What am I good at? Unsolicited advice. No brainer on that one- get with the program folks! So, I want to offer my advice on choosing the right baby gear for you and your babies.
Strollers- There are floor models for a reason. Get these things out and push them around. Does it feel right to push this stroller? Is it too high or low? Push on them from every angle. Hit them to see if they fall over. Hang you purse on the handles and hit it again to see if it will flip. Do you want baby injured in a stupid stroller accident? No. Let’s save those saved benjamins for ER visits later in life–when they decide that they are going to stand on the dresser and leap like super man to the bed. Next, try to break it. Really, try it. Bend the plastic. Is it too flimsy and breakable? Strollers should be good for up to 40-50 pounds of child so put 40-50 pounds of pressure on every part of the stroller than you can think of! Bottom line-kids are rough on stuff no matter what you say or do. Your child is going to abuse it so why not get one that’s going to hold up to all the abuse? Hell, if you’re brave wander around the store–find a 40 pound boy who is bouncing off the walls and ask him to sit in it and play in it. If there is a way to break it- said boy will find the weakness in the stroller and it will break in approximately 4 minutes or less. Also–keep the price in mind because after awhile you will probably just go buy an umbrella stroller anyways because they are just WAY easier to handle!!
High Chairs- Basically the same rigorous routine as with the stroller. Bend it and try to break it. Hit it and see if it tips too easily. Are there leg holes? What if you have a chubby baby–is it going to cut into those precious little hamhocks? Feel for sharp edges in the plastic, but also in the vinyl (or whatever it’s made out of) seat cover thingy. Make sure it allows for lots of room to grow too. Some people will use their high chair for YEARS.
Swings- same as above. Can’t be too safe!
Play Pens, Play Yards, Pack-n-Plays – I have yet to run across a real shitty one of these. They are all basically the same thing. Personally, I went with one with a basinet and changing table. It also has a hard plastic thing on the side with compartments for diaper changes. To each their own…you may not want all the bells and whistles on a pack and play. We did since all of our family is 2-3 hours away or more and when we make a trip we stay for awhile! Besides, when not in use, it can be used as a giant laundry basket for all the clean laundry that you just can’t find the energy to even fold, let alone put away.
Overall the best advice I can give is to really just abuse the shit out of the floor model. If it holds up and seems sturdy after all you’ve put it through, then it’s probably a good buy. I don’t want you to come back and tell me that you went through a stroller a year for the first three years of your child’s life because you bought what was cute or in style or whatever the reason…tell me that you squeezed your own ass into the seat of the stroller to make sure it would hold the weight and you couldn’t have made a better choice!!
Moral of the story- don’t spend too much on baby stuff. Let’s face it…they aren’t babies for long. Keep the price in mind because do you really want to spend 300 bucks on something that you’re going to use for only 6 months? Hell no. Who does that? You will if you get caught up in the moment!! You will undoubtedly kick yourself in the ass for doing it later though. So be sure to stretch. We wouldn’t want you to get a strain while trying to shove your head in your ass. 
