The World of Gear

Mom-of-three Christen Myers has tested a lot of baby gear over the years. With her third child, Jonathan (pictured, at 6 months), she has finally figured out what works best for her.

Buzz Baby is a column about life with babies from the perspective of a first-time mother. If you have baby stories to share, leave a comment under this article or email [email protected].

Christen Myers, a mom of three, is no rookie when it comes to managing dirty diapers. She had to learn through trial and error. She uses the Ubbi Diaper Pail, which she calls a step up from the plastic Diaper Genie.

“The stainless steel doesn’t hold odor or bacteria. I wasn’t using the one in my bedroom for a few months; there was a very old diaper in there, and I never noticed,” said Christen. Before the Ubbi, she had a Diaper Genie with baby No. 1, a Diaper Dekor with No. 2 and finally found the Ubbi.

Twin mom Lucia Clark says she just uses a regular trashcan and puts the diapers in plastic grocery bags. Easy.

The never-ending baby-gear options on the market these days can be overwhelming to expectant parents. I remember arriving on the diaper aisle when my husband and I registered. It can’t be that hard to pick diapers, right?

“Pampers Swaddlers are the best,” said my friend, a mom of four. “We just use the Target brand, and they are fine,” said my neighbor. My brother-in-law said not to use Huggies overnight.

I have learned in my one year of parenthood that what works for one baby may not work for yours. (I went with the Pampers Swaddlers, and we never looked back.)

Christen says her biggest baby-gear fail was purchasing a “travel system,” which has a car-seat base, detachable car seat with a carrying handle and a stroller that the infant car seat fits into that later converts to a toddler stroller. Most new moms are told this is a must have.

“They are a waste of money,” said Christen. “The strollers are cheap plastic, break easily, and they are hard to maneuver and turn.”

Lucia agrees and says her solution has been the Joovy Roo Car Seat Stroller (and they make one for twins and singletons). It’s lightweight with a side-facing mount that holds an infant car seat. “It’s the only reason I am about to go anywhere with twins. It’s cheap, folds up easily and holds tons of stuff in the bottom,” said Lucia.

Lucia says her biggest baby-gear fail was the popular Comotomo bottle, which has a 4.5 out of 5 star review average on Amazon. These ball-shaped bottles are designed to closely mimic breastfeeding and are popular items for registries.

“I used [the bottles] for the first eight weeks. Every single feeding was miserable fail,” said Lucia, laughing. “Formula would leak out everywhere and I could never tell how much they actually consumed.” Lucia had better luck with Dr. Brown’s bottles.

The 4Moms Mamaroo Bouncer is another new baby invention. It’s a Jetsons-like baby swing that has five settings, including car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rock a bye and wave. It’s $240. Is it worth it? 

As usual, it depends. “I obsessively loved it,” said Christen. “My son [Jonathan] had horrible colic and reflux, and it would give me a few minutes of peace a day.”

Mom-of-three Sarah Stamey, whose three kids hated the Mamaroo, says her biggest baby-gear fail is feeling like she had to have the perfect nursery set up before her first arrived.

“Little did I know, [Gracie] didn’t sleep in her crib until she was 6 months old,” said Sarah, laughing. Neither did her other two kids. “So [Gracie and Gage] had perfect nurseries, even though Gage’s was in a converted closet, and poor [Piper] still doesn’t have a room. She just has a crib in a former guest room.”

So, how do you avoid baby-gear fails? “Ask around,” said Lane Gulottoa, co-founder of Bayou City Mamas, a local moms’ group (www.bayoucitymamas.com). “Friends, co-workers and other parents are always willing to give feedback on baby products.”

Consider lifestyle. “Are you active? If so, a jogging stroller with a car-seat adapter would suit your lifestyle,” said Lane. “Do you live in an apartment? A compact fold for storage might be at the top of your list.”

And then there’s another philosophy: minimalism. It’s a favorite with veteran parents who realize that baby gear can take over one’s house, yard and car. They know that babies are more likely to play with saucepans and leaves than toys anyway.

“I went from a full-size stroller and giant diaper bag stuffed for every possible scenario,” says one local mom, “to no stroller and a small fanny pack on my hip that my youngest sat on when she was tired. It was easier.”

Editor’s note: Want to share your own baby-gear faves and fails? Leave a comment under this story at thebuzzmagazines.com. Your comment may be featured in an upcoming Mailbag column.