Is this turning into a mommy blog? I certainly hope not but with most of my day spent trying to figure out how to get both me and my spawn to survive the day, parenting takes up a lot of my brain. So I’m just trying to get some of it out. This entire blog post is subjective but it was ultimately important to me to read about other parents’ experiences about the things they did/didn’t purchase for their baby. So I hope this will be helpful to you.
PURCHASE REGRETS
Not getting a dedicated high chair. I figured that this was a purchase that I could skip altogether and instead opted to borrow my sister’s Bumbo that she uses for her babes. This was an absolute regret, not for any reason other than the fact that we did baby-led weaning in this house. The Bumbo is hard to keep clean in this scenario and I also had to clean the chair the seat is strapped to. I had to eventually abandon it for a chair that didn’t have as many crevices. If you’re going to spoon-feed your kid like my sister did, then I don’t think this is necessary for you. But anyone who does BLW will 100% want a chair easier to clean.
Purchasing 3 different types of bottles. My baby didn’t even bottle feed at all and went to cup feeding around 6 months. I got two kind of bottles and also had Medela ones that came with breastmilk storage. I definitely wish I did not get this many bottles because now they’re sitting around taking up space. However, I am glad I did not invest in sippy cups. We have never and will never use them.
Ring Sling > Wrap Carrier. I have more wraps than I do ring slings. We used large muslin blankets which are great for when baby is smaller but the kid is too big to sit in it comfortably. We have different carriers (moby wrap, meh-dei, ergobaby) – some that were gifted – but there are just too many steps to get the child in. Once my baby became mobile (which was pretty early), taking those steps became too tedious especially since baby didn’t always like hanging out in it. In the midst of COVID-19, we only use carriers at home and while I have one now, I regret not getting one sooner.
PURCHASE WINS
I did not get a special baby bath. Instead, I used a basin – hearkening my back to my own days as a small child bathing with a tabo. In the early days before baby could sit up, I would have my husband hold baby’s body slightly submerged and I would clean up with a soft cloth. Now, I just have the basin on the floor of the shower and baby plays with the water while I give the bath.
No changing table, I just change the baby wherever. I used to just lay something down on my bed to keep my sheets clean and now baby gets changed wherever they were standing. On top of this, even if there are straps for babies to stay still I don’t feel particularly safe putting a child up onto a surface that high.
Minimal toy purchases. Let me tell you something potential-parent, other people will buy you two things any time they will give you gifts: toys or clothes. I do not regret for one second that I don’t invest in toys for my child. Almost all of the toys we own were gifts, things I already owned and just random stuff found in the house. Let me tell you something babies really like: string. Just dangle any kind of string – ribbons, a shoelace – in front of that kid, and they will go to town. Our “toy” box has at one point, had three different kinds of spoons inside. I leave empty Baby Puff containers out because baby likes to play with them and put things in there for me to find….like the remote, or my hair brush, or dad’s deodorant (???). I make it a point to have a reason to purchase a toy – as in, what kind of play/skill will come out of this thing. ‘Cause Baby is not going to remember if the second Leapfrog Violet we got for Christmas goes missing…probably.
The Arms Reach 3-in-1 Mini EZ Cosleeper. Until my child could climb, I adored having this crib. It’s a beautiful combination of a bassinet, cosleeper, and packnplay. I was able to have baby sleeping right next to me without being in my bed (and kicking me) before I had to eventually lower the mattress to the bottom and it was so nice not needing to have a separarte bassinet and crib purchase. It’s a mini crib but it is very roomy and my one year old could still sleep in there comfortably.
Of course, this is not the most comprehensive list of purchases that I made when the baby was in my womb. However, these are some of the most prominent purchases – other than common sense ones and those involving safety – that I felt like I could give my experiences on.
Plus, Parenting in a society where product consumption is the norm means that you will buy products you wish you didn’t, products you never used and hell you’re going to get a bunch as gifts that you’ll end up rehoming because the gifter usually doesn’t remember anyway. However, when you’ve got a baby in your life or on the way, every penny does count just a little bit more. I hope this helps you get a closer in deciding what you need and being more mindful of the products that you purchase for your bundle.
PS. I’m sure you’ve realized by now that I’m no longer doing the 100 day thing. I’m never going to try again but that’s okay. It just didn’t work for me.
Ruzelle Almonds 