I love our Graco Duet Connect (except for the fact that it can't be plugged in and only operates on batteries) but I really wish we'd just registered for a swing and bouncer separately. I've only taken apart the duet once and I really just like having each part in different rooms - he swings to sleep and sits in the bouncer during playtime. And as I mentioned in the parenthesis I wish we'd gotten a swing with the optional plug-in, because DANG, batteries be expensive! However, a recent walk through the local baby store made me realize our swing-bouncer is the biggest seat option and will hold him much longer for weight and height.
Had I known I was going to breast feed in bed / be too tired to want to get out of bed to put Arrow in his swing or bassinet / get zero sleep the first two weeks of his life because I was so worried any time he was a foot away from me, I would've gotten one of those bed co-sleepers like the Summer Infant "By Your Side Sleeper." In fact, if he wasn't growing so fast I would go get one right this second, because man, he really hates his bassinet.
Different bottles. Arrow does not have a great latch/is fussy, and has known the difference between breast and bottle from about one month old, so he is really picky about the three different options I had for him. Even the Munchkin Latch doesn't work well for him. With bottles you really never know until you try them, but I just wish I had been able to get a single bottle in at least four styles/brands in hopes that I would've had one he really liked.
An automated/battery operated gliding or rocking bassinet. I was dead-set on getting a bassinet that had what I like to call "cat protection," which means a zippered cover like a tent that can keep bugs and other pests out of the bassinet. Since I have cats in the house I wouldn't have had to worry about them jumping into the bassinet when I wasn't looking. The Karley bassinet I bought by Dream on Me will also come in handy protecting baby from bugs outside if I chose to bring him out on a nice day, perhaps under the shade of a tree while I garden or chat with the neighbor and the baby takes a little nap.
I was gifted a used infant car seat, but had my friend not been so generous in her donation, I probably would've let the internet moms and another friend of mine convince me to get an infant car seat anywhere between $120 and $220, so long as it had side impact protection and glowing reviews with at least one review that stated it saved the baby it was carrying in a real car accident. The only problem with being persuaded to get a great infant car seat is that I could've just skipped to a great convertible car seat with infant insert, such as the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 with tiny fit. Despite what I have read online, there is no reason not to just skip the infant seat altogether when there are such top-of-the-line and even all-in-one options. Unless you have a preemie, but then if you have a helpful friend who can loan you an infant car seat out of the hospital, you realistically won't need it again. (Assuming you have nurse home visits where you're at or could keep the borrowed seat for a couple of weeks to use for doctor visits.)
I hope this has been helpful, and please let us know what you wish you had bought for your baby!
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