As I wrote in my Nesting 2.0 post, we have so much of what we need for Baby B already. It has simplified preparing for his arrival! We are having a baby sprinkle in September, and I plan to go to Target and get the rest of the consumables that we will need (diapers, wipes, etc.) after that. Until then, we had four main “big” items to purchase: a bassinet, an infant car seat, a new stroller, and a lounger. I’m happy to say we’ve gotten these purchased, home, and unpacked.
We decided on the Halo Luxe Plus in Grey Melange as our co-sleeper. Thanks to my mom and dad for this gift! I love that it’s bed height (the rock-n-play was SO low and I hated getting out of bed to get Mazen out), and that it can swivel in ~10 ways so I can move it over the bed and side to side to get out.
View from my bed! Love the little nightlight.
I also love that I don’t have to worry about safety but can still have the baby next to me. I think it would be awesome to have the baby sleep between us, but I just know I would never fully fall asleep worrying about safety (even if we cleared all pillows and used a ‘nest’) so I feel best having him in his own bed as close as possible. It’s currently being stored in a nook in the corner of our master until it’s ready to come bedside.
I have to say, it’s quite the beast. It’s REALLY heavy and therefore not really moveable on a daily basis. I imagined it being a lot lighter and easier to move around, but I can see why that might not be the safest for something holding a sleeping baby in the air (with sleep-deprived adults fumbling in the dark.) The base is huge and it just barely fits beside my side of the bed. (We could switch sides if we had to, but some of us are attached to our sides…)
I see that they make a newborn insert, but it seems quite pricey for use only for a few weeks. Has anyone tried it?
The next big item we purchased was a new everyday stroller! We bought the UppaBaby Cruz.
It came highly recommended by my sister, and I have heard so many great things about the brand. With Mazen, I just had a BOB as our main stroller, which was great and I never really felt the need to have a sleeker everyday stroller. I had a snap-n-go with our carseat for those first few months and then bought an umbrella stroller for travel. Our BOB was so well used (pretty much daily for the first 3-4 years) that I knew I wanted a new stroller, but I didn’t want to get another BOB because ours is still fine for running. So, this purchase was more want than need, but I love how much more portable the Cruz is for getting in and out of a car, it will serve as our car seat snap-n-go AND we plan to use it for travel. So it solves a lot of needs in one.
I also love: that the seat is reversible, that it’s super easy to fold up and down (esp. compared to a BOB), and that the basket underneath is huge. We did consider the Vista for a hot second, but it was a good bit more expensive and we don’t plan on having two children back to back (well, some of us don’t 🙂 ) and so the Cruz was the best fit for us now.
And the matching car seat just snaps right in!
Mazen’s infant car seat had expired, so the UppaBaby Mesa Car Seat was the natural choice to pair with the stroller. (And also came recommended by my sister!) I am not super picky about car seats, but I love the look of this one and it seems like a great seat overall. It’s lightweight and easy to get in and out of the base and stroller. Thanks to Thomas’s mom and dad for this gift!
And finally, we are the proud owners of a Dock-A-Tot. It had me a marble!!
I think this will be great for all of the obvious reasons: versatility, taking upstairs/downstairs, naps, travel, photography 🙂 I mean, E.T. loves it!
I do want to point out that it came in a nice reusable zip-up carrying case with a handle. I bring this up because I almost bought the expensive carrying case for travel but decided to hold off. The one it came with should be perfectly fine for car travel. (Maybe you just need the formal one for airlines and checked baggage?)
We have made some good progress on the nursery too. Third trimester realness is here!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
You’re so prepared, Kath! And the ET doll is soooo cute! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Claire says
Do you have a rain cover for the car seat for when you clip it onto the base? I found this really useful, but had to buy it separately
KathEats says
The stroller came with one, but I haven’t tried to see if it fits over the car seat portion or just the stroller seat. I will check that out!
Lisa says
We have the Halo as well and honestly my daughter hated it. I know all babies are different, but I don’t think she slept more than 5 minutes in that thing. There was no newborn infant when she was born, but maybe that would have helped. It just became a very expensive laundry basket until we finally took it down. Also, car seats are probably the thing you should care MOST about. I suspect you were trying to say you don’t care what they look like, but it came across as flippant and not caring about safety. Car seats can literally save your child’s life in an accident. A pretty stroller cannot.
KathEats says
Not super picky means = they all pretty much do the same thing = keep the baby as safe as possible.
LH says
No, they really don’t all do the same thing. Every car seat on the market meets certain minimal safety standards, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean that some aren’t much safer than others. Consumer Reports has a lot of good info on this. I had a baby a little less than 6 months ago, and it’s a little jarring to see a post that goes into so much detail about a totally optional piece of baby gear and glosses over the car seat, which is the single most important item any parent buys for a child.
KathEats says
Well which one did you get?
The point of this post isn’t car seat safety. It’s just me sharing the purchases I’ve made.
Brigid says
Lisa, chill out.
Eileen says
Kath is extremely concerned about safety first and looks later.
Robin says
Is that going to be your baby boys name? Cruz? I feel like you said it a lot in this post, lol maybe I’m just fishing
KathEats says
Haha no that’s the stroller name!
Rachel says
You can carry on the deluxe dock a tot. I traveled a lot with it and always just used that plastic bag it came in. It has held up well. It’s handy to have on the plane and in the airport. I generally used my stroller clips & clipped clipped it to the stroller in the airport. You can also buy a replacement plastic cover!
KathEats says
Thanks!
Jamie says
I love the halo Bassinest! I ended up having to have a c section and it was so nice not having to get out of bed or twist at all. And I loved being face to face with my baby in a safe way.
We have a similar stroller, (citi select), and I love this type of stroller. In my ooo ion, they are way more comfortable to use than the snap n go and the large basket always comes in handy! I love how versatile it is!
I have always wanted a dock a tot, so I am curious about getting this for next time. Let me know how you like it!
I have been following your blog ever since I found it when I was pregnant with my now 20 month old and love it.
Margaret says
Hey! I love running with BOB as well, but just wanted to mention that a lot of the 2011-2015 BOB have been recalled – might be worth looking into. The front wheel can detach and cause an accident.
KathEats says
Oh really? I haven’t heard this! Mine is from 2011/2012 so I will have to check in.
Kelli H says
Ha! That comment about not caring about the car seat made me laugh. You’re a mother! Of course you care about the safety of your children. You got some great gear! My friend loves her stroller and car seat and has that same set up. The dock a tot was great for our daughter but I think she stopped using it after 3-4 months. We used it in her bassinet (I know!! Not recommended) but it worked great and she slept pretty good! Also transitioning her out of it into the crib was not an issue.
Ann says
We have the same halo and it works great! When he starts fussing a little I lean over and turn on the vibration and music and it helps him fall back to sleep. We also put the dock a tot inside the halo, it fits perfect so there’s no risk of then rolling out of it and getting stuck, and it makes him feel more snuggled. although we are going to haveto take it out soon since he is almost too long for it!
H says
I am a first time commenter!
I’m sorry if you are deluged with comments about the Halo – but I wanted to add what I wish I had known about getting one. We got one for our second baby and at first I really loved (the idea of) it. But there was a strange raised seam in the middle of it, which made it so my baby almost always leaned over to the side if I laid him down in the middle of the Halo. I did not notice it at all while unpacking it and then while waiting for the baby to arrive. It became apparent only when I started laying him in it. Hopefully they’ve fixed this with the usual small revisions to the product – I got mine in 2015 – but I still feel really disappointed at how much press the item got and how there was a major design issue with it. And I wish I had noticed it before he arrived.
KathEats says
I don’t *think* ours has this so hopefully they fixed it, but I will keep my eye out for it
Jillian says
I have the Halo and am currently using the infant insert with my son who is now 6 weeks. Definitely worth the money in my opinion! He wasn’t a fan of it without it, but hard to say whether it was the insert that helped or whether he just got used to the halo. The first week or two was a struggle but now he sleeps well when swaddled in it. I like how the insert cradles them a little more.
KathEats says
Thanks for the feedback!
Jodea says
My husband is obsessed with his side of the bed too 🙂
KathEats says
: )
Amy says
We purchased the Dock-a-Tot when my daughter was 9 months (Grand) and it was a lifesaver. She was not sleeping good at night and doing 45 minute naps. The first night we used it, she slept through the night and naps improved. It cradles them and we put it in her crib. She is now 2 1/2 and still uses it. It is a great transition to the big girl bed which we are starting. It is not easy (because it is the larger one) but I travel with it. I also have de-constructed it and put in my suitcase. She sleeps great anywhere we go because of it. Anyways, I absolutely love this product and had to let you know that you will love having it. It was worth the money. Congrats!
Kaci says
Looks like you have acquired some neat big items and I LOVE the marble! I love marble so.much.
Also, when will readers learn to quit nit picking EVERYTHING you say and the way you say it?! Like, yes you care about safety, is that not obvious as this point? You already have 1 child after all, so you seem to know what you are doing…
KathEats says
Seriously. Unless I write the sentence: “I do not follow safety rules” then assume I am following them 100% instead of assuming I am not! I think it’s just how people tend to look at life. Do you assume people have the best of intentions or the worst? It’s all perspective.
Kaci says
Not to mention if they have followed you for any length of time, they know you are research oriented in most everything you do and you pick items based on quality and safety including reviewing your budget so it’s safe to assume here that you are doing just that when it comes to your baby. sheesh
Melanie says
I had the Halo Bassinest for my daughter last year and we loved it! I started letting her sleep there from night one because I wanted her to get used to sleeping on her back. We put her in the SwaddleMe velcro swaddles and then right in the Halo and it was perfect for keeping her close by and making night time nursing easy. She outgrew it around 3 months old and then went to the pack n play in our room a few feet from the bed.
Hate to be a downer, but just want to caution on some of the safety concerns with the Dock a Tot after seeing some comments – it is a lounger and is not a safe approved sleep space. It is extremely dangerous to leave your baby in there for unsupervised sleep and ESPECIALLY if you put it in a crib or bassinet! There is a very high risk of suffocation, just like using padded crib bumpers which they stopped selling most places the last few years. It’s also unsafe to let baby sleep in the rock n play overnight – a few babies have died from positional suffocation. I know the DAT is really popular now and I actually almost bought one last year when I had my newborn, but I read more about it and couldn’t justify the high price for something that we wouldn’t be able to use for sleep long term. I know a mom who lost a baby to SIDS so I’m really vocal about safe sleep. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/baby-sleep/dangerous-way-parents-are-using-dockatots/
Kate says
Thank you for mentioning this. I know all parents make different choices re: sleep, and some parents are comfortable with slightly increased risk if it means better sleep (I promise I don’t mean that to sound as judgy as it does–I’m so far from a perfect parent), but it might be wise to make a disclaimer or something that it’s not intended for sleep, just due to the platform? The only safe sleep spaces are products marketed a cribs or bassinets. Most SUIDs are due to unsafe sleep environments (dock a tot, rock and play, blankets, pillows, lovies, swaddling past 8 weeks, bumpers, bed sharing, etc.). I didn’t know a lot of this with my first child. Kath, you are such a great, intelligent mom! I don’t mean this comment to be critical of you at all, I promise. Lots of products are just subtly marketed to be okay for sleep when they aren’t approved as such.
A says
Thank you for sharing this. I completely agree and am also very vocal about safe sleep. DATs and RNPs are so popular but are only safe for awake time.
Teresa says
LOOK out!! I tripped on those Halo bassinet legs more times than I want to admit! Haha but still loved it for baby. SHe was in it next to me for 5 months before moving to the nursery.
Liz says
I loooooove the leather details on that Cruz!!! We have the Vista and I don’t think it had that option but WOW, that really takes the look up a notch! (Insert heart eye emoji, haha). Also good choice getting the Uppababy car seat. Our Chicco wasn’t expired yet when we got the Vista so we just used that with the adapter but it was kind of a weird fit. A bonus is that I’m 99.99% sure the Uppababy car seat will not kill your baby (just saw that weird car seat comment above…sheesh!).
Funny that you mention switching bed sides, my husband and I totally did that with our 2nd baby! We had bought a new house since our first was a baby and the bassinet would have blocked the door on my side of the bed. It was SO WEIRD sleeping on the other side at first but we both got used to it quickly. Then it was kind of strange to switch back!
KathEats says
Haha!
Ali says
Best wishes in your final preparations! Are you planning to do a separate sleeping room for whoever is “on duty” each night? I think I remember you did that with Mazen and I am curious what your thoughts are now for Baby B.
KathEats says
I’m not sure. We did do that with Mazen but the house was a different set up. I can’t really imagine doing that this time but I think we’ll just have to see how it goes and what kind of sleeper we get.
Elizabeth says
These are the *exact* choices I’d make if we had a second baby! I did have the most basic halo with my first in 2016 and it saved my life. I too hated the low one next to bed that forced me to bend over for my newborn. Facebook knew what I needed better than I did because at 4 days postpartum a halo ad popped up in my feed and I had never heard of it before but after viewing the link my man immediately drove to a local store to buy one-life saved! I’ve since lent it to 4 other new parents! The heavy base is definitely a safety thing and well worth it.
I’ve also said since he was about a year old that if I had a second my number one splurge would be the dock a tot. The nest thing was so terrible and in bed cosleeping wasn’t comfortable for me until he was like 4 months old, it made me too nervous. I didn’t realize dock a tot existed until it was too late.
The boppy newborn lounger may be a new thing since Mazen was born but I highly recommend it as the best $30 you’ll spend. Gave us so much freedom having a comfortable safe space for baby to snooze and hang out during day – all our early meals as a couple happened with him on lounger on dining room table.
Every mom I know with the UppaBaby straight up raves about it.
I read in an earlier post you got moms on call. I have to say once I too read this before my baby arrived and once I had a real life newborn I couldn’t imagine following the advice there even a little. I found I was naturally far more drawn to attachment parenting. I know you mentioned Mazen nursing all the time and being in the 99% but I have to say that there is so much scientific and anthropological support for that very responsive approach to newborn care. Please don’t second guess your parenting instincts – you did amazing with M and will do with new baby too, whatever specific approach (or not) you choose – you’ll know what’s right for you and your baby.
Lastly – I do not get people who leave such nitpicking critical comments for you so regularly. I’m sorry that happens but I hope you know it has literally nothing to do with you and everything to do with their own issues. I’ve only commented like twice before (and have read for a long time) but felt motivated to chime in here. Keep on keeping on, girl!
KathEats says
: )
Ellen says
Uppababy Mesa is a great car seat. And it doesn’t have chemical flame retardants, which many other car seats have. We got the halo bassinest but our baby would not sleep in it. It is rather hard. It became an expensive changing table.
Bethany says
Ummmmm that stroller is gorgeous. and yay for the Dock-a-tot! You won’t regret it! Love all the nesting details!
Jenny Eaton says
I like you’re boring stuff. Self-care can look mundane or routine to an outside viewer. Your balanced approach to life is honest, and a reminder that the GOOD THINGS are simple.
Denise says
Long time occasional reader here. Congrats on the marriage and second baby. My daughter is 3 and we started thinking about our second one. Like you I have found the early years a lot to manage to have a second child right away.
The gears look great. Although I haven’t used the cruz I absolutely think Uppababy is the best. We had a Britax B-ready4 and i hated it so much. We eventually bought a UppaBaby G-Luxe for travel when my daughter was 18 months old. I loooooove it so much. We completely put the Britax away when we bought the G-Luxe. Me too, if baby 2 happens, i will go for Cruz. It is very useful to have a stroller that completely reclines flat (britax was always at an angle and didn’t seem safe for newborn) and faces both directions. Amazing to see the baby and also change direction depending on the direction of the sun. I didn’t realize how important this stuff was until I had my daughter lol.
Emily says
I’m putting together my registry now and debating if it’s worth getting the Dock a Tot. How are you feeling about it more than a year in? I’m definitely getting the Boppy
Kath Younger says
I think it’s totally worth it. We used it every.single.day from birth to maybe 5 months? I forget when we stopped using it but it was about when he began to sit up and crawl. It’s just so nice to put the baby down somewhere that is flat, cozy and looks nice!