Baby Shopping, seriously wth.

[Ruffrider25]

I haven't been around here long enough to know if a lot of you have kids or not, but I just wanted to post a post of frustration.

First, why does every freaking manufacturer make 100 different models of the same damn thing, but not list a single difference. My wife and I have looked at so many strollers and car seats and pack and plays. The only thing I noticed is that I feel like I am going to break every freaking thing I touch.

The only solution I can find to this is to spend $700 on a Uppababy Stroller, and that pisses me off lol.

Second topic is car seats. Both my wife and I have small cars. She has a Ford Focus and I have a 2003 Mustang GT, which is my baby , . Now I know that a Mustang isn't a family car but come on, every god damn car seat that we find out there will not fit in the car and allow someone to ride safely in the passenger seat. I was hoping that me, the wife, and the baby would be able to take weekend joy rides together, there is nothing like cruising in Daytona on a nice summer day with the windows down and loud exhaust annoying every person within a 500 foot radius giving you evil looks. This will now never happen unless the wife stays home... so maybe when we are fighting this will be a good way to get out of the house! lol.

Third Topic, cost of the actual birth. Sorry in advance if any of this upsets anyone. Both Ashley and I have self plans, we don't work for large companies that have group plans that cover everything under the sun. Prenatal care alone is $3,000 dollars. Prenatal vitamins that will make your baby pop out as smart as Einstein are $75 a month. Extra Ultrasounds = $125 each. Hospital Bills are sure to be holy crap expensive.

Meanwhile, someone with no health insurance or job gets all of this for free! Ashley and I work hard, we have extremely good jobs for the area we live in. Why do we have to get shafted just because we have an income.

Fourth Topic, it is time to drink a few beers and unfortunately contemplate selling the mustang and getting a beater to afford all of this .

[luvMyBRT]

I am a mother of two. A 2 year old and a 4 year old. I just have one thing to say and it is this: Just wait until you get to hold your brand new baby for the first time. It will all be worth it. The love for a child is something you can't explain or understand until you have one.

Congrats!

[chowder]

I have two boys, both of them in their twenties now. We had a simple, hand me down stroller when they were real tiny with no cup holder, bottom rack, or anything. Just enough for them to lay down in. As soon as they were old enough to sort of sit up, they had an umbrella stoller. It was great because it could fit through any tight aisle in a store and it folded up small and would fit in the trunk of my husband t-bird. I have no idea how some people manage to maneuver these giant strollers that I see now thru department stores without crashing into everything and everybody. Those things would also fill up the trunk on just about any car.

We also had a fairly small car seat that would fit in the back of a two door t-bird. Both of my boys survived and grew up just fine with a small stroller and small car seat.

Don't even get me started with you on the health insurance. My oldest just graduated college so he got kicked off our insurance even though he has a major health problem. We are paying Cobra insurance for him, and us, and you don't even want to know how much that is per year! I can appreciate what you are going thru with the bills, so save what you can on the big expensive baby equipment. The babies really don't need all the fancy stuff. We didn't have any of that twenty years ago and the boys did just fine. In fact, you can check out Craigs list or garage sales for slightly used stuff and get some really good deals. Babies don't put any wear on things. That's what we did. Just make sure there aren't any recalls on the stuff you get. Then you can keep the mustang!

[g00dgirl]

As if I needed any more reasons to confirm my decision to not have children.

Good luck with everything!

[DaneMama]

^^^ Same here...furkids for me and Jon LOL

We are contemplating getting a 5th dog...which of course will be a Dane

Coming here to vent is always a good thing, we all do it from time to time. There are a lot of different people on here and so with that a lot of help and encouragement and advice. I hope that you figure everything out!

[CorgiPaws]

First off, Congratulations!!
I'm just off birth control, so I've been reading A LOT on this topic, though I don't have kids of my own yet.

First, why does every freaking manufacturer make 100 different models of the same damn thing, but not list a single difference. My wife and I have looked at so many strollers and car seats and pack and plays. The only thing I noticed is that I feel like I am going to break every freaking thing I touch.

The only solution I can find to this is to spend $700 on a Uppababy Stroller, and that pisses me off lol.

My siblings all have kids, and they swear by Eddie Bauer car seats, high chairs, etc. They're really great quality, and what I like about them is they aren't all frilly foo foo junk with baby animals printed all over them in every pastel shade you can imagine. They're more expensive than some brands, but definately reasonable.
My sister rives a tiny Kia Rio, and her Eddie Bauer car seats fit just fine, and my Sister-in-Law drives a Ford Focus, and her Eddie Bauer seat can fit in the back, plus two passengers relatively comfortable.

Third Topic, cost of the actual birth. Sorry in advance if any of this upsets anyone. Both Ashley and I have self plans, we don't work for large companies that have group plans that cover everything under the sun. Prenatal care alone is $3,000 dollars. Prenatal vitamins that will make your baby pop out as smart as Einstein are $75 a month. Extra Ultrasounds = $125 each. Hospital Bills are sure to be holy crap expensive.

I know it's a controversial topic, so I hope I don't offend anyone. Has your wife considered a home birth or birthing clinic?
Jon and I have decided on a birthing clinic, mostly because I'm not confident enough to do a home birth, although I'm a huge advocate of it... but I despise the traditional hospital setting that treats pregnancy and labor like a disease that must be treated. A birthing clinic is like an inbetween the two, in the sense that the actually rooms are not set up like a hospital. there's generally a bed like you'd have at home, and then a couch, tv, and generally a large jetted tub for waterbirthing. (way neat! I'm definately going to do a water birth!) There are no pain medications used, and it's generally viewed by women who go this route as an empowering experience. Our total tab for prenatal care, ultrasounds, labor & delivery, and aftercare will be less than $2000. The price is the same with or without insurence. Being self employed, we do not have insurence right now, but that had NOTHING to do with our decision to go this route, I want more from the experience than a hospital has to offer.
How are Birth Centers Different?

Meanwhile, someone with no health insurance or job gets all of this for free! Ashley and I work hard, we have extremely good jobs for the area we live in. Why do we have to get shafted just because we have an income.

Frustrating, ain't it?

[harrkim120]

I have a 5 year old son, and believe me...I totally get you on all points.

My best advice...create a baby registry thingy at Babies 'R' Us or something and pick out all the awesome, expensive stuff that you would want. Then for what ever else you need that you don't get, look on Craigslist for it.

Friends and family will be getting things for the baby anyway, I'm sure. Why not make sure it's stuff you can actually use?

[xxshaelxx]

Meanwhile, someone with no health insurance or job gets all of this for free! Ashley and I work hard, we have extremely good jobs for the area we live in. Why do we have to get shafted just because we have an income.

OMG! This kind of stuff makes me so MAD!!! I have a friend who had an "oops" baby when she was eighteen, and since then she's always been struggling, unable to pay her bills, on medicare, food stamps, etc. Well, year and a half ago she got pregnant again, another "oops" baby, but she had a miscarriage. Her and her husband DECIDED they wanted another baby. Nine months later, "POP!" She's STILL on medicare, STILL on food stamps, STILL living in her late grandfather's trailer free of mortgage/rent, paying only the other bills, and stuff, yet STILL wanted a baby?! I almost KILLED her!!!!

It was great because it could fit through any tight aisle in a store and it folded up small and would fit in the trunk of my husband t-bird. I have no idea how some people manage to maneuver these giant strollers that I see now thru department stores without crashing into everything and everybody. Those things would also fill up the trunk on just about any car.

Dude....I have one thing to say....Baby backpacks, or whatever they're called. haha. I'm sorry, but if I EVER had a baby, I'd never fork out $700 for one of those things they call a baby stroller. They're so HUGE, lunky, over-priced, and for what? Extra protection for your baby? Yeah, because you're totally going to be pushing the baby out into the middle of the street to get knocked around by the cars. I honestly think that those big, lunky things are even more dangerous, just because it does look really difficult to maneuver them around store aisles and whatnot, and what happens if you run into something because it's so huge and heavy, and stuff topples down on top of baby? Uh...yeah...

[chowder]

Dude....I have one thing to say....Baby backpacks, or whatever they're called. haha. I'm sorry, but if I EVER had a baby, I'd never fork out $700 for one of those things they call a baby stroller. They're so HUGE, lunky, over-priced, and for what? Extra protection for your baby? Yeah, because you're totally going to be pushing the baby out into the middle of the street to get knocked around by the cars. I honestly think that those big, lunky things are even more dangerous, just because it does look really difficult to maneuver them around store aisles and whatnot, and what happens if you run into something because it's so huge and heavy, and stuff topples down on top of baby? Uh...yeah...

I guarantee.....there isn't a baby out there that knows whether it's in a $700 stroller or in a hand me down stroller from the next door neighbor. All it cares about is who the person is looking down at them.

We had a baby backpack but both my babies got way too heavy for me to keep them in it for very long. Now they have those new sling type things that hang off the front of you and I think I would try that. I ended up carrying my babies most of the time when they were little anyway because they were coliccy (sp) so the sling might actually work. I did actually put them in the little umbrella stroller and stroll them back and forth around the house when they were sick at night and it was the dead of winter.....something else you can't do with those humongous strollers unless you have a humongous house to match!

[wags]

Ahhhh baby woes!
Wait until their teenagers and its cars and dates and you worry about who they are with and what they are doing and on and on and on! What college they want to go to what do they want to really do for a living. It always is where you want the best for your children! Strollers, car seats, bills bills bills! Be prepared for the never ending story! It just goes on and on! Welcome to life with baby. I would not though change a thing I had 5 of them! And yes the bills add up but you know somehow you do manage. You may not get that certain brand of TV you have wanted or that certain special designer item you have dreamed of but it is all good. You get that beautiful smile that wonderful first word~ mama dada! Of course for me theirs was mama ha! But yep its costly and its all worth it! My babies are now between the ages of 17 and 27! Yikes what happened here ha ha! I got married when I was 19 you do the math ha! You will look back on this and say whew it was tough but we made it! I have told my kids gee wait till your 30 and then think marriage and stuff don't rush it and I tell them your decision kids or no kids! They have to make that with their spouses! Good luck with your beautiful bundle of joy to come you will love every minute of it!