Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Have you noticed that the list of things you “need” for your new baby gets bigger every year?  The fact that there are actually baby super centers filled with items just for tiny people is a little scary.  It seems that, in our society, the smaller you are, the more stuff you need.  Kind of makes you wonder how babies ever survived without Fisher-Price.

Of course, it’s nice to have options, and there are some items that really do make your life easier.  But the fact of the matter is that you don’t have to buy every product on the market.  There are some items that are more trouble than they’re worth, and there are some that are not helpful enough to justify the high price tag.  Learning to recognize what you need and what you don’t will save you big bucks in the long run.

Crib Bedding
This is a major expense that you can skip altogether.  With the exception of a snug-fitting sheet and possibly a thin bumper pad, the baby’s crib should be completely empty.  The more objects in baby’s sleeping space, the higher the risk of suffocation.  Despite this, baby stores charge as much, or more, for miniature, crib-size bedding as you would pay for a full size comforter and accessories.  You’re better off buying a reasonably priced crib skirt and fitted sheet that match the nursery curtains.  Leave the overstuffed, overpriced comforter, bumper pad, and pillows on the store shelf.

Mobiles
A crib mobile is one of those things that everyone buys because they think they’re supposed to when they have a baby.  No one ever uses them, and babies certainly don’t need them.  They become a safety hazard once baby can stand up in the crib, so they can only serve as a cute decoration for five or six months.  Foregoing the mobile is an easy way to save money. 

A Nursing Wardrobe
Clothes with slits in them are just awkward all the way around.  I’ve never met anyone who found nursing tops to be particularly helpful.  Nursing bras are a good investment, but that’s really all the nursing wardrobe you’ll need.  It’s much easier, and cheaper, to stick with your regular clothes.

Boppy Pillow
This is one of those things that, in my opinion, just doesn’t justify the price tag.  I did find a used one that I liked at a consignment sale.  It had an activity gym that hooked onto it.  It was only $10, and I used it as an activity gym fairly often.  But I only used it a handful of times as a nursing pillow.  You can just use a regular pillow and save yourself thirty or forty bucks.

Sleep Aides
It would be nice if they sold a product that put all babies to sleep every time.  Unfortunately, there’s no such thing on the market.  Items that are supposed to help you get your baby to sleep often end up creating more problems than they solve.  Either they don’t work at all, or baby becomes dependent on them and can’t go to sleep without them.  Then you get to go through the maddening process of weaning baby off of the sleep aide.  Swaddling blankets are great – until baby learns to kick out of his and cries for you to rewrap it.  Musical aquariums are wonderful – until the music and lights go off right before baby falls asleep.  Every aide has its fatal flaw, and none of these products are cheap.  It makes more sense to save your money and teach baby to fall asleep unaided.

Wipe Warmer
I received one of these as a gift and used it out of obligation with my first child.  It took up a lot of space for a gadget that just raises the temperature of wipes.  I recently noticed that they make a travel wipe warmer that plugs into the car.  Give me a break!  A wipe warmer is just one of those things that is completely unnecessary.  If you want to have warm wipes in the winter, run them under warm water just before you use them.  But don’t waste your money on an electric warmer.

Bottle Warmer
This is even more useless – or less useful – than the wipe warmer.  You do need a way to warm milk that has been in the refrigerator or freezer, but your microwave can heat a cup of water in seconds.  Your bottle will warm up just as quickly and easily in a cup of hot water as in a bottle warmer.  Of course, putting the bottle directly in the microwave causes hotspots that can burn baby’s mouth, so that’s not a safe bottle warming option.  But the warm water method works every time.

Jogging Stroller
Even if you’re an avid runner, jogger, or walker, think twice before you spend big bucks on a jogging stroller.  I highly recommend borrowing one for a few weeks first to try it out.  I borrowed two different models and found them both bulky, heavy, hard to steer, and generally more trouble than they were worth.  I actually went back to walking/jogging with my regular stroller and had much better luck.  I’m glad I didn’t shell out the two hundred buck for something that would have ended up collecting dust in the garage.

Toys and Books
Books and toys, especially stuffed animals, are popular gift items, and you’ll probably get more than you can use from friends and family.  If your baby has a big fan club, you may not ever have to buy a single toy for him.  If you don’t have lots of other people buying gifts for him, you still don’t need to spend much.  Babies get just as excited about plastic bowls and measuring cups as they do about fancy, expensive toys.

Every mom has her opinion about baby “must haves” and “don’t needs.”  One mom’s trash is another mom’s treasure.  The important thing to realize is that you don’t have to have every baby care item on the market.  Rather than running out to buy everything you might need before baby comes, it’s best to wait and see what you actually do need when the time comes.  You’ll end up with more money and less clutter.  What more could you ask for?