Worth the $$??

I'm another expecting momma coming to ask your advice on some things. I've got a 2 year old at home, and I'm astounded at all the cool things they've come up with for babies since I had him! Here are the things I'm wondering about being worth the money:

Miracle blankets--I was a huge fan of swaddling my ds, and felt like a normal blanket did the trick just fine. Are these really better? They seem crazy expensive, but if you tell me they're worth it...I'll believe you!

Bumbo seats--the concept is so cool! The price...not so cool--especially considering I'd want 2 of them. You think they're worth it? Is a bouncy seat going to do the same thing for me?

Thanks for having BTDT. I appreciate your opinions!

Reyna

 

This is all just IMO, but...

Miracle Blankets: totally. Our girls could wiggle out of regular swaddling blankets by about 8 weeks, but the MBs lasted until 5 months. They just stay wrapped better, which is also safer b/c there's less chance of the blanket getting wrapped around their faces.

Bumbo: not so much. We borrowed one from a friend but didn't use it much. We liked bouncy seats a lot better. When the girls could not sit up well, they got bored in the bumbo because they couldn't hold on to any toys and there is nothing to attach toys to. The only time they liked it was if we sat them in front of their stim gym with toys dangling from it that they could reach for. And by 5 months, Sarah's fat little thighs got too big for it, and Amy was getting too impatient and would try to pop herself out of it. She never actually managed to get out, but I have heard that some babies do. Some kids really like it though. It seems to work well for things like having dinner as a family, or having the baby someplace where he/she can watch you going about your business.

 

LOVE the miracle blankets, they can be used for sooo much longer than a regular blanket. Buy them on ebay, much cheaper that way

Love the bebe pod and bumbos made my babies much happier to see the world from another position. Get a bebe pod instead, they are cheaper and teh leg holes are bigger incase you have little chubs.
My girls did their bumbo and bebe pod alot longer than the bouncers, this way they were completely sitting up.

Another suggestion would be to get an infant to toddler rocker instead of a regular bouncer, these can be made stationary and have the vibrating part and toys overhead...this can be used until 40 lbs so once they are big enough they can use it as a regular rocking chair. THese are made by fisher price

 

Hi!

I didn't use the Miracle Blankets, just a stretchy, thermal knit, type receiving blanket. If you go that route, I highly recommend those type of receiving blankets!

We had 2 Bumbos, they are great! Great for before they start to sit, and also great for after, when you need them to stay put for a minute. I also fed my twins for awhile in the Bumbos. Thumbs up!

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, we look forward to seeing you in the First Year forum!

 

I did not use the miracle blanket, just regular receiving blankets. By the time they could break out of the swaddles, they were too big to be swaddled and slept better with their arms free.

Bumbo seats are cool, and that's about it. They aren't particularly useful like a bouncy seat is. Babies like to sit up in them, but it's just something else to put them in, and not necessary. If you want one, just register for it and get it as a gift. Don't spend the $40 on yourself. You don't even need to have two of them. I have one, and it worked out fine. I just rotated them.

 

We used the "swaddle me" velcro blankets, and the kidpotamus fleece ones were better than the other brand, I forget what it was. I wish I had known about the miracle blanket because the girls were able to push their way out of the velcro fastener by 6-8 weeks and that was the end of that (a bummer because that really helped getting them to go to sleep at night). If you are strapped for cash/want another alternative to the miracle blanket, check out the sleep sacks. Halo and Gerber make them. (We have the Gerber and I just bought both a swaddle me blanket and a sleep sack for my brother and his wife who are expecting in August because I used them both so much. ToysRus has them.) Once the girls were too big for the swaddle blankets, they fit into the sleep sacks. They are like a sleeping bag with arm holes and they really like them. It is easy to zip them in and out at night for diaper changes and feeding and it isn't too warm because it is sleeveless (but you can make it warmer by putting them in a gown with sleeves if you live somewhere cold.) I think they will last a long time because they are very long. They aren't as tight as the swaddle blankets, but the girls can't kick it off (I often have them in another closed-bottom gown so there is the illusion of being swaddled, but less tightly, and now they like to move their arms and legs around when they are sleeping anyway.) Obviously it is safer than putting a blanket in the crib, that is the whole point of them.

I don't know anything about the Bumbo chairs, mine have swings and bouncy chairs. They love the swings! The bouncy chair keeps them entertained for short periods. I think they are still a little too young for all the whistles and bells. Buy a swing used or at a consignment store if you can, talk about hours of peace and calm in my house! I bought one from a neighbor at half price and borrowed a second one from a friend whose baby didn't like it once I figured out they both loved the swing.
Hope you have a great pregnancy & delivery!

 

We never used the miracle blanket we just swaddled in the blankets we get from the hospital. we have 2 bumbo that i love we use them alot when feeding solids i got one off of craigs list and my inlaws got us the second one. they are pricy but you can sell them on craigslist or ebay when you are finished with them so i think its worth it.

 

We used regular blankets and LOVE, LOVE bumbos. I brought two when they were about two months and didn't start using them until 3.5 months. We use them so I can cook dinner, eat dinner and get a shower. They like bumbos over bouncies. (We have both!) I can see having both because from 0 - 3 months the baby could use a bouncy, my two just never liked the bouncy.

 

don't waste your money on a bumbo. Find one used. They are nice, but not worth the $$.

 

Yes to the miracle blankets! But I agree that they are pricey. We just have two of them and wash them frantically when they get dirty. We have other swaddle blankets, but they don't work as well as the miracle blankets.

We bought two bumbo seats off craigslist for about $15 each. But the girls are still too small to use them, so I don't know if its a good buy yet.

HTH ~Laura

 

Thanks so much for all your help! I appreciate it..and look forward to being "official" in the FY forum!!!

reyna

 

quote:
Miracle blankets--
Regular blankets worked just fine for me. I never had a miracle blanket.

quote:
Bumbo seats--the concept is so cool! ?

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but if I understand them correctly, they were designed to help develop skills (sitting) for an infant who was having difficulties and were hitting their milestone later than normal. I didn't have them. Didn't feel like they were worth the money.

 

quote:
Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but if I understand them correctly, they were designed to help develop skills (sitting) for an infant who was having difficulties and were hitting their milestone later than normal. I didn't have them. Didn't feel like they were worth the money.


Seamus' PT said that they were originally designed for children with physical disabilities. Then the general public got a hold of it and marketed it for all babies. They do not help babies learn to sit. The chair does not allow babies to use their trunk muscles. The chair holds them so that they really dont have to use any muscles.

I do not think they are worth it. That could be because my boys did not like them. I probably put them in it a handful of times. They prefered to lay/roll on the floor. I did just get the idea though to put them by my front door and I put a baby in there when I am taking them in and out of the car or stroller when we go for walks. That way I dont need to go back to the family room to get the other baby.

If you want one, I would get one and then you could always get another if you like it.

 

We never used the miracle blankets so I am not sure if they are worth the money. We just used receiving blankets to swaddle the babies. Both of my babies liked their hands free so we stopped swaddling them around two months.

I would only start out with one Bumbo. You can always buy another if both babies really like them. I purchased two of them ($80 total ) and only one of my babies would use it. I already sold the other for $20 so I only made back half my money. My ds never liked the Bumbo because his legs were too chunky.

 

We used the Swaddle Me blankets and the boys REALLY didn't like them and I didn't think Bumbo seats were something worth getting. I help the boys sit up on my lap. I do recommend getting bouncy seats. They loved them, we could change the toys out and they gave me peace for longer than a few minutes as the toys would keep the boys occupied. They saved my sanity.

 

I registered for the swaddle me's and even the smallest didn't work with my babies (yet), once they are a bit biggerwe will try again. Someone bought me an off brand at Target or Walmart and they work great, it might be "the first years"

 

We used neither the miracle blanket or bumbo.

We swaddled them in receiving blankets and never found the need for bumbos. They learned how to sit on their own at 7 and 8 months (preemies who were 9 weeks early). I've just heard mixed things about whether or not the bumbo is good for their development.

 

We never used miracle blankets, but then we didn't swaddle for very long at all. Regular receiving blankets worked fine for us and are much more versatile.

Love the Bumbos. I have two and the babies like them. Great to put one in while I bathe the other, while I'm cooking dinner, anytime I need a free hand. They never liked the bouncy chair or the swing and the Bumbo gives them a different perspective than their exersaucer. They are sitting on their own now (right on schedule, or maybe even early so it didn't delay their sitting) but they still will sit in them & watch me do things.

 

Hi Reyna,
Congrats on yours twins! You have a similar situation to us - 2 year old at home when the twins came. It's going to be very busy! I haven't used a miracle blanket, I used receiving blankets with all the babies and they worked just fine. I also borrowed a bumbo seat from a friend at about 6 months when my daughter couldn't sit up on her own but my son could. It would have been better to have at about 4 months, however, I was thinking that they may not learn to sit up properly if they were always put in the bumbo. I used bouncy chairs for both so that they were out of the way of my older daughter when they were really little. If you have someone who wants to buy you something and you really want these things I'd suggest you ask them for it, otherwise save your money. They use them for such a short time and you'll find that you will be shocked about how much you end up spending on just diapers!

Good luck!
Sharon

 

We used receiving blankets at first but switched to miracle blankets fairly early. We had used a miracle blanket with our oldest son, too (and loved it)! Some babies could care less if they are swaddled, but all of mine slept so much better swaddled. Miracle blankets will last a lot longer than regular blankets if yours end up loving being swaddled. We used them for 6 months and we have BIG babies. They were over 20lbs each at 6 months! I think it's totally worth the investment if your babies like to be swaddled.

As for the Bumbo seats, we bought 2 of them and the babies HATED them. We tried and tried to get them to like them, but they just struggled and fussed or cried every time we put them in them. We gave them to friends who are expecting babies, hopefully theirs will like them more than our did. If any of your friends have one, borrow it for a few days to see if your babies like them before you buy. Ours loved their bouncy seats,Johnny Jump ups, and excersaucers a lot. There are so many things on the market it's crazy! It really is amazing how much can change in just a couple of years. Good luck and have fun shopping.

Kelly

 

We swaddled with blankets or the Kiddopotamus swaddlers. We didn't swaddle for long, though.

I am one of the few people in this thread that says get the bumbos/bebe pods! We had two bebe pods and we used them for about 4 months. When the babies were tiny, we put blankets around them so they wouldn't slide around. DS was having issues with a flat head, so I found creative ways for him to play somewhere besides being on his back. I used them to sit them up in their play gym. Instead of looking up at toys while on their backs, they were eye level. I used them for watching Baby Einstein instead of laying in their bouncies. We have the FP Kick n Play piano and I wedged it up against a chair so that they could use their feet to play the piano. We stopped using them when they could both get themselves out of the chairs. I'd say this was around 6-7 months - then they could sit up completely unassisted for periods of time.

Good luck!

 

I just ordered 2 Miracle Blankets on-line and got them 5 days ago. Our babies just turned 6 weeks old yesterday and I have already noticed an improvement. The first night, the babies had 2 4-hour stretches. The second night they went 5 hours between feedings and then last night they went 6 1/2 hours! I'm not sure if that is coincidence or not. We found that we can swaddle the babies so much tighter and more secure than the regular receiving blankets. Hope that helps!

 

I never used the miracle blankets, but absolutely love the Bumbos. My girls are 8 months and we still use them to sit and watch us in the kitchen. They are great because it helps them to sit and be able to watch you.

 

I bought the Bumbo seat and found it wasn't worth it. My son who is a chubbo got stuck in it.

 

quote:
Originally posted by mrsfussypants:
I'm another expecting momma coming to ask your advice on some things. I've got a 2 year old at home, and I'm astounded at all the cool things they've come up with for babies since I had him! Here are the things I'm wondering about being worth the money:

Miracle blankets--I was a huge fan of swaddling my ds, and felt like a normal blanket did the trick just fine. Are these really better? They seem crazy expensive, but if you tell me they're worth it...I'll believe you!

**** I'd get the Ultimate Swaddling Blanket -- it's big enough to swaddle them well into their 7 mo if you need to. The kiddopottomus stuff, I found, was a pain, the babies always got some body part out and they shrank real quick with washing so they were pretty much a waste of money.

Bumbo seats--the concept is so cool! The price...not so cool--especially considering I'd want 2 of them. You think they're worth it? Is a bouncy seat going to do the same thing for me?

**** I'd get one, but maybe not two. they are great for the time between when your kids play with toys and sit alone. (3-5 or 6 mos) but after that they are useless. My kiddos used them for a bout 1 month and I sold them. Unlike the previous post mentions, there is a TRAY you can buy at Target.com that attaches and keeps toys up at hands' reach. FYI

Thanks for having BTDT. I appreciate your opinions!

**** Cheers and good luck with your twins.

Reyna


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