Overwhelmed with the "stuff" part of this.
almostjones
member
Deciding on baby "stuff" is much, MUCH harder than I thought it would be. Everything is so expensive and as first timers, we don't know what we're really going to need. Our house isn't huge, and it won't take much for us to be bursting at the seams so we really don't want to register for a bunch of bulky, pricey stuff that we won't really use. But we want to make sure we DO register for/buy what we will use....
And this whole crib choosing business. Who knew that would be so hard?
I keep thinking, there's no way this tiny baby needs THAT much stuff to be well cared for and happy, so why stress about it? But then I go to target.com and there's just so many choices!
I just needed to get that out and I'd love some advice/direction.
Thanks. :-)
Re: Overwhelmed with the "stuff" part of this.
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/33081856.aspx
Then I started looking for non-convertible beds, even used ones...and they are really few and far in between. If I could get a baby bed that would transition to a toddler bed then I would have it for at least 3 to 4 years.
Also do you guys have a one story or two? We have two, and our LO will be downstairs in a pack n play for a LONG time. Not sure if I am going to convert my study to a baby room for a while or not. I dont like the idea of doing that, because my older kiddos need the study...we shall see!
Goodluck on picking all the "stuff" we are going tomorrow to register. My H is not looking forward to it at all...I am bribing him.
Thank you for this - very helpful on the crib info!
We have a one story. We aren't registering for a pack-n-play because there will be one at both grandma's houses, and if we travel somewhere else & need one we can borrow one of theirs.
My DH isn't looking forward to registering either. I can't blame him - seems like it will be more fun for me than him. Haha. I will probably do most of it online and then bring him along for choosing the diaper bag(s), stroller/carseat, furniture, etc.
on average a baby uses a crib for 2 years but some use it longer. also, many cribs have an option for a side rail where it becomes a toddler bed for a little while but is not the same as a convertible crib, i.e. it doesn't become a real bed.
as far as all the stuff- no you don't need it. for both my kids i bought a swing and ended up selling them b/c neither boy liked it enough to warrant it taking up so much space in my house. i used the exersaucer for maybe a couple months and in those couple months i maybe used it 5-6 times. in both cases, i bought this gear used. i would never pay full price for these items. i know some people say they can't live without these types of things, but i know a lot of people who do- probably b/c i live in a neighborhood with a lot of small houses.
in the beginning you need a car seat, a few blankets, burp cloths, some clothes (mostly onsies and pajamas) and your diapers/wipes/etc. heck, mathis doesn't even have a "crib set" even though his nursery is super cute. bumpers are unsafe and my crib looks great without a crib skirt.
so, register for your necessities and people will give you "cute" things too. if you want to have a crib set and a swing and a bumbo and an exersaucer, it's totally ok but i hate that you feel like you have to. because you don't.
you also don't need to register for every.single.thing. keep your registry small and people will give you gift cards or you can return duplicates for credit to buy stuff when you sort out what you will need for *your* baby.
I don't have a lot of advice, but I just wanted to say that you're not alone! I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack every time I step into Babies R Us.
We ended up picking a convertible crib, even though we're not planning to use it as anything besides a crib. I tried to find one that wasn't a convertible, and they are rare and I didn't really like the styles.
This recommendation list was posted on 2nd Tri yesterday. I think it's more condensed and less fluffy than the Babies R Us list: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/news/new-baby-basics-1105/overview/index.htm
Thanks for posting this Rayskit! Great advice...
I'm very anti extra baby stuff... I want a few nice things, but I'm trying to get nice things I can use for a long time. We have such a small place (a 2-bedroom apartment) that we just don't have the storage. I'm just trying to pick out the bare necessities, really.
Most of the stuff they recommend is totally unnecessary.
No, you do not need all of the stuff at the baby stores. With Abbie I did not have any of that stuff at first, mostly because I had very little living space. I had a carseat and a stroller and a baby bouncer seat thingy. I borrowed my sister's old crib from my Mom and just bought a new mattress. (a 14 year old crib and it worked just fine!) I got crib sheets from target and that's it, no bumpers or matching blankets, curtains, etc. We were fine! Just get the basics and after the baby is here if there is something you feel like you can't live without, go get it then.
Are there any people you know who you could borrow things from? I borrowed an exersaucer from a friend whose child had outgrown it and then gave it back because she was planning on having more kiddos.
We are doing the same thing this go around with the new baby. We have some space, but not a ton so we are looking for a basic crib and that is it, no other big stuff for the nursery.
Collin Thayne 10.11.2010
The only things we had before Marion came home were a bouncer seat, a pnp, a crib, car seat and stroller. Along with clothes.
We waited on a swing until we though she might like it, and waited until she was old enough for an exersaucer & jumper.
There's absolutely no need (especially if it overwhelms you!) to have every single thing on a list before your baby gets here. For me, at least, I was looking for excuses to get out of the house so I loved going shopping for the "stuff" once she was actually in my arms.
j+k+m+e | running with needles
See if you can get your hands on a Baby Bargains book. Borrow if you can, if not maybe even go to B&N and thumb through it. They list what is a bargain and a splurge in every category, and also tell you what you do/don't need.
We did a convertible crib because it was the style I liked. Plus, even if it doesn't stay with him I like the idea of having an extra head/foot board since we don't have one. One thing we opted not to get was a glider. My mom had her old rocking chair and it works for the few times we've used it.
Like V said - buy used or borrow if you can. I've been given an exersaucer (haven't used it) and a Bumbo from a friend. DS won't be in the bumbo long (legs are too fat) so I'm glad we decided not to spend the money on it.
However, I love my swing. The seat pops out and becomes the bouncer. DS loves sitting in both and I move him from room to room in the bouncer, feed him in it and we use the swing for short naps. I could have done without, but I like having the bouncer in the bathroom when I'm getting dressed in the morning.
So far I've not come across much that we got that has made me say "I really didn't need this." Sure, I could have gotten by without things, but for the most part DS has been happy with the stuff we have and we've gotten a lot of use out of most of it that's been age appropriate.
Clothes, on the other hand...I am still pissed that he had one set of NB pjs that he never wore. They were so stinking cute and sweet. I'm going to hold a grudge on that one until my second kid is born and that will be the first freaking outfit I put on!!!
The Baby Bargains book was a lifesaver when we were wading through all that stuff. I would take it one section at a time and make my decisions slowly. I registered over about a month. Remember you can register online. That took the pressure off when we were in the store because I realized I could always change my mind from the comfort of my couch.
For what it's worth, we used and abused our swing, bouncer, pack n play, and exersaucer. He loved them all, and I would get them all again...but if you can borrow or buy used, that would be great. I didn't even think about that back then.
If you go with a graco infant seat, check out their portable swing (snugglider). The infant seat snaps right into it and it folds up flat when not in use. Tracey didn't spend a lot of time in the swing, but it was nice to have.
We went with a crib like the one rayskit described. It has a toddler rail we can put on later if we want. Now that I know we're stuck in Houston for at least 2 more years (and therefore will do everything we can to stay in our tiny place rather than move just to move again) we'll probably use the crib as long as we can in some form so we don't have to give up the guest room.
It is also not a drop side, which I liked even before all the recalls. It just seemed so much sturdier to me.
I agree with Rayskit that you don't need a lot of stuff.
One tip for registering... I did a little research first, but then prefered to start out looking in the store because some things are just more obvious in person. Rather than look up every.single.item in baby bargains while standing in the store, I registered for 2-3 different brands of the same thing. Then I went home, looked up reviews and changed my registry to delete the extras. This probably has more to do with my learning style, but I just really needed to see it all in person before making my choice.
Both of my kids were sleeping in twin beds (just the mattress on the floor) when they were 18 months old. Before that, we co-slept. While we did have a crib, it was a complete waste of money. I got it basically because baby=crib and who doesn't provide a bed for their baby? But, I just couldn't let them go and we co-slept until they went to their big kid beds.