Only what you need for your baby. Really. (OK – and some fantastic things you don’t that are pretty cool.)
New parents are worried, so they will focus endlessly on which car seat to buy and which crib to get, and how to make sure that both of those baby receptacles are 100% the most safe ever. That’s good. You are not the new parent, so you can worry about little handy things, like how that super-safe baby is going to be kept entertained in that car seat.
This will occur to Mom in a few weeks when little Kenneth is wailing in the back of the car because he’s super bored on another drive to an enriching activity. You are way ahead of her: Kenneth needs a Haba stroller/car seat chain.
No, it’s not a chain like that. It’s an adorable collection of colorful wooden toys with friendly faces that spin around a string that’s attachable to a car seat carrying bar or a stroller hood. Kenneth will love it. Mom will love it, and you for bestowing it on Kenneth.
Note: there are much bigger and more electronic offerings on the market, but, as usual, I couldn’t get next to all the noises and lights for an infant + since babies will be carried around in that car seat for a while, the bigger toy bars will get in the way. The Haba chain will not AND you can swap it between car seat and stroller easily. Let Mom or Dad invest in a giant arc of irritating noise when and if they feel Kenneth absolutely needs it and they can stand it.
Haba Blossoms Pram Decoration, $25 at Amazon (flowers and what not for girls)
Haba Pixies Stroller Toy, $27 at Amazon
Heimess also makes stroller chains with wooden decorations. I haven’t seen these in person, but they look similar to Haba’s, $20-42 at Amazon