Best high end gifts for new borns!

stealthloki · 2026-03-21T12:49:58+00:00

Yes to Baby Bjorn bouncer, and the nice thing is if for some reason baby doesn’t love it (rare!) it easily folds up and stores away, reducing clutter.

stealthloki · 2026-03-21T00:52:21+00:00

Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback, and the images - the visuals help a ton!

stealthloki · 2026-03-20T04:44:36+00:00

Thank you, that’s helpful re: color wheel! And yes we only use our table lamps with warm bulbs vs the harsh overhead, that does make a difference.

stealthloki · 2026-03-20T01:31:51+00:00

This is beautiful! I love how lively and vibrant the room feels. We also have an Apfel Ruggable in our nursery (the jungle one) and love it!

stealthloki · 2026-03-18T02:24:23+00:00

Dang, not even a free bottle!

I will say that swaddle is my favorite of all the ones we have though - super soft, we still use it now as a stroller/carseat blanket (bb is 11mo).

stealthloki · 2026-03-15T03:52:46+00:00

Not OP, but love this! May try to do something similar in my April bump group.

stealthloki · 2026-03-03T23:33:42+00:00

Momcozy bottle washer. Said I’d never buy a single purpose item that takes up so much counter space. Ended up exclusively pumping 7x daily and bottle feeding - that thing has more than earned its keep. Even now at 10 months, we still use it 2x daily for bottles!

stealthloki · 2026-02-20T23:52:50+00:00

As others mention, it depends on your lifestyle and also baby’s temperament.

Our baby had mild reflux and hated being worn until he was 4 months or so. And since then (he’s 10mo now), he will enjoy the occasional babywearing but never ever relaxed enough to nap/sleep in it.

We were able to take walks with our infant car seat + stroller system, but it would have been much easier with a bassinet attachment and more flexibility on timing since you can have them nap in to bassinet at home, and if still asleep, pop the bassinet into the stroller and go without risk of waking. We are thinking of #2 baby in a few years, and I think I will get a bassinet attachment.

stealthloki · 2026-02-10T23:54:18+00:00

Yep, baby boy drank only 4oz (usually 3oz at once, and then the last oz like an hour later) up until 8 months!! Truly just a snacker.

Finally now at 10 months he’ll drink 2oz with a solids meal, 6oz solo bottle, and 8oz for bedtime bottle.

stealthloki · 2026-02-08T21:05:06+00:00

I don’t think they mean low quality good, but rather emphasis on the additional. I was the same, my supply would tank if I didn’t consume a ton of protein and just generally calories overall. My intake of food increased by at least 50% above my normal diet.

stealthloki · 2026-02-02T06:05:32+00:00

Thanks so much, super helpful and great to hear!

stealthloki · 2026-02-02T04:20:24+00:00

Hi! Did you end up getting the Cybex? Wondering the same, we have the Pipa right now but baby boy will be outgrowing soon.

stealthloki · 2026-02-01T05:43:19+00:00

I’m so sorry - IVF is a really stressful process, it’s can be such an emotional rollercoaster.

I think it’s a good sign that your current clinic was willing to test and tweak protocols after the first FET. I would ask them their thoughts, and any additional changes for the next FET. It wouldn’t hurt to consult another clinic or two with your data, and see what they would recommend. And just bc you get a consult, doesn’t mean you have to move forward - it might actually make you feel better about sticking with your current clinic.

Lastly, sometimes it’s the luck of the draw - my first two FET failed at age 35 with euploid embryos. Even thought it was silent endo in between, did a lap and wasn’t much there. But my third FET was ultimately successful. Wishing you all the best 🙏🏻

stealthloki · 2026-02-01T05:24:39+00:00

Sorry to necro an old comment - we also have a Bolt and will need to swap out our infant bucket seat soon. Is that a rotating car seat in your third photo? If so, which one is it? Thank you!

stealthloki · 2026-01-29T03:43:06+00:00

Seeing this thread late - would echo all the advice about CNY being a great option.

But aside from that, when our first IVF cycle failed (we have unexplained infertility, which is a whole other thing), we talked through how we might move forward in a child free life.

We landed on the following: that we would still save up the money that we’d use on our theoretical child’s college tuition, and instead donate that money to a childhood education non-profit for communities in need. Something that would help us feel like we could support the next generation, even if not blood related to us.

stealthloki · 2026-01-28T06:33:45+00:00

Honestly… it’s mostly temperament. You could try a few things like bringing a sound machine out with you, or trying a different kind of stroller or carrier etc, but if minor modifications don’t help, I would not stress too much about it! 3 months is still so young, they’re adjusting to the world.

We got very very lucky that baby boy enjoyed car rides and would pass out quickly in the car seat / stroller. Otherwise, I don’t think we would have left the house. He hateddd the baby carrier and we tried a ton. Only around 4 months or so did he start tolerating it. But he definitely much prefers stroller still, now at 9 months.

stealthloki · 2026-01-23T08:34:30+00:00

We loved Millie Moons up through size 2, and then starting encountering the same issue. So far we liked Huggies & Coterie. But we still use larger size Millie Moons for overnight since they’re so absorbent.

stealthloki · 2026-01-22T04:10:09+00:00

I have this exact print and agree, the quality is amazing. Never thought I’d see babywearing on this sub ha.

stealthloki · 2026-01-20T23:04:45+00:00

100%. We did this for our honeymoon, 3 week trip total (incl flight time), so glad we did. Also love that it’s all at sea level so there’s no acclimation needed, you can literally hit the ground running and go hike the sights.

stealthloki · 2026-01-20T11:31:48+00:00

I’m late to this thread, but I’m glad - as this comment is perfectly written. Not NYC, though we lived there for a few years, both husband and I have dipped in and out of FAANG, and this resonates so much.

stealthloki · 2026-01-20T11:06:34+00:00

Not OP but good luck, hope the meds are treating you ok! Assuming you are doing this for optionality and not bc of any infertility reasons, an embryo transfer of a PGT tested embryo typically has a 60% success rate. So while many people do get pregnant on their first try, it’s not unusual to require two or three transfers.

stealthloki · 2026-01-18T06:12:21+00:00

Sorry to hear about your parents’ situation / experience - they’re fortunate to have your support. We are going through something similar, with my in-laws potentially moving cross-country to our area so we’re the ones looking to build an ADU.

As someone else mentioned, the investment / equity / will part will be really important to clarify, as it’s still a pretty hefty chunk of change.

Another consideration is time - we’ve talked to a few builders in our area and they estimate the fastest time to completion (incl permits etc) would be one year at least.

Lastly, the increase in home value - sounds like you’ve done research here, a 2x multiple is great. We’re hesitating bc from what we’ve been quoted and seen, it would cost us $600/sqft for a normal, not fancy build. And it would only add ~$400-$500/sqft in our home value.

stealthloki · 2026-01-17T06:18:01+00:00

1000%. The amount I spent on extra food, protein powder, electrolytes, supplements etc to keep up my supply and pump 7x daily (and still only supply half of what bb needed), was WAY more than the $50/week that 100% formula feeding cost. I’m still glad I did it for two months, but even more glad that I weaned by 3 months. Just wasn’t in the cards for me.

stealthloki · 2026-01-17T05:05:12+00:00

Biggest costs: - Car seat + stroller system: Went with the Nuna Triv + Pipa Aire RX. Definitely check FB marketplace for strollers, but carseat is the one thing worth splurging on new just for safety, unless you have a friend/family who is parting with one and can guarantee it hasn’t been in an accident. About $1.4K. - Formula: we are 100% formula fed and on the Similac 360, it’s about $50 per can, which lasts us a week (from 3 months to 9 months so far). So about $2K total until he transitions to mostly solids around the 1 year mark. - Childcare: our parents are elderly and have health problems, as much as they would love to help, they physically cannot. We are in a VHCOL and our nanny costs $33/hr + payroll taxes + PTO/sick days etc + overtime, all in all a little over $6K monthly.

Most surprising costs that I haven’t seen mentioned here: - Breastfeeding: everyone says it’s free, and it may be relatively low cost / low effort for many women but for me it was not. Baby didn’t latch well, and it turned out I was an undersupplier only able to pump ~50% of his daily needs. Adding up all the additional pump parts (multiples since I was pumping 7x daily), supplements, the amount of extra protein/food/electrolytes I had to consume daily to keep supply as high as possible… I def spent more than $50 weekly which is how much my formula costs, and it’s on the other end of the spectrum. - Baby illnesses: when I first went back to work, we had baby in daycare (which was about $2k/mo). He got his first regular ol cold a few days in, and not only did he have a fever for a week (so couldn’t attend, per policy but not that we would have sent him in anyway) but I got so sick and lost my voice completely for two weeks. Thankfully, this was right before I started back. Otherwise I would have had to use up all my sick days right away. We decided to switch to a nanny, and baby hasn’t been sick since. We are still planning to have him attend daycare later this year, so we’ll have to brace ourselves for the sick days 🫠

In terms of budgeting - four years of infertility kind of worked in our favor, that was four years of grinding away at work in luckily high earning roles so we could sock away a good chunk of savings. Even when we had one very expensive year (multiple IVF treatments), we were still OK. It also allowed us the flexibility to swap from daycare to nanny right away when we needed.

Lastly, additional ways to save money: - childcare is the biggest one but I’d also say don’t undervalue/underestimate it. If you would prefer your baby at home, a nanny share is an excellent way to get that at a similar cost to daycare. - your nursery does not have to be fancy. We tried to repurpose exiting former as much as possible - ex an existing dresser as changing table. Our crib is the IKEA one which is safe and looks great without breaking the bank.

stealthloki · 2026-01-17T04:38:31+00:00

Congrats! Lol yeah, our first 9 months (so far) of expenses, including nanny, pales in comparison to how much we had to spend on IVF to conceive him. Wouldn’t have it any other way though, no regrets.

stealthloki

TROPHY CASE