We’ve done the baby monitor thing. Cheap never works, 3 cheap baby monitors later you’ve spent more than a quality device would have cost to begin with, why not just spend the money on the good one first?

Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Infrared Night Vision and Zoom, 2.8 Inch

4.1 out of 5 stars, 381 reviews. 

What people are saying:

“ Works great, sound and picture are very clear, monitor screen is a great size. ” Dvaughn  |  117 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The sound quality is great too, I can usually hear my baby sleeping if I turn it up all the way, and there is no feedback/static noise that keeps me up at night. ” TJ  |  70 reviewers made a similar statement

“ Very nice to have the peace of mind to see baby breathing and hear every sound without getting up and walking into another room. ” Sleepless in Midwest  |  74 reviewers made a similar statement 

This is a life saving invention for parents- it saves your life (and sanity). A good infant seat will rock or vibrate, or rock and vibrate, and if you’re lucky, it will do a good bounce too.  Place fussy child in seat and observe the calm sanity restoring lack of wailing and tears. Not to mention the slipped disc you may not suffer from repetitive stress syndrome (rock, bounce repeat).

4Moms Mamaroo Infant Seat, Black, Silver or Red

From the Manufacturer

We’ve never seen a parent vibrate like a bouncy seat or swing like a swing. But we’ve seen thousands of parents scoop their little ones up in their arms and bounce and sway, and that’s what the mamaRoo does. It moves like you do. Some seats claim two motions, but really, they just turn their seat to one side. When we say five motions, we mean it. Five unique motions. Five ways to soothe and entertain your little one. That’s just better.

We have a collection of strollers accumulated (2nd hand, 3rd hand,found)  over the years as we struggle with the challenges inherent in raising four children who are within 1 to 3 years of each other in age.  We’ve seen them fall apart, fray, destroyed by airline luggage handlers, die ignobly under the wheels of our minivan. We know strollers.
This is my holy grail of strollers:

The Britax B-Agile Stroller

The whole thing weighs less than 20 pounds and folds up with one hand. It costs less than $200.00, free shipping and no sales tax in most states if you order it from amazon.
This Ferrari of kiddie movers maneuvers over the ground like a pro soccer player, one handed (leaving the other hand free for older sibling, shopping bag, leash, etc.), while built tough enough to suffer repeated throws into the trunk, rapid collapses and extensions, and squeezing into tight spaces for storage.
Its rated for 50 some odd pounds, which is good for child and diaper bag full of odds and ends for the full extent of your child’s stroller career, and did I mention it absolutely screams: “I cost alot!” But it doesn’t. Unless you want it in green. I’m serious. If you want this loud, nausea inducing, radioactive color option, they will charge you over $200 bucks. Go figure. I would give the green ones away just to get rid them. Hell, I’d just incinerate them and take the loss rather than associate my high quality product with such an evil, eye burning shade from the depths of the color abyss.
Black or red, trust me. That green will make other parents edge away from you at the park. Its that bad.

4.5 stars rated over 241 reviews. Here’s what people are saying:

“ The stroller is very light and is easy to fold up or down. ” Erika  |  134 reviewers made a similar statement

“ Handle bar is a good height…I’m tall and like that I don’t have to bend over to reach it. ” SS  |  42 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The buckle is hard to undo but not impossible. ” remg81  |  23 reviewers made a similar statement

After your first child is born you really begin to get a sense for the future, and what you’d like to pass on to the next generation. Few things are invested with more memory and emotion than baby’s first bed, especially if that bed is used again for the next sibling.  I purchased an inexpensive though reasonably sturdy bassinet for my first child, which is now an ugly mess after all my kids went through it. The fabric is frayed, the metal scratched and dented from storage and reassembly, the mat stained from the usual post digestive events. Needless to say it will not be passed on (though it is lovingly stored).

I do very much regret not buying something durable and high quality.

Here is the Infant Carter’s Classic Comfort Wood Bassinet 

It is sturdy, beautiful and well made, and it’s a Carter. It is what I wished I had spent my money on. The bassinet includes a soothing noise maker (womb sounds), and good quality fabric.

The Kicker? (As in I could kick myself I never bought it) It’s less than $200.00, I spent the same money for much lower quality.

The reviews are very favorable: 5 stars out of 9 reviews.

Here’s what people are saying;

“ The fabric is soft and beautiful…also gender neutral. ” Samantha  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement

“ Perfect for a princess! ” Sandy  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement

“ Installation is very easy. ” Chris  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement

If you buy a crib in a brick and mortar store nowadays, the nice ones will set you back over $400.00, the salesman will show you reasonably priced options that look and feel terrible, shaming you (nervous new parent) into the high priced flashy models on display. It’s a scam. Pure and simple.  The retailers mark up is usually triple what their cost was, and what they sell is mostly low quality soft woods and cheap shiny finishes that will look horrible after a year of use and need constant re-tightening.  Enter the internet! Now we can search multiple stores and compare prices, quality and read reviews from people who actually bought the item we’re considering.

Look at this for only $195.00- Stork Craft Verona 4-in-1 Fixed Side Convertible Crib, Black

converts to toddler bed

can be made into full size bed frame after that

Comes in black, white, cherry, cognac, espresso and oak.

5 Stars out of 10 reviews

“ The color I ordered is black and it looks great. ” New Dad  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement

“ It is very sturdy and seems well made. ” TMomma  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The bundle of joy isn’t here yet but the crib looks GREAT! ” Lynette    

We have a collection of strollers accumulated (2nd hand, 3rd hand,found)  over the years as we struggle with the challenges inherent in raising four children who are within 1 to 3 years of each other in age.  We’ve seen them fall apart, fray, destroyed by airline luggage handlers, die ignobly under the wheels of our minivan. We know strollers.

This is my holy grail of strollers:

It folds up into this:

The whole thing weighs less than 20 pounds and folds up with one hand. It costs less than $200.00, free shipping and no sales tax in most states if you order it from amazon.

This Ferrari of kiddie movers maneuvers over the ground like a pro soccer player, one handed (leaving the other hand free for older sibling, shopping bag, leash, etc.), while built tough enough to suffer repeated throws into the trunk, rapid collapses and extensions, and squeezing into tight spaces for storage.

Its rated for 50 some odd pounds, which is good for child and diaper bag full of odds and ends for the full extent of your child’s stroller career, and did I mention it absolutely screams: “I cost alot!” But it doesn’t. Unless you want it in green. I’m serious. If you want this loud, nausea inducing, radioactive color option, they will charge you over $200 bucks. Go figure. I would give the green ones away just to get rid them. Hell, I’d just incinerate them and take the loss rather than associate my high quality product with such an evil, eye burning shade from the depths of the color abyss.

Black or red, trust me. That green will make other parents edge away from you at the park. Its that bad.