Purchasing tips for new parents

It seems like everywhere you turn these days, someone is having a baby! I remember back when I was expecting my first, back when I didn't know the difference between a onesie and a sleeper, never mind what a receiving blanket is, I wondered how much baby gear does a person actually need. I don't know if I ever determined "need", but the amount we have is pretty staggering, so I consider myself seasoned enough to make recommendations.. For new parents looking for a decent list of what to get, or for friends and family looking for shower gift suggestions, here are my tips for baby biz.

Don't bother with:
A Diaper Genie. We never had one. I think it's because they might be a waste of money and space.

A change table. We barely use ours, especially with our squirmy second baby. A change pad on the floor works fine, and you don't have to worry about your kid rolling off the table.

Crib bedding sets, as they are unnecessary. You know the ones with bumper pads, a ruffle sheet, a duvet, a fitted crib sheet, and a couple of other useless things like valance and a cloth sack to hold disposable diapers? They tend to be right by the baby registry desk in Babies R Us. We bought one secondhand and wondered why the previous owner didn't use it much. These days, the bumper pad pendulum has swung entirely away from using them, so those were a no-go. Ditto for the duvet. The ruffle got in the way whenever we changed the crib sheet. The valance and cloth bag had no purpose.

Buy used:
A pack and play (easy to find used) instead of, or in addition to, a crib. Both our crib and playpen were from Used Ottawa. The latter is great for travel, or naps away from home.

A booster seat (also used) instead of a high chair. We have an increasingly beat-up blue plastic booster chair from an Outgrow Outplay sale, as well as a yellow wooden high chair from thrift store. The booster seat is infinitely more useful as it is portable and keeps baby well strapped-in. We keep the yellow chair around for when we have baby/toddler guests, which turns out to be fairly often.

Exersaucers, Jolly Jumpers, swings, etc. We bought our swing new (which was in constant use with our first, but not so much with our second), we were gifted a Jolly Jumper (which our second loved, but only until she could move on her own), and we had a hand-me-down exersaucer (which was of great use for the period when a baby can hold its head up until it can crawl reliably). The thing to keep in mind is how briefly these will be used.


Clothes from consignment stores, thrift shops, and big consignment sales (like the aforementioned Outgrow Outplay). There's rarely a need to pay full-price.

Toys and books from garage sales; save them to use as birthday/Christmas gifts, if you like.

A good enough food processor to make your own baby food (which it seems like everybody does now anyway!). Mine came from Kijiji for 10$.

Buy new but cheaply:
A few crib sheets.

A diaper bag, or really, a purse with lots of pockets and compartments.

A bath sling (supports newborn's head and back for those early-days, terrifying baths).

Lots of little wash cloths.

Next year's winter boots at the end of the season. March is about the latest you can go, before the boots come off the shelves entirely, to be replaced by sandals! The same does not apply to snowsuits. Buy those in October from a consignment shop.

Invest in:
Breastfeeding, if you can and if you want to. It's cheap, portable, a great way to lose weight postpartum, and it has tremendous health benefits for your baby. Do get some good nursing bras; I liked the ones at Motherhood Maternity in the States, where they were half the price of the ones in Canada. A breast pump is optional; I had a manual one so that I could leave milk for my kids when I was away during feeding time.

Good shoes, which are a fraction of the price in the States (outlets are the best for this; we like Stride Rite, where a pair of well-made, supportive shoes are about 20$).

A really good all-purpose stroller. Ours is a Phil & Ted, with the extra seat, rain cover, and car seat attachments. It was like 700$ back in 2009, but we've never had to use anything else. At the time, we knew we wanted two kids close together, and I didn't like how wide most double strollers are. It's been very well worth it, and it helps that a generous aunt and uncle bought it for us.

A nice, neutral glider and ottoman. This is the comfortable spot where I spent a lot of time nursing my babies, and where I still read M's bedtime stories. Later on, it'll move to a different location in our home, and it'll still be a great, comfy place to relax.

A reliable, quick, easy-to-use thermometer. When you get gift cards for Toys R Us, this is what you'll want to buy. Ours is from Safety First.

The big diaper question: 
We are like a lot of parents, I suspect: we've used both disposable and cloth diapers. I knew I wanted to try cloth, and for the most part it's been fine. We've maybe saved money. Hubby prefers disposables, and that's what we'll use when we're at church, a friend's house, or travelling. I have to say, diapers are not remotely a passionate subject for me. You can do a bunch of research, ask other parents if they have a brand of disposable or cloth diaper that they'd recommend, and you'd get hugely varied responses. I use Kirkland Lake or Huggies disposables (whatever's on sale at Costco, where the unit price for a disposable runs at 18-19 cents), and Bummis cloth diapers and they're okay. D had a rash almost her entire diapered life, and I never figured out why; M hasn't really had a problem, we put her in a disposable every night. Maybe that's why I'm so ambivalent towards diapers. Or it could be the fact that no matter what you choose, it's always going to be gross and there's always an element of waste, whether it's from washing and drying, or from throwing out used disposables.

All the other stuff:
Bumbos, Sophie the giraffe, snack traps, Woombies, baby carriers, nursing pillows, nursing covers, etc. We've had all those and more, and as with everything on this list, it's up to the parents. I would file most of those things under "Nice if you want to spend the money; borrow them if you can."

Overall:
Be wary of baby product marketing. There are so few things you actually need, but advertisers can make you feel like what they're selling is the magic bullet that will help your baby (and you) be more content. Just do your research and own your decisions. The best things for your baby are the love and care you provide!