Many people have been to the USA, especially to Orlando and New York, to buy baby´s first wardrobe. We also did it. We stayed dor 11 days in New York to enjoy our last trip without kids. It was delightful. I was 17 weeks pregnant (a great moment, as I wasn´t sick anymore, still was slim and no back pain). We bought a lot of things there. The prices are much better than in Brazil. You can´t even compare. We wanted to get to know the city well, that´s why we only used two days to shop (one day dedicated to the outlets - actually, 80% of the shopping was to ourselves, I confess - and another one to Buy buy baby).
I decided to write about the things that were worth buying, actually many things I describe aren´t essential, my mother didn´t even dream about those kind of things, and she still brought 5 of us up... bur they are really helpful. We live in a small apartment, and it´s amazing that we keep so many things because of the baby. That´why I´ll tell what I feel is importante to buy, because you can easily get carried away when you see all the nice things that you won´t have another chance to buy.
We went to the famous outlet Woodbury (http://www.
In fact, he liked a lot the hotel. Very well placed (close to the subway, Central Park, markets... breakfast was included - simple - and there was a mini kitchen, where we could cook, make salads...).
We took our GPS, that was essential for us to get to the outlet, but it was easy (it took a few blocks for my love to get used to the automatic transmission, neither of us have driven this kind of car). It was great to go by car. We got there as soon as It opened and left right before it closed. It was easy and comfortable.
We bought there many Carters clothes. Very, very cheap. Beautiful sets with shoe, pant, body, long sleeve top, cap for 8 dolars. I got nuts... I bought a lot of clothes, in fact 99% of all the outfits were bought there. What is worth it:
OUTFITS
Bodysuits, many of them... the best ones open int the front, they are easier to put on, don´t need to pass through the head.
Many sizes. Nowadays my baby is 11 months, but sleeps everynight wearing a bodysuit, otherwise she wakes up with her stomach and back exposed.
The long sleeve bodysuits are excelent for sleeping.
Cotton pants, with and without feet are also very useful, for sleeping, crawling...
Socks are incredibly cheaper than in Brazil, it´s worth it to buy a lot of them. Also buy the gripper ones, when the baby starts to stand up these are the best, much safer.
Bath towels are much nocer and cheaper too.
Cotton blankets and others even warmers are always very useful. Even when they grow up. You don´t need many, buy the softest ones.
Bathing suits are also much cheaper, so if your baby is going to take swuim classes. you should get some.
Almost everything below was bought at Buy Buy Baby, whe went to the hotel and asked to deliver at our hotel.
Electrical Products
Baby camera with night view, we got a Fisher Price one. We use it a lot, even nowadays. She sleeps in her room, but I only feel relaxed because I can wath and listen to her all night long.
Electrical brest pump. I bought Medela. I used it a lot!!! I managed to keep exclusive brestfeeding until she was 6,5 months old ( I partially got back to work when she was less than 2 months old). From that age on she started to have juices, fruits... I would pump milk from one breast and leave the other one for her. I would store in sterilized glass bottles (last untill 12h in fridge and 15 days in the freezer).
Portable DVD player. Guaranteed peace (for some minutes) for dinner or not freeking out in the car (actually, you can freek out with the DVD... don´t underestimate the "Little Spot Chicken").
Baby light/musical projector. We bought one with many sounds (heartbeat, rain, ocean, sleep songs) and that project images at the ceiling. When she was very little she enjoyed observing. But the music is the main part of the sleeping process. Every night she takes a bath, is fed, listen to the music and sleeps. It´s quite portable, when we sleep away it´s easy to take with us, to make her feel safe (babies feel safe = routine). We have the one in the picture:
Feeding accessories
Bottles - we bought the Dr Brown brand, that has a "anti-colic" system. But is good only for newborns, that have pure milk, it´s not good for vitamins or cereal. So, but this brand only for the first months. The system is great. The milk doesm´t fall easily, the baby really need to suck it; that´s good if you intend to keep brestfeeding. Bottle feeding doesn´t seem easier than breast feeding, this doesn´t encourage the little baby to prefer the bottle. I give a tip to all my friends: pump your milk at night and let daddy feed the baby during the night, it splits the work, increases their bond, lets you rest much more - obviously you need a nice, helpful daddy - (I managed to sleep 6 hours in a row when ahe was 20 days old. That´s unusual.) and makes it easier to accept the bottle, when you need to work. As a physician, I must confess this tip goes against what I learned at my great Pediatric Classes (really good, UFF is the best in pediatrics!). I read this in Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau book, the famous "Secvrets of the baby whisperer". I did as she told: I started when she was 15 days old, just one breast milk bottle in the middle of the night. We didn´t have any issues with mixing nipples. My cuttie is breast fed and bottle fed even nowadays, on the verge of becoming 1 year old.
Bottles and bottle nipples - In Brazil they are very expensive and don´t have much choice. Those cross cut bottle nipples are a must have, they´re the best ones to have cereal, what the baby is going to have for a long time.
Pacifiers. Buy many of many sizes. They are cheaper and beautiful. Once again, as a physician I am against pacifiers, but as a mum I must admit they´re much needed for life. I control their use. i only allow them for sleeping, don´t let her spend the day with it, unless she´s sick or annoyed.
Pacifiers keepers, one more beautiful than the other.
Silicone spoons. The best ones are completely made of silicone, not the ones with a metal handle, because you can sterilize in the microwave. I bought some in Brazil, but wasn´t as good as the one I brought from USA (just brought one).
Stay-put bowls for soup.
Bottle microwave sterilizer
Bowls for powdered formula (separated portions for feeding outside the house)
Bed and Travel
Car seat with a stay-in-car base. We bought the Graco brand, that adapted to a simple car base (the base costed 40 dolars). That´s a very compact stroller, easy to keep in the trunk. The bad thing is that it only keep at the car seat position, doesn´t lay down (having a lay-down stroller is very useful for a newborn, we mieed it).
Stroller. We chose to buy two, a Graco brand, described above, and an umbrella type, MacLaren brand, for different life moments. In the beginning she used only the Graco one, nowadays she uses both and soon she´ll use only MacLaren. If there wasn´t the inconvenient of the not laying down, It would have been a perfect choice.
MacLaren umbrella stroller - we have one of this and like it very much. Light and comfortable.
I didn´t buy this one, but should be the ideal one. You just need to make sure it fits the trunk.
Portable crib. It´s huge, but we used it wuite often when sleeping away, and we use it a lot to avoid her escape. She usually wakes up before 7am (she sleeps at 7:30pm): I change her diaper, feed her and we watch tv a bit (Discovery Kids) eating a tea biscuit inside this crib. It has been like that for the last 2,5 months. We bought one that came with a bassinet, that was very useful when she was little.
Baby rocker chair, we used a lot, but for a short period of time. when the baby starts to move more, usually before 4 months old, it gets unsafe to leave her there. We used it a lot, but not sure if I would buy it again.
These items are not easy to bring, but when we compare the prices, it´s worth it. If in the rain, let it rain...
Health and beauty
For mammy: Lansinoh cream. It helps a lot avoiding nipple sore at the beginning of breastfeeding. it can be quite painful (for me this phase lasted 3 months!), but it was worth it. This cream really diminishes the pain. I only brought one, had to buy one here. I paid 10 dolars there and 90 reais here.
Also for mommy: Palmer´s moisturizers, oils and butter, I brought many of them, used every day. Stretch marks mainly depend on genetics, but we should keep our skin very well hydrated and avoid gaining too muh weight. Luckly I didn´t have stretch marks. I liked the creams, especially the butter one. Even now I still use it for my feet.
Diaper Rash Ointment: Desitin. We bought 10 tubes and 1 pot. Used very quickly. It´s used every diaper change. If you don´t have a bag weight problem, bring as many as you can... you use it a lot, always.
Mustela Baby sunscreen. I don´t use much, but it´s important to have it around.
Mommy´s clothes
Nowadays I see many stores with nice outfits for pregnant women in Rio. The prices are the problem. When I went to New York I was slim, at 17 weeks I was wearing the same 38 size jeans as before. I couldn´t realize my pregnant situation at the time, it was hard to imagine myself 12kg above my weight, and most of it on my waist. But even though I bought some clothes. Thanks God. I used them a lot!!! My favourites: black legging (brought 3 - look great with tunics, short dress...) and the jeans trousers (also brought 2, were on sale, 15 dolars). Obviously it depends on each one´s style. I really like jeans.
Jeans - regular outfit for pregnant ladies. I like that one.
Black legging - goes with everything!
i also bought many shirts (at outlet) from Calvin Klein. Great for breastfeeding (I should say my great pride got in my way, I bought almost everything small size; my breasts grew like crazy and not untill today those clothes fit me nicely - LOL)
Nightgowns and nice pajamas are important also. Here they are very expensive. I bought many of them on sale at 21th Century.
Front open pajama. Good for breastfeeding after labour.
Soutiens and panties are also good to be brought. I didn´t bring soutien, didn´t know what size to bring... but I brought some high waist panties. I used them a lot. I didn´t use a belt after labour. I used it a few days, but couldn´t stand it, but the high waist panties I used for a long time.
High waist panties. A frontal rib is important. It´s almost a belt.
Toys
We bought that play rug that´s an activity center. She didn´t use much, But it´s nice, When they´re two months old they already start paying atenttion to movements. I don´t know if I would bring it again. i guess not...
Play rub - activity center
What was really worth it were those musical toys, that play when you press them, they are very interactive. For when they grow up a bit. She loves a picnic basket that sings when she puts the right block on its right place (ahe still needs help, but gets all happy she does it right). It´s good because you start to introduce english words in baby´s life.
Fischer-Price picnic basket
Custom: always a mistery... could make the trip not worth it...
On the way back, in Rio, we went to the Things to declare row (we were in evidence, with a lot of bags); we only declared the computer (a big Mac) and the DVD player - the only electronic devices - and calmly passed by with our 5 bags (1 extra bag - actually not even a bag. We bought a huge box in a department store, with the maximum size allowed by the airline company and put in the bigger stuff, like crib, safe chair... things that wouldn´t fit our bag and weighed till they reached 32kg - all without their original boxes). We weren´t asked to show anything, they saw the stroller, safe chair... no problem. Two agents, one was a woman, that talked to us were actually very nice. I didn´t even seemed pregnant (I heard they´re nicer to pregnant ladies). I thing it depends on who is working at the customs.
At Ricardo Freire´s super website, another one I adore, there´s a forum about customs when coming back with layette. My experience was great, but there were other people who weren´t so lucky. It´s good to collect as much information as you can. Check it out: http://www.viajenaviagem.
Mom-to-mom tip:
The deliveries are very efficient in USA. It´s worth it to buy at a website like Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/
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