(Part 2) Best baby gyms & playmats according to redditors

Hey there! Just finished setting up the nursery and writing this from my hospital bed during the induction process. Loved seeing everyone's nurseries! 


A few very smart humans before me said to decorate with things that you like or things that can live in the rest of the house. It really stuck with me and with kids toys being so loud, I kept the base elements simple and soft.  Honestly it's my favorite room in the house and both my doggos love to chill in there waiting for their bud to join :)




Amazon:

Doggo lamp (so far so good, but don't lose the allen keys.): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746CX88D?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


Tripod lamp, great deal imo: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BDPJXGH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


Wood & Steel Side Table: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ADG15W?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


Promise Babe Baby Play Gym Wooden Frame: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCN2TL7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_R47gDb6WH0RCJ



WayFair

Glider: https://www.wayfair.com/baby-kids/pdp/davinci-piper-reclining-glider-dv2203.html



IKEA

Bakvam Spice Racks for the books

Raskog rolling cart for extra diapers and the whatnot.

Hemnes dresser and tall dresser (in the closet) found on Nextdoor. I kinda followed: https://www.twotwentyone.net/nursery-dresser-organization/ for the large dresser organization (with the drawer organizers). 


GOOGLE

Camera, home, nest smoke alarm, and hue lights bulbs.



From around...

The plants :) most hailing from Flora Grubb in SF and planters from Etsy and Flora Grubb.

Pillows, pretty sure the succulent is from Society6

Black and White throw, won't last long in the kids room, but from the couch and probably Ikea.

Rug: originally in our office (now kids room) is from ruggable. It's machine washable and w two older doggos, totally saves the day. 

Posters from Society6.

The crib was a hand-me-down from friends. 




Moar photos:

http://imgur.com/gallery/Y8gS2nF


Thanks! 

Edit: he's out! 3 days of inducing and then an emergency C-section. Fun.... Birth story coming:)

For larger playmats with a side length up to 36 inches, go to Amazon.com and search for Alvin Tubes. I have 8 of the 24 inch tubes and 2 of the 36 inch tubes. They come in clear and translucent colors and include a carry strap. They are fantastic. If your playmats are smaller with a short side of 14 inches or less, the Monster triangular tubes and Monster double tubes are great. I'm still looking for a solution for mats between 36 and 48 inches wide on the short side. I just received the Western Legends Playmat and it's 25x48inches. When rolled to the short side, it's a hair too long to fit in the 24 inch tube and must be rolled very tight to fit in a 36 inch tube (too tight for my preference). Once I have the playmat in a protective tube, I always store them horizontally. I worry about long term storage damaging the bottom end if stored vertically.

If you can't use strollers, I'd recommend wearing your babies. Check out these options: https://www.lucieslist.com/twin-baby-carriers/

One recommendation we had going in was don't buy stuff you don't know you need until you know you need it. Too often we end up with too much stuff we don't need because we assume we will need it. For their first year, we were raising our babies in Los Angeles, although we did still manage to use a stroller often.

A trade-off of small space or not having a lot of baby things is that you need to do more with what you have. Fewer outfits means more laundry. Fewer bottles means cleaning them more often. In your apartment, if there's an area you can have clear for the babies to be in, I'd recommend getting some soft tiles like these. Instead of hard wood or carpet, it's a slightly soft space for babies to lay, have tummy time, or for you to just put them down for a minute.

Also, at 6 weeks they still don't do much. He will probably fall asleep anywhere you put him. They only really stay awake for an hour at a time at that age, and that includes feeding and diaper changing, so not much time for stimulating activities. At that age I tried to get like two tummy time sessions in a day and a little time on her activity mat to look at the toys. She didn't start actually batting and playing with the toys until 3-4 months old.

Baby Einstein Mat? Walls come up to form a ball pit. Its not fool proof; walls are soft. But maybe entertaining enough that she won't attempt escapes as often?.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072MQYXPG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_wYeNDb7DT4G3T

Bright colored toys that are soft and crinkly, Books (Soft books and books to be read to him), Clothing is always a blessing, Anything labeled Babies First Christmas (Hat, Stocking, Ornament, Book). And my little ones always loved those water filled mats for tummy time like this:

Have fun and Congrats on your little one!

This one from Fisher Price was a favorite in the early days and this one from Tiny Love Meadow Days was our favorite when he got a little older and didn't spend all his time on his back.

I have this and LOVED it (it doesn’t get much use now that she is walking, but I have brought it outside for a flat surface dor a ball pit to go on) https://www.amazon.com/Skip-Hop-Playspot-Foam-Cream/dp/B01K9Z355C?th=1&psc=1

Rather than reassemble it all the time, i just fold the fully assembled one in half and tuck away

Edit to add - it is in tiles so you can make any size or shape you please. If you wanted a giant one you could buy a second one and piece together.

ECR4Kids Softzone Patchwork Toddler Foam Play Mat, 58" Square, Contemporary https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPX76D3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5PE3BbQMSQNAR we have two of these mats. I would recommend them. Our twins love them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/31-5x23-6inch-TQP-CK-Drawing-Painting-Learning/dp/B01MEH09SN

aquadoodle....

This is the closest I could find

PlayTivity Monkey Blankee 18" by Douglas Cuddle Toys by Douglas Cuddle Toys https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015YSOPBM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_bX4DAbJTZCWS8

We got this one from Amazon.

We have the Baby Einstein one - it folds up pretty small but open it's just a bit larger than 3'x4'

We have tile throughout the main living areas of the house and one large, very thin oriental area rug in the living room. After my son whacked his noggin on the hard floor a second time I knew we needed to do something to get him through the crawling/learning to walk phase. We ended up getting two sets of these mats and two sets of these gates (though we started off with one and one while he was just learning and didn't need quite as much space) and set up a baby jail area in the living room. I also got a bunch of these anti-fatigue mats to put underneath our thin area rug in the living room. Worked great - now that my son is 15 months old and running/jumping/spinning/dancing/climbing/sliding/tackling/throwing fits allofthetime I'm much more comfortable letting him do these physical things on these padded surfaces than I'd be if he were on the tile.

Depending on your layout of the apartment, you’ll want either baby gates or something like this or this. There are a ton of different types so finding out that works in your space might involve some searching. A pack n play is pretty small for playing. Once they start crawling they want to move around.

Boy, howdy, talk about a timely post.

I was considering this very thing the other day as I was sitting at my desk going over our plans for the summer. Our eldest is seven years old, built like he's 11, but social-emotionally closer to five.

He is capable of carrying his baby sister, an 19-pound 11-month old, around the house. However, I'd really rather not overburden my offspring with something so heavy in general until he's older. So, I've placed the following in a backpack identical to his school bag, save for the color:

-1 set seasonally-appropriate change of clothes; (Under Armour is our go-to because even their coldgear line is lightweight, but effective)

-1 extra set underwear and socks

-3 pullups in a ziploc bag (for bedtime, because accidents should be avoided if at all possible)

-1 each of: rain poncho, foil blanket, small microfiber towel, microfiber washcloth, handkerchief, bandana,[monkey mat] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IUC4ZGE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lUG5CbP8ANJSZ), sun hat, sunglasses

-travel sized tissues, toilet paper, wet wipes, toddler potty wipes, hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss picks, liquid soap, chapstick, comb, mirror compact

-a small sketchbook, colored pencils, sharpener

-2 lightweight storybooks

-pack of cards

-small LED headlamp

-1 penlight

-water filter bottle

-his zero-waste mess kit (lightweight silicone)

-an Altoid tin -style first aid kit with alcohol swabs, antibiotic bandaids, burn gel pack, eyedrops, folding scissors

-some prepackaged snacks in ziploc bags (in case of breakage)

-pedialyte powder packs

-3 days worth of his medications (prescription and OTC) in a pillbox. (I keep spares of everyone's meds in my own bag)

-his noise-muffling headphones (sensory processing disorder is a bitch at the best of times; no way are we leaving these behind)

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When it comes to the baby, her diaper bag is the BOB for her. That said, I have a second diaper bag prepped with duplicate items that I keep with the rest of the bug-out bags in the closet near the front door. In addition, the baby carrier (a Beco Gemini) hangs on a hook beside said closet. That way, its right there where we're used to it being. Even if we're bugging out via vehicle rather than on foot, it's ready to go with us, because it is way easier to carry a baby or toddler strapped to your person than in your arms.

Additionally, we have a Beachcomber folding wagon tucked behind the rosemary bushes flsnking our front door. Never hurts to have an alternative way to transport tired children. Just in case. (Especially since the seven year old doesn't fit in a stroller. )

We have hardwood floors and got my son this to play on. He's 5 months and it's great for him to roll on and wiggle around and get the hang of crawling but I agree once they get to crawling there's no containing them and they do just fine on hardwood. I figured I could use it for the park and as a play area still for a while so I think it's worth the money.

Edit: found and linked exact one I purchased

That was bought in a panic after we realized one person couldn't keep both twins from sitting up and slamming their heads against the floor during play time. That only lasted for a short time now, they're pretty sturdy now. Here it is if you're interested

Here you go!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Childrens-Pink-Foam-Play-Mats/dp/B01GMV8A9I