From the crib, to the car seat, to the stroller, everything has to smell new. Most of us have done it, shopping for the baby is a way to ease the anxiety about the important moments that are coming.
You end up spending a little fortune, using half the things you bought, and when you do, you only use it for 3-4 months... at best! The baby would be a lot happier in 18 years when you actually have invested that money and he will be able to go to college or visit Europe.
If you have friends that offer to lend baby cloth and accessories, say Yes!
If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have brought everything new. The number one piece of advice I could give to new parnets is DO NOT fall for this trap! If I could do it again I would buy just one travel size swing to take from room to room and buy it used. I would skip the jogging stroller and only buy one regular stroller used.
I have used most everything I got except the playpen. But I think that is mostly due to listening to others who said to not buy some things and to absolutly buy other things, particularly friends and relatives who had babies not long before I did. So I had the bouncy chair and a swing, but I set up one in the living/dining room and the other in the kitchen so I just transfer my daughter back and forth and save myself having to carry everything around (okay, so some of it is laziness).
I love hand me downs! You would be amazed at the things people have kept over the years and would be willing to get rid of! A friend of the family who's daughter is just getting married said she still has all of her baby stuff and would give them to me! Just remember things can be washed and cleaned. You would also be amazed at things you can find a goodwill stores and sometimes look brand new. (I got a travel swing hardly used for $8.oo) The only thing I do have to mention because my husband is in EMS/Fire buy a NEW car seat. You never know if a used one has been in an accident and once it is you are supposed to replace it. Also if yours is older then 5 years (or so) you should replace it because of the advancement in safety.
We've bought almost everything for our baby used....his clothes, his furniture, etc. We only bought a few things new because we couldn't find them used anywhere, or because the only used ones we could find weren't quite what we were looking for. We did have to pass up a few offers from my mother-in-law to use some of the items she'd stored because they no longer conform to safety standards (ex. husband's old crib), but we've found suitable used substitutes online for super cheap. Now we've got more money left over to spend on, oh, diapers. It's great advice.
YES I MUST AGREE IN THE HAND ME DOWN CONCEPT, ITS LIKE GOLD TO ME. THE ONLY THINGS I SUGGEST TO NEW MOTHERS ON THE NEW ITEMS ARE, CARSEATS, BOTTLES AND PLAYPEN....CARSEATS WELL YOU KNOW THIS., BOTTLES AFTER BEING SUCKED CAN HAVE THE HOLE GET BIGGER AND MAKE YOUR CHILD CHOKE OR DRINK TO MUCH AT ONCE AND PLAYPENS ARE VERY HARD TO CLEAN IF IT HAS SOME DROOL FROM ANOTHER BABY **COULD BE CARYING GOD WHO KNOWS? RSV? I DONT KNOW IM I JUST ANOTHER PARNOID MOTHER?
I'm not a big hand me down person so I did get most of my Baby Stuff new. However I agree with Kate that prudence in what to buy is important. Planning wisely for what they need rather than what simply looks "so cute" saves a lot of money. Also I received many items during my baby shower that significantly decreased things I needed to buy.
I got my crib at a yard sale for 40$ (2 years old). I got my crib matteras (140$ value) from a friend hows toddler was getting a regular sized bed. Find a good baby consingment shop and/or handme down boutique and start shopping early for the good deals. My favorite item is a Playpen/Bassinet (raised up bottom)/changing table (up high to not hurt back after labor) with dipar holder, wipe holder, cup holder for rash opiment, mobile, and it had 3 vibrations, 6 mosart songs, 6 nature songs, timer on thee above, and 2 night lights. Ladies this is a all in one perfect for a newborn. You can put it in the living rm if your nursery is on the second floor, or in your bedroom next to the bed. It also has wheels for easy moving around. my dad got it new for me, he bought online and saved 50$ plus free shipping, he lives cross county. But it was 160$ I did see one at a consinment shop looked brand new for 50$.
True, you shouldn't necessarily buy EVERYTHING new, but you should exercise extreme caution with hand-me-down products (when they're the big items -- swings, playpens, etc.) -- after being in use for other children, things can become worn down, rickety, and unstable, not to mention the fact that some items fall into the "recall" pile by the time they reach you and your baby. Taking hand-me-downs is great, but I'd highly suggest inspecting those suckers before putting your baby anywhere near them -- look at the screws/nuts/bolts to make sure they're still steady, check for loose strings/pieces, make sure that the item is in good condition before using them. Sometimes new is better (see Consumer Reports Guide to Baby Products).
My 1st I bought everything new, had a baby shower the works. My 2nd (only 18m apart) we didnt have a shower because I felt it was asking "to much" of our guests to give again. Skipped the shower and the shopping spree because I'd also need to be SAHM now that I'd have 2 kids. Now I sell all their outgrown clothes on ebay and use the paypal funds to buy more, new or used I go for the deal.
I got my crib, carseat and swing new, but baby showers provided these. The best hand-me-downs are clothes. I have bought maybe 4 outfits for my 10 month old son and I already have clothes through his twos! Clothes do not get re-called, and even a stain or two and they can be used for "play" clothes. Also if you get used toys look for the basics... plastic stacking toys and etc.
Nearly ALL of my girls things were slightly used. Got the crib at a garage sale for $15, an awesome aqua-lights swing for 10 (they were 50 at walmart) and all of her clothes for next to nothing, some even still had tags on them!
I agree with the hand me down concept. I hardly bought anything for my baby. The only new things I had gotten for my baby was a swing, bouncey chair, a stroller, and a high chair. Of these, a baby shower provided all of these. I did buy a pack and play. Of the few outfits that I did buy, I bought bigger sizes that my daughter would grow into. I had a friend that gave me a crib, a second stroller (one for grandma's car), infant toys, and six boxes of baby clothes (I only kept half of those). Alot of the clothes were hardly worn at all. Some still had the tags on them. The money I saved on buying baby gear, I bought plenty of diapers and wipes.
i definitely agree with the hand me down concept whether you get it from a consignment shop, friends or even yard sales. you can get really great deals. when i had my first child i got alot of handmedowns clothing wise for 3-6 months and higher due to my boyfriends sister had a baby the previous year and she also had a girl. since then we havent had to buy much clothes for either of my kids. i had a boy this year and we have a nephew that is four months older so everything gets passed around. i would recommend dont buy furinture such as dresssers or changing tables from walmart/target. if you want new pay the money to get them good from like babiesrus or a specilalty store. i bought mine at walmart and though i had gotten a good deal and they were all lopsidded and fell apart in about 4 months. also ebay you can get huge lots of clothes for under 100.00 usually. alot of hkids outfits are 20 apiece so this is a great deal. slos if u live in massachusetts masshealth gives free carseats to members 1 convertibe and then a booster when the baby gets older. we got a used bopunce for the second baby and it worked wonders..the aqaurium one. also got the swing from someone as well.
