What we don't need
I am a little bit terrified of all the "stuff" that accompanies babies. Somehow I feel like it's a lot like the the wedding "stuff." Part of the process is sorting through the necessary things and the things that life tells us is necessary but isn't.
I don't know how many times I have been around kids who have been more interested in cardboard boxes or balls than in complex toys that sing and dance. I also can't tell you how many times I have been annoyed by the singing toys that have the most obnoxious tone ever invented.
So my question reader is what is it that we don't need?
Amid all the things we are told to purchase or to gather what are the least important ones?
Here's what I think a newborn needs:
ReplyDeletea sling
a swaddle
a carseat (if you plan on driving)
some onesies
diapers
something warm for outside
here are things it's nice to have:
a swing
a bouncy seat (to put them in while you're in the shower)
a bassinet
That's about it. As they grow they'll need more clothes/stimulation, but for the first six months, that's about it.
baby doesn't need
ReplyDeleteshoes
a swimsuit
fluffy pillows
tons of newborn-sized clothing
baby bathtub (though they're nice)
changing table
I'm not a mom, but I am a pretty hardcore aunt & did some amateur pre-natal nursing, so you can take my word or leave it ;)
a. has a lot of good comments! I was going to say everyone keeps telling me "You don't need a changing table." Just get a really good changing pad to put on top of a dresser.
ReplyDeleteI also have had many people say that most kids like either a swing or a bouncer and not usually both...and you can 'test' them out to see which one is preferred. I know my mom found a really nice baby swing at the thrift store a few weeks ago--so we'll see how that works.
My sister-in-law's daughter basically lived the first six months of her life in a graco "play yard" (we called them 'play pens' when we were kids)--it had a changing station, a bassinet part and a mobile that lilly really liked--and it was cheaper than most change stations and bassinets separately. I think we're planning to just get one of those and use the bassinet in that when the baby needs to sleep in our room the first few weeks.
Seriously though, kids are messy and grow quickly so I plan to hunt thrift stores and hand-me-downs for clothes, since they're necessary but won't last the kid very long.