Comments on: Baby Gear

By: Danika

Danika — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:00:24 +0000

Great article and great comments too! I’m a mom of 2 and wanted to add some tips I followed to save money:

* Cloth diapers! This has already been mentioned. You can always use cloth part-time, buy used diapers, buy in bulk to save extra money and re-sell your diapers when you are done to recover a little bit of your investment. You can also save by needing less wipes, diaper rash creams, etc.

* For must-have items, buy good quality ones with re-sale value, or simply buy them use. We spent $450 on a stroller, then re-sold it for $400 in good condition 2 years later. We plan to re-sell our double when we’re done with it.

* Trade clothes – when we had our son, I swapped my older daughters baby clothes with a friend that had a boy first. He’s almost two and I have saved a ton on clothes for him

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[...] I am expecting my first in May and the amount of baby junk is astounding! I’ve heard others mention cribs are a waste, so I’m hoping to get a convertible one so that it will eventually have some use. I’m really hoping that Boxing Day/Week at …… You can feel good about jars of organic baby food , (watch that best before date, since it could be some months before the baby will be eating it) or like â??A momâ? said, even a container of Costco Wipes, if that’s all you can do. …Continue [...]

By: Shawn R. Bruce

Shawn R. Bruce — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:27:17 +0000

My 19-month-old girl have their diapers off most of the time — they even get into their soiled diapers and have it around the living room. Everybody keeps telling me to potty train them, trouble is my precious isn’t speaking. How can I instruct when my baby can’t even say to me when its bathroom time? any suggestioms orhelp?

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By: Lynda

Lynda — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:53:49 +0000

I found that much of the gadgetry associated with babies was more about marketing and less about “need”.
-Definitely hit second-hand stores for clothes. They’ll never remember what they puked on that first year!
-receiving blankets work marvellously for almost anything: burp cloths, play mats, napkins, and even as blankets
-a bizillion of those little washcloths
-soft lamp or nightlight in baby’s room–there will be a lot of middle of the night, only barely awake feedings! The less awake baby gets, the faster she goes back to sleep
-teething tip: wet a facecloth and freeze it. Let baby suck on it.
-those A-frame dangly activity bars are awesome! and not that expensive

FRIENDS, FRIENDS, FRIENDS!!!! DO take them up on any offers of help!!!! Trust me, any baby will live for half an hour in the arms of another—they won’t starve or cry to death, even if they are hungry or fussy. YOUR opportunity to get that half hour to yourself will do everyone in your household a world of good.

There are as many opinions as there are parents. But the best thing to remember is that YOU are that baby’s parent, and YOU know how to make that baby happy. Trust yourself. Watch your baby–you’ll learn very quickly, and for most folks it comes naturally. ENJOY the smell, the cuddles, the coos and every moment you can.

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By: Cara

Cara — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:59:07 +0000

I would agree that cloth diapers are the way to go! They can cost a lot more initially but you will save in the long run! There are so many great styles and they help the environment too!

Second hand children’s stores are great too! You can sell your gently used, outgrown baby clothes and equipment and get cash to buy the next size up!

By: R.

R. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:56:45 +0000

One more thing that I forgot to mention, a lot of women have showers [duh] to help them get what they need. A good friend of ours made her husband have a “Pamper Party”. The process was really simple, no girls allowed and every guy had to show up with a box of diapers. They had to make several trips with a pickup truck just to get them all home, and she still has mounds of diapers.

They also played all kinds of games, one of which resulted in much photo evidence of grown men wearing Depends…

By: Heather B

Heather B — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:29:33 +0000

I strongly agree with the messages about waiting to see what you will need. I would say that all you need right at the beginning are diapers … wipes can be washcloths, moistened paper towels as mentioned, etc. Get one newborn pack of diapers (good up to 8lbs) but keep the receipt and don’t open the package in case you end up with a 10-lb baby!! But if you’ve opened them, donate them to your local food bank – yes they can take them. And also buy a slightly larger size of diapers.

Beyond that, if you must buy things, buy ONE of whatever has caught your fancy. It may turn out, for example, that you hate burp cloths (like me) and use receiving blankets for absolutely everything so end up buying a dozen (like me). Also, the child may voice preferences along the way as well … see the many posts above stating “my child hated XYZ”. Buying one will give you a chance to try it and if it works, you will have money saved to buy more (!) or you can let a doting friend/grandparent know that you need more.

By: an ostrich named sam

an ostrich named sam — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:52:50 +0000

I love the new layout, it made me smile this morning! Congratulations!

By: Natalie

Natalie — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:36 +0000

Crib bumpers are a hazard. Don’t buy a fancy bedding kit, just a few inexpensive sheets will do.

Buy the minimum amount of stuff you think you can get away with, stores are open 7 days a week. You can always pick something up later, and if you are too busy, you can always get someone else to do it for you.

Newborn diapers only benefit is that they have a cutout for the umbilical cord, you can fold the size one tops over to give that cord room and save yourself some money as size ones are cheaper.

As for onesies, get the ones that button! The pullover ones are awful.

By: Leslie p

Leslie p — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:49:03 +0000

My kids are older now but I note how many people don’t like a change table. I wouldn’t have survived without one. For the first two it was an actual change table with storage underneath – everything at my fingertips. Yes you had to be aware that the child didn’t fall but I didn’t find it a big deal. I used that table right through toddler stage and it saved my back big time. When our daughter came along we had given away all the baby stuff (there’s 11 years between my youngest two) and instead of buying another change table, I bought a special change pad that went on top of a dresser and that did just as well. i found it very difficult to bend over and change on a bed and my knees couldn’t handle the floor. I couldn’t get myself back up never mind a small baby!

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:13:59 +0000

For my first I had a high chair that had 6 different heights, 3 reclines, vinyl padded seat and cloth cover on top of the vinyl. Turns out it took up a ton of space and was impossible to keep clean.

Best baby thing ever, that you need – Ikea’s Antilop highchair. I am quite sure it is also the least expensive highchair in existance. It is great – really easy to clean, takes up minimal space, has rubber feet safe for hardwoods. Sure, it means you have to have another way to feed younger babies (that can’t sit) – such as a baby-to-toddler rocker, but after that its great!

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:58:57 +0000

We live in an apartment so we have very limited space for a lot of baby things. This is what we learned with our first baby that was useful right away:

A crib — it is convertible into a toddler bed. We never used bumpers but when our baby was about 6-8 months old, we did buy a mesh netting that went around the sides to keep her legs and arms from hanging out between the rails as she rolled around in bed.
A good car seat — make sure it’s installed correctly.
Diapers and wipes — a must whether it is reusable or disposable.

These are other items we found very handy:
A good diaper bag — you can totally get these in daddy-friendly styles too so he doesn’t feel uncool carrying around baby items.
A sturdy stroller — we do a lot of walking and our car seat/stroller/travel system has been very useful! Not only did we use it for baby but for carrying laundry and groceries too!
A booster seat that secures to a regular dining chair — we don’t have room for a high chair and we tote this booster seat to family gatherings. It’s very useful and practical for us.

I am totally grateful to family and friends who have provided us with loaners and hand-me-downs. It’s saved us so much money on clothes, blankets, toys, and gadgets! Also I am grateful for friends and family who have pitched in with babysitting and offers of food.

Not having a lot of space for baby things really helped us to see that we didn’t need a lot of baby things. For instance, we never bought a change table. We just used a change pad and changed her diapers on the floor or on the bed. So for all new and expecting parents out there, try not to get swayed by all the fancy marketing out there for all the latest and greatest baby things. Save your money so that you can do things together as a family and put away a little something for baby’s RESP.

Best of luck to all new and expecting parents out there!

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:38:05 +0000

I think you are referring to Dentol! It’s brownish orange. I would agree, even though i don’t have a baby the vibrating chair was one of the best useful gift to give and for parents to get, it frees up the hands. baby gates if you have stairs, plug covers. bibs, washclothes. oinment in a tube is the cleanest. a playpen that is portable for travel is great for travelling parents. I too hated my crib and would climb out, my youngest nephew is close to doing the same. lol

By: Lori

Lori — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:30:31 +0000

although there are few things you actually ‘need’ here are some things that made our lives a lot easier over the past 17 months:

Bundle Me-greatest thing ever-a nice snuggly zip up for around the car seat, wonderful for the winter

Jolly Jumper

Icecube trays for making my own baby food

baby bathtub

crib/bassinet

Breast pump