Our new little boy will be here in 12 weeks, and I am trying to get organized. We have the majority of baby things saved from our first son (lots of clothes, swing, crib and sheets, etc). My preggo brain is struggling to think of things that we can't reuse and will need to replace. I plan to breast feed this one as well, but still have a box of bottles and nipples we used with DS for the occasional pumped milk as well as pacis that were hardly used since he didn't take them. Are these safe to sterilize and reuse? He got at most 3 bottles a week for a period of a few months, primarily when he was 3-6 months old, and didn't have teeth. My other concern is whether or not my breastpump will make it through another baby. It's a Playtex, and wasn't very expensive (I think around $100). Towards the end of using it with my first, one of the cups cracked and was replaced for free, but that was a one time option. I'm considering just getting a new pump (and a nicer one) to have from the beginning, since I would hate to use my current one for the majority of the time only to have it go out and have to be replaced towards the end of needing one. Anyone have reminders of what we will need for new baby brother or experience with pumping for another baby? TIA!
Thanks everyone! I had not thought of renting a pump, I think that's a great option if mine kicks the bucket halfway through needing it. I will definitely be checking with my insurance about costs, I didn't know that was a possibility. Fortunately, even though my Playtex was cheap it was a gift from a friend who bought it and then couldn't use it.
How many months do you pump? I rented a hospital grade breast pump (Medela Symphony) with my last two kiddos. It was awesome!!! I think it was $55 for the first 3 months and $25/month after that. Best.money.ever.spent! The pump retailed for $1500 or so.
When you rent it the box (pump) is 'used', but all of the tubing and breast shields are brand new.
I reused everything but bought all new nipples, mostly because they had some wear and tear.
I don't think you NEED to buy a new pump. But if you are considering it, you definitely want to think about how much you would be using it and the fact that pumping with a baby and a toddler is a lot more work than pumping with just a baby. If you think you'd be using it a lot, consider renting one. I rented one from the hospital and damn, those things are nice! Totally worth the extra money to rent, and I just returned it when I was done. It wasn't yet another baby item i had to store or sell or anything.
Your health insurance should cover a new breastpump, but there's a specific procedure for getting that done, so check with your provider.
As for binkies and bottles, unless they're the brown latex ones and they haven't been stored in extreme heat, they're fine.
I have 3 kids, my oldest is almost 5, and they've all used the same bottles, binkies, bibs, burp rags, breastpump, cribs, swings, bouncers, exersaucers, etc.
Congrats and good luck!
I reused both with my kids 3 years apart. While we did get different bottles for my second one, it is because of different challenges.
My pump is now used daily by my SIL, It lasted through both of my kids and my neice so far. But I did get the Medela double .. and I pumped 5 times a day for about 2 years (with both kids).. and then some. I did replace some of the parts and had extra of other to make it easier.
Renting one was not an option they were about $30 a month.. and my insurance covered most of it. Some insurances require a doc note, some you can not purchase befoe X date etc.. but mine covered $250 of the $275 cost.
The pump should be fine. The bottles are fine. If it's been several years, you might want to replace the paci and nipples. This is more due to possible degradation of material, not sterilization issues. If you look at them and they seem totally fine, you should be able to use them.
Ask your pediatrician to be sure. I am not sure if the silicone, or rubber have a "shelf life" and no I would not use a used pacifier even if it was one of my other childerns pacifier.
Here is what I found online.
"i actually talked to me kids' pediatrician about this, she said that as long as there arent any holes in them and they are still un opened that they are fine to use for up to 2 years! after that the silicone ones let of some sort of chemical that may harm the baby, and the rubber ones dry out and crack."
I would go ahead and re-use them. A trip through the dishwasher should sanitize them just fine. (Though, for the pump it is recommended to replace the tubing...)
I would also go ahead and keep your pump if you were happy with the overall performance with it last time. I'm sure it would be cheaper anyway to replace a cup than to buy a new pump. Or, if something happens with the pump you have, many insurance options will at least partially cover the cost of a pump. Or, if you qualify for WIC, they will often supply a free hospital-grade pump to use for free.. So you wouldn't necessarily have to buy a new pump if this one craps out on you.
I had the playtex pump with dd, too! At the time, I just wasn't confident about breastfeeding and didn't want to "risk" the money on a more expensive one! Same thing happened to me (broken cup). This time, a Medela double electric pump was donated to me from a good friend! I will probably buy some of the new parts, but have the utmost confidence that she gave me clean equipment! As for bottles & binkys, I'm going to do a serious inspection of the things I have to see what condition they're in. Of course, if this one is a boy, we might have to buy blue stuff to replace her pink items! :) Replacement nipples aren't very expensive and would be worth it to avoid any risk (dd is now 5, so all of her stuff has been in storage for years). I've heard fantastic reviews of the Medela pump, and I was so happy and grateful to my friend for handing hers off to me! There is what others suggested--find out if it could be covered by your medical insurance!
Good luck mama!
Rent a pump from your local La Leche league. You buy the parts that you and your milk touches (maybe $20-30) and rent the very high quality machine (I used a Medela). I think it cost me about $6 a month. Totally worth every cent to use a machine that pumps so well.
I would re-use all of it. The only thing I bought new for my second baby was a new stroller. It's not like I NEEDED one, but my first stroller (one of those Graco travel systems) was creaky and horrible, and I just didn't see it making it through another couple of years. So I bought a Bugaboo Frog. Yeah, it was expensive, but it was the best money I ever spent. I sold it 3 years later for almost full price. Aside from that, I reused everything - clothes, diaper pail, changing table, bassinet, crib, toddler bed, pump, bottles, etc.
