List: What NOT To Buy for Your Baby (or: How To Save $500 When You Shop For Your Newborn)
“You need this and this and that,” “You MUST have this,” and all sorts of recommendations from friends before we brought our babies home sent Alex and me on a 2-week shopping spree, spending hundreds of dollars, as if we were just about to bring home another spoiled Kardashian kid (and as if we had their kind of money).
Very quickly we realized that there was a lot of expensive stuff that people told us we “must” have that went straight to resale on Craigslist. The following is a list of the things I figured one can do very well without:
1. Clothes (YES!)
Don’t buy them. What I recommend is buying 2 or 3 simple onesies that you’re going to reuse. We did laundry every other day, so we actually used the same 2 onesies for each. Go ahead and call Human Services on us, but save the clothing money for when they start crawling and really start making a mess. Clothing at this age is really for you rather than for them. Also, you’re going to receive so many clothes. After the mistake of buying clothing before they were born, I didn’t buy clothes for a year! So much was returned or exchanged.
You save: $100-$200
2. Baby Wipe Warmer
Seriously?! Perhaps you could use cashmere wipes instead!)
You save: $24.99
3. Expensive Baby Bath
Babies outgrow those very fast and bath prices range from $20–$60 or more, so buy the $20. As soon as they can sit you can buy them the wonderful bath baby seat for your real bathtub.
You save: $40
4. Full Bedding Set
That to me was a first time parent trick: I didn’t know that doctors (including ours) recommend no blankets and no bumper in the bed until they are a year old! Apparently bumpers are dangerous and can cause suffocation when the baby starts moving in bed. Stick with fitted bottom sheets.
You Save: $169
5. Bassinet
Guys, much as we wish we lived on the TV show Dynasty, sitting with our white satin dresses, rocking our baby, and sipping champagne, that’s not what’s going to be happening here. Seriously, what’s it for? Baby sleeps in bed, and when they are not in bed we play with them on the carpet or on a DayDreamer seat (one of our best purchases, which we probably used the most). Some people buy a bassinet, or a pack-and-play (stupid item!) instead of a crib – but why? You will have to buy a crib anyway, so why have the baby get adjusted to such a big change. Isn’t coming out of the womb a big enough change?
You Save: $100
6. Teething Gel
Although it’s not on the newborn list I feel I have to say this because not many parents know. Teething Gel is NO LONGER FDA approved for babies under 2 years old. I didn’t know that when I saw my babies suffering and sticking their hands into their mouths as teething started and wanted to make everything in my power to help them.
You Save: $5.49 – and your child’s health
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Total savings: $539.48