So, my dears, an important topic for those who decide that the baby would sleep in a crib, move around in a pram and wear clothes: what, how many pieces, for how much? If you decide to go a conventional way, make a short list regardless of your baby clothes shopping tactics.
My tactic was: to choose the main things for the first month yourself and organize a baby shower to get stuff for the months 2 to 4. Really. My birthday was a great occasion to gather friends, paint on ceramics, drink wine and order some cute things for the kid (I was sure it was a girl, but still asked for some neutrally coloured clothes, which appeared to be a great idea in the end).
Otherwise I spent a lot of time researching what I wanted on wishlist.ge (I’m not paid by them, they are just a proper shop with a convenient, functional website and not only a Facebook page that responds once upon a blue moon). Then we went to a physical shop in Dighomi, saw everything I liked in real life and bought almost everything we needed. By the way, the rest of wishlist shops are very poor in terms of selection and consultants’ professionalism, so dedicate some time to a Dighomi trip.
We decided on some conventional things such as a crib, nappy changing drawer, transformer stroller, baby nest, high weaning chair and a foldable bathtub.
A crib we bought was not a popular transformer model. To me, it was important not only to fit it next to my bed but also to make it a safe space for the kid to sleep. So Daniel’s crib is rectangular, with an orthopedic mattress… and nothing else. No cute stuff, no musical mobile, no curtains, no pillows, no blankets.
This is Sparta, baby! Now, my baby wears a toga to stay warm at night, by the way. A true Spartan :) but to be serious, all the extra pillows and bumpers increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), so I didn’t want to have another reason to worry.
The nappy changing commode is also very practical and very wooden, as well as the crib. No fabric (=dust collecting) involved. It’s pity it’s not on sale anymore - it is a really good piece of furniture!
The stroller is Amaia by Kikkaboo - not as fancy as Anex, but we are pretty happy with it. If you are aiming to have at least one full nap in the stroller, go for the one with the proper lying position and also get an orthopedic mattress.
I know many parents are putting the kids into the car seat on the stroller carcass, but I read a lot of stuff and watched some interviews with pediatrists on youtube, and the knowledge I got just didn’t let me put the baby to sleep into the car seat. However, I understand the convenience. The car seat is not as bulky. Finally, the choice is yours! I’m here not to judge, but to share my experience.
Actually, we didn’t like the car seat that was a part of 3 in 1 package of the stroller, so we didn’t use it even in the car, and bought a huge ISOFIX one (from 0 to 36 months), on the picture 3.
Daniel looks visibly more comfortable in this one: his head is in the proper place, and his body is more relaxed, but also fixed straight enough… Our trips to Kakheti showed us the difference. Long story short: if you’re planning long-ish trips, buy a good car seat.
The baby nest was a lifesaver (or at least a sleep saver), because Daniel was too small for the full crib and was rotating and waking himself up, we didn’t dare to co-sleep fully, taking the baby into our bed only in the morning, so putting the nest into the crib appeared to be an idea that worked.
The baby feels cozy, he still sleeps next to us, we can put him sleep in our bed and then transfer him to his, and we are sleeping well at night, not being afraid to accidentally lie down on the little one.
A bassinet would be a great thing to have too, and if I ever go for the second child, I’ll buy a bassinet for the convenient co-sleeping, yes or yes.
The foldable bathtub quickly became too short for our tall boy, and our bathroom space also didn’t allow us to put it into our bathtub correctly, so we had to sell it and after a couple of attempts to bathe Daniel in our bathtub and his cautious reaction (interpreting: he was scared by the suddenly expanded body of water), we just bought a bigger child-sized one. Not foldable, but shaped as our bathtub, and hence not damageable as easily as the previous one.
The weaning chair is still to be tested, but we liked the fact that it transforms into the “normal” table and chair in the future.
The next category was textile - blankets, swaddles, and all things like this. We failed with swaddling, but the togas/sleepsacks we were gifted were very useful, and the old-school cotton blankets we’ve got from our mothers were really useful for wrapping Daniel into a little shawarma to carry around, covering his feet during the naps, covering some harsher surfaces with them, covering our bedsheets, so that if Daniel suddenly makes a fruitful burp, I won’t need to change the whole bedding. Those cotton blankets are on sale online: for example, here, here and here, but I’m sure that Station Square market and Lilo have them, too.
Muslin blankets are also useful not only for swaddling or cute pictures, but also for getting rid of burping results sometimes, covering the baby in the stroller, and covering his head on the way from home to the clinic (we live very close and we hate hats). The muslin blankets are easier to find. I bought ours in Mothercare, but there are some even in Waikiki.
I bought a set of a big blanket, towel and sleeping sack in Mimo, and while the towel and sleeping sack were useful, the big blanket was used only once for the maternity hospital check-out, and as a photo background. To be honest, it’s too bulky. I’ve got the other towels, nappy changing cover and burp cloths from Tbilihobby and was very happy.
The only thing I didn’t use properly was the breastfeeding pillow: by the time I was able to sit (ahem, love will tear some of us apart for sure), Daniel grew quite long, and putting him on the pillow was uncomfortable. Now I’m using it as a support for my back or as a lazy entertainment for Daniel (“look at the pattern - this is Mars, this is a spaceship, and this is Matthew McConaughey”).
As for the clothes, Daniel’s first onesies were from Mothercare. Thanks, Black Friday! Otherwise it is a bit overpriced here. The rest that followed was mostly from H&M and LC Waikiki or Next Kids - soft fabric, cute patterns, nice colours… however, too many dinosaurs and Mickey Mouse. Ugh.
There are also Georgian brands that create cute things for the little ones such as Niblia, iuku or Tek Style, but those are rather pretty than practical. By the way, I’ll have to talk about the practical aspect in a separate post, because it is quite an important aspect for first-time parents, and we made some mistakes along the way.
Thank you for bearing with me throughout my shopping reflections! Till next post :)
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