tmleadr03

I have my first child on the way this month sometime. And I have come to realize that the two worst phrases in the english language are the title to this thread. These phrases are evil incarnate. I am sure once she gets to teenage years it will be a different set of phrases but for now... man.


And on top of that the toys, baby seats and electronic gizmo's that my wife bought to keep the little girl happy are junk. Really. They are not put together well. Ended up having to take apart one of the vibrating music playing seats to get it to work and blech. My unborn child could have put it together better.

I personally know that most of the junk we bought for this baby will not even be noticed by the kid. Its more for the wifes happiness then anything else but do ya'll have any directions for some high quality stuff out there for kids? The stuff we are running across is just absolute junk.

t-15 firefighter

My one recommendation would be one of these...




I can't remember which brand it was but it was and absolute lifesaver. We would put my daughter in it while we were eating dinner and we actually got some peace and quite for about 30 mins.

As far as toys go, the little rabbit in her lap has been her favorite toy since she was born (she's a little over 2 1/2 now and still carries it everywhere she goes). No assembly required.

Britt

Fronty Owner

It depends on what your looking for

most things are junk. but its cheap so we keep buying it.

ETA: My youngest is 11 so its been a while since I have bought baby toys. the simpler toys are usually the ones they keep and play with the longest.

Bark

My wife used to accuse me of buying toys for the kids that I could play with too. Not true. Having activities that can be shared and participated in by child and parent can only be a good thing. A one year old is not too young to enjoy a remote control airplane.

t-15: We had one of those for our kids (youngest is now 28). Do they still make a loud clicking noise when they swing? (the noise used to put the kids to sleep) PS: cute kid.

John Halter

I second the child swing , it was all that kept me sane 24 years ago with my daughter , that and car rides . I do not think I will tell her when she decides to have children , she deserves a little pay back .

t-15 firefighter

I agree with being able to play the same thing with your kid. My daughter loves "her" Xbox 360




This one made all kinds of different noises. It was a godsend for us.

Britt

matego

I havent seen anyone post the bouncy chair that shakes a little. That one was great. The big old dopey chocolate Lab provided a lot of entertainment for the kids as well. It is amazing how the dog was instinctively gentle around them when they were babies. My son is 6 now and they sleep in the same bed every night.

Hvytrkmech

You guy's remember the "johnny jump up", the best 30 bucks I ever spent. The oldest (now 22) did not like it but my son and youngest daughter loved it, heck they got mad when you took them out of it. I wonder if they are still available?

Best of luck with your first child,


Tim

duddin10

What you don't enjoy putting together all the things that your kids open? That is the great joy of having children. You buy them all these toys and after the first 15 minutes they don't play with them again. Its awful to think of the money you spend that they don't ever play with. Nah, really its great. I have a 5 year old daughter and an 11 month old son and it gets better every year. Enjoy it while it lasts. I can't believe my little girl is 5 already. It goes so fast. Now my son, that was born 5 weeks early and during our ice storm last January is almost 1. I still remember holding him after they delivered him then having to put him in the oxygen machine, them taking him and then going to see him in the NICU and seeing him hooked up to all of the machines.

t-15 firefighter

You know, It's funny this thread came up. Here is what my wife is doing right now



We are getting ready for a whole new supply of toys and cloths that she probably won't play with or wear. Oh well, all of this stuff is going to charity and has probably not been played with or worn more than once or twice. We do the "angel tree" every year and it looks like I should have included all of this stuff also.



Here is my daughter taking a break from playing with none of her toys (note the same rabbit sitting in her lap). She has had it since the day she was born.




Don't worry... when she is older I'll teach her the importance of "giving".

Britt

tmleadr03

Wow, I get a sense of dejavu when I look at that pic. My unborn daughter has more clothes then I do. She may have more clothes then I do counting over the last two years with ALL the uniforms from the different shops I have worked at. It blows my mind.

It looks like your daughter likes to kick back. I love the pose with the hands behind the back it seams to be a theme for her. Cute girl!

cbtumedic

Imaginarium makes some decently built stuff, we have a bouncer that vibrates and a mobile made by them. As for car seats, the best ones out there are made by Britax according to my research, but they are very pricey (around $300) but Graco, Eddie Bauer, and Evenflow make some good ones for around $100. Congrats on the upcoming birth. Also don't spend a whole lot of money on a basinet as they will only be in it for a month or 2, spend more on a decent crib and mattress set. Umbrella strollers are going to be your best friend at around 7-8 months as you'll get tired of lugging that huge stroller that fits the infant carrier around.

Danavilla

My Father-in Law bought a teddy bear named Radar for my great niece when she was about 2 or 3. She's a married college graduate now in her mid-20's, with a responsible full time job and working on her master's degree, but she still sleeps with Radar. Her husband understood from the beginning he'd have to share the bed.

Dan

Bark

My wife also still has a bear. I used to know when I had goofed up when the bear would get moved out of the closet to my side of the bed (hard to believe, but I could be an idiot at times). Luckily, for me, the bear hasnt been out of the closet for a number of years.
Britt: I am jealous. Guess I need to wait for some grandkids before I can get an Xbox.