I’m a HUGE fan of Amazon Prime Day because, like most people, I want the most bang for my buck. Thankfully, purchasing baby things when you’re already a parent isn’t as daunting as the first time I did it. However, my second child is a different gender than my first, so I’m not completely out of the woods. Fortunately, with my son due at the end of August, we were able to delay some purchases until Prime Day 2024. Here’s how we did.
*note* Some links include directs to Amazon where, if a purchase is made, I will earn a small commission.
New Car Seats
After opting to purchase the Graco SnugRide 35LX infant car seat instead of an all-in-one or convertible version, it was time to upgrade due to my daughter hitting the height limit. The SnugRide will become our son’s for a little while. We love Graco, as you’ll see further evidence of soon, and decided to continue with the brand as we prepared to get a bigger one. After doing our due diligence, we chose the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat.
This is a big car seat. If you’re looking for something a little smaller, they make the smaller yet still highly-rated Graco SlimFit. We opted for the larger one because we both drive SUVs, so space isn’t an issue. If either of us drove a sedan, we likely would’ve chosen the SlimFit.
Transferring car seats between vehicles is a gigantic pain in the ass, so we decided to purchase one for each of our cars.
New Double Stroller
I highlighted our process when we were choosing our first stroller(s) to buy here. To save you a little time, before having our daughter we purchased the Graco FastAction Jogger for wider spaces. When she was younger, we needed to run in and out somewhere, or if we didn’t want to take her out of her car seat, we utilized the Graco Snugrider.
Both served their respective purposes and we’ll continue to use them as needed. However, with a second on the way, we figured it would be best to add a double stroller to the rotation. Graco had three options to choose from and we went with the Ready2Grow LX 2.0. We appreciated that we’d be able to easily click the car seat in, and the list of options, including standing and a bench seat, for our hyper little daughter ensured we’d have everything we needed.
We Are Now WonderFold People
We plan to have more than two children, so we were faced with the dilemma of purchasing a two-seat wagon and saving some money upfront or skipping that step and going right to a four-seater. My thinking was that we’ll need a four-seater eventually, so why spend $250-$300 on a smaller wagon and then pay the $600-700 sometime in the next 12 to 24 months from now? It didn’t make sense to do it that way.
I looked through several brands, but Wonderfold kept popping up in my mind. We were deciding between the three trims. The lowest trim seemed like things were missing and the highest version (the Luxe) didn’t seem to be worth the price of admission. We went with the Wonderfold W4 Elite.
This thing is an absolute tank, but it has everything we need for 3-4 children. A few notes: this bad boy won’t fit in most sedans and even smaller SUVs will struggle to close the trunk. Hell, my Honda Pilot didn’t have too much wiggle room. Also, the accessories, like the Wonderfold-branded cup holders are not cheap.
We Need More Blink Cameras
I am a huge fan of Blink’s cameras. I now own (checks app) 10 of their cameras after purchasing two more of the Mini Pan-Tilt camera.
I own two other Pan-Tilt cameras, a couple Blink Outdoor cameras, and four Blink Minis scattered around the house. I like the Pan-Tilt version because it allows you to view an entire room just by moving the camera with your cell phone. We are preparing for my daughter to begin sleeping on a mattress instead of a crib, so we wanted to have one in her room. I am upgrading the Mini that is currently in the nursery with a Pan-Tilt, too.
These all have excellent motion sensor settings and alerts pop up immediately when the camera is triggered. They’ve been an outstanding addition, not just to watch over a baby, but for that sense of security should anything ever go wrong directly outside or inside of our home. Though, I also own multiple guns, so that’s another way to handle a potential problem.
Additional Baby Monitor Camera
My wife and I are also advocates for the Hellobaby Monitor. We purchased the basic one to start, and then upgraded to the aforementioned one because of the larger screen and the option to leave the video on the monitor continuously. We also like choosing to set the motion or sound sensitivity levels before it activates.
I decided to add a camera that will be mounted right above the new mattress that our daughter will sleep on soon. It’s likely not something that we’ll have there long-term, but I’ve heard and read that transitioning from the crib to a big-girl bed can be rough. That camera, used in conjunction with the Pan-Tilt, will give us the full picture of what’s going on during that change.
We Will Never Forget Our Hatch
I’ve written about my daughter’s sleep routine in the past. Some of that success is owed to the Hatch Baby Sound Machine. Not only do we turn it on in the middle of said routine, but the sound of the white noise on the machine (and the ability to change it from our phone) has been a Godsend. When that sound is on, our daughter knows it’s time to go to sleep. Period.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that we purchased a second one for our son. It worked for our daughter, so for $60 we’re giddy to give it another try.
Diaper Genie, Fan, Other Odds And Ends
We purchased things like cord hiders, picture frames, and command strips to help decorate the rooms and, well, hide cords from our two kids. I also bought an Amazon fan for my son since our daughter seems to like when it’s on in her room.
The only thing to note is that we purchased a second Diaper Genie. It’s a truly fantastic product that I can’t recommend enough. It makes the sh*t and piss cleanup easier and less smelly. And it’s easy as hell to cut and transfer to your trashcan. I do recommend purchasing the branded refills. They’re actually cheaper than some of the knockoffs. The main reason is it can take a while to close the lid when using the knockoff brands, compared to the real thing. If the lid is open, even a little bit, the difference of the Diaper Genie versus a regular can is minor at best.
The Grand Total
Prime Day is one of my favorite days for a reason. Had I purchased all these items on a normal day, I’m looking at over $2,000 of merchandise. Easy. But due to Prime Day sales, I came out of it with only a $1,300 haircut. Now that’s some savings!
There are still clothes, shoes, and other items that we’ll find out we need before the second baby comes along in five or so weeks. But the big ticket items, like the wagon, stroller, car seats are all handled and we saved hundreds of dollars.
All that being said, if we had the baby in say May, I still would’ve purchased everything I ended up buying, just at a premium. Car seats and strollers aren’t exactly luxury items you can live without.
How did you do on Prime Day?
