What do you really need for baby?

We all want to be fully prepared before the new baby gets here. You won’t feel much like going out to shop and even if you do there won’t be time between diaper changing and feeding. It just makes sense to have everything in your home ready to go. After two kiddos of my own though I can tell you there are a few things that you want just a few of.

The top reason is because babies are picky! It never fails, you buy 20 of something and your newborn comes out HATING the feel of it. Here’s a list of those sort of things I encountered…..

Bottles

This is definitely top of the list for not overbuying. No one likes washing bottles. It’s a pain, you need all those fancy brushes for intracate pieces and no matter how many you have you never seem to have any that are clean. Problem is most babies have one or two bottle and nipple combos that they can use well and like. My suggestion would be to buy just a few of two brands. Then you can see which they prefer. Start with a bottle with fewer pieces, less is more. All those fancy bottles with vents and straws are nice, but a PITA to wash. If your baby doesn’t end up having issues with gas there’s no need for you to have to deal with all those pieces for no reason. Try one new bottle/nipple at a time until you find exactly what they like then you can stock up!

Pacifiers

Same as all I said above for bottles. They always have one favorite shape or style and there’s just no way of knowing what it will be.

Formula

Switching between formulas can be terrible on a newborn stomach. That’s why it’s best to do your research and find the formula you think you want to use based on both content and cost. Just buy one and see how they tolerate it. If all goes well then you can buy more, but not too much. A newborns stomach/reflux/digestive system can be one way one day and completely different the next. Sometimes that formula that has served you well for months now upsets their stomach or maybe they’ve become allergic to it. You don’t want 20 cans of very expensive formulas just sitting in the pantry. I never bought more than two at a time with my kids and it served me well several times as we had to make adjustments. Another note on formula, did you know it’s government regulated and must meet guidelines? Simply said all formulas on the market are stocked with all the necessary ingredients so you can’t go wrong…..read the labels. Most generic brands are IDENTICAL to their name brand product. No need to spend extra when you don’t need to.

Clothing

By the time you buy what you like for baby, and then your family and friends go INSANE picking up every cute newborn piece they see you will end up with way too many newborn sleepers/outfits/etc. Problem is, they won’t last long. They’ll be too big from the start and then bam 3 weeks later they may not fit. You’ll find they have so many outfits you never even get to wear half of them before they’ve outgrown them. If you can’t resist the urge to buy all the things buy bigger sizes. It may seem like that 6 month or 1 year phase is so far away but you’ll be shocked how fast it actually creeps up on you. Plus everyone loves to buy a newborn outfit, but nobody is outfitting your kid for one or two years!

Shoes

Nothing is cuter than a teeny tiny shoe. There’s also nothing less practical. Buy a pair or two to fulfill your need for those tiny shoes and then spend your money elsewhere! They won’t stay on, you’ll spend your entire day putting them back on or retracing your steps trying to find the things! Do yourself a favor and save that shoe money for when they’re 5 and need a new pair every 4 months!

I hope this helps to save you some money and frustration when shopping for your new arrival!

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