Baby Registry: Transportation

Let's make this a week or so long series on the baby registry alone instead of overloading you.

While going through various lists and compiling my own I had three categories on my spreadsheet - Need it, Optional and Pointless. So I'll give you what I think you need plus my optional & pointless items. FYI: I am terrible at saying something is "Pointless" to everyone else... I mean, yeah, I think it's pointless, but I'm not much for taking hard stances on things. But really, I do feel this way. Don't be offended if you disagree.

So, anywho, first up we have -

TRANSPORTATION

1) STROLLER: Your stroller choice definitely depends on your living situation and future family plans. In our case - we live in the city and use the stroller a ton. We also plan to have more kids. We have a Graco Modes Click Connect single stroller and while I have no issues with it, I wish we'd gotten a stroller that could convert to a double. Like the Baby Jogger City Select or the Uppa Baby Vista, both of which get great reviews. We're looking to snag a used one once baby 2 is here! If you aren't using the stroller a lot and plan your kids far enough apart then this probably isn't a concern for you. Things to think about.

(OH OH OH. Edit to include this important tid bit. If you plan to do lots of jogging with baby in tow or do any trail running/hiking - look into stroller suited for those things!)

2) INFANT CAR SEAT: They do make convertible car seats that go from infant to booster but I think the infant car seat is totally worth the extra purchase. It comes with a base that stays installed in the car and then you can just click the seat in and out of the car and in and out of the stroller. We have the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 which works with our stroller but also works with most other strollers with an attachment. 

3) CONVERTIBLE CAR SEAT: We registered for this but didn't end up getting it. You may want to consider not registering for it if you don't have the space to store it. You can always save up some gift cards/money to use for it later. We ended up going for the Safety 1st Grow N Go seat and are happy with it. A few things to consider:

• A lot of reviewers complained about the space between the back of the seat and the buckle not being wide enough - meaning the buckle is tight against the kiddo. This was an important thing to note for us since Oliver is cloth diapered and therefore has a bigger booty. :) 
• Friends of ours had a hard time finding a car seat that they could fit behind their driver seat (in rear facing position) with the drivers seat all the way back... keep that in mind if you are tall! The AAP recommends rear facing until at least 2.
• Some convertible car seats are only forward facing

Here's some info I found helpful in figuring out what the heck I was supposed to get. There are so many options. 

4) CAR SEAT PROTECTOR: Fairly self explanatory - protects your vehicle's seat from getting a big dent in it from the weight of the car seat. Also helps keep it the vehicle's seat clean on the back and bottom. Comes in different colors to match your cars interior. Totally worth the purchase.

5) CAR MIRROR: See the baby. Done.

6) WINDOW SHADE: We have one - you may want two for both sides of the car. Ours is the Brica Smart Shade and while we won't be replacing, I do have two complaints. (1) It rattles sometimes. I hate rattling. Usually it stops on it's own or I can get it to stop by nudging it or rolling the window up and down. (2) It doesn't cover the full window so the sun is still in Oliver's eyes sometimes and he really hates it. There are some that suction to the window but then you can't roll the window down (without removing it) so that wasn't an appealing option for me. A wider one may be out there.

7) BABY CARRIER(S): I think these are more for city dwellers?? At least the structured ones but I can't be sure on that. There are two kinds - Soft & Structured. 

I'd say a soft carrier like the K'Tan or Moby Wrap are good no matter where you live. They are wonderful for shopping, walking around the house when baby is having a rough day and wants to be near you or just taking a walk sans stroller. We borrowed a Moby Wrap and I liked it a lot but it could get a little warm as it's not a breathable fabric and it was super long so there was always a lot of extra fabric for my fit. I think we'll buy a K'Tan for baby 2. 

The structured carrier is better for when they are older/bigger. We have an Ergo Carrier and I love it. The fit is good and it's comfortable. We don't use it as much anymore as I typically use the stroller but I used a lot when Oliver was lighter. It was also great to have in the airport when we elected to leave the larger stroller at home and get a small umbrella stroller when we got to our destination. 

8) DIAPER BAG: I prefer a traditional diaper bag but a lot of my friends use a back pack. Go with what you like! We got a Skip Hop bag in plain black and it's great. No complaints really. Skip Hop has a ton of options from the plain to the pretty. I just ran across the one above in the last week or so and fell in love. It's gorgeous! Two things I think are important - (1) Lots of pockets and (2) Machine washable. I LOVE that I can throw our bag in the wash. It looks like they don't sell ours anymore but it's similar to this one, just smaller.

OPTIONAL:

• The structured baby carrier that I noted above. You'll also need to see if that structured carrier needs a separate newborn insert or not.
• BundleMe by JJ Cole. You can use blankets, yes, but blankets get kicked off. This is only optional based on the season, really. I think it's totally necessary if you're carrying around your babe in the cold. It's AWESOME. It fits right into the infant car seat and then zip up around them. I found ours at Marshall's for like $20. Score. 

POINTLESS:

• Shopping Cart Seat Cover. It really just doesn't matter. Wipe the cart down with the antibacterial wipes that are almost always available and you're good to go.

That's all for today. 

Check back tomorrow for my NURSERY list. At the end of the series I'll post my printable and link everything together for you.