I’ve been pondering this
blog since my first child almost 3 years ago.
I remember going to register and being COMPLETELY over whelmed. I got all the stuff that people say you “must
have” and probably an additional 507 items that are a “necessity”. I did make sure that all of the big stuff was
gender neutral for future kids (which I strongly encourage) but still found
myself thinking “what am I going to do with all this stuff!?” My son was born almost 5 months ago and as I
have been dragging out lots of our old stuff this blog came back to mind. I hope that all of you moms to be out there
find this helpful J
Why Borrow?
There a few reasons why I
tell you to borrow. The first is obvious
but worth mentioning:
1.
It saves a TON of money! Baby gear is
probably one of the biggest rip offs out there (right up there with wedding
crap – sorry if you’re offended by the word crap.) Of the hundreds of things that you “need” I
would say only about 5% of it would actually fit in that category.
2.
It saves space
(which is almost more valuable than the money to me!!!) – The first year of
life your baby grows so much and so fast.
There are a lot of things that are really great to have but after using
it for only a month or two you look down and think “now what do I do with this?”
a. What should I buy?
Things that will be used for the majority of their baby days (see
specifics below).
b. What should I borrow?
Things that are temporary useful, something that you will only use for a
month or two (see specifics below).
3.
It helps your friends save space! I
always LOVE helping friends with kids out.
It’s a joy to help them and it gets these things out of my house for a
while J
4.
You can get more useful things as gifts! Instead
of all of these big ticket items (that generally you don’t get ) you can
register for things that you really need and will use, like diapers and wipes!
Why Buy?
1.
It’s something I will use long term – things that will be used 6 months or more I would
say are usually worth buying. You can
borrow these if you can find them but a lot of times mom’s are still using
these items. (see specifics below)
2.
It’s something that will get ruined – there are some things that are better to buy just
because they barely make it through one kid.
Lets face it, babies are disgusting.
Prepare yourself for more poop, pee and spit up than you ever imagined…and
maybe all at one time, in the middle of dinner, while they are sitting on your
lap. Welcome to parenthood J (see specifics below)
3.
It’s a great deal! – If you find something that’s just a really good deal, go for
it. You can always lend it out to
friends that have babies later down the road J Consignment sales are a GREAT
place to find these deals. AdorableAffordables is a good one in Stillwater and Just Between Friends (I have only been
to Tulsa and OKC…they are HUGE and can be a little overwhelming but you have
TONS of options).
Borrow or Buy? – A practical
list
Crib – Buy
I would say definitely buy
a crib. I strongly encourage one of the
cribs that converts into toddler bed then into twin bed headboard and
footboard. Maddie was in her crib and
then we changed it into the toddler bed which she slept in until we used the
crib for Isaiah. We will eventually use
the headboard and footboard but it kept us from having to have 3 beds for Maddie.
Changing Table – Buy
This is something that you
will use for at least a year and a half.
My suggestion – buy a cabinet or something that isn’t technically a
changing table. Then buy the foam
changing pad and cover and put it on top, then when you are done with babies
you have a nice piece of furniture you can still use!
Diaper Pail/Trashcan – Avoid!
I say don’t buy this at
all. They stink, you need to take out
the diapers WAY before it’s full, the stench soaks in to the plastic and it’s
just disgusting. I’ve heard diaper
geenie’s are good, but the bags are expensive.
My thoughts – why waste money when you can just take it to the trash? We used one for Maddie and I decided not to
use one at all with Isaiah and I love it!
It’s not that hard to take diapers to our main trash can (that we take
out frequently anyway). I wrap poopy
diapers up in walmart bags and put them in the main trash or we can take them
out.
Baby Bath Tub – Borrow
I bought this really cool
foam tub to bathe infants in. I really
like the tub, it’s great, but my kids only fit in it for about 2 weeks – 1 month. At the beginning they can’t have a bath until
their umbilical cord heals, then they don’t fit in the sink much longer. I had to buy another tub that we can use for
a while but once your baby can sit in a regular tub it’s a pain in the rear to
store. Try borrowing one if you can, if
not, buy a cheap one. Most come with
little hammock type attachments for infant days.
Bassinet – Borrow
We had some people give us
a bassinet and I’ll be honest, I love it.
I know a lot of people use pack and plays these days but they are about
twice the size of a bassinet. However,
if you are going to buy a pack n play a bassinet is kind of redundant. They will outgrow it in just a few months
which will leave you either needing a pack n play or putting them in your crib.
Stroller & Carseat – Buy
These are items that are
musts. You can’t leave the hospital
without a car seat and if you never use a stroller I don’t know how you did
it. I suggest the combo because then the
car seat just clips in. However, these
strollers are big and bulky. Not great
for travel. We had a combo given to us
with Maddie but after a car wreck had to get a new one. I found a great deal on a Chicco at a
consignment sale. I was also able to buy
a much slimmer stroller that is just for the infant carrier (there’s no seat
for after they outgrow the carrier).
This was worth having, it’s so much lighter and easier to travel
with. I also highly recommend having 2
car seat bases for your car seat (it comes with one). This makes it easier to swap baby duty
without swapping cars. This will be
especially important if your child will be in daycare and mom and dad will both
be picking up the child on different days.
Boppy – Borrow First, possibly Buy
Lots of people love the
boppy (or similar items). I don’t. I don’t like laying my babies on it, I feel
like they are too high. I prefer putting
a pillow under my arm. If you end up
liking it, it’s worth having but I wish I hadn’t got one.
Pack n Play – Borrow or Buy
I can go either way on
this one. If you travel a lot, I would
say it’s worth the dough. If not, it may
be better to borrow. You might run in to
trouble finding one around the holidays though.
If you do buy one, go basic. I
bought one that is pack n play with infant insert (so they’re higher up when
small), changing table attachment, mobile and sound machine. This is too much stuff. I really like the infant insert thing but the
music maker, mobile and changing table just take up space in our closet.
High Chair –
Buy
High chairs are really
hard to keep clean. Kids are in them for
the soul purpose of trying to destroy them…and then they might eat a bite here
and there. Not only do they get pretty
dirty, we used ours for a loooong time.
Maddie probably used it from 5 months until just after 2. I loved being able to roll it in our room so
she could eat breakfast while I got ready.
I would say go for comfort here too.
I think these are much better than the wood ones. We occasionally put Isaiah in it already (he’s
almost 5 months). It’s a great place for
him to play during our dinner time or while I cook.
Command Center a.k.a. Exersaucer – Borrow
This is another thing that
I think is one of the greatest things.
Kids love it when they are too young to even crawl but are ready to do
some turning and standing. However, they
are very inconvenient to store. This was
given to us and I am so thankful for it, but it’s also the item that I enjoy lending
out the most J
Play Mat – Buy for cheap or borrow
We use the play mat a
lot. I prefer the one with the foam bars
over it that have toys hanging off. This
is great for the early days and my babies really enjoy it. It’s not too hard to store either. However, they can cost a pretty penny…and I
am not sure why. I didn’t get one at
first because they seemed really overpriced.
I eventually found one for cheap and it was a great purchase. If it doesn’t have the stuff over it, it’s
not worth it at all in my opinion.
Jumper – Borrow
I didn’t have one with Maddie
and decided to see if I could borrow one for Isaiah. I found one and he’s really enjoying it but I
know a lot of babies don’t. It’s also a
little bulky so will be a hassle to store after he uses it for only a few
months.
Bouncer and/or Swing –
Ok, so I am leaving this
one up to you but here is my opinion. I
think the bouncer is incredible and worth every penny. It’s really useful for 0-6 months. It breaks down but it’s still a little bit of
a hassle to store. This was something we
used a lot, I loved being able to put the kids in it while I showered, cooked,
cleaned, did laundry, take Maddie outside to play. It’s fantastic. They aren’t that expensive usually and they
are pretty easy to transport. This is
also a really good item to find at a consignment sale. If you can find one to borrow, more power to
ya! Swings – I know lots of people that
say they couldn’t live without their swing.
I am not that person. I rarely
used the swing on either kid. I bought a
small one that is supposed to fold up easy but for me, it’s still just a
hassle. I would much rather use the
bouncer or one of the other items above (probably because swings tend to put
kids to sleep too and I didn’t want my kids sleeping in swings).
Potty Seat – Buy
Think about it, do you really
want a used one? I don’t.
Bumbo – Borrow or don’t bother
I didn’t love the
bumbo. It’s good for maybe a month but I
felt so bad for the kids. They just
looked all hunched over and uncomfortable and they can’t reach toys…it’s just
sad to me. I would much rather use the
high chair or command center.
Breast Pump – Buy
If you are going to breast
feed, I highly recommend buying a pump.
If you borrow you will still have to buy your own tubes and attachments
for sanitary reasons. It’s kind of on
the same page as the potty seat, it’s just kind of eeeewwww. You can rent one from Cimarron Medical Supply
in Stillwater (you still have to buy all the tubes and attachments too). I did this because I wasn’t sure if I wanted
to pump but decided I really prefer it.
I was also told to only buy medela from several sources so I will pass
that along.
Well, this is all I can
think of for the moment. If you have additional
questions or if you’d like to borrow something, let me know! Hope this takes a little bit of the stress
out of baby shopping J
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