To Buy and Not To Buy

Having a new baby in the house is such a blessing.  And with a new baby also comes guests.  Swarms and swarms of guests with lots and lots of presents.  Clothes, toys, you name it . After I had my baby girl I was so glad people came by with presents because in the first 2 months you hardly even get a chance to sleep and shower so forget about going out to buy clothes and baby accessories.  It just gets more and more impossible to get out of the house.  However .... it does get better... a lot better.  I promise =)

I realized the hard way that many of the things people will give you and some that you buy yourself will never end up getting used.  And because you don't want to waste... you force yourself to use them and realize that its so much easier to just not use them at all.  Here is a list of some of the things you may not use:

1. Dresses and pants - Since babies are sleeping for most of the day during the first 2-3 months, it is a waste of money to put them in anything other than a sleeper.  If you put them in a dress or pants, it just makes it harder for you to handle the baby.  And besides ... if the baby is sleeping for 20 hours a day ... dont you think the baby would want to be comfortable doing it.  
2. Toys - For babies under 2 months only want to see you, the parent.  They cant see very far and since they are brand new to the world... even the wall is super entertaining.  Talk to your baby instead of trying to make them hold toys.  They have no idea they even have hands till they discover them after the first 2 months.  
3. Burp Cloths - I was desperate to use the burp cloths people gave me and kept trying to find a use for them.  I ended up putting the burp cloths on my change pad in case of any explosions.  I hardly ever put my baby over my shoulder to burp her.  Best burping position was always sitting up ... but that obviously is different for each baby.  =)  Now that my baby is 3 months old I can see why you would need them though.  Babies drool like crazy!  So there's no real rush to get burp cloths till your baby starts to discover their tongue.  
4. Bottle warmer - if your breastfeeding and not working ... there is definitely no hurry to get a bottle warmer.  Until you have to start going back to work and storing milk in the fridge, you can hold off on the warmer.  
5. Baby Carrier - You will not have time or the energy to take a 2 month old anywhere.  And when you do ... you definitely will not want to hold them.  Babies are lanky and wobbly ... just put them in the stroller and  your all set.  Babies come with so much stuff that you will need somewhere to put the diaper bag and blankets anyway.  Save yourself the stress... take the stroller.
6. Baby Booties - Buy a pair because they are cute and you want your first pair of booties... but babies don't wear them till they are at least 3 months.  Like I said before .... you will end up keeping your baby in sleepers for 3 months.  

There are however things that you should have and will make your life so much easier:

1. Baby Monitor - Even though your baby will probably sleep in a bassinet beside your bed for the first few months ... you will end up putting them in the crib during the day.  
2. Bottles that use Liners - It can get slightly pricey but I think its well worth the money.  It minimizes your bottle sterilizing time by a lot!  All you need to do is wash the nipples, which takes 2 min, and pop them in the sterilizer.  Done and done.  No washing bottles, no sterilizing bottles.  No carrying more than one bottle on outings.  Pop one bottle with 2-3 nipples and liners in your bag and you are good to go.  I wouldn't be able to survive without it.
3. Wipes warmer - I swear by this thing.  When your baby just falls asleep after a huge fit and you are about to put the baby down ... you realize ... oh crap ... baby just pooped!  If the wipes are warm ... the baby doesn't even notice you changing their diaper.  They sleep through it!  If the wipes were cold ... there's no way the baby is staying asleep after a cold wipe on the bum.  no way!  Makes life so much easier!
4. Baby Brezza Kettle - Its a temperature controlled kettle.  Keeps the water at a constant 37 %.  Which is perfect for babies.  All you have to do is pop formula into your bottle and top it up with the already perfectly temperatured water.  And when your on the go ... just pour the water from the kettle into a thermos and you are ready to go.  No warming of water on the go or anything.  =)
5. 2 diaper bags - One for you and one for your husband.  I will never carry an ugly diaper bag and he will never even touch a girly cute one.  So make both your lives easier.  Let him pick his own.  It gets them excited about owning one and they will use it and carry it with pride.  My husband always tells me how much cooler and more organized his bag is.  It makes you feel good too knowing that your husband is so excited about participating.

Well thats about it.  Things you should buy and things you can wait to buy as needed.
Hope it helps!