Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends become so excited when they hear the news of a new baby coming and tend to get excited to buy new stuff for the baby and all baby products in the market help parents to make everything easier.

Having 2 kids made me realize that it doesn’t need to be that expensive and complicated to take care of a baby. Back in the day, babies were raised without playpens, complicated walkers, wet tissues, and even disposable diapers but everyone was fine 🙂

As I look into the stuff of our kids today, I came to realize the good buys and the not so good ones. Here are a few things I can share that babies don’t actually need (but it still really depends on your lifestyle and way of life- whichever will make your lives easier and more comfortable).

• Sippy cups – We skipped this and trained our eldest to drink from a cup at 6 months and she’s doing just fine. She recently learned how to sip from a straw.

• Processed baby food – We bought a box of ready to eat organic cereal just once. Our eldest at 1 year and 5 months eats anything on the table except for sweets. Yes, she hates them. She loves fruits and citrus stuff. We plan to make our newborn boy eat rice as soon as he can maybe at 7 months. It will save you a lot and you won’t have a hard time and worry about what the kid will eat when you leave the house.

• Walker – We bought a walker but was used 3 times. The nanny we got wanted to teach our little girl how to wall by holding her 2 arms instead so she also has total control of her. I couldn’t do it myself since I was pregnant that time. She walked when she turned 1 year old and 3 days. There’s a good walker though where baby needs to push it instead of going around in a seat-like walker.

• Potty trainers – I plan to train our babies to directly use the toilet seat in the comfort rooms. I don’t want to train them twice – one in the potty and another on the actual toilet seat. And plus it’s an additional chore to clean the potty trainer.

• Infant stroller – Infant strollers are usually bulky to protect the child. There are some umbrella type strollers now that can be reclined fully. Just add a stroller pad to secure the baby.

• Pacifier – I wanted our babies to use this so that they don’t have to latch to me in search for comfort and when they want to be soothed. The babies didn’t want them. Although you’ll see pictures of them wearing it, those are the rare few times. Longest was 5 minutes on the record.

• Changing table – I change the kids on the bed, on the sofa, on the counters, on the playpen with a rubber mat under.

• Bassinet – Personally, I love to sleep beside the kids especially when they’re newborn. I know they need to be fed in the middle of the night and I want to easily reach them for anything. I make sure the proper protections are in place to avoid possible accidents while sleeping beside a baby. I make sure there’s a decent distance between me and the baby. Most playpens also have that top layer for newborns. That’s good enough to be a crib/ bassinet too. Saves space and money.

• Baby food processor – We have avery durable and heavy duty blender. We used that for preparing our baby’s food too.

• Crib beddings (expensive ones) – Babies grow up fast. You don’t need those designer beddings for them. Save it for their real beds 🙂

• Bulky high chair – Aside from taking up a lot of space, it is also hard to bring around. We bought an Ikea high chair. It’s simple, we bring it around when we visit our relatives, it matches any type of interior (since we’re moving homes soon).

• Bottle warmer – Not so much of a fan of this. There’s the bottle sterilizer if you want or just simply boil hot water and soak the bottle.

• Expensive hoodie towels – They’re really cute and all, I know. But they’re expensive for a towel and again, it’s best to look into buying something children will use long term. Maybe a cute big towel for until their 7?

• Diaper disposal system – Okay, this is what we do. We throw them properly in the trash can or wrap them properly when there’s poop. Wrapping them with newspaper will do the trick to or use a biodegradable plastic. You just have to dispose diapers properly.

• A lot of newborn clothes and shoes – The newborn phase is short especially when your days are filled with breastfeeding, changing nappies, bathing babies, nap times, and play times. Since we do the laundry weekly, we bought only clothes good for 2 weeks – that 14 tops and 14 bottoms. You can always wash a few when you need to.

• Teethers – We bought a couple of teether but babies like to chew on anything at a certain stage- literally anything that I don’t get it sometimes! haha! Oh well, babies. Our eldest got her 16 teeth 2 months ago just waiting for her second molars. All throughout her teething stages, she loved and was relieved with just ice. Yes, plain ice wrapped in a washcloth or sometimes we put small pieces in her mouth and she loves them! Had I known, we didn’t buy those expensive tethers 😉

• Bouncer Jumpers – Although it gives your baby a new toy and entertainment, you’ll probably use this for just a couple of months. So why not just allow the baby to jump while holding him/ her? Arm workout for you and bonding time too 🙂

 

Life is simple, don’t make it complicated. Sometimes because we are too excited we can’t help splurge on baby stuff. Remember your love is not based on material things, (might be cliche for some) but the tender love and care you give your babies.