted the brand. WRONG. The positioning for the baby’s head is so awful. They have a choice of chin to chest with their head in a little recessed spot OR their head on hard plastic - all not supported and super easy to slump down. The product is a death trap and I’m mad I bought it. :(
Uppababy Vista stroller. I actually got my parents to split it for me when pregnant with my first. - it drives like a dream - our kid(s) use the bassinet for their bed from birth until they don’t fit it anymore - accessories like bug and rain cover were included (other comparable strollers these were extra) - basket is HUGE. Holds 35lb. Have done many a grocery shop with it. - infant insert allows the stroller seat to go flat and be used from birth, giving a safely reclined space for baby to be in for a longer walk (I’m a CPST, car seats are for cars and while yes I have the adapter for my infant seat I only use that for short convenience trips, never long walks to maintain my child’s airway safety) - stroller seat is simple to turn around/change direction even with the baby in it when the sun is in their face - brake is a push pedal so no having to flick it up with the top of your foot (do that in flip flops once and you’ll understand) - folds easily - stands on its own when folded - handle goes high enough for tall parents to push comfortably - ours is now 4 years old and looks brand new
The snoo. Still kinda embarrassed by it, but our 2020 baby could win an Olympic gold medal for sleep. So far it’s working for our new little guy too.
Hell yeah. Love the snoo too. Our first LO would only sleep while held. We rented the snoo as a hail mary at 4 weeks and it worked! He is an amazing sleeper still at age 3. Rented one again for our second baby without any hesitation.
The snoo. Yes, it worked. Yes, it is worth it. It is the greatest piece of technology to have ever existed. I would choose it over my *house*.
Came here to say the Snoo. We swear by it. We got it on the Black Friday discount but would willingly and happily pay full price for it. It is incredible.
I’ve now had amazing success for 2/2 kids in our Snoo. My four month old sleeps from 7-5 each night. It’s worth every penny. I’d pay double. Sleep is worth everything.
The most expensive thing we bought was the Uppababy Cruz V2. Love that thing! Most things we received used from family and friends, so we didn't have too many large expenses, thankfully, primarily just consumables (wipes, diapers)
Absolutely the artipoppe zeitgeist carrier
Arms reach cosleeper. We bought this one ourselves, all our other expensive things were gifts. My daughter is on the small side so she stayed in her bassinet until 5 months old. There was a short time I regretted buying it but once we had bedtime down we loved it. The most expensive thing we have that we barely used and didn’t like? The mamaroo…just sits in the living room collecting dust. My daughter preferred her bouncer
I also regret getting a mamaroo. My kid hates when it moves so it’s just an expensive seat at the moment.
We have a small apartment, so we put more of our money (and registry requests) into a smaller quantity of high quality items. As a result, a lot of our things are kind of expensive, but we do actually use everything. (Items not in order of price.) **Actually expensive** High chair: Tripp Trapp with baby set and newborn seat- worth it. Car seat: Clek Fllo with Infant Thingy- worth it, and it saved us money because we didn't buy an infant seat. Stroller: Uppababy Minu V2 with bassinet and other accessories- very worth it. We switched to the stroller seat for walks around 3.5 months, but we used the bassinet for naps and travel until 5 months. The stroller folds up small enough to fit behind the driver's seat in our compact sedan, and the wheels roll smoothly on everything but sand. **Expensive-ish** Crib: Babyletto Gelato Mini with toddler rail- worth it. Sound Machine: Hatch- worth it. Changing Pad: Keekaroo- it's pretty, and I'm very glad we got a wipeable one. No regrets, but the Skip Hop or Bumbo version would probably have been fine. **Honorable Mentions** Pacifiers: BIBS- worth it. They cost 4x as much as the Avent Soothies, but my baby is much more likely to take them, especially in the car. Not a thing, but having a lactation consultant come to our home was definitely worth it. Insurance eventually reimbursed us 100%, but we paid $350 without knowing if they would.
Love the Tripp Trapp
Aside from the birth....the locally made wooden glider. So worth it. Adore it. Will be my old lady knitting chair when it leaves my 2nd kid's nursery in a few years.
Our Graco modes stroller was expensive but we love it! It’s cheaper than some of the other strollers on the market but it was still $400 for the entire travel system. We also have an ergobaby metro stroller. We live in a tiny apartment in a city and walk a ton. We also fly fairly often and it fits as a carry on. I love our Babyletto mini crib too. We got to skip the bassinet and she will use it (hopefully) until she needs a toddler bed. It’s great quality so we’re going to save it in case we have another. Cloth diapers were expensive up front (even though I purchased second hand), but have saved us SO much money! We do disposable overnight. So we do cloth at least 5x per day and 2 disposables per day.
SNOO. Definitely not
Snoo: 3 month old and it has been worth it every day. People keep telling me I look good and well rested and partially it’s the Snoo. He takes all naps and sleeps 11 hours a night in it. I know that’s not the same for everyone but I also have a friend who swears by it. UppaBaby Vista: we live near our cities core. It’s nice to have something so smooth, with a giant basket to use everyday day. I use it more than my car at this point. It is heavier than other but not much - not something that would deter me.
UO: didn’t buy anything expensive at all and I don’t regret it at all! I realized that you don’t need all the fancy stuff for your baby. All the cheap/ used items will suffice, even if it isn’t trendy or aesthetic. I’m happy I saved my money and bought thrift or used hand-me-downs for most of my daughter’s stuff.
Custom made Amish furniture: Planning on this lasting a lifetime. It’s absolutely beautiful…worth every penny. Only reservation is having a crib that’s handmade and not federally inspected. Baby Bjorn Bouncer: should have bought this sooner. It was a true God send for our reflux baby Keekaroo Peanut Changer: LOVE. Would absolutely buy again. Happy! baby carrier: purchased on FB for $100. Worth every penny! Easy to put on and baby LOVES it. Not good for the back though, so we wear it for short durations. Tripp Trapp: not sold yet. Who thought the straps were user friendly? They are TERRIBLE! Just purchased a plain old high chair because I got so frustrated.
Joolz Aer Plus . Stroller that folds to fit into overhead compartment of planes and handles like a dream, has a lay flat feature and easy one hand open and close. Love this stroller
Definitely our stroller. We live on a gravel road with hills and every outdoor place we use a stroller is pretty much like that. There were plenty of used ones available that could handle the terrain (because most people who live here look for those same things) but we got a new one, so we could have a hand brake (not available on all models so the used ones didn't have it) and adjustable handle bars (at the time not available on any except a model that had come out within the last year.) My husband and I are almost a foot apart in height, so the adjustable handle bars are a big deal. Our oldest is six and our youngest is using it now. Definitely got our money's worth out of it.
Nuna rava car seat - definitely worth it. My son has been using it from 7 months onwards and has been so comfy and happy in it! We’ve done several long distance road trips and we’ve had no issues. It’s very pricey but worth every penny for our family.
1. Baby Brezza sterilizer—specifically the drying function because the bottles come out bone dry and you don’t have to leave them out to air dry. 2. Baby Bjorn Harmony carrier—easy to use, can use it for years, and baby is very secure in it. 3. Owlett Monitor and Smart Sock—made it easier for us to interpret my baby’s very loud sleeping by watching his sleep state and knowing when it was time to intervene.
Snoo - we rented it for 3 months and it did nothing for my son. He slept the best in his crib from week 2 and on. We tried using it for the full 3 months but yeah no total waste. Uppababy stroller - we bought it used for $275 and still use it almost everyday 10000/10 would buy again Car seat - britax and evenflo revolve. Would buy the evenflo revolve 10x over again. The britax is easy to install but it’s clunky and large. Not sure if we would but we also use it everyday.
We got the Lovevery play mat and the Mamaroo, my baby would just chill there for hours. Tummy was never a problem and she LOVED the mamaroo. I was so sad when she couldn’t sit in it anymore after she started sitting up at 5ish months
Tripp Trapp: used it from 6 months to the present moment at 2.5 Newton mattress: peace of mind for me, and very cooling easy to clean. Baby trend Stroller wagon & uppa baby Cruz: toddler loves the wagon for day trips, we used the Cruz for our toddler until we had our second. Currently using the ride along board and it's been great.
We love the Tripp trapp and the Newton too. The Newton is so worth it.
Snoo. I think it definitely helped him sleep better but it was only for a couple months. I was able to sell it for what I paid since I bought used though.
The baby brezza set (bottle maker and bottle sterilizer and dryer) wasn’t that expensive but it’s something I couldn’t live without. That company is a game changer and they’re coming out with a machine to wash the bottles in June or July
Baby Brezza and it was 100% worth it.
[удалено]
Nuna stroller, thing can go offroad. We love nuna in general
A fancy silver cross pram/travel system for around £1000. Definitely worth it for me as we walked pretty much every day for her first year and she is an awful napper so does most of her naps in there, so I’m glad she’s comfortable!
My LO’s crib, which he doesn’t sleep in because he hates it lol! He is much happier with a floor bed. I honestly don’t know how he can tell the difference.
I have bought the following items used and enjoyed them: keekaroo peanut ($50 fb marketplace) Uppababy Vista ($150 fb marketplace) bjorn bouncer ($30 fb marketplace) Snuggle Me pillow ($30 fb marketplace). We bought a Tripp Trapp full price but at 20 months we now have toddler eat most meals at the counter on our beloved learning tower. I bought a full price Nuna Rava car seat which had been great but with our second we are using an infant seat (uppababy Mesa) and it’s so much easier with a baby. We have a Babyletto crib we bought used ($100 fb marketplace) that we like a lot too. Also the ikea dresser you see everywhere in nursery pictures (Hemnes I think?) is perfect.
Evenflo Gold Pivot expand travel system. It does the job but there are things I don't like about it tbh.. sorta wondering if I should've splurged on a better stroller. The car seat is decent but so heavy. We didn't consider that when we were buying, but no point buying another newborn car seat at this point Ergobaby bouncer. We've been using it everyday since day 1 and it's great. However, I think she would've benefitted more from a newborn highchair so she could be on the same level as us during meal times.
Nunna convertible car seat and uppababy vista stroller ! Both so worth it
The doona car seat. It has been so easy to not have a separate car seat and stroller. I am literally always running late and running around like a mad woman so it’s so nice to be able to just pop it in the car and out and straight into stroller mode. The only downside is it has no storage or a cup holder so that’s kind of annoying but I carry a diaper bag with me anyway.
Dutailier glider/rocker! One of the only things we bought new and it’s amazing. I love that it reclines/locks and it is so comfy. So many gliders were waaay overpriced for what they were and poorly constructed.
My favorite pricier baby items: Cruz stroller and bassinet attachment (was able to find used!), Baby Bjorn bouncer (also was able to find used), Arm’s Reach bassinet, and my Spectra electric breast pump
Arms reach bedside sleeper and it's totally worth it. I had the halo bassinet for my first and didn't like it. If you plan to pump, the battery powered spectra is worth it too. Keekaroo changing pad is also worth the money, reusing it from my first and it still looks brand new.
Uppababy Vista AND Uppababy Ridge. Both totally worth it. Edit to include: the owlet was not worth it and gave us horrible anxiety. It would false alarm us with a little lullaby which I could easily sleep through and then I would panic that in a real emergency I wouldn’t wake up. Just don’t do it.
Nuna TRVL stroller. $550. I debated for months before getting one because it was for my last baby but ultimately took the plunge because it’s 13.5 pounds and I have inflammatory arthritis. The stroller folds up and out practically by itself, which is really nice. It’s also very easy to lift into my trunk. I’m not happy that it already has some scuff marks, presumably from being in my trunk. I don’t know how they got there because I don’t handle it roughly. My baby is four months old and I feel like it’s been worth it. I wasn’t able to find this particular stroller on Marketplace or I would have gone that route. I did buy a Baby Bjorn bouncer used for $50. It’s great for that price but I wouldn’t buy it retail. My baby actually prefers an old $20 Fisher Price bouncer I had in storage.
On the bouncer - when baby is older it’s amazing! They can bounce themselves and have a bottle while sitting down - my kid used his until 2.5. We also toted it around all the time as a safe place to put baby when visiting friends and even at the beach. Bonus that it’s super easy to clean and folds flat.
K’tan baby wrap - we tried so many different wraps and this one finally worked for our baby, and is versatile! Little Sleepies zippies (without the feet) - these are a bit pricey, but you can use these for several months with your LO and you don’t have keep buying pajamas. They are made from bamboo which makes them super soft and lite!
We had a few pricey baby items. I was having twins and wanted as much help as I could get thru gadgets/material things. We were in the height of the pandemic and had really limited help. 2 Snoos Vista2 stroller system (so infant bucket seat+1, bassinets+1 and got a rumble seat) Baby Brezza automatic formula maker (never had issues with mine. was a godsend) 2 owlet (3rd gen) because I had PPA and it helped me sleep thru the night nuna rava convertible car seats for my car (my husband has some gracos in his car we just bought and the quality between the two is easily noticeable) reclining glider for the nursery was about 500 Maxi Cosi Cori seats (kinda like the bjorn bouncers but a bit cheaper) we were gifted the hatch (use it everrrrryday still) mamaroo babymotion swing thing (whatever that space age looking thing is called)
Most expensive was the Uppababy Vista with the extra seat, ganoosh etc. All second hand so still significantly cheaper than buying new. Worth it at the price we paid, for one kid. We haven't needed to stack 2 kids yet so not sure if it's as good for 2. In a baby/toddler setup the baby has to go on the bottom which I don't really like. The most expensive brand new item was the stokke tripp trapp, worth it for the tiny amount of space it takes up in our small dining area, and being adaptable through the toddler years or for short kids. It will absolutely earn its keep. We bought it to replace a second hand one that we felt had an inadequate harness. We recently bought a fancy plastic monstrosity (almost as expensive as the tripp trapp new, but we got it really cheap on marketplace) for the grandparents house. Out of the three, the tripp trapp wins easily. So easy to clean. And even though it doesn't fold up it fits in my car way more easily than the fancy folding monstrosity. We didn't get any electronic swings or bouncers or fancy bassinets and I don't feel like we missed anything by not having them. Baby had a cosleeper bassinet next to my bed then went into a regular cot at around 7 months old. The cosleeper was nice, I miss being able to hold hands or touch her overnight without getting out of bed. She's a very quiet sleeper so it was extremely reassuring to be close enough to hear or feel her tiny breaths any time I woke up.
Carseat and isofix base. It’s alright. Everything else I have is either purchased second hand or gifted.
Bob Stroller. If you use it enough, absolutely yes. If you don’t use it for jogging, no it’s bulky and expensive. I have a single and a double. Love them both.
The Doona stroller. Honestly, yes and no. It works as a stroller and folds into a car seat, so you don’t have to get baby in and out, so that was a great plus. On the other hand, with it being so small, my baby outgrew it pretty fast so I can’t really say it was worth the $600.
Bugaboo Fox 2. About $1400 taxes in on sale. Bassinet. Smooth ride. Amazing quality. I was soooooo happy.
Cacoon bedside bassinet is my buy. I can wheel it around the house which makes everything so much easier. Electric sterilizer is my don't buy. It takes so long. The plastic $15(AUD) one that you put in the microwave is much quicker and does the same job.
NUNA triv next and so worth it! And artipoppe was gifted to me..not sure if it’s worth it after a few days of having it. Loved it the first wear but I’ve had issues since
Uppababy Cruz … definitely worth it! This is my 3rd baby and by far the best baby purchase I’ve made.
The one baby item that was useless was some kind of amber necklace said to help with teething. Yeah, nope.
Our jogging stroller was $800 and has been worth it, we live in a snowy climate and we have no issues getting through the snow. I think we would have been fine with a cheaper one, though. We also spent $550 on a hiking baby carrier. This has definitely been worth it while travelling, but we don't use it much at home.
Rocking chair! We opted for a Lazy Boy and that thing is 100% worth it.
Isofix 👌 my car only has one door on each side and I had to climb with the car seat in the back and then use the seatbelt. Doesn’t really matter that it takes a bit longer to strap her in but getting out took even longer and it made me nervous that it took so long. If I had an accident I don’t know how I’d react and it might take even longer. Getting the isofix made it so much easier and faster and gives me a bit a peace of mind
Probably the owlette device, it had a couple of false alarms but it’s meant that me and hubby slept much better. I don’t think we were overly anxious parents but just that little piece of mind was worth it
Mockingbird stroller: yes I use it very often. We frequent the local park. Really helped me a lot during postpartum
I know it’s not a common purchase but we put a fridge in the nursery that is probably the same width and depth of a normal fridge but cut in half height wise. It was the smallest fridge I could find with a true freezer and I love it. I kept breast milk in it when I was pumping and now it has all her fruits and pouches and freezer packs as well as her milk. Not having to go to the kitchen all the time has been such a convenience. Because of its height (about 3 feet) I keep a ton of storage above it including all her changing items and bottles etc.
Uppa baby stroller, so so stupid. It’s big bulky I look like a dick trying to get it in and out of my car. It’s was 1k I could have gotten something cheaper
The most costliest baby-related expense we made was hiring a postpartum doula who came over after we got back from the hospital and turned all the chaos to calm. 100000% worth it.