I have a 2 year old daughter and I am due any day now with my second child and I have to say that when I had my first daughter I thought I needed everything under the sun for her. Tv and magazines tell mom’s that they need so many things for their newborn baby and this is just not true at all. When you search online and find checklists of items to buy for your child, make sure to carefully read over the list as I guarantee you will find the items that I am about to mention on the list.
When you have your first child you want to have everything possible so that you are not home and missing anything you might need. The thing is, all you really need for your new baby is food and diapers. Your child is just like an adult, we need food and water to live and that is all. Your baby does NOT need all kinds of fancy items that costs hundreds of dollars. If you have a small budget and want to buy items that you really need than stick to a small list of: Formula, Diapers, Wipes, Clothes and a Car seat.
The top 5 items that I have found you DO NOT need when you have your baby are as follows:
Diaper Genie: This is a plastic container that is for the disposal of your baby’s soiled diapers. It is supposed to keep your baby’s diapers contained in a space that will not make your house smell like baby poo. The thing is, your house will be perfectly fine if you throw your diapers in your trash, just place your baby’s diapers in a plastic grocery bag (which we all have a ton of) and throw it away. You WILL not smell the diaper and you will save time, space and money by NOY buying this contraption.
Changing Table: Furniture companies have found a great way to charge you for an item that you DO NOT need. A changing table. What do you do with a changing table when you baby is grown up? Give it away I suppose since you cannot use it again. What a waste of money. Just use a dresser that you already own, or a table you already own that is at the right height for changing. I NEVER did buy a changing table myself and I am soo happy I did not. I used a very nice antique dresser that I had found for FREE as my changing table. Not only did this work out GREAT but it had tons of storage and we can use it as a dresser when my daughter gets older.
Baby Wipes: Why not use cloth wipes to wipe your baby’s little tush. Cloth wipes will save you a TON of money and they can be reused for several years without fail. I have been using cloth wipes on my daughter since she was born, more than 2 years ago, and they look and smell like new. I just add them to my wash and viola, clean wipes when I need them. Also, wipes you get in the store have all kinds of chemicals and bad stuff in them that you baby just does not need, read the label next time you go to buy your baby wipes, there is some crazy stuff in there.
A Diaper Bag: You do not need to buy a “Diaper Bag” specifically for your new baby. A big canvas or fabric bag will do just fine. Most people even have one hanging around the house, I have about 4. Don’t spend big bucks on a bag just because you think you NEED a Diaper Bag, just use your own bag and it will do just fine. I have had my fair share of bags over the years and my favorite has always been to use my own big canvas bags that I already owned. Easy to clean, easy to use and they don’t look like a baby bag when I am out and about.
Bottle Sterilizer:A bottle sterilizer is just another way for companies to get as much money from us mom’s as they can. All you need to do is boil your bottles in water on the stove and VIOLA sterilized bottles. There is no need for a bottle sterilizer that will sit on your counter, take up space, and you may only use once and then set aside.
So there you have it, my top 5 baby items that you DO NOT need to buy. There are MANY more items that you do not need either, but I won’t get into those at this time. Just spend what you need to spend, don’t go overboard and don’t buy everything you see on TV and you can save some money.
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