By Amy Zaslansky

Arriving home from the hospital with a newborn can be a daunting experience. It helps to be prepared and have your house as organized as possible. The last thing you want to do is run out to the drugstore at 3:00 am to pick up diaper cream. There are a number of items that will keep your first week at home running smooth. Even if you choose not to use the supplies, it is nice to know that you are prepared for all situations. Here are a few necessities that will keep both you and your newborn happy. Remember, you will be receiving a lot of gifts so only purchase the bare minimum.

1. Cloth diapers - (to be used as burp clothes - look for ones with three panels for super absorbency)

2. Wash cloths - (4-6 minimum for bathing and changing diapers)

3. Newborn diapers

4. 3-4 baby pajamas

5. Diaper cream

6. Cornstarch baby powder

7. 2 changing table covers

8. Baby socks

9. Baby nail file and clippers

10. Baby monitor

11. 2 bassinet sheets

12. Baby body wash

13. Cotton balls

14. Supply of batteries (AAA, AA, D, 9 volt)

15. Dreft

16. Diaper pail

17. 3-4 receiving blankets

18. Hats

19. 2 hooded towels

20. One packet of onesies

21. Bibs

22. Baby oil/Vaseline

23. Bottles

24. Pacifiers

25. Q-tips

Newborns require a lot of time, attention, and supplies! This list will help keep your sanity when your normal life suddenly changes. Babies grow up fast and this first week will only be a memory. If you are prepared, you will look back on the first week with joy and happiness and not stressful 3:00 am shopping trips!

The Stork Store was started by a Amy Zaslansky, a mother who wanted a business in addition to her children. Over the past 5 years Amy has taken her idea and created a site that is user friendly and helps moms from all over the world. Amy was recognized for her work by NJ Biz Magazine as a Top 40 Under 40 for the State of New Jersey. This honor goes to business leaders under the age of 40 for their entrepreneurship and success. Her products have also been featured in several magazines including Better Homes and Gardens edition of Kid’s Rooms Etc. and Pregnancy Magazine. Find more insight from Amy at her own personalized baby gift website The Stork Store.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Zaslansky

By Audrey Lai

Pali is an Italian brand which has been making children’s furniture for the last four generations. Because it is a trusted name, many parents do not mind paying a little more for a Pali crib for their babies.

In fact, the cheapest Pali crib would probably cost you over $300 while you can easily buy one for less than half that price. The common price range for a Pali crib model is around $500 to $700. However, many of these are convertible to a toddler bed as well as an adult bed.

When Should You Buy A Pali
 
If you are fussy over quality, then Pali is one brand name worth considering. At one glance at the many Pali cribs, it is sufficient to tell you that they are sturdy and durable. From the Arezzo crib to the West Point model, many of them are heavy-looking giving a feel of sturdiness and safety. This is important especially if you are planning to convert the crib to a bed.
 
This is because as your baby grows, you need a crib or bed that is strong enough to withstand the increasing weight of your child. Bear in mind that as your baby reaches toddlerhood, jumping on the bed will become a norm and a flimsy bed may break apart under the weight of an active toddler.
 
Apart from quality, you should also look at a Pali crib if you have a taste of the traditional. Pali has many cribs in this design, from bold arches to sleigh styles giving a classic and traditional feel to the nursery. Add on top of that is the convenience of decorating your nursery as Pali has matching furniture sets for most of the cribs it sells.  
 
Pali Crib Models
 
If you want a unique crib, you can look at the Pali Rosalia model. This one has a finish in antique walnut, which gives an age-old but warm feel to the nursery. But if you are after something simple with no curves on its sides, then consider the Tuscan crib with its heavy look and box-like shape. If you want gentle curves instead, there is the Wendy crib. In short, there is no shortage of choice when it comes to Pali’s more traditional crib designs.
 
Of course, Pali is not all about heavy-looking and traditional cribs. There are also other models that are more colorful which will fit into a fun-themed nursery. This includes the Carosello and Sole cribs. For a modern design, Pali has the Milano crib with matching dresser and armoire.  
 
Cost Of Pali Cribs
 
No doubt, you will have to dig deep into your pocket to buy a Pali crib. Whether spending so much on a crib is worth it or not frequently depends on your plans for the crib once your baby has outgrown it. If you are planning to convert the crib and use it for years to come, then obviously, it makes sense to invest in a good quality crib. Similarly, if you are going to have more than one child and the crib will be passed down, it is another reason why you should get a sturdy crib such as Pali.
 
A crib will be where your baby will be spending most of his or her time for two years or so. If a good quality crib can give you that peace of mind that your baby is safe and sound in it, wouldn’t that be more than enough reason to invest in one?

Don’t want to regret your crib purchase? Find out crib buying tips at http://www.babycrib-toddlerbed.com. Also, check out Pali baby cribs for pictures and more information on this brand name.

Before your first baby is born, parenthood seems like a daunting experience. It is often hard to see yourself as a parent and you will be wondering how you will cope. There are many people who will have words of wisdom for new parents, so much so that you will have trouble remembering all that has been said. This is perhaps a good thing. I do not say this as I believe that you should not listen to the advice of experienced parents; just that one of the best ways forward is to listen to your own instincts and do what comes naturally.

If you listen to the all the words of wisdom for new parents that you will hear, you may end up feeling a lack of self confidence. Some spectacular parents have been ones that have forged their own way forward, not necessarily ignoring sound advice, but having the strength to know that what they are doing for their children is genuinely what they believe to be best.

Your parents, and probably your Mother in particular, are no doubt going to be the main contributors of advice. Whether you follow this advice or not is down to you! But you do have to admit that Mum has been there and done this before and you are only just starting to learn. If you are going to listen to words of wisdom for new parents from anyone, you are often best off listening to your Mum. Do not forget, however, that a whole generation has gone by since she was a new mum and much has happened in that time. It is always best to let your Mum help and support you if she wishes, as she will probably be feeling nearly as excited as you.

Words of wisdom for new parents will come at you from all directions. Mostly they will be passed on with every good intention. Do not, however, get carried away with wise words from the manufacturers of baby products. These are called advertising slogans and are not meant for your benefit in particular…. they are more for their own financial benefit. If you are unsure about a particular aspect of parenthood, you are far better taking heed of what the medical staff at the clinic say, rather than what an advertisement in a glossy baby magazine states.

It will seem that everyone has some words of wisdom for new parents and you will feel as though you are the only person who does not know about the subject. Do not worry. Very shortly you are about to have an intensive course in child rearing and, believe me, it is a subject that you will never fully understand… and neither does anyone else.

My words of wisdom for new parents? Listen willingly to everyone and then do just what your instinct tells you is right.

Gary Pearson is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about new parent tips visit New Parenting Guide for current articles and discussions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Pearson

The small table setup is great because he just walks over and seats himself, sometimes grabbing his own fork/plate on the way there (I’ve put his plastic plates and some forks in a low drawer for him).  Although this works great for weekday breakfasts, it felt awkward with him down there all by his lonesome for our weeknight dinners and weekend meals. 

Eating together at at the same table at least once a day is extremely important to me so I started looking at booster seats.  I already had a portable booster/high chair combo and it is useful as a high chair replacement when travelling.  I didn’t like how they were always somewhat wobbly, and we still had to give him a lift into the chair.  I was reviewing options online and I suddenly remembered a friend who had a super expensive chair that she raved about.

It’s made by Stokke and the chair is called the Tripp Trapp, or formerly the Kinderchair.  It bills itself as the only chair you’ll ever need to buy from birth to teens (!).  I was intrigued by this concept and spent the next 24 hours researching this chair, particularly what customers had to say about it.  I found out that although expensive, people loved them so much that they bought a second one when the next baby arrived.

What appealed to me was the fact that our little guy could sit at the dinner table for meals, crafts, whatever.  He would be able to participate in whatever we were doing or he could do his own thing right beside us at the table. 

The other cool thing is that the chair is designed so that toddlers can climb on and off the chair by themselves.  When I read that I thought, “OK, this is what’s going to convince me to plop down $200 for the chair - I won’t have to hear “UP! UP! again.  The footrest that they use to climb on/off the chair also makes it ergonomic by supporting their feet so that they have something to rest on.

Being the eBay/Craigslist fiend that I am, it felt strange when I drove over to The Right Start to buy this chair.  Since this chair was going to be at our dining table I wanted the finish to be close to cherry/mahogany. 

There were none this color on Craigslist at the time and the eBay chairs were very close to retail.  Otherwise I could have purchased either an orange one with pad on CL for $140, or a really old used birch colored one for $120.   I figured by the time I sell it for $140 or so, I would have used it for $60 or so for about three or four years.  That’s only about $15 per year amortized over four years.

After paying for it at the store I drove home and assembled it in less than an hour.  I was so excited to test it out.  GG loved it right away because he could climb in and out of it, and I was thrilled at having him at the table right between me and my husband.  

Having used the chair for several weeks now, we ended up removing the seatbelt that came with it.  It was getting in the way and it’s very difficult to remove for cleaning.  It took my husband and I 10 minutes to figure out how to remove the spring/clip to take the seatbelt device off.  For this reason alone I would not use it as a high chair even though it says you can on the Stokke website. 

The only annoying thing about this chair is the extremely large safety warning sticker with the Stokke logo that came plastered on the back of the top rail of this chair.  Pooh pooh to Stokke for making the adhesive unbelievably tacky and difficult to remove. 

I am well aware of the dangers of letting my kid stand on the chair, not strapping him in, etc so I felt it was my duty in the name of good taste to remove the nasty looking sticker.  It looked like someone had put an unremovable bumper sticker on my brand new purchase.  I painstakingly sat down for 40 minutes and scraped the sticker and adhesive off the part before assembly.  I also had some 100% ethanol in the house and used it to literally scrub the sticker residue off the wood.  It did not damage the finish of the wood on my chair. 

I warn you that if you try peeling a small corner off that sticker you’ll know what I mean and what you’re about to get yourself into.  Be prepared.  Put some music on, pour yourself a glass of wine after the kids are in bed and take the time to remove the sticker.  You’d think for a company so bent on architecturally sensitive design that they’d be aware that a huge white sticker is an eyesore on at $200 high chair. 

I am going to resell my Chicco high chair now that GG’s done with it (hooray!).  I highly recommend the Stokke Tripp Trapp for toddlers (18-24 months plus).  I must say although it was $199.00 plus tax I seriously love this chair.  In my mind I justified the purchase by telling myself that with the money I save by buying GG’s clothes second hand, packing his lunches, etc it was more than worth it. You’ll use this chair for years to come and even if you don’t you can probably recoup at least $120 or so of the cost if you resell it on Craigslist.  If you’re putting a baby registry together think ahead and ask people to chip in for this item.  Or better yet, look for one on Craigslist.

I was set on using ALL cloth diapers before my son was born.  After much initial experimentation with a lot of cheap and a lot of fancy and expensive cloth diapers (Kissaluvs, etc) it dawned on me one day that we could use both. 

Cloth has its benefits, those being of economics (cheaper), and may help prevent diaper rash due to breathability, and perhaps ease of toilet mastery in that kids can feel the wetness, does not end up in landfills, recyclable.  Drawbacks of cloth:  Does not have anywhere near the liquid absorbing capability as disposables, bulkier and may make clothes fit different, takes a bit to get used to using but not much, an extra two loads of laundry per week if laundering at home.

Diposables are very convenient.  They abosrb and obscene amount of liquid before they reach capacity, and they are trim so that baby doesn’t have “diaper butt”.  In my personal experience, they can also cause diaper rash, possibly due to how well they seal off moisture - may not be as breathable as cloth.

I did a lot of research into cloth diapers - traditional cloth prefolds, new all-in-ones, pocket diapers, etc.  Let me say this for the record - the staggering amount of choice that is available to cloth users is so overwhelming that I could see people defaulting to disposable just so they don’t have to choose. 

For those of you who have started the process of learning about cloth but quickly became discouraged or confused, let me work backwards so to speak and summarize the general concept of cloth diapering:

1.  There has to be some kind of absorbent material, usually fibrous, against the skin to catch liquids, etc. Example:  Pre-folded cloth diapers. 

2.  The next layer is usually something that will keep the moistness away from baby’s clothes so that the outer layer of clothes don’t get wet.  Example:  Diaper Covers with velcro (hook & loop closures).  These keep baby’s clothes dry and holds the cloth diaper in place without the need for pins or other closures.

The most basic and most inexpensive cloth diapering model uses cloth prefolds and diaper covers.  This is usually what you get when you subscribe to a diaper service.

There are tons of companies run by stay at home moms (SAHMs) that have revolutionized cloth diapering.  Go to www.cottonbabies.com, or www.greenmountaindiapers.com, two of my favourite resources for ordering supplies and take a look at the cloth choices.  They will astound you. 

Okay, back to the prefolds.  My biggest challenge in accepting cloth diapers was needing to see how this worked.  I didn’t know anyone that used this stuff.  Everyone had Huggies or Pampers.   The hospital where I had my son gave us the choice between disposable and prefolds, but they used pins (yikes!) without diaper covers.  After studying diaper services in the area and seeing another mom use cloth prefolds combined with diaper covers on her infant daughter, I decided to try prefolds. 

I ordered about 55 Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) infant-sized 4×6.x4 Chinese Prefolds with Kelly Green stitching.  The description is very specific to distinguish the product from inferior cloth diapers that you see in the chain stores (like Gerber prefolds which are sold at Target, Babies R Us, Wal Mart, etc).  You usually have to buy the DSQ quality prefolds online from sources that are devoted/passionate about cloth diapering.  I think I paid about $1.50 per diaper.  I also had a total of 5 or 6 Newborn sized diaper covers to start with.  The infant prefolds were suitable for my son from birth until about 13-14 months old.   Within that same timespan however his diaper cover sizes went from Newborn, Small, then Medium.  We used a combination Bummis Super Whisper Wraps (~$20 each cover) and Imse Vimse Bumpy covers (~$25 each).   I got most of them used on eBay or Craigslist for about $10-12 a piece and made sure that they were in good condition. 

After my son grew out of the infant prefolds, I ordered 40 Toddler prefolds with blue stiching, with the same layers of cotton - 4×6×4.  These are larger in dimension than the infant size.  We’ve used them since he was about 14 months old and are still using them - my son will be two years old next week.  We are now using them with XL Imse Vimse covers, supplemented generously with Proraps covers, and Bummis Super Whisper Wraps by my neighbour who watches my son during the day and who also cloth diapers her little one.

As for the diaper pail, I started out with the Diaper Champ.  I quickly got rid of it since my diapers got stuck in the mechanism and it did not hold as much as I wanted it to hold.  Instead of buying a $25 diaper pail I went to Target and got a 12 litre lidded garbage can with removable lid.  That set me back about $12.00.  I got the idea at Green Mountain Diapers - see link below for photo and idea.

Next I ordered two diaper pail liners made by Blue Penguin products in California.  I got them at http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/other.htm#Re-Uz’m™%20Diaper%20Pail%20Liners.  We’ve used them on a rotational basis for two years now and they are still working great.  Order two - one to use and the other two switch out when you take the dirty stuff to be washed. 

I wait till our pail is packed full before doing diapers.  My son at this age uses about four cloth diapers during the day.  We do diaper laundry about twice a week using the dry pail method described here http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/washing-diapers.htm. We have a front loading Maytag washer and I follow use a half scoop of  Country Save environmentally-friendly powder detergent for every full load.  I have a program for diapers - presoak, long soil wash (18 min), extra rinse and the diapers come out clean even after the smell test.  The prefolds take longer to dry, and instead of using a gentle heat cycle with moisture detection off like I do for clothes, I set the dry program for 55-60 minutes at regular heat.  I do not dry my diaper covers by way of personal preference.  They last longer that way and I may have a chance of reselling them later if they are in decent shape.  Diaper Laundry Note:  Dispose of as much of the solids in the toilet - my son likes to participate in the “flush the poop” ceremony.  I do the dirty work of shaking/disposing and he waves and says, “Bye poop!” and gets to flush the toilet.  Dump soiled diaper/cover in the pail.  We both wash our hands and we’re done. 

As you’ve noticed in the subject of this post, we use mostly cloth.  We do cloth during the day, but disposable at night.  I spent much money trying to find a way to do cloth at night without much luck.  I spent unnecessary energy worrying about getting my son out of bed in the morning so that his cloth diaper wouldn’t be oversaturated.  In the end, I decided to use disposable diapers at night and cloth during the day.

In addition to night diapering in disposables, we also use them for long trips out of the house or travelling.   Generally if I am going to be away from home with him for more than two hours I will put a disposable diaper on him. 

I notice when I have my son in disposables I tend to leave him in the diaper for at least twice as long.  The capacity for these things to absorb liquid is almost infinite.  Which is good for long trips on planes and long sleeps at night.  But on a regular basis I personally prefer to change him out every two to three hours at most.  When they get older they also learn that wet is not very comfortable.  I’ve noticed that the disposable diaper companies have come up with “wet indicators” that make the diaper change color or change temperature (colder)!  I guess the disposables are too good at absorbing wetness, to the point that some kids don’t even know that they’re supposed to be wet. 

As with most things in life, compromise is not a bad thing.  I tried to go all cloth from the outset but it was at the expense of my sanity.  This works wonderfully for my family and I hope that I’ve made at least one reader realize that it doesn’t have to be cloth OR disposable - it can be both. 

My disclaimer about buying used baby items:  I am well aware of the warnings about using and buying second-hand items.  There is a danger to this as the product may have been subject to recalls, or could have parts missing therefore making it unsafe.  You know the reasons and if not, Google them.  Use your common sense and be the ultimate judge of whether this is a suitable option for you. 

Full-Sized Crib.  You would think that after reading several Dr. Sears books I would abolish the idea of owning a crib.  Not so.  I think that deep down inside I really knew that we were not going to be a “share the bed” family, hence the crib.  I purchased a two year old crib and like-new condition mattress from someone who had two identical ones that they used for their twins through an ad on Craigslist (CL).  The crib is made by Bellini and that brand can be found at Babies R Us.  It may have retailed for around $250.00.  It has a bottom pull-out drawer which at first I thought would be very useful.  Turns out that I don’t use it at all because when the crib rail is dropped down I cannot open the drawer.  So when is the crib rail ever up?  When my boy is sleeping.  That’s the worst time to be digging through a drawer - when your kid is sound asleep above said drawer.  I do like the drop rail mechanism.  It’s the kind that only requires one hand (you push the rail in with your knee, then quickly pull up, then push down.   Bellini Crib (Babies R Us Stock). $75 used, Craigslist.  I really love the crib we have but a crib is not necessary.  If you want to get REALLY basic don’t buy a crib, just get a Pack N Play.  I know someone whose son is almost two years old and has always slept in a PNP. 

Co-Sleeper Mini.  Deep down inside I really did want to give co-sleeping a try (at least for the first weeks).  Hence I decided that a smaller version of the full-sized co-sleeper was necessary (I’m laughing as I write this).  I purchased one that was a light beige coloured fabric from another CL listing.  The co-sleeper sounded like a C-Section mom’s dream - you could have easy access to feeding baby without having to get out of bed, without the fear of rolling over and smothering the little one.  The bottom storage area could be used to store diapers or whatever you want!   From descriptions on the manufacturer’s website and user reviews, I got the false impression that this was going to give me easy access to the baby from my side of the bed - the “reach over and pull him over” kind of easy access.  Specifically, I thought that the height of my bed mattress would be flush with the height of the co-sleeper, and that I could just slide the bundle over for night feedings.  Wrong-o.  

First of all, my mattress was too high and I had to purchase leg extensions for an additional $25 + shipping + tax.  After I had the whole thing rigged up was when I realized that the baby is never accessible like I envisioned it to be.  WTF?!  What’s the deal with this?  I could have bought a bassinett, or even just put him in a laundry basket on the floor (kidding).  Since I did not have a Pack N Play, I ended up wheeling this setup into my living room as his daytime sleep place.  Whenever he fell asleep during the day I would put him in the co-sleeper in the living room which was the only room in the house with lots of daylight.  In my desperation on looking for suggestions to get my baby to sleep on a regular schedule I came across an obscure paper claiming that infants who were exposed to sunlight during their naps in the daytime hours learned to fall asleep on their own faster due to circadian rhythms or something like that.  It was a whim but being desperate to get him to sleep regular hours I stuck to it and it (or the swaddling) worked.  Yay!  Back to the Co-Sleeper.  If I had to do it over again I would not spend $$$ on one.  Co-Sleeper Mini, $50 Used, Craigslist.

Infant Sling.  I had a ring sling that I customized with my own fabric and a ring color of my choosing.  I chose a black ring and a lightweight dark denim fabric.  I also purchased a Kangaroo Korner fleece pouch in black.  Of the two types of slings, I really loved the Kangaroo Korner pouch.  My son was born in October so the fleece pouch was perfect for the winter time.  I would have him snoozing in the pouch as I ate supper, talked on the phone, caught up on my e-mails.  My husband even wore him.  BTW they make pouches in lighter weight material for summer babies.  I used to take him to Whole Foods and carry him around kangaroo style with his face peeking out of the pouch.  As for the ring sling I found it was awkward to adjust, and you had to get the fabric bunched just so.  I am not mechanically challenged but rather impatient.  The ring sling did provide really good support for a heavier kid but it was too much hassle for me to figure out.  Besides, I liked my black fleece pouch as it was very incognito.  It looked cool and sleek, not dated like I find the ring slings to look.  Kangaroo Korner black fleece pouch. 

Overall I liked using my slings.  They let me cart baby around while I multitasked.  I could eat, talk on the phone, do my Christmas shopping on Amazon.com, all while he was sleeping in the sling.  A word of caution - I know that babywearing is a good thing for the baby but keep your own health in mind too.   These things can really throw your back and shoulder muscles out of whack if you wear baby too much without doing activities to counteract the one-sided weight load.  Approx $50.00+.  Custom ring sling $39.00 plus the cost of my own material (approx $20).

High Chair.  I went through two high chairs before settling on a third one that I have now been using for more than a year now.  First of all, my kitchen has enough space to support the footprint required of the high chairs you find these days.  If you are limited in space I suggest you investigate a portable booster seat/high chair with tray that can be attached to a normal chair.  I initially started out buying a used Peg Perego Primo Papa on CL.  It was a great chair all round and I would have kept it except for the fact that the safety straps were permanantely mounted to the plastic chair.  They had re-designed the Primo Papa since my purchase but it didn’t matter - I had one that was not completely cleanable - a big “no no” in my house.  

What spurned this quest for cleanliness was an incident where I was feeding my dear one and all of a sudden - the volcano erupted.  if you know what I mean.  He was not feeling well and the contents of his stomach (several hours worth of formula) came erupting, spilling and pooling in his lap and the seat of the high chair.  I have a really keen sense of smell and I spent the next two hours fanatically trying to scrub away the smell and was successful until I got to the straps.  The darned things were literally welded to the chair.  I decided that this was not going to work. 

The next day I reluctantly hauled myself into Babies R Us and perused the high chair isle.  I spent an hour pondering my choices and decided on one called the Easy Clean high chair by Fisher Price.  I must have been too blindly fixated on ease of cleaning because it was the cheapest P.O.S I’d ever purchased quality-wise.  To prove my point, the vinyl chair material cracked after I washed it following their care instructions to the letter.  Frustrated, I threw the high chair back into the car and asked for a refund. 

After spending another half hour or so pondering my choices I settled on a Chicco Polly high chair.  It was similar to the Peg Perego chair but cost about 40% less.  I can say that after using it for so long I am glad that I bought it - lots of similar features, well made, great value for the price, and very easy to clean.  Yes, all the straps can be taken off and thrown in the washer.   New, Babies R Us. $139.00

Stroller(s).   Another controversial topic.  As a new mom it is easy to get caught up in stroller-upmanship.  You can’t help but turn your head when you see someone walking through PCC or Whole Foods with a $900 Bugaboo.  If you are fortunate enough to get one as a gift or buy one for yourself then by all means go for it.  I personally could not bring myself  to spend such a chunk of change on a stroller.  Here’s what I bought and how I reasoned it out.

I started out with a fancy McClaren Global stroller that had the capacity to fit an infant seat into it.  It was a convertible stroller that could accept any kind of infant seat and it had a reclining back for infant use.  I picked it out on the web and ogled it for weeks beofre I chunked out some ridiculous amount, like $400 for it.   I thought it would be perfect as a “one type fits all” stroller. 

Weeks before baby arrived I had it completely set up in my living room, counting down the days till I could start using it.  After baby arrived and I used it several times I started to wish that I had made a different decision.   The stroller was a tad heavier than I envisioned.  The bottom storage compartment was completely inaccessible when I had the back of the seat completely reclined. 

I had “cheap stroller” envy as I eyed the countless people with normal Graco strollers that had tons of crap thrown into the bottom storage basket.  I ended up waiting until my son grew out of his car seat and sold the fancy McLaren.  What would I have done if offered the chance for a do-over?  I’d look for one of those stroller frames that are just that - they look like luggage frames that unfold to hold luggage on top of them, only they have wheels and a push bar area with cup holders, brakes, and a HUGE basket on the bottom that can hold groceries, a diaper bag, whatever.  They cost around $50 new and can be found for less than that used. 

When it was time to purchase a stroller for my now 6 month old baby (to replace the one I sold), I first asked myself, “How often am I going to use this?”.  I knew that I was only going to use the stroller once a week if since I work full time.  The other consideration that I couldn’t project at the time was if my son was going to like sitting strapped into a stroller.  The older he got beyond 9 months old, the less he liked being harnessed in the stroller.  He prefered to get behind it and push it as if he was using a walker.  Even as he got older he prefered walking and we would just load up the stroller with our stuff and he would “help” push it. 

I ended up purchasing another MacLaren stroller, this time the Techno XT.  I wanted something that would recline for naps or diaper changes on the fly.  I don’t think their popular Volo reclined otherwise I would have chose it.  For my lifestyle and frequency of use, the MacLaren was perfect.  I didn’t want something that would occupy my entire trunk, nor weigh close to 30 lbs.    The XT sits neatly folded in my trunk all the time and is light enough for me to handle at the airport by myself.    I think I purchased the XT online somewhere for close to $210.00.

Like any other self-respecting mom-to-be, I made my way to Babies R Us and attempted to put together a baby registry.  Instead of walking out with a feeling of having accomplished something, I left feeling overwhelmed.  I don’t overwhelm easily so this is quite a statement.  Let me preface this by telling you that I did not grow up around babies, and all of the friends I grew up with who had recently had babies were in another country.  I had zero exposure to babies and didn’t feel comfortable around them for lack of knowledge and experience.  My mother passed away a few years ago so I did not have her around to ask all of the critical mom-related questions.  Even my father was living in another country with his own new life.   My husband was interested and excited about the new little baby we were about to have but not interested enough to accompany me on long shopping scouting trips.  So it was me on my own as far as shopping for the new arrival. 

I figured that I had about eight solid months ahead of me to do some serious research on:

1.  What a baby needs

2.  What I want the baby to have

3.  How to balance 1. and 2.  to fit into reality/my budget.

I love a great bargain.  Fortunately this topic of shopping for baby lends itself perfectly for someone like me.  Like the saying goes, babies tend to grow faster than weeds.  Items of clothing may be worn for a few days,  a few weeks, or never.  Rarely are baby clothes worn to the point of having to dispose of them due to wear and tear.

I scoured regular retail outlets like the ones named above, spent countless hours on Amazon.com reading other people’s reviews and recommended products for babies, read the classic “Baby Bargains” book, looked at numerous thrift stores, garage sales, and went to many Moms/Kids sales held by pre-schools, support groups and co-ops.  I did my homework and then some.

I’ve compiled my own list of items that I’ve purchased/used and give my honest comments about them.  In addition, I’ve added my own recommendation on how I acquired it (new, used) and from where I got it (store, moms sale, etc).