S. and I are starting to get more serious about purchases for a baby. I managed to get him to okay our first clothing purchase - just a couple of organic onesies that I couldn't resist - only a couple weeks ago.
That leads me to our little conundrum - what necessary items do we need?
Last year I bought this super cute organic bedding set thinking I'd have a crib.
S. and I decided there's no reason to have a crib because we're going to have a co-sleeper bassinet and baby will be sleeping with or near us in our room.
I am also debating the need for a stroller because we will be wearing our baby.
So crunchy mamas, please help us figure out what's a need vs. cute but not useful?
From a not so crunchy, but more of a minimalist mama here's what we have. . .
ReplyDeleteLove my bjorn. LOVE it. Mmmm, other than that, we have a lot of clothes.
I thought I didn't want a stroller either but were given a gift cert from my office specifically for a stroller. So we decided to go with a stroller that would go from infant to kid sized. LOVE it too. Its a Mutsy. Expensive, but so far its been ideal for us.
One thing I was surprised about (because I clearly don't really know anything) was just how much she loved her play gym (which was a hand-me-down because I really thought it was unnecessary).
PS. it is entirely possible to buy everything slightly used if you like.
Yeah, I've become one with craigslist and consignment stores. There's very, very few things I'd buy new. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips, LJ!
If you're wanting to carry your baby the Moby wrap is a MUST for when they're young and a Beco or an Ergo- MUCH better on your back and you can wear them on your back when they get too heavy for your front. Also - you'll probably need a stroller regardless of how often you intend to wear your baby. It's almost impossible to ALWAYS wear them.
ReplyDeleteA carseat is a must (duh).
Food processor or blender and ice cube trays if you want to make your own organic baby food - it's cheap and comes with ZERO preservatives or additives.
Cloth diapers and you can even get cloth wipes with a wipe spray that you can wash and reuse (super crunchy!)
We personally can't live without our excersaucer and jumper. At least get one of them (GREAT Craigslist or hand me down item)
An exercise ball. Sounds weird, right? I swear to you I bounced my butt of soothing my baby for at least a month.
Swaddling blankets by adain and anais... BEST swaddlers ever. Your child will sleep like a dream :)
Okay that's all I can think of since I know you'll undoubtedly give TONS of love which is all they really need anyway :)
Thank you, so much!
ReplyDelete-We sleep with our baby so we never used our crib. So, I'd have to agree that cribbing isn't necessary, although a pack and play is great for nap times and having your baby close with a safe place to put them in the house or at friends or where-ever.
ReplyDelete-I wore my baby EVERYWHERE. I NEVER used a stroller. Not only did I find it easier to manuever but I was super comfortable and so was baby. I used a pocket sling for when she was a newborn (which was so conveinient to have in a diaper bag) and then switched to an Ergo-carrier when she was about 4 months old. I to this day use the Ergo and LOVE it! There are tons of uses for it and ways to wear it. Even hubby loves it. We had a Bjorn too. It was ok, not as bulky as the Ergo, but not as comfy either.
-When our baby was a newborn I used a vibrating bouncy chair quite a bit as well. It was the only real thing that soothed my baby when I was in the shower or doing things I couldn't "hold her" while doing.
-As for clothes, we found that with a newborn we mostly put her in the one piece outfits (like pjs). They were nice and warm for her, but also easy. Onesies were great (until potty training)
-We used disposable clorine free diapers until ours was 4 months old. Then we switched over to cloth diapers. We LOVE them. We got the Bum Genius Organic diapers. They were a little bulky compared to the disposables but saved us TONS!! We did the math and broke even after 4 months, then were just saving by NOT buying diapers. It also helped with potty training. Em was potty trained by 16 months. I could go on and on if you want more info on that. The one size all in one diapers were awesome, especially for being clueless with cloth. They have new ones called "Flip" that I am looking into currently for new baby. They seem a little more stream lined, a little cheaper, but I haven't decided yet.
-If you are breastfeeding I would definately suggest a boppy pillow. I couldn't have survived without mine.
-A rocker or glider was also VERY nice. Our baby didn't like to sleep much and rocking seemed to really help.
-A white noise machine. We went thru ALL kinds of things to try and help our little one sleep. While swaddling helped while she was really little we ended up doing some crazy stuff to help her sleep. From putting husbands flight simulator on all night with airplane noise, to hairdryers, fans, etc. We found a fabulous white noise machine that ended up doing the trick. We still use is to this day. It's the sleepwell baby 980 I think. I can get your more info if you want.
That's all I can think of at the moment. ALWAYS feel free to email with questions! I am more than happy to answer anything that I can! I'm pretty crunchy. :) he he.
My sister also swears by swings. Her little girl barely goes to sleep without it. I didn't have much luck with that with mine but it's worth a shot. :)
ReplyDelete