I know we've been quiet lately but not much has changed. The girls are being transitioned back home and it's been a roller coaster. It seems things change almost daily (I've packed and unpacked them 3 times). We're expecting them to be gone early next week and don't anticipate any more delays. We'll see how things go and where the future takes us next.
Some of the big decisions we have to make are:
Foster care?
E gets a job?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
foster: Baby Must Haves
I've wanted to post something like this for a long time. I know that this list is very personal, but as a first time mom of twins I would have wanted to review a few lists like this.
First my requirements for the products I buy:
-They must be inexpensive. We are on a budget yes, but realistically we are foster parents and we never know how long a child will be in our home. It just doesn't make sense to buy the biggest or the best. I'll let you know which products we bought that I would buy again for my own children and which I would avoid.
-They must be fast and easy to use. With Twins this is a no brainier. I've got to be locked and loaded at all times to handle whatever comes my way because things can get out of control fast with 2 infants.
Ok, on to the products.
1st a baby bath pad. I love this product found in stores at Target. It's a yellow foam pad for less then $10. The pad has a built in heat sticker to tell you when the water is too hot. It has a rim for the baby's head so it's supported. It is fast and easy to use. I liked bathing them in the tub. Maybe it's just me but my kitchen is never clean, with or without kids, but add in twins and the last place I wanted to clean them was my kitchen sink. With this product I didn't worry about supporting their head and trying to wash a slippery baby. There are so many baby baths out there and many parents prefer the sink. I'm not saying it's the best, I just really liked it.
2nd Car seat Canopies. We didn't have these to start but I LOVE them. It keeps the girls out of the rain, and snow and keeps them nice and warm. With babies every one like to take a peek and with twins the girls get soooo much attention when we are in public. I love these to keep them safe from germy lookers. I spent $25 for 2 (of course I made mine but you can buy them for $25+ each on etsy)
3rd. Twin Baby Trend Snap and Go Stroller. A MUST HAVE! you can spend a lot of money on car seats and strollers, but really I LOVED THIS! It made doctor appointments, parent visits, elevators, and shopping sooo nice. It's easy to get the girls in and out of and it's really easy to fold up and put in the car. Plus you can find them used for only $50. (I'm selling mine if you want to buy it!)
4th A nice BIG diaper bag. I got mine at Toys R US for $30. A diaper bag for a mom of twins has to be hands free and organized! You cannot have a cute diaper bag that sits on your shoulder. It must either go over your shoulder and across your body, or be a back pack. I wish they had more readily available at a decent price. I liked this one because of all of it's pockets. I could keep the bottles cold with ice packs. I could hold my massive wallet, keys, phone, gum ext in the outside pockets. Plus the strap, which you can't see here, adjusts. I could make it fit around the handle of the grocery cart, the girls' stroller, anything. It was nice because the bag didn't take up any more space in the cart and wasn't under the girls in the stroller. It really was perfectly functional for twins. I just wish it was cuter!!!
5th 2 swings or bouncers. I have my favorite. It's an Aquarium Take Along Swing I actually didn't buy it, a friend lent it to me. I ignored it in the stores because I thought it was ugly, and I remembered it from when my 15 year old nephew was a baby. But I really really liked it. It's small and easy to move. The girls loved when they were younger because it really moved. Plus it has bright lights that flicker at them and music that is not annoying to listen to. Now that they are bigger I/they like to be able to "sit" up and look at things. I like it better then my pretty fancy Papasan Cradle Butterfly Swing.
6th a toy jungle. I really don't care which one. The girls love it. and have loved it since 6 weeks. It is a MUST have!
7th The SOOTHIE bottles. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM! find a kit at Walmart for $16.
8th home made baby legs. Check out this tutorial here.
Ok, things I didn't like.
1st. Stupid Cheap Car Seats . These came with the girls and I HATE them. They are hard to adjust, they are hard to put in the car, the canopy is flimsy and doesn't protect the girls from the sun, rain, snow. Every baby needs a car seat and that means there needs to be a car seat at every price point. BUT there are some really obsessive compulsive Mom's out there that I wouldn't mind buying a car seat from. You can get a better product for the same price. HERE"S SOME TIPS IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY A CAR SEAT USED:
1. Car seats should not be in service after 5 years. Regulations change and IMPROVE. Make the best choice for your child. I would never buy a car seat more then 12 months old.
2. Make sure it's clean upon first inspection, then take it apart and disinfect it.
3. Do your research and find out what the best car seats were in the past 2 years and buy whichever one of those fits in your budget.
4. Always ask if the car seat has been in an accident. NEVER buy a car seat that has survived and accident.
(After all of that I still would buy a new high quality car seat for my children. It is a matter of safety. I want all the warranties in place and valid. Before these girls got here I bought 2 Chicco seats. They are a Consumer Reports Best Buy.)
2nd A traditional baby bath. I had one and hated it.
3rd My Papasan Baby Swing. I thought I'd love it because it can swing side to side and forward and back and it played nice music and had the pretty butterfly mobile. I like it, but it's so BIG. To be truthful, with twins I needed the swing to distract and entertain one while I fed or diapered the other one. I liked the Aquarium Swing SOOOOOO much better. A lot a parents love this swing because it's a great "go to sleep" swing. It is a matter of what you want the swing to do.
Now my "I wish I'd hads":
1st Twin feeding pillow. As a foster parent I obviously was not breast feeding these girls, but I really think this would be nice for breast or bottle feeding moms.
2nd A Baby Trend, Expedition, Double Jogging Stroller. All that money I saved using a snap and go stroller could go towards a double jogging stroller that I desperately want. If I knew that I was going to have these girls for even 6 months I would have bought it. I' wanted one when I had toddlers and didn't buy it, now I really want one with the twins, but they are leaving.
3rd An infant carrier like the Moby Wrap. I have a cuddle bug and it would've been nice to have her close and have a hand or 2 free to do other things.
4th a bumbo- The girls are getting just big enough now that I really want a bumbo ( got a bumbo last weekend and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The girls love looking at eachother. The coo and smile at eachother. This is way worth it!)
First my requirements for the products I buy:
-They must be inexpensive. We are on a budget yes, but realistically we are foster parents and we never know how long a child will be in our home. It just doesn't make sense to buy the biggest or the best. I'll let you know which products we bought that I would buy again for my own children and which I would avoid.
-They must be fast and easy to use. With Twins this is a no brainier. I've got to be locked and loaded at all times to handle whatever comes my way because things can get out of control fast with 2 infants.
Ok, on to the products.
1st a baby bath pad. I love this product found in stores at Target. It's a yellow foam pad for less then $10. The pad has a built in heat sticker to tell you when the water is too hot. It has a rim for the baby's head so it's supported. It is fast and easy to use. I liked bathing them in the tub. Maybe it's just me but my kitchen is never clean, with or without kids, but add in twins and the last place I wanted to clean them was my kitchen sink. With this product I didn't worry about supporting their head and trying to wash a slippery baby. There are so many baby baths out there and many parents prefer the sink. I'm not saying it's the best, I just really liked it.
2nd Car seat Canopies. We didn't have these to start but I LOVE them. It keeps the girls out of the rain, and snow and keeps them nice and warm. With babies every one like to take a peek and with twins the girls get soooo much attention when we are in public. I love these to keep them safe from germy lookers. I spent $25 for 2 (of course I made mine but you can buy them for $25+ each on etsy)
3rd. Twin Baby Trend Snap and Go Stroller. A MUST HAVE! you can spend a lot of money on car seats and strollers, but really I LOVED THIS! It made doctor appointments, parent visits, elevators, and shopping sooo nice. It's easy to get the girls in and out of and it's really easy to fold up and put in the car. Plus you can find them used for only $50. (I'm selling mine if you want to buy it!)
4th A nice BIG diaper bag. I got mine at Toys R US for $30. A diaper bag for a mom of twins has to be hands free and organized! You cannot have a cute diaper bag that sits on your shoulder. It must either go over your shoulder and across your body, or be a back pack. I wish they had more readily available at a decent price. I liked this one because of all of it's pockets. I could keep the bottles cold with ice packs. I could hold my massive wallet, keys, phone, gum ext in the outside pockets. Plus the strap, which you can't see here, adjusts. I could make it fit around the handle of the grocery cart, the girls' stroller, anything. It was nice because the bag didn't take up any more space in the cart and wasn't under the girls in the stroller. It really was perfectly functional for twins. I just wish it was cuter!!!
5th 2 swings or bouncers. I have my favorite. It's an Aquarium Take Along Swing I actually didn't buy it, a friend lent it to me. I ignored it in the stores because I thought it was ugly, and I remembered it from when my 15 year old nephew was a baby. But I really really liked it. It's small and easy to move. The girls loved when they were younger because it really moved. Plus it has bright lights that flicker at them and music that is not annoying to listen to. Now that they are bigger I/they like to be able to "sit" up and look at things. I like it better then my pretty fancy Papasan Cradle Butterfly Swing.6th a toy jungle. I really don't care which one. The girls love it. and have loved it since 6 weeks. It is a MUST have!
7th The SOOTHIE bottles. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM! find a kit at Walmart for $16.8th home made baby legs. Check out this tutorial here.
Ok, things I didn't like.
1st. Stupid Cheap Car Seats . These came with the girls and I HATE them. They are hard to adjust, they are hard to put in the car, the canopy is flimsy and doesn't protect the girls from the sun, rain, snow. Every baby needs a car seat and that means there needs to be a car seat at every price point. BUT there are some really obsessive compulsive Mom's out there that I wouldn't mind buying a car seat from. You can get a better product for the same price. HERE"S SOME TIPS IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY A CAR SEAT USED:1. Car seats should not be in service after 5 years. Regulations change and IMPROVE. Make the best choice for your child. I would never buy a car seat more then 12 months old.
2. Make sure it's clean upon first inspection, then take it apart and disinfect it.
3. Do your research and find out what the best car seats were in the past 2 years and buy whichever one of those fits in your budget.
4. Always ask if the car seat has been in an accident. NEVER buy a car seat that has survived and accident.
(After all of that I still would buy a new high quality car seat for my children. It is a matter of safety. I want all the warranties in place and valid. Before these girls got here I bought 2 Chicco seats. They are a Consumer Reports Best Buy.)
2nd A traditional baby bath. I had one and hated it.
3rd My Papasan Baby Swing. I thought I'd love it because it can swing side to side and forward and back and it played nice music and had the pretty butterfly mobile. I like it, but it's so BIG. To be truthful, with twins I needed the swing to distract and entertain one while I fed or diapered the other one. I liked the Aquarium Swing SOOOOOO much better. A lot a parents love this swing because it's a great "go to sleep" swing. It is a matter of what you want the swing to do.Now my "I wish I'd hads":
1st Twin feeding pillow. As a foster parent I obviously was not breast feeding these girls, but I really think this would be nice for breast or bottle feeding moms.
2nd A Baby Trend, Expedition, Double Jogging Stroller. All that money I saved using a snap and go stroller could go towards a double jogging stroller that I desperately want. If I knew that I was going to have these girls for even 6 months I would have bought it. I' wanted one when I had toddlers and didn't buy it, now I really want one with the twins, but they are leaving.
3rd An infant carrier like the Moby Wrap. I have a cuddle bug and it would've been nice to have her close and have a hand or 2 free to do other things.
4th a bumbo- The girls are getting just big enough now that I really want a bumbo ( got a bumbo last weekend and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The girls love looking at eachother. The coo and smile at eachother. This is way worth it!)
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