Ok, excellent thing to know!
2 Likes
Would some of my favorite IG accounts for learning this stuff help? Ex one of the PTs I follow has a baby gear list where she gives her thoughts on different “baby holders” from a PT perspective.
3 Likes
Yes please! I have no idea what I’m doing.
2 Likes
I follow a LOT of pt accounts partially because of Latte’s birth paralysis and the PT we did for that, so I may be extreme compared to other people lol.
But I really wanted to mindfully parent different from my family’s default, so I find this stuff helpful. Some people really do not and it makes them feel judged/inadequate/ whatever way that doesn’t serve them. Protect your own mental health 
4 Likes
I’m also very pro-stroller system. We didn’t use it for sleep but we do try to take a walk every day and it was really helpful for getting in good, long walks. Both babies also had A LOT of health issues early on and it was a lifesaver for taking the baby to the doctor, especially when navigating the parking lots/complexes at the Children’s hospital.
One thing I kept in mind when buying a car seat was that every car seat sold in the US has to meet the same safety standards, so the pricier ones generally do fancy things/have lots of padding to feel “comfier”/slimmer design/etc but they all have to meet the safety standards. That made me feel better about buying a cheaper car seat.
We found it helpful to have a safe place to lay the baby down in whatever room we were in. So instead of always taking the baby into our bedroom to lay her in the basinet, we had some kind of safe sleeping option in every room. I really liked having one of these that we could move from room to room with us https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Delight-Portable-Co-Sleeper-Waterproof/dp/B014F7UEXG/ref=sr_1_35?crid=MVB4RL4CURRT&keywords=co+sleeper+bassinet&qid=1645727222&sprefix=cosleeper+bassinet%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-35
We gave away absolutely all of our baby stuff so we are starting from scratch again. I’m hoping to get as much as possible from buy nothing, and the rest from once upon a child. The first time around we really tried to get just the bare minimum at first, and then after she was here for a few months we started adding things that just made life a little easier, like a bouncer/vibrating seat, a play mat that had a kick pad piano, etc.
4 Likes
I got a stroller that could recline flat (Graco Modes) and it came with a free bucket car seat, lol! So I had the travel system even though I’d intended to get just the stroller and a convertible seat. The bucket seat was definitely nice in winter to get her in and out of the car all bundled (especially in from the warm house), so it was helpful in the end.
3 Likes
Oh yeah, rotate things through the stream. Only the car seat has to be new (or like from a super close trusted friend and still check the expiration date) and the rest can come from and go back to the stream easily.
I guess bottle nipples and pacifiers should be new too, even between siblings since they break down over time.
Check on safety updates and recalls and stuff does get too worn or genuinely outdated after a while, but there’s too much that only gets used for a few months to get everything new.
6 Likes
Re: baby wearing, there’s a local baby wearing group in my area that does (did? pre-pandemic) monthly meet ups so new moms could come try out a bunch of different types of wraps/slings/etc. to see what worked best for them and their baby. Most things were second hand. It also meant that someone was there who knew how to make the fabric sling go up around over/under and tada suddenly the shapeless fabric is capable of holding a wiggly baby, I would not have figured that out on my own.
There’s also a baby-focused consignment shop in my area, I went there to get a wrap with my newborn in tow and when I was trying out the floor model I was very obviously like “Halp, how do?” and the two store ladies came over to help since business was slow at that time of day.
7 Likes
Also, this is more of a longer term strategy, but it’s okay to change your mind about what you want to use later or get something that only has a few months use instead of adapting to different stages. Maybe the best highchair to use at a certain time is the one that works perfectly for the space and use for a few months and then can go back into the stream for whatever works perfectly for the next space and use. A bassinet has much less length of use than a crib, but it’s also a whole lot more flexible to use in those few months. Not everything has to last through multiple stages to be the perfect item.
4 Likes
So much agree. Easy come, easy go. RARELY is a piece perfect and lasting (that’s why people are so vocal about the few things that really DO work for them lol!). I definitely have found it helps to realize that “good enough” is okay and will not scar my baby for life 
4 Likes
For us we just didn’t use a ton of baby things.
A carseat. For both our girls we have Graco convertible seats. They’ve been in them since birth. Oldest is 3.5 and the younger is 7 months. I didn’t even want the temptation of leaving a baby in a carseat. We also knew if we hated the convertible carseat we could get a bucket seat pretty easily.
We had a family basinet and moved both kids to a crib in their own rooms at about 3 months(controversial choice but it worked for us)
Zipper jammies because nobody has time at 3 am to figure out 3000 snaps to put the baby back to sleep.
We have a stroller that gets used a lot in the summer but we live in the upper Midwest so it doesn’t get used a lot outside of a few months.
We use cloth diapers during the day and I find them easy. BUT it is extra work and I 1000000% dont think it is easy for everyone.
There’s probably other things but my 7 month old is teething and I’m tired…
7 Likes
Something I see a lot here is folks getting a used car seat off FB marketplace or something to tradein for a discount for a new one. I think it’s Target that does an event for 30% off a new car seat if you bring in an old one. Would be worth investigating for such a high ticket item.
Seconding the baby clothes with zips thing. Nephew had a diaper blowout in an adorable onesie that buttoned up and there’s nothing like watching liquid poo ooze out through buttonholes as you and your sister are frantically trying to extricate the child in a mall bathroom.
7 Likes
20% and yes targets Trade in event is great! I asked on buy nothing and for a free one. Walmart usually does the same thing at the same time IIRC
1 Like
Excellent point too-
LEARN ABOUT ENVELOPE SHOULDERS. Poo laden onesies go DOWN, not over the head, lol!
7 Likes
It was the leg bit that was leaking, one of those footed onesie things.
Nephew was having a grand old time squishing his toes in it while the two of us gagged.
2 Likes
Oh yeah, it just reminded me! A shocking number of people don’t know. I had to tell a friend who had a baby at the same time as me, after she was complaining about poo in her baby’s hair, and she is the COO of a charity who does a bunch with baby clothes 
she was like “I help give them away, I don’t USE THEM, how was I supposed to know??” So now I try to warn people lol.
4 Likes
I love my ego.
3 Likes
Hearing protection. Them things are unnecessarily loud when shrieking. For no goddamn evolutionary reason.
7 Likes
Fortunately we run power equipment regularly so we have ear pro covered!
2 Likes
I’ve really enjoyed watching “baby registry regret” videos on YouTube!
2 Likes