This blog has been all over the place. I'm gonna try to get back on track here. I was thinking about being a new mom, and all of the things we worry about whilst pregnant. I think a common concern, especially amongst us mommies on a budget. For me, it was particularly hard, because I was extremely financially unprepared for a baby. I was lucky enough to have a lot of help with the essentials, because my boyfriends family already has several small children, so I will be forever appreciating hand-me-downs. But I still spent the entire nine months of my pregnancy wondering what I truly needed, and what I didn't really need, no matter how much I wanted it.
Obviously, everything out there has it's perks, if you can afford it. But here are the things that I find you can go without, if you have to.
Diaper Genie-OK, yeah. Diapers stink. But just put the excess poop in the toilet, and then wrap the dirty diaper in a couple of shopping bags. Sorry to make it sound so simple, but it really is.
Changing Station-I actually had one of these, and still haven't used it. I did use the mat from it though, and just toss that on the floor and change the diaper like that. So, the mat costs like 15 bucks. Changing stations vary in price, but certainly more than 15 bucks.
Baby Carrier-This is just my experience. I had 3 different baby carriers, and hated all of them. Including the "Moby Wrap" which was supposed to be like, a miracle baby carrier. I'm sure they are some use to some people, but I found it much easier to just carry my son. Plus, it's a great workout.
Bassinet-I don't really think having a bassinet is a bad investment, but my son slept in a bassinet, and then when he grew out of the bassinet, I had gotten so used to him being in our room that I felt that he had to sleep in our bed. If at all possible, start them in the crib. You will be thankful much later when you don't have a two year sleeping in between your and your partner every night. It makes alone time very difficult.
Expensive Outfits-Especially if they are born in the summer. They will be wearing onesies a lot, and they grow out of the cute little outfits so fast that there are some clothes my son had that he either only wore once or didn't wear at all.
Breast Pump-If you qualify for WIC, you have a couple of options. If you either stay at home or work part time, you are eligible for a free manual breast pump. If you work full time, you are actually eligible to borrow a hospital grade electric breast pump. So if you plan on going back to work, save yourself 100-300 dollars and go this route.
Expensive Diapers-Again, this is just my experience. But I have used most brands of diapers, and honestly, the best diaper I have used is the Walmart brand. I do like the Pampers, but the others (Huggies and Luvs) are junk. And an 84 pack of Walmart diapers is 13.67, compare that to Pampers 25 bucks, and I'd say that's a pretty good price.
Your Baby Can Read-Replace "Your Baby Can Read" with some books, flash cards, and parental attention and you will have saved yourself 80 dollars.
Obviously, people will disagree with me on these, but it's just my experience, and my blog, and I can say whatever I want. So there.
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