boopadaboo, for sure there is no rush on their own rooms. All our kids have slept mostly with us for a few years except #5. She does not sleep well with us (took awhile for me to figure this out) so she is mostly in her crib. But as others have said, most kids do not spend tons of time in their rooms, esp if you live in a 2 story. I also think room sharing is fine-- or it better be because most of my kids have to share. :) My objection with the original room was more of a worry of the future, LOL, that it seemed like it was trying to appeal to adults. Sometimes children are seen as small adults (and then unrealistic expectations are set). A room does not have to be garish to appeal to children-- on the contrary. I am assuming unfairly, however, that these parents will view the child as anything other than a child. I' m still worried about that mirror, though.

Well, anything that can't be used after the baby can roll over may have a very short lifespan. My daughter rolled over at 4 weeks, 4 days. One of my strategies was just to do without a bunch of baby gear. I never had a changing table of any kind. My kids have been the kind to flop and flail from an early age so the floor seemed safer to me anyway. I never had an exersaucer or a jumper. The bouncy and the swing were both gone by the year mark. We never used a pack n play at our house and I borrowed one on the rare occasion I needed it for overnights elsewhere. As to strollers, I highly recommend the stroller forum at the Baby Bargains Board and/or Strollerqueen's reviews. For true running, it is hard to beat a fixed wheel Bob. But you absolutely should not run with a baby before six months to a year--think shaken baby syndrome. You also cannot use a Bob, even walking, with a newborn because they don't recline completely flat. You can use an infant carseat adapter, but it is not good to leave a baby in an infant seat for long stretches, both because of flat spot concerns and because the infant seats restrict breathing. Bobs are also heavy, don't fold very small and can't do parent facing (again except when using an infant car seat). So there are trade offs. This is a great example of function totally trumping any aesthetic concerns when it comes to baby gear. Now course, the stroller doesn't have to live in the house for most people as it can be stored in the garage or car. As far as cleaning,I would look for reviews or inspect an item in person to ascertain that rather than relying on product promotional materials. There are some YouTube videos for baby gear--baby gizmo I think?

A Pack 'n Play is very sturdy. We used one almost exclusively with our son, though that is not what we intended... We had a nice nursery set up, with a beautiful new crib... We were married 15 years before we were blessed with a pregnancy; we went all out on that nursery. The crib was hardly used. DS was premature, chronic coughing/asthma since birth and had reflux something awful for the first year or so of his life. We had several specialists, plus our pediatrician, say that he needed to sleep on his stomach - which is totally against the SIDS campaign - but he spit up and choked so much - sleeping on his tummy was the only way he could sleep. We ended up using our Pack 'n Play *all* the time since DS needed constant monitoring. (I don't believe in putting awake children in playpens, unless it is for safety reasons, like when you are showering. I would never just put a child in one to play.) Our pack 'n play got hauled along on half dozen or so vacations, too. DH and I have always said that was one of our better baby purchases. If you don't have the space to devote to a crib - then go the pack 'n play route. Really, you can buy a cheap crib and mattress for about the same price as a new pack 'n play... Ask around - maybe you can borrow one or hit the jackpot. (Our neighbor found out last year that she was pregnant after many, many years and we gave them everything, as we are - knock on wood - out of the baby business.) If you buy used or get a hand-me-down from someone, be sure to check for recalls - that information is readily available on-line. ~ Suzie

I have to agree with adellabedella. So many products change and usually improve (sometimes just within a year or two) so I wouldn't really plan on keeping most things for many kids. Most furniture, the bed, changing table and dresser should be good investments and able to last for years, though. A good highchair should last at least for a couple kids too. Wait on buying, and then plan on buying new carseats for each child if they are spaced more than 2 years apart. They just don't hold up and newer safer models are always coming out. I know you may want to buy some stuff now since you have the money, but remember you'll probably have a shower and people will want to buy things for you. Baby things seem to just keep improving with every year so I'm not sure I would buy much stuff other than the furniture (and even then your tastes may change). Have you thought of just keeping a separate savings account for baby things? That way you can save the money but still be able to get the most up to date items when the time comes.