On Wednesday, I shared a question from a reader as to what to get for baby. Here are the basics I mentioned:

Today, I’ll cover the final 2 categories:

• Beyond Basics
• Beyond Buying

So this is where things gets personal as to what we did with our first 2 blessings & plan to do with our third. I know some of you will have different opinions and that’s awesome! I do not consider myself to be the final authority on all things baby.

Beyond Basics:

1. Carseat: If you live in America, your main mode of transportation is most likely by car {minivan, anyone?}, so yep – that makes one of these a necessity. Personally, I buy my carseats brand new. It’s recommended that you don’t buy a carseat that’s been in an accident, so I choose to buy mine from the store instead of second-handing it.
2. Stroller: I like to run. Therefore, the best stroller option for me was a jogging stroller. If you like walking/running, I vote that you get a jogging stroller as your stroller. They’re so much easier to manage than a travel system stroller anyway. I’ve bought both my single & double joggers second hand with excellent experiences.
3. Baby Carrier: In the beginning, my fave use for these was to keep my baby hidden away so people could look with their eyes and not their hands! Wearing my baby kept him/her close to me while still keeping my hands free to do other things. I’ve gotta say – I don’t have one I love. I’ve tried the hotsling & baby bjorn. Although I used them both, neither one was an amazing experience.
4. “Linens:” It’s nice to have a soft, squishy blanket to wrap baby in or put around him in the stroller. If you choose to swaddle, large & thin blankets are excellent for swaddling. And some type of burpcloth or bib was a must for Nate. He was a projectile spitter-upper and definitely could have won some award for spit-up distance.
5. Highchair/Bumbo: I have found an invaluable use for some sort of seat for my kiddo to sit in. Especially when they’re still learning how to eat from a spoon. As many stains as my babies gift me with, using a highchair or bumbo while feeding them solid foods has saved my clothes from many a stain. We have a “fisher price space saver” high chair that sits on top of a regular chair. Love it.
6. Books: Board books with bright colors & fun things to touch are awesome for babies. They will love sitting in your lap and reading from such a young age. This is another great thing to find at yard sales or second hand shops.

 

I can just picture the virtual tomatoes flying at my virtual head as I type this next section. Good thing we’re virtual.

Understand I’m speaking from my personal experience with 2 kiddos and once again, I’m not a baby expert. When we had our first baby, we lived in a teeny 1 bedroom apartment. That means Anna Grace had no nursery. Which also means there was not a ton of space to store baby gear. So, although I registered for some of this gear, I ended up taking a lot back because we just didn’t have a place to store it all. With that in mind…

Beyond Buying:

1. Toys: We have bought…hmmm…maybe 7 or 8 toy items for our kids between birthdays and Christmas times. And yet they have a bajillion of them. If you have friends who give you hand-me-downs and loving family members, you will never need to buy a toy in your child’s life. If there’s an amazingly educational toy you want to get, then go for it. I’m seriously not against toys. Just against excess.
2. Diaper Genie: Nope. A friend of mine with 4 kids recommended I get a lidded trash can and take my trash out daily rather than getting a diaper genie where I have to buy specific liners all the time. I’m ridiculously happy I followed her advice.
3. Swings/Exersaucers/Jumpers/Vibrators/Bouncers/Etc: After living without them out of a bit of necessity with my first baby, I thought, “Why do I need to get them for my second?” And so I didn’t. It’s saved us money & storage space. Color me pleased.

Gracious. That was a lot of writing. Now, what input do the rest of you Mommas have?

What’s the 1 thing you couldn’t live without for your babies?

Do any of you have a great recommendation for a baby carrier?
Please share – I’m all ears!