Absolutely agree. The only way to circumvent this is to hoard at least one of every single possible thing (like sleep props and types of bottles and pacifiers) before they come from free sources. Even then still budget $200-$300 and hope your baby is an easy one 
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This is one area where I am firmly #BlessAmazonPrime 
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I had the cheapest IKEA crib (converts to toddler bed) with my first and he didn’t tolerate it. He coslept until we moved him to a floorbed at 18mo.
This time we got a bassinet (fisher price soothing vibration or something) from facebook. B consents to go in it considerably more than his brother did the crib, and I attempt it considerably more iften because it is a LOT easier than the crib was. After the bassinet we will do either a pack n play or floor bed or both (pack n play containment, crib mattress on the floor for actual sleep)
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Here’s my anecdote that is completely irrelevant to anyone else’s life: The wiggler was in his crib from about six months to about 3.5 years, when he started climbing out. We moved him into a bedroom on a different floor with a door that closes (and has a knob cover), which worked out well. I have plans for the weird open room the crib is in, but don’t yet have time or energy for the work required. The crib is still there. Turns out it’s perfect for attaching the exercise bands I use for my physical therapy. The PT said to use doorknobs, but none of the doorknobs in my house are sturdy enough. Except the front door I guess, but I can leave the bands in place on the crib and they don’t get stolen.
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The cosleeper was $400AUD so i would even up the amount a bit to $600-700 just to be on the safe side, and then spend that money on a holiday once everyone is not so exhausted
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This is very true - hell, in one hospital stay we spent about $600 on clothes and pumps to try and make life better. Also takeout is a legitimate source of groceries post partum
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Before anyone on the pre-partum side of things gets too worried, this line item is not a universal need, especially not to that amount.
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Yeah, of you have an emergency fund you can probably ignore it. Just, if you do find yourself spending it, you aren’t failing.
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I think i had $0 emergency expenses with my first! Or i blocked them out
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I think I had $0 with number 2, so an average of $250/kid? 
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Purely anecdotal, but I did think that the bassinet made a difference and regretted not having it for Ms Never Slept.
I bought that bassinet with Green Stamps! LOL
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I had $0 available with my first (my mom bought the crib) so panic buying was not an option!
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First kid was born in an apartment too small for a crib. She started in a snuggle nest (on a coffee table next to me), and then around 3 months moved into the pack and play in my room. She moved into her own room alone around 14 months IIRC because she was starting to wake up when I would try to creep out of the room in the mornings.
Second kid slept in a bassinet for about two months which was the size where I felt more comfortable co sleeping. I then coslept with her on a mattress on the floor until 10 months. At 10 months we got a crib on buy nothing and one night I went for it, and she’s been there ever since.
Of note:
-DH and I slept separately during the wake to feed ages. He has some medical/sleep issues that make him unsafe in the night for handling an infant, and so I always did all the night stuff, and he would get up early and take the baby so I could sleep in in the morning. I was much less worried about cosleeping than I would have been otherwise because it was just me.
-Both my kids sleep about 12-13 hours (with one night feed for the 16 month old) and kid 1 permanently stopped waking in the night around 13 months. This is just the luck of the draw based on the kid(s) you get, so ymmv.
-Overall I’m glad I didn’t spend much on kid sleep containers (or strollers!) so I could have the option to try different things and trade them out if I didn’t like them.
-+1 to all the comments about having Amazon money ready to deploy. There’s always something.
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Yep. My something was bottle and nipple roulette, to see if we could get Latte to take feeds that way (and hopefully improve her weight). Didn’t work but we sure threw some cash at the project, lol. Plus extra storage bags for milk and second sets of pump supplies, other type of pump valves, etc.
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For me it was a manual pump for the first one (so handy!), bibs (holy shit that second kid did spew!), various pacifiers, and a white noise machine.
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Nipple shields! Thats what it was with the first one! And the white noise/myla the monkey I decided I needed but a family friend asked for ideas same day
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Ooh that was another of mine- those miraculous hydrogel nipple soothing pads.
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Someone gave me those! I went from WTF to Oh god yes, in a very quick period. 
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Yes, and let us know when you’re 3rd tri and we’ll dunno into on breastfeeding help here
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