When Josiah was born, I pretty much had nothing bought for him; just a couple of sleepers and a package of diapers really. My brother and SIL gave me a bassinet as a gift so I didnt think there was anything else that I would immediately need. And I was right, mostly. Im breastfeeding so bottles and all that feeding gear was useless. Im not even pumping yet so I didnt even need it for backup. Ive decided with this baby to decide as I go what he needs and hopefully save money in the long run.
Problem is, he likes everything! During his fussy couple of weeks with thrush he needed to be comforted constantly and that is taxing on a single mom. I would stand swinging him in his carseat FOREVER waiting for him to go to sleep. So from this I decided to buy him a swing. It took awhile to find one used in the area but I finally did a few days ago. He absolutely loves it! I got it for a steal at $65 and its one of those neat two position ones that can swing forwards and sideways.
I knew from the get go that I would need a double stroller. I sold my tiny car when I was still pregnant because there was no way in hell all those car seats were going to fit. So now Im without a car and do a lot of walking. That will be fine until the winter but Im hoping to find a decent van before then. Like the swing though, I didnt want to spend the full price of a new one so Ive been looking forever for something local and used. But I eventually was successful and the guy dropped it off the same day I got my swing. I only paid $60 for the stroller and even the cheapest one I could find in a store was $180. It is obviously worn but my boys will be just as rough with it anyway and as long as it works and is clean, Im happy. It also has a little steering wheel for Michael in the front seat, which he will love!
Ive ruled out the need for an infant bathtub for the little guy but that was more because mine is in storage while we wait for our house and I wasnt going to shell out the money for another one. I loved mine too with Michael and I was looking forward to getting some more use out of it. It came with a little shower head so that you could rinse baby with fresh water...it was just so darn neat! Ive gotten used to bathing him in the regular big tub now though and I cant see me switching to the infant one so late in the game.
My newest purchase has been for a wrap. Ive decided that if I do have to go a little further and take a bus, a big double stroller is going to be inconvenient. The rules here are that children have to be taken out of strollers while on the bus and the stroller must be collapsed; not so easy to do with a double. So if I could get away with putting the baby into a wrap and Michael into his regular stroller/umbrella stroller/harness it may be easier. But instead of shelling out the $50 to order a wrap online, I once again browsed the local classifieds. I couldnt find anything for a wrap (about a million slings though, even though I cant see how they can be any good at all) so I posted an ad and a lady sent me an email about how easy it was to make your own. Now, Im not a crafty person by any means but with her simple directions, I went ahead and made my own:
So my super smart plan to wait and let my baby decide what I should buy has backfired and had me spending any freetime browsing online ads. I had saved money on every purchase so far ($265 in total for three baby items) and everything will be able to be sold again when Im finished with it so I guess it wasnt a complete failure of the system.
What about you oh wise internet, what items did you absolutely love with your babies and what could you do without?
With my first four, the vibrating bouncy seat was essential. (My fifth didn't like it.) All five loved the swing. My first four hated the snugli carrier so I thought it was a total waste---until my fifth loved it. The exersaucer was one of my favorite pieces of baby equipment, and they all spent a lot of time in it.
ReplyDeleteI love Freecycle for baby stuff. Our crib recently broke; we posted on Freecycle and picked up a free crib later that day.
swistle, funny how all four liked/disliked the same things and number five was the opposite. Oh and freecycle is the best isnt it? Things disappear so fast here though that you have to check back often.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like it's been so long since I've had baby stuff in my house! I miss it! With my daughter, the vibrating bouncy seat was huge. It was the only reason I could take showers! When she got a little bigger, her fav thing was that doorway jumper. She loved it.
ReplyDeleteOh ya the jumper! I forgot all about that thing. Rayden used to be in his all the time but I got rid of it before Chris was born and I never replaced it. Good one!
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome wrap!!!!! Nice job!
ReplyDeleteMy kids lived in their bouncy seats. Patrick even slept in his until he was too big to squeeze into it. Luckily, the one we had reclined into different positions, s as time went on I reclined it further and further back until he was fully laying down, and then just transitioned him to the crib from there.