Thrift Store Mommy

It seems there are so many products available for babies to help them develop their motor skills and minds early on so they don’t fall behind. It’s really difficult to decide what is best, and even worse worrying if your child is behind. After lots of research, primarily reading reviews from other parents, we decided to forego the Baby Can Read series and just go with Baby Einstein.

Baby Neptune Play Gym

This was one of the first items I put on my baby registry. I tried in vane to get one used, and found one with some of the parts but not all. But blessed are we that good family friends gave this to us at my last baby shower. We had already been gifted a Fisher-Price Precious Planet play gym, but our son showed no interest in it. The mat was very thin, and the crossbars fell over pretty easily. The toys were too hard for him and after a minute or two, he would just start crying. At about three months of age, we broke out the Baby Neptune Play Gym and he fell in love with it! The sounds and the lights keep him entertained, the toys are within reach so he can put them in his mouth (his favorite thing to do), and we even found that he likes the toys independently of the gym (the octopus with the rattle is his favorite). The sound and light machine has velcro straps so it can be taken off of the play gym and used on the crib, too. While these items are often listed on Craigslist and eBay, it’s not a bad one to have brand new.

Baby Einstein Discovery Play Center

My brother and his wife got this for us. It was a favorite for both of their sons, and they thought ours would like it too. He does, but he didn’t at first. We first tried it right when he turned 6 months. He had already been used to sitting in a seat with his little jumperoo, but this one made him more unbalanced as it is very wide all the way around, causing him to either lean forward or side to side since he wasn’t fully able to hold himself upright just yet. He was fine with a couple of the toys, but the ones that made sounds scared him so badly he would just cry. After about seven weeks, he has finally gotten the hang of it all, and can easily turn himself in it. We find he can only take it in 20 to 30 minute segments though.

I’m not sure if I would say this had to be a Baby Einstein item. I have seen several other brands with just as many features at lower prices. Regardless, for the amount of use we get, I would not have bought it new. I have seen many listings for these items on Craigslist and would recommend families buy second-hand before spending full price. I am hopeful it comes to be something he enjoys as he gets older, but at this age, it is just not one of his favorite things.

(Item pictured is not the one we have but the new version from Baby Einstein; I could not find that one online.)

Baby Einstein DVDs

I believe I have saved the best for last. One of my girlfriends gave me two for a baby shower and said they were the favorite for her two kids. I was a bit skeptical, after all, I didn’t want my son spending lots of time watching the TV. However, I had some time before he was coming to join us, so I set out to buy as many online as I could. And I’m so incredibly glad that I did. While parents may get bored of seeing them over and over again (having a variety helps your sanity), the kids seem to love them. We introduced them to our son when he was about five months old. So far, his favorites are the music and colors ones, though he also seems to like the farm (Baby MacDonald).

My recommendation is still not to buy these brand new; there are far too many of them available used online through eBay, Half.com, and Amazon Marketplace. My suggestion to get the best value is to look on ebay first for someone selling them in lots (avoid ones that say “complete set of 26″ for a real cheap price brand new; those are actually copies and most people have been complaining online that they do not work in American DVD players). If you aren’t having luck on ebay (though that’s where I got most of ours), then pop over to Half.com. Look to make purchases from the same seller to save you on shipping (it’s about 1/2 shipping price after the first item). If you still can’t find all the ones you want there, then you can certainly find them on the Amazon Marketplace. Just keep in mind that Amazon does not discount the shipping for multiple items from the same seller, so you may spend more than you need to for multiple DVDs.

Overall, I think Baby Einstein offers great products for enhancing your child’s development, but I don’t think they should be the sole source. Nothing can take the place of all your child will get from their interactions with you. That’s why we read one book a day to our son, even if all he wants is to try and put it in his mouth.

As a side note, we have also purchased Baby Einstein Books and Discovery Cards though we have only used the Mirror Me book just yet.

Share this:

One of the hardest decisions I had to make, and one that took me the longest, was which baby monitor to use. I scoured online forums, reading stories of poor battery life and even video units that were visible outside of the home without parents knowing. After analyzing for a few weeks, I settled on a Sony BabyCall, and found one with two parental units on eBay for $30 (shipping included).

When the BabyCall monitor set arrived, we put one parental unit in the bedroom and one in the den. Since they are able to stay plugged in, it gave us entire house coverage from one end to the next. We usually left the volume down if we were in either room as the indicator lights would make enough of a movement for us to notice baby was crying. If we wanted to walk outside, we found that the parental unit had great range all around the house.

Last month, Graco reached out and offered me the chance to start reviewing their products. As I am a big fan of their car seat and stroller, I was excited to take the opportunity. So Graco provided me with their new Secure Coverage Digital Baby Monitor free of charge and asked me to share my honest opinion on the product. I had been completely satisfied with my Sony BabyCall, so I wasn’t sure how this new monitor could make me replace the old one. Here are my findings:

Pros:

• Both the Graco nursery and parent units are smaller, and the parent unit’s belt clip is much easier to use. This is also an added benefit if you travel a lot to make for easier packing.
• The parent unit will vibrate when baby cries, a great plus if using at a grandparent’s house that is hard of hearing.
• Just like the Sony BabyCall, the Graco parent unit works while plugged in to AC or with the rechargeable battery pack.
• Distance wise, I had full coverage throughout my house and outside, and it got a few feet further than the BabyCall before being out of range.

Cons:

• Took me almost 20 minutes to set up and required both a flathead and a small phillips head screwdriver, and for the first time, I had to actually read the instructions to get it set up.
• Although I liked that the parent unit vibrates when baby cries, I much preferred the Sony BabyCall parent unit’s setting that allows you to hear all sounds in the nursery or voice only, although the Graco parent unit does allow you to turn the volume all the way down and be alerted just to the vibration.
• When I went to unplug the nursery unit after testing it for the weekend, I noticed I would have to once again get a screwdriver to take out the batteries in order for the unit to actually shut off.

All in all, I think the Graco monitor is a great product, especially for the price. I purchased my Sony BabyCall for $30 used for the nursery unit plus two parental units. Brand new, it would have cost $69 (or $49 if you get just one parental unit). The Graco monitor retails for $44.99 with one parental unit and $64.99 for two parental units, making it a pretty good price match with the BabyCall. I think if I had found the Graco monitor first, I would love it just as much as I do the BabyCall. That said, we may actually switch to the Graco monitor for the primary reason that the parental unit is easier to carry around while getting house work done or spending some time outdoors.

Share this: