What baby equipment (so to speak) is worth spending a lot on, and what's not worth spending $ on?

Question

Stroller?
Crib?
Infant car seat?
Diaper bag?
Books?
Cloth diapers?
Toys?
Clothes?
Etc, etc, etc?

Answer 1

Stroller? I honestly used mine about 4 times, the big huge one that came with the carseat- I held him or used a sling. Plus the big ones that come with a carseat are huge-they take up my whole trunk of the car!

Crib? I got one, but it's rarely used since we decided to cosleep-I change his diaper on it but that's about it.

Infant car seat? read the reviews and buy the best-you can't put a price on safety.

Diaper bag? never bought one, I got a free one at the hospital with formula samples (which I threw out). Still using it 16 months later!

Books? you mean books about raising a baby? If you have the internet you can get ideas from that.

Cloth diapers? I use these! The average savings is $2000 for the first child. Check out www.diaperpin.com and www.diaperjungle.com for different types-they aren't rubber pants and pins anymore!

Toys? you are the biggest source of entertainment for your baby. Plus people always buy your baby toys-I think I've bought a few things here and there-I like wooden toys-they last a lot longer than plastic.

Clothes? They grow so fast, so don't stock up on newborn clothes! Buy them secondhand, I mostly used onesies when we were home.

Other things to consider are playmats, a playpen if you need to run in the other room and want to keep baby out of stuff, nail clippers, booger suckers, receiving blankets for swaddling, washcloths, lotions, soap.

Things I have that I rarely used:baby monitor since we coslept, diaper genie since you can't put cloth in there, the diaper stacker that hangs off the crib.

Answer 2

Stroller--think about your activities, if you're a walker, runner, or jogger invest in a good jogging stroller (I suggest one that has the option of having the front tire either swivel or lock straight, because when you're at the mall or walking you'll want it to swivel, when jogging or running you'll want it locked straight).

Crib--Get a good used one that's not too old, if it's too old (10 years or more) the bars may be too far apart (shouldn't be able to get a soda can between them) or have lead paint. Check a second-hand chidrens store. If money is really an issue you can always use a playpen.

Infant car seat--check consumer reports, they just tested the 12 most popular infant car seats and only 2 passed all the tests. Don't do second hand unless its from a friend or relative and you KNOW it has not been involved in an accident.

Diaper bag--the free one at the hospital is better than any I could have bought

Books--definitely, they're an investment in your child's future. Let friends and relatives know that you'd like them for gifts.

Cloth diapers--make great burp clothes, never tried putting one on the bottom end of a kid...

Toys--the ones that convert to grow with your child are the best. Get a swing and bouncer second hand, the amount of time they're used is not worth buying new (and don't be wowed by swings that have 8 speeds, you'll end up only using 2, but do look for one with an open top and seat that reclines).

Clothes--shop the sales, yard sales, and online auctions.

Something worth spending a lot of money on--a good camera.

Answer 3

You don't want to spend a lot on sleepers and clothes because they grow so fast. Try going to consignment stores for these things. Lots of these stores have these other things too. So just look around. A car seat is something that you don't want to cheap out on. In Canada your child has to be in a rear facing car seat until the child is a year old. Then into a 5 point car seat then into a booster seat. When my daughter was little you had to buy each seat separately, but now you can spend more and get all three in one. Strollers can be bought second hand too. Toys are the only other thing that I have boughten all new of. I am kinda funny that way, nothing that could enter my child's mouth will come from any were other than the store. Anyhow hope this helped. Good luck
Kath

Answer 4

I would spend a good deal on the stroller, car seat, crib and swing...and jolly jumper later. The rest you can buy used, like toys and clothes. Just make sure...of course...to wash the clothes first and to disinfect the toys. Cloth diapers are a great idea if you have your own washer and dryer and if not, bigger cities have diaper services. Best Of Luck to you. Don't go overboard, just make sure that what you're buying is good quality, you'll need the money later, lol!

Answer 5

Car seat! A good safe car seat is A #1 priority.

Second, I would say a good stroller.

I would spend as little as possible on toys. The kid will play with most of them for about 10 minutes.

The rest, I would (and did) buy used. (Bought a new matress for the crib, though. I wasn't taking any chances with some other kid's funk.)

Spend money on really important things like pictures of you & the baby.

Answer 6

All these answers are great but I thought I would throw in my experience as well. I found the only thing worth spending a lot of money on was my car seat and camera.
My crib was not new and I am very glad b/c my son stayed in it only 7 months. First he was in a cradle in our room and then was in his crib for some months and then in a bed. My daughter will be in it a little longer but still I am glad it is not something I wasted money on. Although, if it was convertible maybe that would be different.
The camera is indispensably, we use it a lot! And it was not something I felt compelled to upgrade when our daughter arrived. It takes small videos and can be down;oaded straight to my computer.
I did splurge for a diaper bag b/c I wanted something small with a lot of pockets but it wasn't expensive.
I say it boils down to your needs. Evaluate what kinds of parents you think you will be (co sleeping,bottle feeding traveling) because that greatly influences what you really need to buy and what you can get away with not having.

Answer 7

I was the manager in the baby department of our store and I can tell you the most important stuff to not go cheap or second hand on are the crib, and the stroller preferrably one that comes with the infant car seat all the other things arnt really things to worry about as long as you check there labels to make sure they are safe for your child for things more than 5 years old can be dangerous to your child.

Answer 8

Spend wisely on all baby equipment. Think carefully about your needs etc. If for example you will use public transport buy a lightweight stroller. Spend most on car seat vitally important fits your car etc don't buy second hand. A cot/crib should also meet safety standards but remember they quickly outgrow them. Don't spend lots on clothes for the same reason. Most importantly you need to assess your own lifestyle and think about what you require do not be fooled by the magazines and shops you don't need everything babies need love and food!

Answer 9

Spend money on your crib(esp. if first baby), car seat(to make sure its a good one) and your high chair( convertible one). You can get an inexpensive or used stroller. Some of childrens clothes can be purchased or borrowed used. A diaper bag -I used a back pack it was much easier.

Answer 10

I would suggest that you do not take the tags off of things untill you know you will use it.. If you get lots of bigger size (like 6-9 month)clothes as gifts, dont take the tags off to wash till you know you will be using them. I have like 5 winter jackets for my little guy that i took the tags off so i could wash them before he was born. Then I found out that this whole babywearing thing is great and he never wears a jacket because he is under mine. And I have only used my travel system stroller twice in five months.
Most important is to buy lots of onesies, long sleeve and short sleeve. Usually dads will get pee or poop on baby's clothes at every diaper change they do :) I usually dress the little guy in really comfy stuff w/o zippers and crap, like little adidas pants with a white onsie. super cute and comfy
Get a carseat that fits good in your car.
Humidifiers are really nice
a nice camera is important

good luck
oh and the sizing on clothing can't be right because my son is in the fiftieth percentile for height and weight and clothes in his size are too tight. so get them a little big if your not sure