Whether you’re steering your cart through the baby aisle or shopping online, the process of getting ready for baby #1 is overwhelming.
First-time parents need similar things to get ready for the world’s most important job. Yet, everyone is different. Manufacturers know this, that’s why there are so many options at every price point.
With so much to choose from, you may wonder: Which baby products do you truly need? Which can you skip? Which are worth splurging on? The answer can vary depending on your situation, lifestyle and, of course, your budget.
So long, decision fatigue!
To help you select what’s just right for you, BabyProductMom’s series of baby gear buying guides can help you get the job done.
Curated for pared-down parents, this minimalist list is designed to help you get just what you need to feel prepared for the world’s most important job without feeling deprived.
BabyProductMom’s baby guides include product recommendations culled from interviews with manufacturers, baby sleep trainers, retailers, pediatricians and me, an experienced baby gear shopper.
(As a side gig, I professionally clean and rent baby gear to grandparents and traveling parents. I have growing inventory of the highest quality and safest baby gear AND I’m always on the lookout for the latest helpful and innovative products to offer to my customers. I’m also a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) and I’m a stickler for safety. My experience as a baby gear expert began when I wrote three editions of Best Baby Products for Consumer Reports.)
When I’m not baby gear shopping online for my baby gear rental customers, you can catch me in stores, opening, folding and pushing strollers and asking myself: How easy is this to fold? Can a grandparent figure it out?
I love shopping online, BUT I’m a big fan of kicking the tires to get a good feel for products and how they operate, if possible. Fortunately, I live minutes from Target and some awesome baby boutiques.
If you can’t get to a baby store, don’t sweat it. I’ve done the legwork for you.
BabyProductMom’s series of comprehensive buying guides are designed to be wallet friendly. But there’s still plenty on it, and lots of options at all price points.
Babyproductmom’s series of buying guides are designed to help you personalize your product picks and help you make sense/cents of it all, whether you’re buying baby gear yourself or adding items to your baby registry.
Best baby registry/shopping practices
Pretend you’re paying the tab
If done right, a baby registry can really help you get equipped and minimize the cost of your baby’s first year, which can total over $24,000, depending on your circumstances, according to a U.S. government report. To get the most mileage out of your registry,
- Take the products you list as seriously as if they were ultimately going to end up on your credit card statement. Think of your registry as a limited resource and every item you put on it as using “registry dollars.”
- When you register an item, ask yourself, “Do I really want to ‘spend’ my registry dollars on that?”
- Not sure about a product? Don’t list it. You can always get it later.
- If an item you’re considering is pricey, such as a premium car seat and stroller, do extra homework and think on it before listing it on your baby registry.
If you’re not having a baby shower, all the more reason to get to work to select just the right products for YOU and your new-baby lifestyle.
Give yourself an AM advantage
Overall, stocking your baby registry sounds like fun, but it’s exhausting. To avoid decision fatigue, which isn’t as obvious as physical fatigue and can lead to taking shortcuts like looking at only one product dimension, such as price, and impulsive decisions, researchers who study the science of consumer decision-making recommend shopping online or in store in the morning when you’re freshest. Don’t try to tackle it all in one day or even in one weekend. Break up your shopping/registry sessions and make sure you’re not hungry; the brain thives on fuel. Plan to spend the majority of your shopping or registering time on the biggest ticket items: the car seat, stroller and crib. Dedicate a few more shopping sessions to everything else on your list. Follow the best shopping practices for those items too, such as shopping early when you’re freshest and not starving, and calling it quits after an hour or two, before picking it up again the next time.
Keep in mind…you don’t need to be completely geared up from day one. Some products can wait until after your baby is born. And some gear may be completely optional. If you breast feed exclusively, for example, you may not need any bottles. None.
Start with a car seat
You’ve to start somewhere, right? To reduce shopping/baby registry overwhem, BabyProductsmom recommends focusing on a car seat first. It should top your list. A car seat is a key item you’ll need to leave the hospital or birthing center if you’ll be driving home.
This post can help get you started on your baby gear shopping journey.
mymia says
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WaooMart says
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Kido says
Great article with all the essential things to care for newborn baby needst.