Conference moira::parenting

	Hi Alice,

	I hated the infant gowns for a winter baby.  They are too thin
	to keep the baby warm and those long strings made me nervous.

	I liked the one piece suits the best.  Separates are a pain
	because the top is always creeping up.  For an older child
	separates are fine because they no longer are being picked
	up constantly and they are not lying in their clothes.

	As far as one piece goes, make sure that they have snaps
	all down the legs so that you can get them off easily.  I had
	one outfit for Lauren that didn't and changing time wasn't
	very easy the days she wore it.

	I layered too.  Lauren always had a onesie, then a one piece
	outfit, (stretch suit, some people call then), then a sweater
	because my house is cold.

	Karen

    Alice,
    
    I happen to have liked the infant gowns (sorry Karen!) for the night
    time when they were sleeping.  Or, I should say, Paul liked them
    because he could move his feet around and they were easy for changing
    in the middle of night instead of having to unsnap a million buttons. 
    Or, I should say that my husband preferred them and if I wanted help at 
    night in changing Paul, it was easier when he knew that Paul was
    dressed in the gowns.
    
    During the day, I alway had a onsie on under everything and I do agree
    with Karen here that the two pieces are a pain.  I found the zipper one
    piece oufits were nice and with the onesie, I never worried about
    catching Paul's skin with the zipper.
    
    Remember to have lot of HATS.  During the winter and colder months,
    they should always have something on their head if outside.
    
    As far as feet, Paul never kept anything on his so we bought 3-6 month
    socks that could fit up his calf enough that he couldn't get them off.
    
    When the child still has their cord stub intact, it is recommended that
    you do not use onesie's to allow the stub to breathe.  In this case,
    you can use the infant tee-shirts (boy they are cute, but Karen is
    right, they will slide up) and we always put a "big" sweater/shirt over
    and used pants with the socks above.
    
    During the day, and when we were at home, Paul stayed in PJ's (no pun
    intended for those of you that know Paul is officially Paul Joseph) but
    the terry ones and not the heavy duty sleepers.
    
    cj
                          

    Are blanket sleepers necessary for newborns or are they too heavy?

    I second it that the gowns are great for those night-time
    diaper changes.
    
    I don't have any other suggestions - the last couple 
    pretty much spell it out. (ie. one piece outfits are great -
    hats a definite must - as well as onsies)
    
    The only thing I would add is that for winter be sure to
    get a snowsuit and not just a jacket.  Always keep an
    extra blanket in the car just in case you have car problems
    or something (though unlikely this happened to me and when
    it is winter and you have no heat in the car baby is not
    happy)
    
    Best of luck with you bundle of joy
    Pam

    I would also like suggestions for throughout the entire year. If I can
    find some larger clothes I would pick those up cheap too. For girls
    does anyone use dresses other than for holidays and pictures? My 
    mother is all hyped up about buying cute little dresses if it is a
    girl.

    My sister-in-law has girls and they rarely wear dresses 
    except for church and pictures.  
    
    They do have cute little one piece sets for girls.  I love the
    flowery balloon type overalls for little girls.  
    
    Pam

    We practically never put dresses on Jessica when she was a baby. Only
    now that she's 3 and has turned into Miss Fashion Plate and insists on
    wearing dresses everyday have I even started to buy and make dresses. 
    I much preferred pants and such to keep her warm and comfortable. Plus,
    I have boy-girl twins, so I bought lots of unisex stuff when they were
    kids. Can't do that as much now, but they do still share some t-shirts
    and jackets and stuff like that.

    My husband (Bob) and I always thought we had to dress Alyssa in Xtra
    warm clothes (she was born the end of Oct.) - cuz we thought babies
    needed Xtra layers.  Anyways, one of her checkups the dr. said that she
    is heat sensitive and that we didn't need to dress her so warm.  She
    said to us "dress her as you would dress yourself".  So, if your child
    starts to develop a rash - it may be caused by over dressing him/her.
    
    Of course, always have them in hats and mittens when going outside.
    I found that it was easy for her to catch windburn - so make sure the
    face is covered from the wind.
    
    Joolz
    
    

    Two piece sweat outfits worked best for us in the winter.  As for night
    sleeping, it depends where your baby sleeps.  Mine have always slept
    with me when they were small  (I am too lazy to get out of bed to feed
    a baby and my house is cold) so I dressed them down at night and more
    warmly when they were out and about.  
    
    meg

    
    I always liked the gowns .... my 3 lived in them until they were about
    3 mos old (which is about when they outgrew them).  They aren't
    particularly warm by themselves .... I got a few long sleeve t-shirts,
    and would use those or regluar baby t-shirts underneath.  If it was
    real chilly, I'd slap a pair of sweatpants on as well, and some sox. 
    They seemed to prefer that to one-piece pjs.  
    
    I've always used regular t-shirts, and not onesies.  Never particularly
    cared for the onesies, and I *hate* those snaps (I guess my kids
    wriggle too much or something), and trying to get them done up.  Plus
    it seemed like you're trapping a lot more heat 'down there', and this
    isn't good for girls or boys.  So, we just kept pulling their t-shirts
    down.  If you can get the Spencer t-shirts, they're made quite a bit
    longer than any others, so it's not much of a problem.  By 1 yr old,
    they were all using mostly regular 'little boy' t-shirts. (Montgomery
    Ward used to make some *wonderful* 1/2 poly, 1/2 cotton ones)
    
    For everything else .... the more 'one piece' stuff you can get, the
    better!  To 'keep warm' we always went with a larger sweat-shirt.  A
    couple sizes bigger than what 'fits', works wonders to keep them warm.
    
    On the flip side .... if you use 2-piece outfits, and you have to
    change all the baby's clothes, you don't need to 'freeze' the baby all
    at once - you can change the top, wait till he/she warms up a bit, then
    change the bottom.  With a one-piece, at some point, they're pretty
    much naked.  Brrrr!  They HATE that! (-:
    
    

      Not really on the subject of newborn clothes but still baby clothes...

      I bought Laurens clothes for fall, mostly size 18 months, even though
      she is only 9 months.  One mistake I made... a couple of the one
      piece pant/top outfits were very baggy around the middle.  Well,
      when she crawls, her knees go right up into the clothing and she
      gets stuck and can't go anywhere!  She found this very frustrating.
      I had to put these two outfits away until she learns to walk since
      crawling is impossible in them.  

      Karen

    
    I had a Sept baby so when winter came around he was 3-5 months old.
    There were two things that I wouldn't live without:
    
    1)LLBean makes a baby bag that worked great! We used it all the time when
    Nick was little.
    
    2)Carter's makes a sleeper without legs, it's more like a bag with arms. 
    That worked out really well. It's heavier than the newborn nightgowns
    and they can still move their legs.
    
    Here's a comment on sizes..I found that my boys wore clothes that were
    twice their age. ie...When they were 3 months they wore 6-9 month
    clothes.
    

RE: .11 Good point - and the same thing happens with dresses! And when they
start walking, this continues - my daughter often catches her foot in her
dress as she's getting up from sitting, so that's why I don't like to put
dresses on her too much.  On the other hand, it's the only way to prevent (well
mostly) those comments like "How old is *he*?" ;-) Depending on my mood, I
say "It's a she - she has her brother's clothes on..." or simply ignore them
(if she's obviously in PINK). I also try to get tops that have a ruffle on the
bottom, and put them with leggings, but they aren't always easy to find...

As for clothes for an infant, I am a Onesie proponent - come on, 3 little
snaps aren't *that* hard, are they? I suppose it's a trade-off, and I'd much
rather do the snaps once than constantly have to pull down t-shirts...

Other tips - buy fabrics carefully - the more it gives, the easier it will be
to put on and the more comfortable it will be for the child (thus, the more it
will get worn). Gymboree makes about the best quality cotton-knit jumpsuits
I've seen (yes, they can be costly, but they fit well, wash well, last well, and
look great!).  Also, don't go crazy on newborn/infant stuff - they will grow
out of it so quickly! Just get a couple things until you have a chance to try
out what you think works best for you (and the child, of course). Most babies
wear the terry sleepers for the first 3 months anyway, then "real clothes" -
which by that time could be in the 9-12 mos. size range. I, for one, never give
a baby gift (clothes) that's smaller than 12 months for this reason. Of course,
my babies have both been on the "big" side, but this just seems more practical
to me.

Have fun - kids clothes *are* so irresistable!

-Cori

    LL Bean Baby Bag -- I forgot!  I got one from my father in law.  He
    owns Squannacook River Outfitters in Townsend, MA and it was a Columbia
    I believe.  
    
    This is a snow suit type thing that was for 6-12 months.  Paul outgrew
    it at 6 months.  It is very warm and we went everywhere in it!
    
    cj

    
    I second the "bag sleepers". Nicholas was born in December, and he was
    always in the onzies and heavy one piece pj's.
    
    At night, I would put him in the gerber bag sleepers (with a onzie
    also). They were great because they are like a gown, no legs to strugle
    with and they were nice and heavy. ( I got them as a gift, purchased at
    sears).
    
    As for clothing size...well, you can generally assume they were 2X's
    thier age...3 mos wears 6 mos clothes, however, if you have a big guy
    (like I do), you can't always assume.
    
    At 3 mos Nicholas was wearing 6-9 mos, and now at 8 mos he is in 18-24
    mos clothes! I have learned to buy the bigger size if I am not sure,
    becasue some of this stuff shrinks!  However, I always try to keep the
    next size on hand, becasue you just never can tell when he is going 
    to need the bigger size.
    
    .....Now the decision...I need to buy a snow suit for the winter, and
    don't know what size to get? He is just starting to wear 18/24 mos
    clothes. Should I get a 18/24 mos snow suit? or should I go with a 2T?
    
    Anne Marie

my favorites for winter babies:

nighttime - one piece blanket sleepers, the kind without legs

daytime - one piece sleepers, the kind with legs, made out of that
stretch terry cloth stuff.


I strongly favor sweat suits for both sexes while they are
learning to crawl, walk, climb, etc.  My almost 4-year-old is 
finally getting big enough and coordinated enough so that a
dress/skirt no longer interferes.  She might be a girl, after all
(as I sit here in my blue jeans and t-shirt).

BTW, when a kid's legs pull up into their pantlegs while 
trying to crawl/walk, put some tennis wrist sweatbands around their
ankles to hold the pantleg in place. (You can find something
similar in the Right Start or First Step catalogs, but *much*
more expensive).

Pat

    I'm not too experienced, Alyssa is just over a month old...I've  found
    that outfits with snaps in front are easiest to get on and off.  I've
    seen some cute outfits with snaps in the back, but they are a hassle to
    get on and off.
    

	My March baby wore a blanket sleeping bag at night, and
	one piece outfits during the day.  March/April outfits
	had legs and longish sleeves.  From May on, he's been in
	one piece outfits with short sleeves and short/no legs.

	I kept him in the lightweight terry play/sleep outfits if
	we were staying home, and dressed him if we went out (socks
	on the feet in those chilly months).

	I never cared for the drawstring nightgowns - I don't know
	why, I just never did.

	Andrew has eczema, and snaps and zippers now tend to irritate his skin,
	so I'm starting to dress him in sweats w/socks at night to
	minimize the rash.  I've also been told to be careful not
	to overdress him, as this exacerbates the problem.  When it
	gets colder, I'll revert to the PJ's, with a onesie underneath
	to protect from snaps/zippers.
	BTW, you can't own enough onesies.  In the summer, they make
	great daytime outfits all by themselves, and layer well in
	the winter.  If you get too many in the newborn size (as gifts),
	exchange them for medium and large.

	Karen

	Also on baby sizes...

	I never had any "newborn" sized clothes.  Her onesies were size small
	(which is larger than newborn) and they lasted until she was 4-5  
	months old.  All the clothes that she wore the first month or so
	were rather large on her but they fit her for a long time.

	I also didn't want Lauren in sleepwear during the day.  In the
	morning, I showered and dressed, then got Lauren dressed in day
	wear too, even while on maternity leave.  I'm not sure if this makes 
	any sense... it kind of gave me a feeling of accomplishment if 
	we were both dressed in day clothes fairly early in the day.

	Karen
	

    So much good information here. I went out and bought some of the fuzzy
    sleepers Sunday, 3 of them are Winnie the Pooh from Sears which got
    rave reviews. And ever the savy consumer, I paid a whopping, $1.00 for
    all of them. 
    
    Gail
    soon to be author of "Baby on the Cheap"  8^)

    I've had one summer baby and one winter baby.  The summer baby wore
    simple sunsuits and T-shirts for about 3 months!  It was great.
    
    Loved the LL Bean Baby Bag. Loved one-piece bag sleepers.
    
    Also great, a hoodsweater that zips up the back. On really blustery,
    windy days, the hood goes up snug around the face and keeps the wind
    from getting to their ears. SOmetimes hoods on snowsuits don't fit very
    well.  Also, they can wriggle out of the sweater too well since the
    zipper is in the back.
    
    I also bought bigger socks to use a knee socks.
    
    Because of the dry cold winter air, I used to put Eurcene cream on
    their cheeks each morning so it wouldn't get chapped. They always
    looked like their faces were a little shiny, but it's great stuff.
    Non-allergenic and all.  It's a little expensive, but goes a long time.
    
    Your pedi will probably tell you not to bathe your infant every day in
    winter.  A sponge or washcloth bath will do, so you don't have to
    totally expose your baby.  We also used a glycerine wash in winter, as
    any of the soaps (and especially Ivory!) were very drying.
    
    For snowsuits, try to get one second hand. There are many good
    consignment shops discussed in this notes file.  The snowsuits can cost
    up to $80 or more, and hardly get worn out when they are on little
    tots.
    
    With the help of this notes file, you'll do fine.  Good luck.
    KB
    

    
    
    
    	I currently have two horses that are boarded out at a barn down the
    street and I currently clean stalls 2 times a week Mondays and Fridays.
    
    	My husband takes wenesday and my sister has tuesday,thursday and 
    	Sunday.. MY husband I both take care of them on Saturday.
    
    Any here's my question. 
    
    	It takes me about 45 minutes to do the stalls feed and water.
    	
    	It's partial board which mean they feed in the morning and let
    	out.. 
    
    	How cold is to cold to have a baby out ?  I could ask the barn
    manager if I could use her house to keep the baby in while I am
    cleaning the stalls and I also have heater that I could bring to the
    barn.. 
    
    	This is only for this winter, the horses will be moving back to my
    house in the spring and I can have the baby monitor on while I am doing
    the stalls.
    
    	Thanks
    	Donna

    Are you going to be inside the stalls and out of the wind, or outside?
    
    with Carrie and Atlehi, I put them in a front pack and zipped my coat 
    around the baby and me when we were out for long periods of time in the 
    winter.  I kept a wool hat on her so her head could poke out for air.  
    We have a front pack that will hold kids up to 30 pounds so this has
    been a solution on cold days.  
    
    I would still like to find a "mommy coat" from tibet which has extra
    room and a hole in it for a head to poke out of for a back carrier.  
    
    meg

    
    
    
    	I would be in the barn out of the wind.  I have one of those new
    packs that you zip up that lays on your chest.
    
    	donna

    Donna,
    
    Then I would get an oversized coat so you can zip the little one inside
    it with you after you put her in the carrier.  Alana and I hiked all
    over the place on cold days last winter with Atlehi set up this way.  
    
    meg

    Once you're out of the wind, snow whatever, it's a lot easier to keep
    them warm.  The carrier and coat sounds even better, but I think if you
    can have the baby warm in the car, and then transfer the car seat to
    the barn and add an extra blanket or two, you'll be FINE!  The biggest
    challenge might be avoiding a sudden 'chill' and then trying to warm
    her up again.
    
    

    
    I am expecting my first child in August but this is my second
    pregnancy.  I miscaried between 8 and 9 weeks.  During my first
    pregnancy a couple of close friends gave me small gifts (some were
    clothing type items)to congratulate me.  Well, I have since put those 
    gifts in my hope chest.  I am now almost 16 weeks pregnant and doing
    fine and am very excited about this pregnancy.  I tend to stope and
    look at the children's sections when I go into stores and am tempted to
    buy an item or two when the price is unbelievable but something holds
    me back.
    
    I could have bought a neutral $50 snowsuit for $5 and other great
    bargains as well, but I guess I'm afraid to buy anything just yet.
    
    
    I guess my question is......how far along were you when you started to
    purchase clothing and other items for your baby?
    
    

    I too lost my first, but had bought just a couple of items that
    were too good a bargain to pass up.  I even took it a step further,
    they were dresses! But hey, they were brand new Polly Flinders for
    only $6. each!  Luckily, when I did complete term with my second
    pregnancy, she was a girl.
    
    When I bought the dresses, I just kept in mind that they may 
    instead be a great gift for someone else's baby.  So if you really
    don't want to pass up that great bargain, try looking at it as a
    possible gift for someone else if you don't want to just hang on
    to it.  They could always be sold through here also.  Keeping them 
    (the dresses) seemed to be my symbols of hope.  
    
    						cj *->
    For the second one, I waited till the beginning of my sixth month.
    Then I decided not to keep living with fear and start enjoying my
    pregnancy.  I went out and bought my bassinet and bought just a
    couple of cutesy things.   I didn't buy much though until after
    my baby showers (I had three) were out of they way and could see
    what I really needed.
    
    						cj *->

    OK, so I'm a pig.
    
    I just about 6 months now and I haven't bought a single item of
    clothing.
    
    I've made my list of must-have items and I've done some shopping around
    to see what's available and where for the basics; but I'm holding off
    buying until I see what the next couple of months bring in [My sister
    is sending along a box of things that her son, age 8 mos., can no
    longer use] and also just how large my son is at birth.
    
    Then, of course, I shall probably embark upon an orgy of purchasing and
    probably over-buy. Passing up things on sale has been excruciating, but
    it would break my heart to have him be the right size in entirely the
    wrong season.
    
    I have been making quilts and planning a Christmas stocking and buying
    toiletries and linens and a stroller and ... just not clothes. Not yet.
    
      Annie

Hi Serena,

I guess our stories really are quite similar. I was in TJ MAXX 2 
weekends ago and came across a London Fog snowsuit that was just 
beautiful for $10. I was with my girlfriend who convinced me to buy it. 
She kept telling me that it is not bad luck to buy stuff early, and how 
could I pass up such a good buy? Up until then I have pretty much stayed 
away from infant clothes and all that. 

Even though my own clothes were getting to be skin tight, I waited until 
we had the ultrasound and saw the baby was alive and moving around 
before I bought a few maternity clothes. I think I'm really starting to 
let myself get in to it now and not be afraid.

I'm scheduled for the Alfa Fetoprotein test next Monday and a little 
nervous about that. I think once that comes back ok I'll really go 
hog-wild and start buying the little one lots of things...

Donna

    Add me to the "I'll buy things when I know she is real" list.  However,
    I was glad people gave me some stuff before Atlehi was born, as I had
    the post-partum from hell for the first three weeks and couldn't get
    out of bed, much less get enthusiastic about shopping.  Brown recluse
    spiders can do horrible things to you, particularly when you don't know
    what nailed you.
    
    meg

	I didn't buy any baby clothes for my first.  I got 
	things at my shower and collected hand-me-downs from my
	sisters.  (So, you're not a pig, Annie!)

	I bought two outfits before my son was born, because I
	had this feeling it was a boy.  Still, I bought neutral
	outfits, and they were too small (one got returned unworn,
	the other got worn exactly once - home from the hospital).

	

    Count me in, too.  I think it's tough to start buying clothes too soon
    when you've experience a miscarriage.  Fortunately, mine were so early,
    that I hadn't accumulated much.  But, the few items that I did have
    were a tough reminder.
    
    With my son, I had only the basic essentials when he was born.  But,
    he came along in November, and it was too cold to go outdoors.  So, I 
    took advantage of his lack of clothes to make several trips to the mall
    for mom to walk, and Andy to get some new outfits.
    
    With my second, I think it was more a case of "let's see what we can
    use from what we've got".  Since she ended up being a girl, my husband 
    shopped on his way to pick us, so she'd have something pink, and new.
    
    Peggy

    
    Don't know if this is the appropriate entry to add this note to but
    thought it might be better than adding a "new" note.  If the following
    is covered in another topic, a pointer would be greatly appreciated.
    
    
    I am just starting to decide what to do with the baby's room.  This is
    my first and I'm anxious to decorate.  I don't know the sex of the baby
    and will not be finding out (until delivery of course!).  I was
    thinking of doing Winnie the Pooh as the theme.  My question is...
    where does one shop for crib accessories, borders, etc. etc. to do the
    baby's room in?  I live in Nashua.  Can you get most items where you
    shop for infant clothes?  
    
    Thanks in advance and my apologies if thisn't isn't the right place to
    enter this.
    
    Serena
    

Serena,

I was in the Burlington Coat Factory at the Nashua Mall on Wed and they 
have tons of baby stuff, furniture, bedding, clothes, etc. You might 
want to check in there. I don't remember seeing Winnie the Pooh, but I 
think they had Paddington Bear. They have a lot of stuff.  My mother 
says she needs to get a part-time job so she can buy everything she 
thinks is cute for the baby... wouldn't that be nice??

Donna

    Serena,
    
    I was in Tiny Totland in Manchester this week and I noticed they have 
    a cute crib set in Winnie the Pooh and may have borders as well. 
    It has an off-white background so it would look good with a wood stained
    crib and dresser.  They have a very good selection, but since we
    already had our set we didn't really look at prices and I don't know
    how low they are even though they claim to have the lowest.
    
    What we did for the wallpaper and border was go to Home Depot and look
    through all the books on decorating nurseries and children's rooms - we
    found one we loved and went with it.  Then we went to Burlington Coat
    Factory in Nashua and found a crib set that went well with the
    wallpaper and border we chose.
    
    Good Luck,
    Dawn

    Boston Baby in Danvers/Peabody on route 1 has Winnie the Pooh crib
    sets.
    
    Michelle

    I live in Nashua and I shopped all over for the baby's room.
    
    Paint, paper, border, and honey-comb shades came from Home Depot
    [Nashua].
    
    A couple large-ish pictures for the walls came from Prints Plus
    [Nashua]
    
    My glider [which will not match, but it's the fabric I wanted] is from
    Tiny Totland [Manchester, NH].
    
    Crib bumpers are from Toys'R'Us [I wanted a solid colour]
    
    Fabric for the window valances came from Calico Corners [Acton, MA]
    
    I've seen Winnie the Pooh crib linen sets [bumpers, comforter, sheet]
    at Lechmere, Tiny Totland, and Toy'R'Us.
    
      Annie

    
    One of the chain discount stores in New England (I think Ames but 
    don't quote me on it!) had Winnie-the-Pooh nursery accessories
    advertised in their weekly flyer for 25% off.
    
    cj/

    
    Thank you for the pointers so far.  Two questions....
    
    1) Where in Manchester is Tiny Totland (sounds like a fun place to
       shop).
    2) What are your opinions on the Winnie the Pooh theme?  Too boyish?
    
    Thanks again for all the pointers!
    
    
    

	I did my daughter's room in primary colors, with teddy bears
	and balloons.  Some may have considered it boyish, but I 
	really didn't want pastels (and was already working with a 
	brown rug ;-) ).  I also hoped it would be used for
	future kids.  However, Emily decided to pull down the border,
	so it would have needed changing anyway.  Instead, we moved ;-) :-)

    I'd say Winnie the Pooh is nonsexist.  Most girls I know have
    some of the stuffed animals and seem to like the theme.
    
    judy

    _I_ certainly don't think Pooh is too masculine.
    
    'Little Miss Priss' here grew up on Pooh and I still insist on having
    at least one of my Pooh pictures in my personal space. In fact, I was
    so steeped in Pooh that I had to seriously consider whether to leave
    any Pooh stuff in the nursery as I was afraid a boy would ourgrow Pooh
    by age 2 ...
    
      Annie

	Annie,

	My daughter at age 2 (nearly 3) is still pretty hooked on
	Pooh, FWIW.

    My 7-year-old is still very fond of Pooh (but he got teased a bit in first
    grade, so now he reserves his Pooh t-shirts only for weekends).  Pooh and
    friends are included in all the games with the Lion King characters and
    power rangers at our house.

				cheryl

re: .45

>    My 7-year-old is still very fond of Pooh (but he got teased a bit in first
>    grade, so now he reserves his Pooh t-shirts only for weekends).  ...

   Damned shame, that.  So far this is the one largest aspect of growing
   up that I truly dread having my kids experience ...
   
   but I digress....  < now back to our regularly scheduled topic.... >
   
   - Tom

Hi Serena,

I was flipping thru a baby catalog from JC Penney this am and they have 
the Pooh set. I made an effort to try and remember how much it was, but 
I still forgot (seems I'm doing a lot of that lately). The set was 
mostly blue, but also included Piglet (?) who is very pink. So I guess 
it could go either way.

Donna

    Sears (try the one at the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua NH) has
    tons of Winnie the Pooh stuff too....Go with what you like, WTP is
    non-gender specific in my mind; And primary colors are supposed to
    be great for kids (remember after the newborn stage, they'll be 
    very interested in what's neat to look at in their room!). My two
    girls both love Pooh (so much so that I sewed up a full set of all
    the animals!)

    
    Well, the Sears at the Pheasant Lane Mall didn't have everything I
    needed, so I went to the one in Manchester.  I did go with Pooh. I got
    wall hangings, border, and crib set.  I can't help it!  I'm a major fan.  
    My NH license plate is WTPOOH!
    
    This pattern has Pooh and Piglet being carried away by balloons on the
    comforter and then the crib sheet has all the characters floating with
    balloons.  The balloons add more "neutral" colors like mint green,
    pink, baby blue, yellow and purple.  I chose this set for now and am
    leaving everything packaged up for now because someone just told me
    about another pattern at another store that I may like better.
    
    Thank you for all the feedback....it was very much appreciated!
    
    Serena
    
    p.s.
    Has anyone else had the problem with finding a set they like and trying
    to get the curtains and the curtains are huge?  I wanted to get the
    curtains that matched the set but they were enormous.  I have 27"W x
    54"?L windows....the curtains were 83"W x 64"L. Sheesh!  How I wish I
    could sew!
    
    

    There is also a new line for babies that is the Classic Pooh.  It is 
    very cute.  I saw it in the Right Start Catalog.  I'm not sure
    which stores have it.
    
    			Mary Russo
    

    Serena,
    
    we went with pastel Winnie the Pooh in Chris' room, and had done Nick's
    in pastel Disney Babies. The wallpaper in each room is pastel stripes, and 
    we chose pastel borders for each in the appropriate theme. Now that Nick's 
    5.5 and Chris is 2.5, we regret not having gone with primamry colors. Had 
    we done so, redecorating for an older child could have been accomplished 
    simply with new borders and swapping out accessories. We have had no luck 
    in finding pastel borders of cars, trucks, baseball, dinosaurs, etc..., so 
    now we'll be forced to strip the pastel wallpaper 'base' and start all over.
    
    FWIW...                 

    When we fixed up the baby's room, I was pregnant and it was hard to 
    imagine having an older child in the room.  I looked at all sorts of
    baby stuff.  A friend gave me the advice to decorate the room in a
    not-so-babyish style and to use accessories to babify it.  I'm 
    really glad I did.
    
    I used navy and white striped curtains with a white with navy polka
    dot valance.  The crib skirt and bedding matched, as did the diaper
    bag.  We used Disney posters and stuffed animals.  When the baby
    grew (she's almost 5) we could adapt things as needed.
    
    They really grow and change so quickly and an older child tells you
    that they don't want baby stuff more eloquently than a baby tells
    you that they don't like the older decor.  ;-)
    
    judy

    
    Well, I knew I shouldn't have done it but I did!  I was in Manchester
    last night so I just had to stop in Tiny Totland!  Big mistake.  I
    absolutely LOVE the Classic Winnie the Pooh crib set and etc they had
    there.  I feel like I could never put up the set I already bought
    knowing that the other one is out there.  I will definately return the
    one I have but I am going to search another place to purchase the set I
    like better. In total with two window valances, 4 rolls of border and
    the crib set (without the crib skirt) is $350.  A little pricey I
    thought but then again I REALLY like it.  It's a good thing my husband
    was with me otherwise I would have charged the whole thing and included
    the honeypot lamp and the matching cushion set for the high chair!
    
    So....if anyone comes across the "Classic Pooh" set in their travels, I
    would greatly appreciate a pointer!(In addition to the Right Start
    catalog that Mary Russo mentioned, I've already ordered the catalog)
    
      Thanks in advance!
         Serena
    

    I know what you mean about prices.  My daughters room is decorated in a
    Beatrix Potter Petter Rabbit theme.  Its well worth the price when she
    looks at the borders and giggles or talks to the bunnies on her crib
    sheets.
    
    NMP
    

    Please keep us posted, if you find the Pooh set less expensive anywhere
    else.  Tiny Totland does a pretty good job of discounting the things
    that they carry.  So, if you find a better price, I'm be interested to
    know where.
    
    Peggy

    I've just finished doing our baby room in Classic Pooh.  Pooh was my
    favorite so thats what we went with.  I got it from Baby Specialties in
    Worcester and they also have a store in Natick.  The Classic Pooh come
    in a white background or off-white. (I think in the Right Start catalog
    they may just have the off-white.)  But I changed the Pooh lamp that
    matched the border to one made by Charpentiere (sp) that was more of a 
    scuptured look to it.  Also the mobile that comes with the set has only 
    Winnie on it and I found one at Toys-R-Us that had all the charaters 
    (and was $25 cheaper.)  You might want to call Baby Specialties and price
     them.  The number in Worcester is 791-2599.
    
    Renee   

    
    Well, after much research...I went with Tiny Totland for all my Classic
    Pooh stuff for the baby's room.  Their prices were the best.  I'm very
    excited to get the room done.  Now if I can just make up my mind as to
    which color to choose for the paint to go with the border!
    
    This is so much fun!
    
    Serena 
    Due  Aug. 18th

    My daughter, Rachel (1 yr), has her room done in the Classic Pooh.
    Though I did not purchase the matching border, she does have
    the Wall Hanging (Pooh & his honey pot).  I painted her room a 
    warm gold ("Corn Husk Gold" to be exact).  It pretty close to the
    same shade that is represented in the comforter set.  I absolutely
    love the color - and everyone remarks at how "warm" the room feels.
    
    Cheryl

    I may be the last to know, but Calvert's in Tewksbury/Lowell is
    going out of business.  I just went there at lunch today to pick
    up a dress for Angeline I had seen a month ago, but couldn't 
    afford at the time. 
    
    Everything right now is 30% off, and pickings are slim.  But they
    do still have a lot of Carter's stuff floating around, particularly
    crib accessories.  They have a lot of Carter's pj's for size 4.
    
    In fact, they do have quite a bit of clothing left in the kids sizes.
    The infant department it's hit or miss though and going fast.
    
    The rest of the store's goods I didn't even look at.  A clerk there
    said after this weekend it would really be picked at.  Maybe their
    lowering the discount more this weekend?
    
    I know I picked up some nice thermals for Angeline for later this
    year.   Their Carter's which run small so she'll fit them fine in
    the late/fall early winter.  Carter's run so small!!!!!
    
    						cj *->