After I arrived home from my first baby shower, I saw my husband's eyes get big. It turns out he was in a little bit of shock from all of the baby paraphernalia that we'd been given. He wondered if we really needed it all. Secretly, so did I.
It seemed that everywhere we turned there was something else being advertised as something we desperately needed for our baby. Not only that, but then there were checklists of what to pack in diaper bags. It kind of seemed like the old saying, that we needed everything but the kitchen sink. Except, the kitchen sink is kind of handy. It washes baby quite well, but I digress.
Newborns are so tiny. So, how come they come with so much stuff?
Well, because people make money off of us parents thinking they need it all.
Fortunately for my family's finances, I found the book Baby Bargains. It offers practical advice on what you do and don't need for baby. It even recommends certain items and says why they are good for the money. I didn't follow it religiously, but it did help me say no to things that we never ended up needing.
If you aren't interested in needing a new house to hold baby's stuff, and you are pretty sure you'd max out credit cards trying to acquire all the recommended items, then this book is worth checking out. It worked for us.
Check back next week when I'll share my must-have baby items. The list isn't that long. Amazingly, my babies have done just fine without all the latest and greatest baby items.
Please be sure to check out Rocks in My Dryer for more tips and ideas.
It seemed that everywhere we turned there was something else being advertised as something we desperately needed for our baby. Not only that, but then there were checklists of what to pack in diaper bags. It kind of seemed like the old saying, that we needed everything but the kitchen sink. Except, the kitchen sink is kind of handy. It washes baby quite well, but I digress.
Newborns are so tiny. So, how come they come with so much stuff?
Well, because people make money off of us parents thinking they need it all.
Fortunately for my family's finances, I found the book Baby Bargains. It offers practical advice on what you do and don't need for baby. It even recommends certain items and says why they are good for the money. I didn't follow it religiously, but it did help me say no to things that we never ended up needing.
If you aren't interested in needing a new house to hold baby's stuff, and you are pretty sure you'd max out credit cards trying to acquire all the recommended items, then this book is worth checking out. It worked for us.
Check back next week when I'll share my must-have baby items. The list isn't that long. Amazingly, my babies have done just fine without all the latest and greatest baby items.
Please be sure to check out Rocks in My Dryer for more tips and ideas.
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6 comments:
You forgot to mention our latest baby only needs a carseat, clothes and diapers.
Hubby
You are so completely right on with this post! Whatever we accumulate with baby, we later have to trip over in the middle of the night. Since we have a small house, we have tried to really limit the influx of gear. Still, it's pretty amazing how one little person can come with so much stuff! We blog about raising baby green on a budget at http://greenbabyguide.com
I so agree! I remember just filling an entire room with baby stuff before our first was born. I think we used a 1/4 of it :0
Amen sistah! I am expecting #3, and just got this thing in the mail with a list of "essential items" all expecting parents must have on hand! I kept laughing as I read through it, only about 1/3 of the stuff would I consider in any way useful. Was planning to blog about it myself in a day or two.
I loved that book! We really tried to keep the buying down but ended up with too much stuff also. Seriously, who needs a bouncer, swing, and exersaucer?! Now I have to store the stuff and try not to trip over it. The bouncer I use. The saucer I use. But not the swing. Especially with older siblings around who think it's fun to give baby a boost!!
I don't know the book, but I do know that we didn't have much money and we managed.
There's so much that isn't needed at all.
You can find my tip at:
Laane on the World
Have a great week and an amazing spring!!!
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