It seems that money is tight everywhere; the price of gas, groceries and so much more has sky-rocketed recently. It makes sense, then, to look for gently used items for babies and kids. Anyone who?s ever had a baby knows that she/he outgrows clothing and even toys in the blink of an eye.

This past weekend I hit the jackpot! There was a neighborhood/multi-family yard sale in our neighborhood and after my older boys? soccer games, I managed to find the few families who decided to keep their stuff out for sale well into the afternoon.

The fact that the oldest homes in our neighborhood are only about eight years old, means that the majority of families who live here are younger ones with young children. I found a few families whose kids had outgrown their baby gear and walked away with some amazing finds.

Although we already paid full price on a brand new baby swing, I could not resist the like-new portable baby swing by Fisher Price. It is easily moved from room to room, plays soothing music, and has flashing colorful lights. I got it for an entire five bucks!

It?s nice to have one swing in the family room and the other in the kitchen or wherever I happen to be.

Another purchase was a backseat toy panel for rear-facing babies. I had just been telling my husband that our poor little baby has to stare at the back of the seat for his entire first year. I kept meaning to get him some kind of backseat toy to make car rides a bit more interesting, but never got around to it. I ended up finding a cloth panel with a mirror and colorful pictures of cars on it. I have yet to put batteries in it but can?t wait to see what music/sounds it plays. The cost for this toy: $3.00!

I also found, believe it or not, a matching porta-crib and high chair by The First Years. It was in decent shape and the woman was selling both for $10 total. I took her number, thinking that my mom might be interested in these, as she now has seven grandchildren, three of who are aged 1 or under.

Sure enough, my mom was interested.

Check the classified section of your local paper for garage sales, flea markets, and ?articles for sale?. Keep in mind that newer neighborhoods often tend to be home to younger families and can be the best places to find gear for babies and little kids.

In my previous post, I discussed some helpful tips on registering for baby products. But what exactly do you include in your registry?

I found registering for baby even more overwhelming than compiling a wedding registry. I?d been running a household for five years before getting married; I knew what kitchen appliances and tools had worn out and what gadgets we?d been eyeing for some time. I knew I needed new sheets, towels, pots and pans and a vacuum cleaner.

But, registering for our first baby was a different experience. We needed virtually everything to care for an infant, and weren?t sure where to start. (Oh, and a new vacuum cleaner, too!) With such a long list, it was hard to keep track of what we had already selected, and what we still needed to add to the registry.

Compiling a check list before we hit the stores and the Web helped. I?ve broken it down into categories for easy reference. Your list may be different depending on what you already have from previous children, or what you?ve found at garage sales, through friends, or even on Craig?s List or Freecycle. Some of these items are optional based on your lifestyle.

Another thing I found helpful was going with an experienced friend to register for many of the more confusing items. We take our expedition tomorrow, and I will report on how it went and what I learned.

Big-Ticket Items

• Bassinet/ Crib
• Crib Mattress
• Changing Table
• Infant car seat/carrier/stroller travel system
• Additional car seat base for second car
• Baby/toddler car seat

Miscellaneous

• Travel playpen
• Baby monitor
• Baby or pet gates
• Diaper bag
• Lightweight umbrella stroller
• Baby carrier/sling
• Child-proofing products (Read this article for an expanded checklist.)
• Glider or rocking chair
• Baby book

* Many of these items overlap. For instance, you can opt for a regular stroller, and then get a convertible car seat that functions as an infant car seat and converts to a toddler car seat when the baby reaches 20 pounds. Or, your travel system may include the infant car seat/carrier, so you?ll want to buy another car seat, which converts to a booster seat later on. Of course, this purchase can wait, but you may as well register for it! You can also find a travel playpen that doubles as a bassinet and changing table.

Toys

• The possibilities are endless, but here?s a list to get you started.
• Baby swing
• Infant gym/playmate (for tummy time)
• Stationary exerciser
• Crib mobile
• Soft Blocks
• Mirror
• Stacking cups
• Rattles and noisemakers
• Phthalate-free teethers

Grooming & Hygiene

• Potty seat
• Step stool (for toddler)
• Infant bath
• Bath toys
• Baby shampoo
• Wash cloths
• Diapers
• Diaper pail
• Changing table pad
• Baby wipes
• Soft-bristled hair brush

Clothing

• Booties – 2 pair
• Knitted hat or sun hat (for winter or summer) ? 2
• Sleep sacks, pajamas w/ feet or nightgowns ? (total 7)
• Onesies or t-shirts ? 6 ? 10
• Socks ? 10 pair
• Sweaters (for winter and fall)? 2 or more
• Snowsuit (for winter)
• Outfit for hospital photos (may want to purchase in 0 ? 3 mos. and 3 ? 6 mos. sizes) Seasonally-appropriate outfit to go home from hospital

Linens

• Receiving blankets
• Crib sheets
• Bassinet sheets

For meal-time

• High chair
• Breast pump (This can be rented).
• Bottles
• Nipples
• Nursing Supplies
• Pacifier
• Baby spoons & bowl
• Bibs
• Spit-up cloths

For Mom

• Nightgown for hospital (opens in front for breastfeeding)
• New slippers
• Boppy pillow (if you haven?t purchased one during pregnancy, you may want one for breastfeeding)

Readers, have I forgotten anything?

Shopping for baby products is definitely one of the more fun things about being pregnant. What’s even more fun? Registering for baby products! It provides all the pleasures of shopping without spending the money.

It’s even easier, nowadays, to register online at many places. Of course, your hubby will get a kick out of getting to use the electronic scanner as you walk around a brick-and-mortar store and select your favorite products. But if the novelty of this wore off during your bridal registry, you may as well stay home, climb into your favorite comfy chair with your laptop, and register online!

I do recommend trying out certain items in the store. However, a combination of online reviews, information from books such as Great Expectations: Best Baby Gear and Baby Bargains, and your own ‘trial runs’ in the store, where you can actually try out products such as strollers and high chairs, will help you make the best decisions.

Here are a few more tips for registering:

• Register early. Bridal showers may be held anywhere from 3 months to 1 month before your due date. Some people may throw your shower after the baby is born. But register early, just in case out-of-state friends and relatives want to buy presents before your shower. I recommend registering as soon as you find out if it’s a boy or a girl (somewhere around 20 weeks). My theory on this, too, is I have no idea how I’ll be feeling in the third trimester. Right now, I feel great. Also, it is a great way to feed that ‘nesting instinct’ on a budget!
• Include items in a wide range of prices. This lesson came to me from an engaged friend, whose family complained she had ‘nothing expensive on her registry.’ Close relatives may want to spring for a crib or a travel system, so don’t be shy about putting them on your registry. People may even want to chip in to purchase a big-ticket item. By the same token, include lower-priced gifts (under $15) and gifts in the middle range ($15 – $60). If all the mid-range priced gifts are taken but a shopper wants to spend more, she can always put together a lovely gift basket of inexpensive products.
• Choose a variety of sizes. Babies grow quickly. When I fell in love with an adorable pack of pink ‘Princess’ onesies, I registered for both the 0 – 3 and the 3 – 6 month sizes.
• Register in more than one store. Everyone has shopping preferences, whether they are determined by geography, store credit cards or coupons and sales. Give your gift-givers at least two options. If you have a lot of family and friends in other regions – especially rural areas – you may want to make sure your selected stores also offer shopping online.
• Include practical items. Everyone loves adorable baby clothes and receiving blankets in soft pastels adorned with cute little animals. And you’ll definitely need them. But what you’ll really appreciate in those first few months are diapers, bottles, formula. Don’t be afraid to put some of these consumable necessities on your registry, too. Some stores offer discounts on merchandise from the registry that is purchased by the parents after the fact, which is added incentive for registering for every item you may need to buy.

]]> http://blogs.babiesonline.com/products/tips-for-putting-together-your-baby-registry/feed/ 0 http://blogs.babiesonline.com/baby/nursery-essential-for-small-spaces/ http://blogs.babiesonline.com/baby/nursery-essential-for-small-spaces/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:31:23 +0000 MrsH http://blogs.babiesonline.com/?p=3091

If you have a 2000 sq. ft. home, you’re probably not even thinking of space issues for your first-born baby. You may even have set aside one room for the nursery and another just to house all the toys and other gifts that friends and family have been showering your baby with. If you live in a one bedroom apartment in New York however, or anywhere else, you’re pressed to make the most of every nook and cranny.

I can’t exactly tell you what will work for you in your space. But I can get you to start thinking.

First let’s start with essentials; things you cannot live without for the first six months of your baby’s life.

Clothes and Other Soft Items

If you have a handy washer and dryer, and you’re willing to keep washing on a daily basis, you won’t need as much clothes to begin with. Babies spit up though, so keep this in mind. If you’d rather not do laundry every day, add more. Remember, your babies will outgrow newborn clothes quickly, so unless you have a preemie, have only 2-3 pieces of each in newborn sizes, and then double that number for 0-3 mos. and 3-6 mos.:

• Onesies – these are usually short-sleeved and legless body suits that snap at the bottom.
• Sleepers – Usually with footsies built-in, good for, you guess it, sleeping. Have lightweight for spring and summer months and thicker ones for fall and winter.
• Jumpers or Rompers – Their feet are exposed and can be short-sleeved, sleeveless or long sleeved even. You can buy nice-looking ones for trips outdoors or for dressy events.
• Socks – to keep toes warm.
• Snowsuit (only 1 needed) – for winter.
• Sweater or jacket – again, for the colder months.
• Cap or Bonnet – especially for the colder months. They lose heat very quickly from the head.

Okay, so you’ve got the clothing essentials. Other essentials are several good blankets and burp cloths. A lot of moms have recommended cloth diapers because they’re more absorbent. Believe me, babies spit up a lot, so you want this in handy. Also diapers and wipes, of course. You have a choice between cloth and disposable. You can also make your own wipes from paper towels pre-soaked in water and a bit of baby body wash. You’ll need several waterproof change pads, because contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a changing station. And last but not least, baby shampoo and body wash for their delicate skin.

Tip: Have a basket where you can stuff several changes worth of clothes, burp cloths, diapers, wipes and change pads that you can carry from room to room. Voila, portable change station!

Furnishings and other Baby Gear

These are the bare-bones essentials. I’ll add nice to have towards the end of this guide. You’ll need to find places to store the following:

• A place for baby to sleep – If you aren’t co-sleeping (and please practice safe sleeping when you have baby in bed with you), you can choose from a moses basket, a bassinet, you can attach a co-sleeper to your bed. If you’re not moving anytime soon though, I say just skip all the above which will become obsolete faster than your baby can say peekaboo and go right to a crib. There are many modern, practical and small cribs available out there. Ours is The Gulliver from Ikea.
• Stroller – Other moms prefer to carry their baby in a sling for the most part, but unless you’re a true purist, you’re also gonna want a stroller.
• Car Seat – If you will drive at all, you’re gonna need one of these. You can choose a traveling system so the car seat can double as a baby carrier and then just snap in the stroller. You can nix that of course and go straight to the big car seats that go from newborn to up to 45 lbs.

Nice to Have

• Bouncer – a place where you can safely strap the baby, have them amuse themselves by bouncing, vibrating, looking at the toy add-ons attached to them , and leave your hands free to get some things done.
• Infant Swing – have them try this out at a store, or a friend’s place first. Some babies hate them, while a lot of parents swear by them to get baby to calm down, occupied, entertained and leave Mom and Dad to a quick break(no more than 30 mins. at a time is recommended).
• Safe to chew on toys and rattle.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to find space for the above. And if you’re a minimalist, you’re probably breathing a sigh of relief. Some of you may be skeptical, and are asking, is that it? If you’re truly bent on saving space, then yes, really that’s it. If you have the above and find you still have space, by all means, go for it. Just remember, all the other add-ons are probably more for your convenience, not truly essentials for the baby.

Is there anything I’ve missed that you consider essentials?

Through a dark dark hall, down a dark dark stair, in a dark dark basement, at the back of a dark dark room, is a dark dark door. And behind the dark dark door, is a dark dark cupboard. And in the dark dark cupboard is things that squeak and swing and bounce and play music – all my son’s outgrown baby items.

With an odd name and a great idea, Freepeats is a website for parents to give away unwanted baby and kid items, and maternity clothes, to other parents. The idea is very similar to the popular freecycle.org but is just for babies, kids, and mothers-to-be. The person who wants the item comes to pick it up, so you can get gently used stuff for the price of gas, and get rid of stuff without going to the thrift store or dump.

Freepeats operates in several US cities, (Cleveland, Nashville, Seattle, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, DC, Philly, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Detroit) and if your town isn’t on the list yet, you can sign up to be notified when they do start a site in your area.

I’m in the process of clearing out the dark dark cupboard, and while I was pulling out my son’s old swing and bouncer I remembered a mom friend telling me about Freepeats. So I thought I’d pass the world along to Babies Online readers, and now I’m off to list the stuff on my local Freepeats.

When my first child was born we, like a lot of new parents, tried out many baby seats hoping to find one that had it all. We tried bouncy seats, rockers, vibrating bouncy seats – you name it, we tried it. Thank goodness our son was so laid back because he was definitely our guinea pig for lots of baby gear!

So, with the birth of our second child rapidly approaching I researched seats online and found a lot of great reviews about the Fisher Price Baby Papasan chair. So, we tried it….and LOVED it!

This wonderful baby seat features a super-soft removable and WASHABLE seat that comes apart from the frame. The fact that the seat is removable and the frame folds flat makes it super easy for packing and during travel. It also vibrates and plays soothing music, both alone or together. There is even a detachable and reversible blanket that was the perfect size for our newborn daughter.

We especially liked the angle of the seat because we found that a lot of bouncy seats sit up at too much of an angle for a newborn or young baby. We used this seat until my daughter was about 4 1/2 months old, at which point she wanted to sit up and see everything, so we then purchased a Bumbo seat (another great baby chair!).

Overall, we loved the Papasan seat and would highly recommend it to new moms and dads searching for the “perfect” chair. I would also absolutely suggest looking for deals on baby gear like this on Ebay or at a children’s consignment shop. I found mine on Ebay at a great price and in like new condition. This seat was definitely worth every thrifty penny!

As a parent, what has been the one piece of baby gear you couldn’t live without? Tell everyone about it in the comments section!