The Fathers Thread

SeaFields

^^ congratulations Liam.





We're into the third trimester here. DIY on going at home to get the room ready and researching the various bits we need. The wife is starting to get a bit uncomfortable after she flew thru the second trimester without any symptoms.

have to say tho, I swear to God it was easier to choose the car I bought last year than it is to choose a push chair. Once i start looking i end up more confused than when i started

DavyD_83

SeaFields wrote: »

^^ congratulations Liam.





We're into the third trimester here. DIY on going at home to get the room ready and researching the various bits we need. The wife is starting to get a bit uncomfortable after she flew thru the second trimester without any symptoms.

have to say tho, I swear to God it was easier to choose the car I bought last year than it is to choose a push chair. Once i start looking i end up more confused than when i started

so true about buggies. We've 'decided' 4 or 5 times now, but the i look something else up and get confused all over again.
Anybody with experienced words of wisdom?
26 weeks in ourselves and just getting going on the DIY as well; starting to feel i probably should have started it weeks ago...

nikpmup

DavyD_83 wrote: »

Anybody with experienced words of wisdom?

Bring the test buggy out to the car on a p1ssing wet day. Hold eighteen bags of shopping and a large, wriggly German Shepherd puppy or similar. Attempt to fold the buggy and lift it into the boot with one hand. Now attempt to take it out. Repeat x 6 times a day for three years.

chefwes

DavyD_83 wrote: »

so true about buggies. We've 'decided' 4 or 5 times now, but the i look something else up and get confused all over again.
Anybody with experienced words of wisdom?
26 weeks in ourselves and just getting going on the DIY as well; starting to feel i probably should have started it weeks ago...

Best advice I can offer after going through 5 !!!!!! Travel systems and it's only our first baby haha that if you each have a car then the isofix bases are a must that wY you just click the baby chair in and out and your not messing with belts and buckles. We finally settled on a graco logico s. It's got great rubber wheels , can be used front or rear facing and generally you get the baby chair , the basket cot and the pushchair seat in the package and the 1 rain over can fit all 3 pieces. Only bad part is that the basket is tiny on it so that may be a deal breaker for mammy . Size wise although it's big it fit perfectly into my wife's Peugeot 206. Check out adverts or if you go to baby elegance in blanch they had an offer for €999 where you got absolutely everything you need from buggy to cotbed to sheets and bottles and even some clothes. Literally everything you need.

Chattastrophe!

chefwes wrote: »

Best advice I can offer after going through 5 !!!!!! Travel systems and it's only our first baby haha that if you each have a car then the isofix bases are a must that wY you just click the baby chair in and out and your not messing with belts and buckles. We finally settled on a graco logico s. It's got great rubber wheels , can be used front or rear facing and generally you get the baby chair , the basket cot and the pushchair seat in the package and the 1 rain over can fit all 3 pieces. Only bad part is that the basket is tiny on it so that may be a deal breaker for mammy . Size wise although it's big it fit perfectly into my wife's Peugeot 206. Check out adverts or if you go to baby elegance in blanch they had an offer for €999 where you got absolutely everything you need from buggy to cotbed to sheets and bottles and even some clothes. Literally everything you need.

There is a thread here on that €999 Baby Elegance offer.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84825571

General verdict is that it includes quite a few things you don't need, and doesn't include several items that would be considered essential by most (e.g. steriliser, baby monitors, Isofix base for car, bouncer, room thermometer, play mat etc.) I've also heard that the bottles are very bad quality and tend to leak. Oh and as far as I know, they're not orthodontic soothers, so I wouldn't use them.

Overall I think you'd get far better value by making a list of "essentials" and shopping around.

nikpmup

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

There is a thread here on that €999 Baby Elegance offer.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84825571

General verdict is that it includes quite a few things you don't need, and doesn't include several items that would be considered essential by most (e.g. steriliser, baby monitors, Isofix base for car, bouncer, room thermometer, play mat etc.) I've also heard that the bottles are very bad quality and tend to leak. Oh and as far as I know, they're not orthodontic soothers, so I wouldn't use them.

Overall I think you'd get far better value by making a list of "essentials" and shopping around.

+1 - also, some of the baby elegance stuff I've bought I'm really not happy with the quality. I bought a pebble travel system to replace the one that was nicked out of my car, it was only €399, but it felt cheap, rattles like mad when I walk, even on fairly smooth pavements. The carrycot and buggy lining are hard and uncomfortable - I ended up putting a Moses basket mattress under the lining to make it a bit softer. I also bought a pocket sprung mattress, and I have to turn it twice a week, it's got deep indentations from his head and body. It'll be going into the travel cot soon and I'll be buying a better quality mattress from mamas and papas or mothercare.

Chattastrophe!

nikpmup wrote: »

+1 - also, some of the baby elegance stuff I've bought I'm really not happy with the quality. I bought a pebble travel system to replace the one that was nicked out of my car, it was only €399, but it felt cheap, rattles like mad when I walk, even on fairly smooth pavements. The carrycot and buggy lining are hard and uncomfortable - I ended up putting a Moses basket mattress under the lining to make it a bit softer. I also bought a pocket sprung mattress, and I have to turn it twice a week, it's got deep indentations from his head and body. It'll be going into the travel cot soon and I'll be buying a better quality mattress from mamas and papas or mothercare.

I'd say our mattress is the same one. I went for the more expensive pocket-sprung one because I'd read all about how important it is to get that type, however like you say there's a deep indentation from his head every single morning. Doesn't seem right or healthy at all. Especially when he has a bit of a potato-head as it is! I know we should "spring" (heh!) for a better one, really can't afford to though!

Pawwed Rig

chefwes wrote: »

Best advice I can offer after going through 5 !!!!!!

5? Bloody hell

We got the be safe one
http://tonykealys.com/car-seats/group-0/besafe-izi-go.html
as it was the one recommended by the HSE class and also the shop where we bought the pram. They gave us a package with the car seat, isofix and pram. It was expensive though but we are happy enough with them.

liam1

we bought our buggy on the internet as a travel system and we got two or three days later .try look on amazon for the last minute deals or as say in the us black Friday deal that's how we got most of orla things.try it out

DavyD_83

liam1 wrote: »

we bought our buggy on the internet as a travel system and we got two or three days later .try look on amazon for the last minute deals or as say in the us black Friday deal that's how we got most of orla things.try it out

have been keeping an eye on deals everywhere I can.
at the moment we seem to be meaning towards the uppababy vista. Seems good, but pretty pricey and possibly has some extra features that arent really needed...?
which brand & model did you go for in the end? Happy so far?

The_Conductor

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

5? Bloody hell

We got the be safe one
http://tonykealys.com/car-seats/group-0/besafe-izi-go.html
as it was the one recommended by the HSE class and also the shop where we bought the pram. They gave us a package with the car seat, isofix and pram. It was expensive though but we are happy enough with them.

Find out what follow-on chairs fit the Isofix base.......
They don't advertise the follow-on chairs when they're selling you Stage 1 normally- but if you're paying 150-200 for an Isofix base, at very least make sure you have follow-on options for when the Stage 1 chair is being vacated.

Aka- stage 1 will only last 6-8 months (even that is being generous)- stage 2-3 lasts a further 3-4 years- you want to make sure you future proof the likes of the isofix base- as far as is possible.

liam1

Had to ask the wife this one.. We bought a Petite Star travel system from Amazon. I think it might have been end of the line as we got it reduced to 160pounds. Its good but car seat isnt isofix and you have to use the seatbelt. But since the car seats only last 4-6 months for the really small babies we thought this was ok. the carrycot which came as part of travel system is great, we're using it as the downstairs moses basket at the moment

tempnam

Need some advice lads.

The missus is back to work this week. Her maternity leave finished a few months ago and she used holidays + unpaid leave to extend to now.

She's absolutely devastated at the thought of leaving our 10 month old every day and going to work. I can understand how she feels and how hard it is for her - but unfortunately we can't live just on my salary.

We're lucky in one sense that we don't have to put the baby in creche, and a family member is taking her every day. But my O/H is so upset to the point where I can actually see by looking at her it's as if someone switched off a light inside her.

It's breaking my heart to see but I don't know what I can do?

Calhoun

Not much i can say other than it will get easier on her, once she gets back into the routine and into day to day hopefully she will enjoy it.

As you say you guys are in a lucky position that it wont be strangers looking after your child.

Unless you earn more money or change something in your life there is not much you can do other than be there for her.

Pawwed Rig

She had a good run. 10 months is more than most would get. Would you consider taking some unpaid leave yourself? it is a very rewarding experience.
She is really just being put in the position that you have been in all along. She will get over it.

Chattastrophe!

I understand where she's coming from. It's like, the older they get, the more interactive they are, and the harder it is to contemplate leaving them! In a way I think I'll find it easier leaving my six-month-old in July, than I would if I were to take extra unpaid leave. If that makes sense. When you spend all of your time, every waking minute, with one person, they become your life. I think that the way she's feeling is heartbreaking, but totally absolutely normal.

Not much you can do about it (apart from having another kid, more maternity leave? :pac: ) but just be there for her. Any chance she could go back on a part-time basis? Perhaps she has annual leave accrued from her maternity leave, so maybe she could do 3/4 day weeks for the first few weeks?

nikpmup

I'm back to work about two weeks, and I'm heartbroken leaving him every day but it has to be done. I'm reassured it gets easier :-/ Maybe your wife could ask if she could take parental leave one day a week, if her job would allow it?

zadey

Hi guys... what does anyone know about the CWO helping with a cot/buggy. We started our journey a little behind in rent so we are not off to a good start so if the CWO can help it would help us alot. Thanks for any response.

Zadey - 25 Weeks

madeinamerica

interesting article on guys in the labour ward

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/call-the-midwife-dad-1.1826072

Guffy

zadey wrote: »

Hi guys... what does anyone know about the CWO helping with a cot/buggy. We started our journey a little behind in rent so we are not off to a good start so if the CWO can help it would help us alot. Thanks for any response.

Zadey - 25 Weeks

Think they do alright. Maybe just ring them?

January

You'll need to go down to your local health centre clinic and fill in a form for an exceptional needs payment.

zadey

OK I will ring him.... he is a nasty man though... Cheers guys

firestarter51

why not try adverts for a cot and buggy, a lovely cot sold on there for fifty euro, it might be easier than getting a grilling at the welfare
let us know how you get on

zadey

i rang the cwo and he said to call back after the baby is born, we will more than likely get them from the charity shop the guy in there said we can pay him off weekly on anything we like

firestarter51

is the stuff any good in the charity shop ?
the items on adverts are like new in some cases

zadey

yeah the charity shop stuff looks good, the cots dont always have the mattress but we would probably get a nice new one for our little girl anyway. We have already started picking up clothes in there as they are like new and only a fraction of the price of the new stuff.

firestarter51

new mattress is a good idea, have a look here 70 per cent off, 15 euro you cant go wrong

http://www.kiddicare.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_11302_-1_124351_10151

the stuff is great and delivery is really quick, o got a cot bed matterss from them very cheap

zadey

nice site, thank you firestarter

SuperS54

I was looking at second hand cots as well, however there is apparently some connection between using second hand mattresses and SID syndrome. Don't want to worry anyone unduly, I'm still buying a second hand cot but will be tossing the mattress and getting a new one. A google search will bring up the reasoning behind it, for me the extra few quid is worth it for peace of mind.

Oh, and only a month to go, starting to get a little scary!

Pawwed Rig

A new mattress is only €20 anyway although ours cost 40 as we had to buy it twice when babybiz went out of business:mad: