Car Seat, High Chair, Pack & Play etc recommendations?

Hi All! We are getting ready to start registering for baby #1. Anyone have recommendations for the following:
high chair
pack and play
Car Seat  (should we / can we get an extra base - one for my car & one for hubby's?)
Stroller / Travel System

any other "must haves"??

Thanks!!
Sorry, I am sure that this has been asked 100 times before... I wish that the message boards had a search feature to find old posts.

Liz

Our high chair, pack and play, infant carrier/travel system were all Evenflo.  We definitely had to have an extra base for the infant carrier and had to order it online.  We couldn't find it in any stores.  We are now looking for a third base and can't find one.  Someone suggested ebay for the base.  I really didn't care for the stroller because it doesn't sit up all the way.  I think the Graco strollers sit up better for when they are older.

One thing I didn't realize was that if you happen to have a big baby, they grow out of the carriers much quicker.  Alex was 20 pounds by 4 months and we had to get regular car seats which were quite expensive as well.  Had I thought about this, I would have registered for them as well even though you have no way of knowing how soon you will need them.

My husband found the baby bjorn very useful around the house but I didn't care for it. 

Our biggest must have for Alex was his vibrating bouncy seat.  He loved it and we wore it out.  We have two for the new baby.

I think they other "must haves" all depend on personal preference.  You'll hear some people love a certain product and others hate it.  It's hard to tell what you'll like until you are actually using it.

i have the fisher price rain forest high chair.. love it.. comes with an attachable toy to keep baby busy while you cook or get the food ready..

http://www.walmart.com/Fisher-Price-Rainforest-High-Chair/ip /5420739

i also had the rain forest pack and play.. it was recalled.. never got a new one.. jayson hated it anyway

i have the graco snug ride 22... i liked it.. jayson liked it.. fit in travel system... they sell extra bases

for the travel system i used the graco metrolite system...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1081827 6

i liked having gowns for him for midnight newborn diaper changes... a bouncy seat and a swing.. i have the fisher price rainforest in both

dr browns bottles

i love the target brand wipes.. pampers worked best for jayson.. i had about a zillion onsies and those cloth diapers for barf rags

I have a Chicco high chair that we love, but I know there have been many other Moms who don't like it quite as much as we do. (Mine is an orange alphabet one though)

We bought a cheap pack and play from BRU since we didn't use it often.  Works perfectly fine though.  $50  We used it when we were showering or making dinner.

I had to beg my DH to let me buy this Chicco set.  He thought it was useless to pay that much for a set and that a cheaper set would be okay.  Boy did he realize he was wrong.  Even my SIL, who bought an expensive Peg Perego, loved how our stroller performed better than hers. Libby loves this set, always seemed extremely comfortable in it.  I actually just got a 20% coupon in the mail last night and it can be used on this.  Oh and we had an extra base and it was extremely handy since Russ dropped Libby off with my cousin in the afternoon and I picked her up after I got off work.


We got these car seats for when we decided to move her to forward facing.

I actually just bought another one of these at Target two weeks ago for $33!!!!  It was 80% off so I got it for my little brothers daughter.  I have this one in my car and I like that it seems comfy, has high safety ratings, and the straps don't get all screwed up.  (Learning Curve True Fit)

This one is in my husbands truck.  I LOVE how the head rest surrounds her little head and keeps it up when she falls asleep.  The straps do get all twisted easily though.  We bought this on Amazon for $140 a few months back.  It is the #1 car seat for safety and it is convertible.  It has a higher crash test rating than most since it is not made in the US. (Recaro Signo)

I am not a mother but I would offer this advice. Hubby and I went to BRU when we were pregnant the first time. We just wanted to look around since we had never really experienced the whole baby thing. We tested out each stroller. I put my purse in the carrier and we looked at how the stroller folded down. How easy it was for me to take it down and pull it back up. How heavy was the carrier with just my purse with it. How easy it was for me to lift the stroller when it was folded down. Also, hubby tested it. We read safety features. Hubby is 6'4" and I am 5'8". We liked the chicco because of how the stroller came down and up easily. How the carrier snapped into the travel system. And, the fact that we could move the stroller handle down for me up and up for my hubby so he wasn't bending all the way over like some of the other strollers.

 Traci

If you send me your email address, I will email you the list I have been keeping. Everytime this question is answered, I have copied and pasted tidbits into Word that I wanted to keep. It is not really coohesive but you can read and see if there is anything you want to know on the list. 

Thanks Traci!! [email protected] is my e-mail.

I know the first time around you get all excited and register for a bunch of stuff you really dont "need". You will find people who the diaper genie, I personally am glad I never got one, I just put the diapers in a bag hanging outside the back door, then to the dumpster when full. I suggest only registering for 1 pack newborn diapers, if baby happens to be early you could get an extra later. At BRS Huggies has HUGE box size 1-2 which were perfect size just about until last week and Vannah is 4 1/2 months old, so I think you would get more use.

Gowns - makes night time changes a hell of a lot easier!
Recieving Blankets
Dr. Browns Bottles
Exersaucer (both my kids loved this) or Vibrating Chair (Ny hated it, Van used it about 1 month while I showered LOL)

Pack N Play - Had the nice expensive one on registry with Ny, never used it. I do use it for Van, but only because I don't have two cribs. Ny is transitioning to toddler bed.

LOVE the Recaro car seats!! But Ny has a Safety 1st and Van has a Combi ****oro. Like another poster mentioned about bigger babies - Van already exceeds the weight limit on the infant seat. Two bases is absolutely needed or its a PIA! If you happen to get a Graco travel system let me know because I have two Graco bases and I will send them to you no problem (they are $40 bucks!!)

We have a Graco high chair with a recline back, it was $60 at Sears.

Thanks Ladies!! I am off to make my list

ohh and i 2nd the true fit... jayson is a big kid... ( my neighbor asked me yesterday what it feels like to have a 1 yoa half y height... thanx lady LOL) and hes still rear facing... and his legs dont touch my seats