what products do you love that you said you'd never use?

[AnnieW625]

Another random post to keep Watching Them Grow busy:) Good luck with the storm.

So what products have you bought or used that you thought "I'd never ever use that" (for whatever reason), and now love.

My Honda Pilot. Prior to getting this I was such a sports coupe girl, but then when we had DD1 I knew we needed to get rid of my two door Accord so we settled on the Pilot and well I really do like it.

DD1:
Floppy Seat. My DCP provider gave it to us (it was her son's) and low and behold I fell in love with it. I thought it was the dumbest thing until I had DD1 and realized just how dirty shopping carts were.

Beco Carrier: I didn't buy this until DD1 was almost 2 yrs. old, and DH actually used it more than I did, but I really like this a lot and so does DD2.

DD2:
Aden & Anais blankets: $9 for a muslin blanket was my first thought, but now that we have had them for almost 3 months I can't imagine not having them. I love that they come in packages of 4 because we can always have one in the carseat, one in the bedroom, one in the car, and one is usually in the dirty clothes.

The Nap Nanny: this thing saved me in my last month of maternity leave. I never thought I would get DD2 to sleep during the day for more than 45 minutes and this got us to an hour and a half. It was magic

Sophie the Giraffe: DD2 loves this toy, that pretty much says it all.

Beaba Baby Cook freezer trays: I thought oh they are too expensive, they can't really work. Well I took a chance and bought three on ebay and oh my they work quite well. I love them.

[elektra]

A crockpot- If you asked me in my early 20's if I would be cooking meals in a crockpot.... for some reason it just seems so 50's housewife and I would have never pictured myself using one. But I love my crockpot!
An iPad- DH had one and I told myself I didn't want one but now I am really enjoying it
The TV as a babysitter- I was all about doing only limited TV, but I admit that I love how it allows me to get dinner together while keeping the kids occupied.

I really can't think of any baby products I thought I'd never use but now love. I think I was too clueless about most baby stuff in the beginning to know I didn't want to try something!

[oneplustwo]

Easy. My Diva cup. Plus, now with the OB shortage, I'm doubly ~ wait, make that triply ~ grateful to have that little piece of silicone.

ETA another: my smart phone. Thought they were a bit silly and just duplicated what I could do with my laptop. Then realized that the high school babysitters I was trying to contact preferred to text me and have me text them, which my much-loved old Motorola phone didn't do easily. Now I can't imagine not having one.

[katydid1971]

My minivan and the DVD in the car on long trips. My mom reminds me everytime she comes to visit how i told her I would never have a minivan. I made comments about minivans with DVDs playing in them while we were driving by beautiful scenery many times to my DH before kids. Now Phineaus and Ferb are causing Candice all kinds of trouble in my Oddy while we take the 10 hour drive to MIL.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

My minivan and the DVD in the car on long trips. My mom reminds me everytime she comes to visit how i told her I would never have a minivan. I made comments about minivans with DVDs playing in them while we were driving by beautiful scenery many times to my DH before kids. Now Phineaus and Ferb are causing Candice all kinds of trouble in my Oddy while we take the 10 hour drive to MIL.

:yeahthat: :yeahthat:

i :heartbeat: my honda odyssey. never in a million years did i ever imagine myself driving a minivan. now, i don't think i could live without it. it love it to pieces. and i love the built in DVD player. indeed, pre-kids i was always making comments about how kids always have to be entertained iwth something, and how we didnt' have that when we were kids and managed to survive. nowadays, i happily flip on baby einstein in the car if it means i don't have to listen to fussing/yelling. it saves my sanity.

[kijip]

Robeez. I thought they were way too expensive and way too ugly. Then at 6 months in with T, I realized we were losing socks all the time and his feet were cold. So he got a pair and I have been a convert ever since.

[JoyNChrist]

Add me to the minivan group. The twins were born on a Tuesday...DH went and bought our VW Routan that Friday. ;)

I also never thought I'd love cloth diapering. I tried them because a friend kept bugging me to - now that's all we use (and we're saving so much money!).

[Neatfreak]

A mobile phone. Five year ago I would have blanched at the idea of giving up my "unreachable" alone time ...

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

as of saturday night-spanx!

I thought i was being a traitor to every feminist who refused to wear a girdle, but it was comfortable in its own way and I've gotta admit my silhouette was a lot better without it and it helped bring in what's been out after 3 children.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Thanks Annie :) I'll think and check back in later with hopefully a decent list.

[TwinFoxes]

A crockpot- If you asked me in my early 20's if I would be cooking meals in a crockpot.... for some reason it just seems so 50's housewife and I would have never pictured myself using one. But I love my crockpot!


Same here!


Easy. My Diva cup. Plus, now with the OB shortage, I'm doubly ~ wait, make that triply ~ grateful to have that little piece of silicone.

OB shortage? What?

[egoldber]

My iPhone. I held out for a long time with the smart phone, but oh the many and sundry ways I do love that little piece of black plastic. :heartbeat:

[Melaine]

I made fun of the IPad when it first came out, and here I am typing on it.

Definitely the diva cup and mama cloth. Did not see that coming!

Johnsons easy comb detangler. Swore I'd never use anything by them, but I was desperate. and it works better than anything else.

I know I threw out a bunch of cloth napkins when we first got married and now that is all we use.

Can't think of anything else now.

[amldaley]

It's not a product, but... Wal-Mart.

And ITA w/ TV as a babysitter...some times ya just gotta do it!

We have been home now for 3.5 days....sick for 1.5 days and now snowed in for 2. Please keep these threads coming! DH is still deployed, so I am relying on FB and BBB or adult communication!!!

[love_a_latte]

Clorox Wipes.

When they first came out I swore up and down that I would never use them because they were soooo wasteful. Fast-forward a couple years to when I was potty training DD and I discovered how wonderful they are for quick bathroom clean-ups. Fast-forward another couple years to the ongoing process of potty training DS, and now I don't know how I would live without them, as DS has only the most rudimentary aiming skills, but can achieve plenty of, ummm, distance.

[hillview]

Sienna minivan
Diva cup
LARGE Television
XBox/Kinect (although so far we are not using it a ton)
A house with a yard and a white fence (I grew up in the city, no yard, elevator in building)

/hillary

[brittone2]

Minivan (Honda)

Diva and or mama cloth

cloth dipes/wipes. Never thought I'd go that route and have now CDd 3 kids. It started out of necessity as DS1 was sensitive to all commercial wipes, and then we decided to move into cloth diapering once we got over poop in the wash (so not a big deal)

[lizzywednesday]

...
OB shortage? What?

:yeahthat:

OK, so I'm still experiencing the benefits of "lactational amenorrhea", but OB is my go-to brand due to its no-applicator option (which makes it easy to carry & dispose of discreetly) so I will be kind of miffed to not be able to find them when Aunt Flo rears her ugly head...

(Sorry for OT!!!)

[Cam&Clay]

My Kindle. I'm a librarian and it goes against my very nature. But I LOVE it! DH knew what he was doing when he surprised me with it for Christmas.

[RunnerDuck]

Clorox Wipes.

When they first came out I swore up and down that I would never use them because they were soooo wasteful. Fast-forward a couple years to when I was potty training DD and I discovered how wonderful they are for quick bathroom clean-ups. Fast-forward another couple years to the ongoing process of potty training DS, and now I don't know how I would live without them, as DS has only the most rudimentary aiming skills, but can achieve plenty of, ummm, distance.


Ha! I buy those now, too. I wouldn't say I LOVE them but my son (he's 7 for pete's sake...) does not always aim well. Actually he seldom seems to aim well. It's nice to have a cannister of lysol wipes in the bathroom to wipe up the floor, seat, rim, base of toilet in a hurry... That's pretty much all I use them for now, although I think I bought them first when my one daughter was going through a paint-with-poop stage...

Hard to say what else I love.

I love our toaster oven.

I love our panini press.

I love my bum genius diapers which always seemed so expensive and unnecassary - prefolds work and are cheap! But BG are so easy... and cute...

[swrc00]

The portable DVD player.
I swore we would never have one and DS would not watch TV. The DVD player made our 9 hour holiday trip the most enjoyable trip ever.

Please keep the random threads coming. I am on Day 2 snowbound with DH and DS. I am know thinking I won't leave the house until maybe Thursday. Got to love a snowstorm in the south.

I just thought of another one. The Tripp Trapp. I always thought they were too modern for my style, but I don't know what I would do without it. I got mine for a bargain price of $10 at a thrift store, but I will pay full price for one for any future children.

[TwinFoxes]

:yeahthat:

OK, so I'm still experiencing the benefits of "lactational amenorrhea", but OB is my go-to brand due to its no-applicator option (which makes it easy to carry & dispose of discreetly) so I will be kind of miffed to not be able to find them when Aunt Flo rears her ugly head...

(Sorry for OT!!!)

Found this online.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20026576-10391704.html

But I just bought OBs last month, there were plenty at my Target! I thankfully have enough for a couple of cycles, so if things get worse I'll have some. How odd.

[oneplustwo]

OB shortage? What?


:yeahthat:

OK, so I'm still experiencing the benefits of "lactational amenorrhea", but OB is my go-to brand due to its no-applicator option (which makes it easy to carry & dispose of discreetly) so I will be kind of miffed to not be able to find them when Aunt Flo rears her ugly head...

(Sorry for OT!!!)

It came up in another Lounge post yesterday. For some unspecified "manufacturing delay" J&J is not producing OB tampons right now, so a lot of stores are out or are running low. J&J also permanently discontinued the Ultra. More details here: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2010/12/ob-tampon-mystery/

[Fairy]

Those plastic placemats that stick to the table when you go out to a restaurant. I thought, how arrogant, before I had kids, but then I had one and I became a germaphobe. Same with shopping cart covers. would not think of going anywhere without them once I had my own.

A smartphone. I never wanted to be THAT reachable. Hello, Hil? Meet your Bberry ... then your Droid.

An exersaucer. I didn't want one, I felt they were a terrible idea for all the reasons argued against them. Yet, I used the one I got as a gift anyway.

As much TV as we do. I started out anti-TV. Then asthma happened and nebulizer treatments became permanent. And so did the TV. To this day, he watches only what we allow him to. But it's alot.

A GPS. Just tell me how to get to your house, don't make me program a stupid computer to get me there. Yet, we have two. And I use them. Grudgingly.