Friday, October 21, 2011

we need them AGAIN?!

When Samantha was born, one big ticket item we didn't have was a baby swing.  I had opted to go for this newfangled contraption called a mamaroo, or as Chris calls it "the space pod".  Yeah, $200 later and Samantha hates it.  Ever since she was born, she has refused to sit in it for more than 5 minutes.  So much for the cute new "swing" I so desperately wanted.  For now, it's put away in her bedroom in hopes that she might enjoy it at some point or that a future little brother or sister will like it.

During my first visit to Chicago when Samantha was 6 weeks old, we borrowed a traditional swing from my friend Brenna.  Of course, Samantha LOVED it.  Samantha has acid reflux and calming her down was a complete nightmare at the beginning.  Seriously, it was impossible to get her to stop crying.  The second I put her in this swing, she was silent.  So of course, I sent my husband a text saying we just HAD to have one.  It was a miracle.  Chris of course was hesitant and didn't want to spend another $100+ on a swing since we already had the mamaroo.  But I won out and we ordered a swing.  We chose a Fisher Price brand swing that had a mirror on the bottom of the motor because the one we borrowed had a mirror and Samantha seemed to really enjoy looking up at herself.  The swing arrived, I assembled it all by myself, and Samantha was then a happy camper!  Wahoo!

Now here is the problem...I chose a swing that has no option to plug into the wall.  What a mistake!!  The swing runs on 4 D batteries.  Lets remember that at the beginning the swing was one of the only ways to get Samantha calm, and now, the swing is where Samantha naps.  So yeah, we use the swing a lot.  I think we go through a pack of batteries every 2-3 weeks.  D batteries aren't cheap, running at about $10 a pack.  I'm wondering how quickly it will be before we've spent more on batteries than we did on the swing!!  Probably not much longer.  If I had to do it again, I would most definitely pick a swing that has the option to plug in rather than only use batteries.

What are some baby purchases you made that looking back, probably weren't too smart?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll be sure to keep sending you battery coupons. AP

Lindsay said...

We bought a wipe warmer that was battery operated, too. DISASTER, for the same reasons. We also registered for and received a baby tub that ended up running on 12 C batteries at once. 12! We returned it for a simpler one.

Amy said...

9 oz bottles. At first he wouldn't take the breast so those 4 5-oz bottles were nice to have. Now that he's nursing he won't take a bottle, and even if he did I still don't think he'd eat more than 4 ounces at a time even at 7 months. Of course they've all been washed and sterilized in preparation... We registered for and got one of those high chairs that change into a youth chair - easy to hose down but not very supportive while learning to sit up. I'm sure it'll eventually get a lot of use, it is just taking M longer to be ready for it than I thought. Good thing friends gave us a traditional high chair hand me down.

Stephanie H. said...

12 batteries?!?! Holy cow. I'd be sending that back too!!

Melissa Nelson said...

I love Fisher-Price! Both Hannah's swing and bouncer are Fisher-Price, though she no longer fits in her bouncer and is close to outgrowing her swing, but both are awesome products. Our swing plugs in to the wall and is super convenient!

I think the biggest mistake I've probably made, with Hannah at least, was not going with my gut on the travel system I originally wanted. My mom offered to buy it for us as a baby shower gift and was on a budget, so I told her to get us the Graco Alano and it ended up not working out. The car seat only went up to 22 pounds and tilted when we "secured" it with the lap/shoulder belt. It didn't come with a locking clip, either, and just felt very unsafe. I ended up buying a Chicco Cortina travel system (which is what I originally wanted, but it was too expensive and James had complained that, for whatever reason, he felt it was cheap -- men), which I love. The car seat comes with a built-in locking clip so it fits securely in my car and doesn't tilt, and the car seat can hold babies up to 30 pounds.

I ended up selling Hannah's Graco Alano travel system to someone on Craiglist for $100, lol.