The great baby shopping spree has begun.
On Saturday, we headed out to TJ's to start actually buying baby stuff. Now in the third trimester, it feels like it must be time to get started.
What is now our guest room will become the nursery. The room we've used as an office this past year will be both office and guest room. (I almost wish we hadn't bought such a good mattress for the guest bed, so we could guiltlessly dispose of it in favour of a pull-out couch, now that the room will be multi-purpose. The room will be, ahem, cozy, but at least our guests will still have a comfortable place to sleep.) Until we get that a bit more organised, we don't really want to start bringing home baby paraphernalia. We also anticipated that we'd have to order at least a few things.
As it happened, the crib and carseat we've chosen were both in stock, no ordering required, so instead we've put them on hold with a deposit. We know we'll get what we want, but don't need to bring them home yet, so this is a pretty good arrangement as far as we're concerned.
We have a strong preference for a foam mattress for the crib, but these are proving difficult to find. So far, we've found only one. It fits the crib perfectly, but the mattress kind of swims in its cover; I'd prefer the cover to be more taut around the mattress. (Make any sense?) There are a few more stores to check, but I'm afraid our choices may be very limited.
Since we weren't ready to bring anything home with us just yet, we decided to start a registry. It is more of a to-do list for us; our decisions are mostly made, we just have to actually buy the stuff. There are still a few more things to decide on (I cannot see Werner waiting at the store as I try out various nursing pillows... I'll have to do that one solo, I think), but at least we've got some things finalised.
A few preferred items aren't available at TJ's, so there will be a few other shops involved, too. The Pack and Play that seems best for us isn't at TJ's, but is at the Bay. The diaper disposal we decided on also isn't at TJ's. I know it is at Babies R Us, not sure about the Bay, will have to look into it.
And, of course, the stroller. There are two stores in Vancouver proper that sell it. Crocodile is conveniently located, but I just don't like going there. The clerks always seem so haughty or patronising. (My first experience was very early on: I went to Crocodile because they were listed as selling Preggie Pops. I was informed by the clerk that not only did they not sell them, but that she also didn't believe in them; women with morning sickness should rely solely on lime sorbet. Um, thanks, I'll be sure to keep a litre in my purse for those morning sickness emergencies...) So I'd simply rather not buy there, even if it is pique on my part. (They'll still get some of our business, though, as they seem to be the only store that sells the Drop diaper bag we've decided on. It is a lot like the Skip*Hop bags, but offers the best of the Duo and Dash models with none of the drawbacks of either.) The other store, ModernKid, is in Gastown, where parking is a nuisance. Baby's World in Coquitlam sells Bugaboos, and that's where we've finally ordered from. Ok, Coquitlam is far from convenient, but for one thing they're just a few blocks from Ikea (where we shop far too frequently, and go get Werner regular hits of Swedish meatballs and the Manager's Special), and they'll deliver the Cameleon to their store on West 4th. (That location, being just two blocks from Crocodile, is not an authorised retailer.)
Some big to-dos off of our list!
What is now our guest room will become the nursery. The room we've used as an office this past year will be both office and guest room. (I almost wish we hadn't bought such a good mattress for the guest bed, so we could guiltlessly dispose of it in favour of a pull-out couch, now that the room will be multi-purpose. The room will be, ahem, cozy, but at least our guests will still have a comfortable place to sleep.) Until we get that a bit more organised, we don't really want to start bringing home baby paraphernalia. We also anticipated that we'd have to order at least a few things.
As it happened, the crib and carseat we've chosen were both in stock, no ordering required, so instead we've put them on hold with a deposit. We know we'll get what we want, but don't need to bring them home yet, so this is a pretty good arrangement as far as we're concerned.
We have a strong preference for a foam mattress for the crib, but these are proving difficult to find. So far, we've found only one. It fits the crib perfectly, but the mattress kind of swims in its cover; I'd prefer the cover to be more taut around the mattress. (Make any sense?) There are a few more stores to check, but I'm afraid our choices may be very limited.
Since we weren't ready to bring anything home with us just yet, we decided to start a registry. It is more of a to-do list for us; our decisions are mostly made, we just have to actually buy the stuff. There are still a few more things to decide on (I cannot see Werner waiting at the store as I try out various nursing pillows... I'll have to do that one solo, I think), but at least we've got some things finalised.
A few preferred items aren't available at TJ's, so there will be a few other shops involved, too. The Pack and Play that seems best for us isn't at TJ's, but is at the Bay. The diaper disposal we decided on also isn't at TJ's. I know it is at Babies R Us, not sure about the Bay, will have to look into it.
And, of course, the stroller. There are two stores in Vancouver proper that sell it. Crocodile is conveniently located, but I just don't like going there. The clerks always seem so haughty or patronising. (My first experience was very early on: I went to Crocodile because they were listed as selling Preggie Pops. I was informed by the clerk that not only did they not sell them, but that she also didn't believe in them; women with morning sickness should rely solely on lime sorbet. Um, thanks, I'll be sure to keep a litre in my purse for those morning sickness emergencies...) So I'd simply rather not buy there, even if it is pique on my part. (They'll still get some of our business, though, as they seem to be the only store that sells the Drop diaper bag we've decided on. It is a lot like the Skip*Hop bags, but offers the best of the Duo and Dash models with none of the drawbacks of either.) The other store, ModernKid, is in Gastown, where parking is a nuisance. Baby's World in Coquitlam sells Bugaboos, and that's where we've finally ordered from. Ok, Coquitlam is far from convenient, but for one thing they're just a few blocks from Ikea (where we shop far too frequently, and go get Werner regular hits of Swedish meatballs and the Manager's Special), and they'll deliver the Cameleon to their store on West 4th. (That location, being just two blocks from Crocodile, is not an authorised retailer.)
Some big to-dos off of our list!
posted by Melanie A at 10:31 a.m.
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