BABIES

A glider a waste of money? I don't think so! Ours is 5 years old this month, and it still gets daily use! It was the only chair I was comfortable in those last miserable weeks of pregnancy, and it remains my favorite chair.

As for the decorating. Do whatever you want with the room. When our first was born, the room was previously decorated in a pretty neutral tan/blue. We left it that way. Do give baby a mobile though for the crib, they can see that far and it gives them something interesting to look at.
 
Lots of mobiles can be found at consignment shops for pennies on the dollar.

The guy is wondering how much it's going to cost to have a baby folks. Give him suggestions for how to do it on the cheap.
 
Lots of mobiles can be found at consignment shops for pennies on the dollar.

The guy is wondering how much it's going to cost to have a baby folks. Give him suggestions for how to do it on the cheap.

What makes you think he wants to do it on the cheap? What he asked is how much they cost, not how to do it for cheap. Sure, we all want to save money, but that doesn't mean he wants to outfit his kid from the swap shop either.

If he does want to do it on the cheap then I completly understand. I myself am far from being wealthy. If not then I suggest the glider/recliner combo and the locking ottoman.

One other thing for I_Money: If you are going to have more than one kid try to get furnishings that are gender nuetral so that you don't have to buy two of everything.
 
eBay, Goodwill and Craigslist. Seriously.

I bought and sold a TON of baby stuff between those three places!


My only suggestion of something not to buy second-hand is a carseat, unless you know the original owner and KNOW for a fact it's never been in a wreck and is under 5 years old. Plastics age & degrade with age, it's recommended not to use one that is more than 5 years old. My sister-in-law gave me her old infant seat, but I knew it's history so I felt okay using that. From a stranger, you just never know.......
 
So after my fiance and I get married next year, we are planning on having kids. We are not going to specically try to have kids, we are also not going to try not too.

So I know we have some new Daddy's on here - I want to hear stories? And how much are they?

THANKS.


Relax. Do what comes naturally...get the beer and remote, put the feet up and enjoy the game :D
 
My advise is to let your wife do whatever she wants with that room. If you argue with her you will lose, so man-up and buy her that $500 glider.
AMEN Brotha!! Nursery is PINK territory. Garage/Backyard is BLUE territory. Don't cross into the wrong territory. If my husband had FORBIDDEN me from decorating the nursery or buying a glider, he would have lost a testicle. I've spent the last 6 years snuggling, rocking, and telling stories to my kids in that glider in the nursery. As much time as the mom spends in there, she better dang well be comfortable in it.
Most important: Be supportive. Help with absolutely everything and anything. Don't just "ask" if she needs help, do it before she has to ask. The old-school redneck "raising the kids is the woman's job" attitude is gone, or at least on the way out. Don't be that *ickhead dad/husband who never helps out.
Amen times infinity!!! P.S. Taking care of the kids w/o asking is considered foreplay. The more foreplay you do the more play you're likely to get.
 
P.S. Taking care of the kids w/o asking is considered foreplay. The more foreplay you do the more play you're likely to get.

I don't understand why having to ask is even an issue.

That there seems to be a need to tell dads to "help" raise their own children seems wrong... First of all, it shouldn't be called "help" - it should simply be half of the responsibility, no?
 
I agree there shouldn't be a need to ask, and it's not considered help, it's considered doing your share. I get really bugged when people ask my husband "oh you're babysitting tonight?" NO, that's what you do for someone ELSE'S kids. Men seem to be conditioned though, to think that their duty day ends when they clock out at work and women have been conditioned to think that any "help" is so above and beyond what should be expected of men. Some men consider it "help" to take their own dinner plate to the sink. Pretty sad IMO. But that's why when you have a man that does his share without having to be nagged to do it, it feels like foreplay! :)
 
Its definitely a pleasure/pain thing. I'm with Qgar, mine are in college/teenagers, too. The saddest time of the entire experience was when they discovered that Santa Claus wasn't real.

It occured to me that was the first episode in many losses of innocence in their lives.
It kind of broke me up.

But, all in all, its a great experience as long as you don't fall into today's "Parent Trap".

Repeat after me..."My kid will never be a professional athlete in ANY sport."

If you just remember that, you can enjoy your time at the field/pitch/rink/gym with them and not turn into a screaming, idiotic, MeeMee.

Keep after them about their academics because there's about 1000 times more scholarship money for brains as there is for athletics.
 
Agreed on the car seat. Purchase the best one you can afford. Spare no expense. We got the Britax Boulevard. It's good from when he was an infant through 80 pounds so we intend to use it for a while. Amazon.com has them for around $280.

I am cheap -- i'm the first to admit it. But when it comes to the safety of my family I spare no expense.

PS - I also agree that athletics are WAAAAY overemphasized in public schools. If he wants to play sports fine. But it's called "play" for a reason. If his GPA drops below a pre-agreed level, he's done. My wife taught math and music in a previous life. We both love art, theater, and music.

I hope he will find joy in whatever he does in school be it jock, band-geek, artist, actor, scholar, or member of the robotics club.
 
I've been an owner for many years, Ian.

Don't do it.

That is all.

You're a pocket full of sunshine now! I actually feel sorry for your kid(s). I know you'll tell me you always took care of them, put a roof over their head, fed them, etc. but did you actually care for them?

All I know is I will never do anything as meaningful and fulfilling as raising my kids. Nothing. Have fun with it, GET INVOLVED, and ENJOY THEM.
 
Just my .02....most of you guys and girls have babies and young children. Mine are teenagers and all I can say is ENJOY THE TODDLER/CHILD STAGE!!! :banghead: Seriously, you have no idea how rewarding it is to see them go from totally dependent beings to intelligent, caring young men and women. The physical changes are shocking and this sounds stupid, but almost seems magical. I'll never forget calling the house one day and asking the male on the other end, "Who's this!" It was my son! His voice seemed to change overnight. The first "peach fuzz" over his lip and hair on his chest/legs was the door opening to his becoming a young man. Need I even tell you what it's like to watach your daughter's body "blossoming" as well?! If you think watching your baby's first step or them uttering their first word is mind-blowing--wait until those wonderful puberty years! :D

Oh, and do you know how you worry about your child's safety now? Imagine the fun of watching them go off on their own for the first time (to a movie/shopping, etc.) Or, venturing into Manhattan with friends or getting in a car with a friend, or getting their driver's license (son's waiting for his road test early next month). You know you have to "let go" to some degree--but it sure isn't easy.

My oldest is 12 and a girl. We are currently assuming the brace position for all the things you have mentioned. We are scared. :crazy:

Kids are great, but like they said in Jurasic Park, they epitomize chaos theory. :) Sometimes there's no real way to predict what they are going to do from one moment to the next. . . . .but I would not trade them for anything!
 
PS - I also agree that athletics are WAAAAY overemphasized in public schools. If he wants to play sports fine. But it's called "play" for a reason. If his GPA drops below a pre-agreed level, he's done. My wife taught math and music in a previous life. We both love art, theater, and music.

I hope he will find joy in whatever he does in school be it jock, band-geek, artist, actor, scholar, or member of the robotics club.


Holy cow athletics are getting so expensive too!! Just to have a decent shot at a high school team you have to play in local leagues, pay the fees, go to camps, pay the fees. I know parents who devote large portions of income to their children's athletics. And I'm not talking about $100 here and there. More into the thousands.
 
My only suggestion of something not to buy second-hand is a carseat, unless you know the original owner and KNOW for a fact it's never been in a wreck and is under 5 years old. Plastics age & degrade with age, it's recommended not to use one that is more than 5 years old. My sister-in-law gave me her old infant seat, but I knew it's history so I felt okay using that. From a stranger, you just never know.......
My mom's friend's daughter is having her third baby and in Arkansas they won't even let you leave the hospital with your baby unless it's a brand new carseat because of the deterioration. She tried to take her carseat from her last baby who is only about 2 when she thought she was going into labor last week and when they released her they told her to make sure she got a new carseat before the real deal.

Relax. Do what comes naturally...get the beer and remote, put the feet up and enjoy the game :D

Easily said at 10 weeks gestation. :p :D
 
My mom's friend's daughter is having her third baby and in Arkansas they won't even let you leave the hospital with your baby unless it's a brand new carseat because of the deterioration. She tried to take her carseat from her last baby who is only about 2 when she thought she was going into labor last week and when they released her they told her to make sure she got a new carseat before the real deal.

Oh wow! Our infant carrier was used by 3 babies! Bill's nephew (who it was bought new for), and our two for a few months apiece. (Total time used, 3 years.)

Babies grow out of those infant seats so quick....... our oldest was in his for 8 months, our little guy for 6 months. They could have stayed in it longer but it was getting heavy so we just put them in regular carseats then. Britax Marathons :) Our big guy just graduated to a Britax Monarch booster seat last month! He was getting too tall for his Marathon. I loved how that seat went from 5 lbs to 60 lbs. I think our little guy will be in his for quite a while though, he's so little!

If I had it to do again, I'd buy the Britax infant seat. But thankfully I won't have to do that again! :D
 
Lots of mobiles can be found at consignment shops for pennies on the dollar.

The guy is wondering how much it's going to cost to have a baby folks. Give him suggestions for how to do it on the cheap.

:yeahthat:

You are 100% right on that one.

I can't tell you how much stuff of our kid's we have gotten from consignments store, Goodwill, etc that was actually brand new!
Tags still on it.

Don't fall for the kid's cloths trap! Have a few nice outfits, of course, but other then that go as cheap as possible!

This way when they grow out of it in 3 months, and the worn an outfit once or twice, it doesn't break your heart when you give it away.
 
eBay.

You can get good quality stuff that won't shrink beyond use or fall apart after a couple wearings for a fraction of the price of new.



I was lucky enough to get a TON of clothes hand-me-down from Bill's sister as her little guy who is a year older than my oldest grows out of them. She buys nice stuff, Gap, Hilfiger, etc, and it has held up through the washings & wearings and abuse of *3* little boys now.
 
Oh wow! Our infant carrier was used by 3 babies! Bill's nephew (who it was bought new for), and our two for a few months apiece. (Total time used, 3 years.)

Babies grow out of those infant seats so quick....... our oldest was in his for 8 months, our little guy for 6 months. They could have stayed in it longer but it was getting heavy so we just put them in regular carseats then. Britax Marathons :) Our big guy just graduated to a Britax Monarch booster seat last month! He was getting too tall for his Marathon. I loved how that seat went from 5 lbs to 60 lbs. I think our little guy will be in his for quite a while though, he's so little!

If I had it to do again, I'd buy the Britax infant seat. But thankfully I won't have to do that again! :D
I'm not sure if it's all of Arkansas or just that area but it's a new thing there anyways.
 
That's terrible because even the sponsors of all the car seat safety information say an infant carrier is good for 5 years. And considering they generally go to a specific stroller, that would mean you'd probably have to get a new stroller as well. They are going to start seeing a rise in home deliveries if they threaten to not let you take your own child if your infant seat isn't brand new.
 
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