Stroller Envy... and other baby items I want or thought I wanted.

More things that I wish I had known about...merchandise edition.
There are so so SO many things to decide upon when you're about to have a baby. Some things are not as important, i.e. "Hmmm what colours of these teeny washclothes should I pick for my registry?" and some are huge. i.e. my first huge decision: Midwife vs. GP vs. Ob/Gyn And some decisions that fall somewhere in between.
Here are a few more random "things I wish I had known" I thought that I'd share.
Cloth Diapers vs disposable
I had this grand idea that I would save a bunch of money and go with a handy cloth diaper system and "occasionally" incorporate disposables for going out and such. I spent WEEKS researching different brands, different services and stores and then committed to putting a kit on our "fancy store" registry. The week before Rowen was born, we ordered the kit. After the baby arrived though, I realized that even though the system was simple enough, I just did not have time to do the upkeep. I WISH I could have committed to it, I really do! But... disposables just turned out to be so much easier. SO MUCH EASIER... and those first few days and weeks at home with a newborn are hard enough, we just needed to do what we could to simplify.
It's like how my Momma friend Jenn recommended that we should NOT keep any formula in the house, so that you would commit to breastfeeding even if any issues came up. If it's in the house, you'll be tempted to use it when you're sore, frazzled and sleepless.
Some good did come of the cloth diapering experience though. We were introduced to a beautiful olive oil based diaper cream that is AMAZING. It's 100% natural, smells great and just felt so much nicer to apply to baby's delicate newborn skin. She had developed a mild diaper rash and this stuff cleared it up and it was so much easier to apply than the classic thick, sticky, zinc oxide creams or oily, non-medicinal synthetic stuffs we stocked up on before she was born. I recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm to everyone!!! It's so awesome!!!
Baby Bathtub

WE DID NOT LIKE THE PUJ. Okay, so to be clear. I am not bashing this tub... it's pretty cool and I know so many people who loved it. I did my nerd research and lusted after this thing. But it certainly was not useful for our 9lb longbaby. Living in a tiny condo, any sort of space saving idea was welcome and this thing is some sorta space age foam and folds flat and hangs up out of the way. It was great in that sense.... but not for us in every other way. By the time we put baby in the tub, there was no room for any water and she was so long that she kept kicking the thing open. Bathtime turned into a stressful experience - water leaking out, baby getting cold, baby falling into the sink, Mommy yelling at Daddy... just a bad scene!
We wound up going with a basic plastic basin baby tub that fits neatly in our kitchen sink and it keeps baby submerged properly and I can manage to bather her alone. Most importantly, she LOOOOVES her baths now and everyone is happy.
Stroller envy
The very first thing I spent time doing my nerd research on was our stroller. I absolutely love our Maxi-Cosi infant carrier, it was perfect. But the stroller portion turned out to not be as lightweight and maneuverable as I would have liked. Living on Queen Street, I started noticing all the other Moms (and occasional hipster Dad) with these sleek, modular things. I feel like such a little kid experiencing what I have come to refer to as STROLLER ENVY. It started off innocently enough and then turned into a full-blown obsession. My name is Zoe and I have the Stroller Envy.
But Holy Jebus, these sleek little things are expensive. I've been dabbling with the idea of picking up a second-hand Bugaboo or Uppababy as my Momma friends who have these have endorsed them as being worth the money. I've been watching videos online and okay, yeah, these things with their flippy compact seats, easy to adjust handle and zippy shock-absorbing tired look amazing. There are features that I never even thought about wanting... things like a reversible handle (the thought of not being able to see baby when she first transitions to her stroller pains me!), UV protection in a canopy, a viewing window in the canopy for when she faces forward, shock absorption in the tires (city sidewalks are BUMPY).
So yeah, I'm totally caving to peer pressure. I feel childish that I have the Stroller Envy, I really do. But I justify it with the fact that having a good stroller that's easy to maneuver is important to me. Especially since we do not have a car and walk or take transit everywhere. Stroller = freedom. I am absolutely LUSTING after the Bugaboo Cameleon. I watch the Bugaboo Cameleon video HERE at the bb buggy site daily and drool. The special edition dark purple is just heavenly. When the time comes (i.e. we win the lottery), I have a shopping cart loaded up and ready to click "submit". ;)
Edit: Upon further extensive research, I think I've decided that the Uppababy Cruz Or Bugaboo Bee is the ideal candidate. Has the looks and features that I'm looking for and it's within our price range! I prefer the idea of buying new and having a warranty and original receipt vs buying secondhand if possible. Cameleon, you're gorgeous and I went into Ella + Elliot to push you around again today. And I introduced Lowell to you today and he likes you too, but, Beautiful Cameleon, we simply cannot afford you!
Nursing clothes
But seriously. I already ranted about this but it's important. I wish I had known to pick up a few maternity pieces that are nursing compatible. It's not completely necessary to have an entire "nursing" wardrobe, no. However, when starting to venture out of the house with baby, or say when you have company, it does make things easier. Now that we've got the hang of nursing, it's less of an issue. But at the beginning, there certainly is a learning curve and anything that can make things easier is welcome.

Related topic: nursing covers. An awesome little garment that is helpful. Yes, breastfeeding is great and natural and while I have no problem doing it in public, I do prefer to be discreet. The discretion has nothing to do with embarassment but moreso the fact that I do not want to flash my naked boobs all about. I hated the "nursing aprons" that were big and bulky and usually in some gaudy ugly print. I looked and looked for a nice, understated cover and came across two that I thought were great. The Jolly Jumper nursing pashmina is great. It's like a pretty scarf and comes in different colours. The Ollie Golightly linen apron is also pretty, lightweight and understated. (It's the one I wound up getting)
Sleepers
One word: Zippers!!! Those little snaps are a pain in the ass. In the middle of the night after getting no sleep or when baby starts to become more active and kicky, having a quick ZIP-UP sleeper makes such a huge difference. Most of them, even cheaper ones have a little flap of fabric to guard baby skin from the zipper so that's really not an issue. I wish we had gotten more zippered sleepers!!