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verdict
My wife and I are having a baby boy in April and I wanted to know what is your opinion of the must have baby gear/item for new parents. I'm not talking about a crib, or a bottle or things like that, I want something that new parents wouldn't think of.
Answer
so I'll list my favorites in order of recommendation:
A baby sling - assuming this is your first child (or even if it's not), you'll probably go through at least a short stage of wanting to have your baby constantly with you. A baby sling is the perfect solution. You can hold your baby right next to you, be completely comfortable, and still have both hands free. The other great use for a sling is if your wife wants to breastfeed. I was able to nurse my daughter in a sling while sitting or standing, and my version actually had a cloth attachment that maintained my privacy during (while I personally have no problems with women nursing in public, some places do - and not all nursing moms are comfortable exposing themselves). My best advice if you get a sling is to go somewhere that you can actually try them on. While some brands are more reputable than others, this is definitely something you want made to fit you. And when your baby's older (at least able to hold their head up), I would suggest switching to a backpack style carrier (front/back or both) since these do a better job of distributing their higher weight.
A travel crib/playpen - I plan on skipping a real crib altogether with my next child and using one of these instead. It works just as well for sleeping up to the age when you'd typically buy a toddler bed anyway, it's smaller, it's portable (Grandma's willing to babysit? Great, we're all ready!), and higher end models even have a relatively high changing table and bassinet for babies up to around 20 lbs (which is great when you're a new mom and your back constantly hurts anyway). Plus, you can get a very nice model for under $100, as opposed to the hefty price of a new crib.
A diaper pail - unless you're planning to take out trash ever day, religiously, these really do make a huge difference. You may not notice any smells at first, but as soon as you start feeding that little one real foods, expect to need noseplugs. A high quality diaper pail helps with this problem tremendously (though don't expect miracles - I've never heard of one that completely eliminates odors, but they do make a huge difference). I'm sure someone out there would disagree with me, but my biggest advice on buying one of these is to skip the Genie!! I have known numerous people who got one and they have all been extremely disappointed. Plus it takes specialty bags which are pretty expensive. I'd stick with the cheaper Diaper Champ, or if you want something nicer for a fancy nursery, the Diaper Decor.
A carrier carseat - ok, so I know a carseat qualifies as "required items" (aka not what you're looking for), but I can't even begin to count the number of times that my daughter fell asleep in the car, just to wake up when we got to wherever we were going because I had to unstrap her from the carseat. With a carrier, you can remove the carseat from the base, leaving your child still safely strapped in place - and blissfully asleep. (Trust me, there's nothing worse than a baby who's cranky from being woken up but too well rested to go back to sleep. This was especially horrible when trying to keep her quiet someplace like church.)
so I'll list my favorites in order of recommendation:
A baby sling - assuming this is your first child (or even if it's not), you'll probably go through at least a short stage of wanting to have your baby constantly with you. A baby sling is the perfect solution. You can hold your baby right next to you, be completely comfortable, and still have both hands free. The other great use for a sling is if your wife wants to breastfeed. I was able to nurse my daughter in a sling while sitting or standing, and my version actually had a cloth attachment that maintained my privacy during (while I personally have no problems with women nursing in public, some places do - and not all nursing moms are comfortable exposing themselves). My best advice if you get a sling is to go somewhere that you can actually try them on. While some brands are more reputable than others, this is definitely something you want made to fit you. And when your baby's older (at least able to hold their head up), I would suggest switching to a backpack style carrier (front/back or both) since these do a better job of distributing their higher weight.
A travel crib/playpen - I plan on skipping a real crib altogether with my next child and using one of these instead. It works just as well for sleeping up to the age when you'd typically buy a toddler bed anyway, it's smaller, it's portable (Grandma's willing to babysit? Great, we're all ready!), and higher end models even have a relatively high changing table and bassinet for babies up to around 20 lbs (which is great when you're a new mom and your back constantly hurts anyway). Plus, you can get a very nice model for under $100, as opposed to the hefty price of a new crib.
A diaper pail - unless you're planning to take out trash ever day, religiously, these really do make a huge difference. You may not notice any smells at first, but as soon as you start feeding that little one real foods, expect to need noseplugs. A high quality diaper pail helps with this problem tremendously (though don't expect miracles - I've never heard of one that completely eliminates odors, but they do make a huge difference). I'm sure someone out there would disagree with me, but my biggest advice on buying one of these is to skip the Genie!! I have known numerous people who got one and they have all been extremely disappointed. Plus it takes specialty bags which are pretty expensive. I'd stick with the cheaper Diaper Champ, or if you want something nicer for a fancy nursery, the Diaper Decor.
A carrier carseat - ok, so I know a carseat qualifies as "required items" (aka not what you're looking for), but I can't even begin to count the number of times that my daughter fell asleep in the car, just to wake up when we got to wherever we were going because I had to unstrap her from the carseat. With a carrier, you can remove the carseat from the base, leaving your child still safely strapped in place - and blissfully asleep. (Trust me, there's nothing worse than a baby who's cranky from being woken up but too well rested to go back to sleep. This was especially horrible when trying to keep her quiet someplace like church.)
Is it possible to pay to use a shower in a European hostel without paying for a room?
Brittney
I'm going camping in Sweden and Poland next year for about a month and I plan on only sleeping in a tent. Is it possible to pay to use a shower at a hostel but not actually pay the full price for a room?
I will bathe in the Black Sea or use baby wipes if I have to, but a hot shower once in a while would be nice. I can't bring that much gear or water with me so a portable camping shower is not possible.
*Any savvy tips on how to bathe while camping/ backpacking in a city would be great. Thank you!
Answer
Camping places in Sweden usually have showers where you pay per minute.
Camping places in Sweden usually have showers where you pay per minute.
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