HawthorneVillager.com

Hey all,
Looking for some input on any purchases to prep for the newborn.
What items can any of you recall as being a waste of money/buyer's remorse item?
What items should i buy new vs. used?

Any and all helpful input is greatly appreciated!

Don't fully commit to any one bottle system. Get a couple from one to make sure you and your baby are happy with it before getting a bunch.

For used, all the swings/jumpers/activity mats/etc. Pretty much any baby toys. You don't ever need these new. Get a used crib too if you can find one in decent shape. You'll save a ton of cash as there is a high premium on them. Same goes for a pack 'n play, definitely used. Clothes are super cheap used, and you should get enough new clothes as gifts.

The only buyer's remorse item I have is the bassinet for our stroller. Could have totally gotten away with using the car seat with an adapter until she was big enough for the seat.

Don't buy a lot of clothes of the same size. Clothes for kids would only be good for 3 to 6 months top. Some baby / kids clothes were outgrown and were never used. Don't buy a brand new crib but get a new mattress.

You could shout out in here if you want to get some used stuffs. I'm sure a lot of folks in here will give you their unused baby stuffs for free.

Second-hand clothes can be easily done. Particularly the 0-6 month range -they get outgrown so quickly they cummulatively only get a few months wear tops per kid. Don't go hog-wild on them either. Personally my kids lived in sleepers for their first 3 months. Outfits were a royal PITA except for the odd photo shot. For some people it's onsies but it depends on prefernce and season. Strollers are another great second-hand item, and the pack-and play, and cribs. It goes without saying to check things over carefully to ensure all the parts are there, and that they are in good working order. Look at your situation too. I loved having a pack-and-play, but we travelled a lot and it doubled as a bed more than anything in those cases. We didn't use it in the house much.

I bought car-seats new, but a used one for grandma's car is a good option to save if it's getting occasional use (of course I'm a bit biased as I'm currently selling one my kids have outgrown ) I had great luck buying toys for outdoor play second hand.

Request to join the Milton Mommies Buy & Sell Group on Facebook to get great used baby stuff. I think it is a private group, so you need to search for it and ask to join. Items go pretty fast though, so you need to monitor it to get the best deals as they post.

New: Mattress, teething toys, breastmilk pump, carseat
Used: Stroller (Kijiji), clothes, larger baby items like jumparoos & swings, non-teething toys, playpen, crib (or go to Ikea), and other items that there is a good chance you may only use once before giving up (wipes warmer, bottle rack, diaper genie)

A great buy for us was the Baby Jogger City Select stroller, it converts to a double & is easy to fold away. We picked one up at Snugglebugz for less than $600.

http://www.snugglebugz.ca/city-select.html
http://www.snugglebugz.ca/city-select-bassinet-kit.html

I used the Baby Jogger bassinet with this stand for close to 5 months.
I luved having the baby close by in my room each night.
http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp ... Id=3756396

We didnt want our living rm to look like baby land but I wish I had bought a nice swing. My girl was hard to put to sleep & the swing would have made it easier.

Don't bother with a wipes warmer, it is not hygenic. Also I didnt use my bottle warmer that much (nursed for 12 months) but if I needed to warm a bottle instead I just boiled water & let the bottle soak in the standing hot water.
(I poured the hot water into a measure cup & then placed the bottle in the hot water for 5+ mins)

Congrats & good luck !

s

This is the stroller we had (and are now using with our twin boys), it's fantastic. And that is a good price, though it might not seem that way.

A dash of Nyquil in the formula helps the whole family sleep better at night. It's over the counter too!

Exersaucer I think that is what they are called

I purchased two used ones from the consignment store
I took all the plastic pieces off and washed them in the dishwasher with the sanitize cycle. Washed the cloth seats in the washing machine
I place one upstairs, so I can shower, get ready, do laundry, clean bedrooms when the my baby was awake
and we had one downstairs.
When she got bored of the toys on them I would sell them to the consignment store, get money back from them and purchase new ones
I think I traded them 3 times, she always loved the new toys
With my three trade ins, I was under the price of one new one

And purchase a good baby carrier
One that is easy to get the baby in and out of.
Don't purchase this till the baby is born and is old enough to be in a carrier
I suggest going to the store and trying on the displays with the baby
This will give you a chance to see if it is comfy on you and how easy it is to get on "alone" with no help
When my child was born babyBjorn was a great carrier easy to get the baby in and out off
You could easily take the baby out, without waking up the baby

http://www.sears.ca/product/babybjorn-c ... MgodnXIAIg

I think Toy R Us had Samples of all their carriers out on display for you to try them on

I have also seen baby at consignment stores, they can be washed in a washing machine if you want to purchase a used one

Don't forget the rocking chair. Trust me, it would be heaven sent!

Or glider again can be found on kijiji

This was indespensable for us. Never leave home without it.

Lol.

first thing i returned was the bottle warmer. then the wipe warmer.

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Those are waste of money. Use a microwave oven instead.