What to Pay - Rocking Chair

We use our rocker all the time. However, we can't always rock in it because it squeaks. We have tried to oil it a few times, but it doesn't seem to work. I think the next step will be to buy some tools to take it apart to really get the oil deep inside. 

This was a super hard purchase for me. I wanted a glider (because everyone said that is what you need). We went from store to store to store to find the perfect one for the perfect price and never did find one. I wanted something to go with our Primary color theme and I wanted something cheap. Well, neither of those options existed. 

A friend ended up getting me one at a thrift store that needed new pads, so in the end I did get exactly what I wanted: A glider rocker with a cover that perfectly matched our nursery (because I made it). However, now that I am an experienced Mom, I think the perfect nursery chair would be a lazy-boy. Unless you have strick rules that baby should always sleep in his or her crib, having a place that I could rock baby to sleep and then recline so I could sleep would have been really nice on those nights where he has a cough or is congested. 

I never saw a glider rocker and ottoman for under $150 in the store. I think they have them around that price at target, but any furniture store we went to did not have them under $300. I have seen them used for $30, but you will want to make sure they are squeak free. 

What do you think the perfect type of chair for the nursery is? What do you have? Were you able to re purpose a chair you already had? If you bought yours, did you get a good deal?

What to Pay - Baby Gym

 

Although I saw many of these at a mom 2 mom sale in the $10-$20 and one for $5. I declined to buy it because I had not done my homework and assumed they were probably not much more than $20 new, so they didn't seem like very good deals. It turns out these things start around $50 new, which seems silly to me for a quilt and some cloth covered foam. 

I ended up paying $10 for mine from our childbirth educator when she had her garage sale. It was worth a bit more to me to know where it had come from. If you find one of these for $5 pick it up. I had a friend get one for under that once, but it was quite soiled. 

We didn't really use ours that much. We used it more for a quilt to lay on the ground. By the time he was interested in batting at the toys hanging on it, he was also able to sit with support, so we had plenty of other things he could use for that. Our did come with a tummy time pillow which we did use, but overall I would put this on our "used, but didn't need" list. Especially if you need to pay full price. 

Did you use your play gym enough to stay it was worth it? Did you get a good deal?

What to pay - Pack n Play

Our pack n play was on clearance for about $80 when we registered for it. 

After talking to some experience parents, the "delux" pack-n-plays did not seem worth it. I would suggest going to Babies R us and lifting the box of the pack n play you like before deciding to purchase. The basic pack n play is quite heavy, even without the gadgets. Also, gadgets such as the bassinet and changing table don't always even fit in the bag. So you may need to get a bigger car if you want to go anywhere with your baby, pack n play and all the accessories.

As for used, I have not seen many great deals on these. The ones I have seen for sale are usually so gross that I wouldn't take them for free for my son. They do make covers, but they are about $50. Also, my biggest issue with most of the the pack n plays I have seen is that they smell and/or look like they have mildew on them, so the cover may not help you there.

Did you get your pack n play used? How much did you pay? Do you use/like all of your extras?

What to pay - High Chair

The Eddie Bauer Wood High Chair, is the high chair we have. It looks awesome in our living room and we use it all the time. It was purchased from my registry as a gift.  It is however an item that made my "Wait and see" list from my What does baby really need? post.

I was never really in the market for a high chair, so I don't know that I am the best authority of used pricing. I did however find one on the side of the road on large item trash day and another one that someone was giving away online, so they were both free to me. One is at my mother-in-laws and I gave the other to a friend.

One thing to look out for is safety straps. I have purchased/found 3 baby items where the straps were missing or broken. The high chair at my mother in laws (didn't replace), the booster seat (I actually found a strap in a free bin with a working clip) and our outdoor baby swing. I had to purchase a whole new clip and sew it on the strap because one end was missing. The clip was actually quite pricey at $3, but since I only paid $1 for the swing, it was still a good deal. Just make sure you are factoring in repair cost on damaged "deals".

Do you consider your high chair an essential item or is it just in the way? When did your child move to a booster? Did you get a good deal on yours?

What to pay - Bumbo Seat

I paid $13 for my bumbo seat. (I talked her down from $15) and it came with the box (better resale?). I also purchased one for $10 for a friend (talked down from $15 as well).

They are $40 at babies R us.

Has anyone else seen many more blue seats out there than any other color? 
Do you have a bumbo? 
How much/long did you use it? 
Did you get a good deal? 
When shopping for used things, would you be more willing to purchase something in its original packaging?

What to pay - Bouncer Seat

The bouncer seat was my very first purchase at my very first mom 2 mom sale.

We used the seat all the time when he was an infant. It was nice if we needed to shower or something, he could sit up in the bathroom and be happy. Ours also had a vibrate feature which was nice when he was stuffed up and we were trying to get him to nap. We would also use it in the bathroom when he was congested. We would run hot water (or just take a shower) to get steam in the room. Another benefit was that it was pretty easy to put in the car and go.

Ours is not the same as the one pictured, but it is similar in its build and features. I paid $10 for mine, but have seen them cheaper quite a bit. I would still say that average is right around $10. I have seen nice, yet basic ones for $5, if you see one at that price, I would snag it. I have seen them as low as $2, but they are much older models.

Do you have a bouncer? How much did you use it? Did you get a good deal?

What to pay - Excersaucer

This is an item that, for the 4 months we used it I loved it! We have the farm exersaucer pictured above as a surprise gift. I remember putting my son in there when he was quite young and watching him intentionally spin the wheel that has chickens in it for the first time. I never thought I would be so excited and proud of someone for "spinning chickens".

I have some parents say they did just fine with out one of these, but I personally wished I had more.

The bad news is that I have been pretty surprised at how much these go for used. I think they are normally around $20 for one that is in good condition. However, even ones that look like they have been outside for the last year still go for $10-$15. I was at a mom 2 mom sale after my son was born where they had probably at least 10 of these left. Since we were there for the last hour of the sale, everything was half off which made them about $2, that is the best deal I have ever seen on them.

Do you have an Excersaucer? Is it something you could do without or love? Did you get a good deal?