Much better than the Original! I am a stay-at-home-mom and am breastfeeding exclusively. I debated on which type of pump to get given that I wasn't planning on pumping often, just to have some extra milk for occasional bottle feeding and to freeze milk for future use.
I really didn't want to spend this much on a pump, but there were a couple things that swayed me to purchase this:
1. The Medela brand. I researched options over and over again and I kept coming back because of the positive reviews. Other pumps had good reviews, but a lot of bad ones also. This brand seemed to have the most consistent positive reviews.
2. I plan to have more children. I figured better to invest in a good pump that I can use for several kids than a cheaper pump that I would have to keep replacing.
3. I could either buy a cheaper single pump, or go with a more expensive double pump. The trade-off is time. I felt it was worth the time saving. If I was pumping a couple times a day for a year, imagine the time savings to be double-pumping. To me it was worth it.
Thank goodness I bought this, I developed thrush about a week after my baby was born and was unable to breastfeed. However, I was able to express and bottle feed until the infection cleared up. In doing this, between pumping and feeding it was taking up an incredible amount of time each day. But, imagine how much time it would have taken if I only had a single pump!
Get the advanced model--the two stage pumping process is really helpful. I have to go back and forth between the two stages several times in one pumping session. I'm not sure how well I could have pumped with another model without this feature.
A couple negatives...Medela removed several features from the 2008 model that the 2007 model had, I guess so they could lower the price and make it more affordable. This included the manual pump (which is really needed in case you ever go on vacation and don't want to take the full pump or are away from your pump for an extended period of time and need to relieve some pressure), the bottle stands, and the removable motor. If you can still get your hands on a 2007 model, I would suggest you do so because these features are good to have. I get really annoyed with not having the bottle stands, the top of the bottle with the horns is heavier than the bottle, so they tip over constantly unless they are really full of milk. Also, you have to press a button to go between the two phases of pumping, but when you are holding a bottle in each hand, unless you have a third arm and hand it is tricky. Eventually you get used to it, but I wish there were some way to make this easier.
Has lasted through three children... I don't know about PVC or plastic coating or anything like that, but I CAN tell you that it is worth the price if you're planning on having more than one kid. We opened up our Winkel in Jan 2004 for our oldest son...our daughter used it throughout 05 and early 06...and our youngest son has had his hands and mouth on it for two months now. It hasn't cracked, faded, etc despite months...YEARS...of use! I get this toy for everyone having their first child as all three of mine have loved it.
Love Mickey! I purchased these for my nephew because he's in love with Mickey at the moment and thought he would like them because they have the icons all over. I would have liked them to be longer, they are really some nice socks, but pricey!!
Perfectly soft We love this robe - my daugher asks for it even before we are finished with the bath! So cuddly soft and a good fit - it does run a little big for my 18 month old but I am sure we will get long term use out of it.
Disappointing I bought three of these for my new granddaughter. I had something similar for my kids when they were babies, called Pelican Bib, and they were awesome, so I didn't hesitate to order these. They were a major disappointment. This bib is way too short, so it's always in the wrong place at the wrong time. We tried one a couple of times, hoping it would work, two of them we never used, and now they're all going to Salvation Army.
The design is a great idea, but this particular interpretation missed the mark.