Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More!

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Another frustration was the harness, which a few dissenters said was difficult to adjust. And removing the seat from the car can be a bit of a pain, especially trying to release the ratchet. How many? Since these are really play clothes and small infants don’t do a lot of playing, we recommend you only buy two to four coveralls for babies less than four months of age. However, if your child will be going into daycare at an early age, you may need to start with four to six coveralls. The all-in-one car seat is the Fountain of Youth for car seat makers—the mythical seat that works from birth to college (ok, as a belt-positioning booster to 120 lbs., or when kids age out of booster seats and can correctly fit in a regular seat belt. That’s usually around age ten or later). Yes, we have been researching and writing about the baby biz for 16 years with a single focus: find and recommend the best baby products without breaking the bank. Without taking a single ad. Or bribe. Some migration of formula. While it definitely wasn’t a lot of migration, there was some formula from other compartments that moved around. We don’t think it’s enough to be concerned, however.

Let’s talk crash tests: the Graco 4Ever (the previous version, before Graco added the Extend2Fit) scored “Best” on Consumer Reports latest third-party crash tests—that’s impressive. Different versions for different folks. The Bassinest comes in three versions: the basic model (called the Essentia), a deluxe version (Premiere), and the Luxe. The latter two versions add vibration, sounds and lullabies, nightlight and additional storage. Those are nice—but if you just want a no-frills bassinet, the basic model would do fine as well. No bulky seats, no complex belt-paths—the vest positions the vehicle shoulder and lap belts to correctly fit a child 30 to 110 pounds (our recommendation is ages five and up, which we will explain shortly). Easy pour. Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Can you get the formula from the dispenser into the baby bottle without banging it around to get the last little bits?Extra single serving bottle included. If you have twins (and need enough formula for two bottles each) or are going out for a short trip and only need enough formula for one bottle, the extra serving is a nice bonus. Exposed screws and screw holes. That doesn’t compromise safety; it’s just an aesthetic issue. More expensive cribs hide this hardware, but that is the trade-off to get the price so low. Cup holders add to seat width—which makes it harder to fit into tight spots (some narrow airline seats, compact rental cars, etc).

New recommendations for baby feeding, from baby food processors to storage ideas for home-made baby food. Also: if your teething baby decides to munch on the crib rail, the finish will most likely come off. It isn’t a health hazard (the paint is non-toxic), but this has alarmed more than a few parents. (If teething is an issue, you can use a cloth rail cover). How many? Only buy one of these if you live in a climate where you need it. Even with a Colorado winter, we got away with layering clothes on our baby, then wrapping him in a blanket for the walk out to a warmed-up car. If you live in a city without a car, you might need two or three snow- suits for those stroller rides to the market. If you’ve never had kids, you may not realize all the different variables when it comes to buying baby clothes. An outfit that’s perfect for day care (that is, to be trashed in Junior’s first painting experiment) is different from an outfit for a weekend outing with friends. And dress-up occasions may require an entirely different set of clothing criteria. Which piece are you? Scotty dog? Top hat? Get the gang together for guaranteed fun with Monopoly board game, a family classic for between 2-6 players.Easy assembly. It took us about 45 minutes to assemble and we found it easier overall than most other cribs. Lower profile also great for shorter parents. If you are under 5’5”, you may find reaching into a standard-size stationary crib challenging. Since most cribs sit a foot or two off the floor and drop-side cribs were phased out in 2011, shorter parents may find it difficult putting baby in a standard crib when the mattress is in its lowest position. At only 34” tall, the Hudson sits low to the ground making it much easier to put baby into and out of the crib.

Will you choose the brave and fearless Princess Anna? Or are you more like Princess Elsa, imbued with breathtaking magical powers? Both dolls are posable and come with outfits straight out of Disney's Frozen 2 film.

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Migration of formula. All the dispensers we tested had some migration of formula from one compartment to another. We looked for dispensers that had the LEAST migration. A toss-up: gowns. The jury is still out on whether gowns are useful. We thought they were a waste of money, but a parent we interviewed did mention that she used the gowns when her baby had colic (that persistent crying condition; see our other book Baby 411 for a discussion). She believed that the extra room in the gown made her baby more comfortable. Still others praise gowns for their easy access to diapers, making changes easy, especially in the middle of the night.

How many? Three to four pairs are all you’ll need at first, since baby will probably be dressed in footed sleepers most of the time. DON’T BUY A USED CRIB OR CAR SEAT. Old cribs may not meet current safety standards. It’s also difficult to get replacement parts for obscure brands. Car seats are also a second-hand no-no— you can’t be sure it wasn’t in an accident, weakening its safety and effectiveness. And watch out for clothing with drawstrings, loose buttons or other safety hazards.Some colors don’t have matching toddler rails. If you get one of the unusual colors, like Lagoon blue, you won’t be able to find a matching toddler rail. Only white and grey have matching rails. Forward facing to 40 lbs. And this seat has six harness height positions—that means it can grow with your child. Other affordable seats we tested had just four or five harness positions.