The arrival of a new member in the family always involves an extra expense in the domestic economy. That is why it is important to know what is really necessary to buy the baby and what is not.
When preparing the list of items that the baby will use during the first months, there are a few things that we can do without.
I am not in favor of piling up unnecessary baby items and I hate buying things that I later regret. If we end up using them once or twice it is because they were not so necessary. I think it is essential that, for practicality and comfort, before the arrival of a new baby we learn to simplify.
It is good advice (especially in times of crisis) a practical recommendation on what are the items that may be left off the list without affecting the well-being and development of the baby at all.
1) Bottle sterilizer: I have never had one. They are expensive, take up space in the kitchen and there are so many methods that it is difficult to know which one is the best. They only lent me one once and I ended up melting it with the microwave grill.
One of the disadvantages that I find (in addition to being "melt") is that if we have to give the bottle to the baby away from home we have to take as many bottles previously sterilized as you take to go.
The solution is self-sterilizing bottles. They are bottles that can be individually sterilized in the microwave in a couple of minutes. If you are away from home it is always easier to find a microwave available than a bottle sterilizer.
Some brands that sell them are Mothercare, Difrax and Baby Comfort.
On the other hand, if you feed your baby with exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months you do not need bottles and after that age you no longer need to sterilize them.
If you have to sterilize pacifiers, then the old way: you boil them for a few minutes.
2) Bathtub furniture: I have always found it an unnecessary dish that also occupies too much space in the bathroom and has poor durability. It is true that the bathing position is more comfortable because you can bathe the baby while standing, but it is an article that we can do without, especially if we have a house with only one bathroom and not too large.
In return you can buy an inflatable bathtub that will also be very useful when you go on a trip (if it has better built-in support) or if you buy a support to place inside the large bathtub and when the bathtub ring is somewhat older.
3) Furniture changer: It is not essential to especially buy a changing cabinet. When the time passes, the changer function will no longer serve us and we will have a baby furniture in the child's room.
To simplify and be able to use the furniture when the child grows up, you can replace the purchase of the furniture-changer (which are not usually cheap) with a high chest of drawers and place a mat on top to change the baby.
4) Mini crib: It is the small crib to place next to the parents' bed during the first months of the baby.
There are parents who opt for colecho, that is, to share the double bed with the baby, and they do not need it. They can choose a crib that is placed inside the bed. You can also opt for some very practical cribs that are attached to the parents' bed. There are standard size and then it will be the same crib that the baby uses until he is older.
Other parents choose to place a bassinet with their legs on the side of the bed. They are usually cheaper and allow the baby to be transported throughout the house.
Another alternative, if you have enough space in your room is to place the baby directly in the standard size crib even during the first months but in the highest position and protecting the sides well. So you will use the same crib from birth until it is time to move to a bed.
We will also avoid spending on sheet games of the size of the mini-crib that will later not help us for the big one. Another thing in terms of use is if the mini-cradle then becomes another piece of furniture such as a desk or a sofa.
5) carrycot: It is one of the parts of which the stroller is composed, together with the chair itself and the baby carrier for the car. Its use is quite widespread. Babies use it during the first months as it allows them to go for a walk comfortably in bed.
It can be supplanted by a baby carrier such as a backpack, a sling or a shoulder strap to carry the baby. The little one will like to be close to the body of mom or dad when he goes for walks. In the car, as long as it is not for too many hours, we can place it in the car carrier (also known as cuckoo or egg).
6) Portable bottle warmer: It is a bottle warmer (sometimes also potitos) that plugs into the current or in the car. They can solve some specific situation such as when we travel, but it is an absolutely discarded item. We can always resort to the nearest microwave or else, heat the water and use a thermos to keep it warm for the necessary time until it is time to prepare the bottle.
7) Wiper heater: It may be more pleasant to clean them with a warm wet wipe, but it is not essential. In fact neither are the wet wipes to clean the baby's culete.
The towel warmer can be replaced with a cotton pad moistened with warm water or in calcareous oil, a kind of oily cream that helps to take off the first little cups better while creating a protective layer against infections.
8) Diaper containers: used baby diapers are thrown there. Each diaper is sealed tightly by a plastic bag, supposedly preventing the smell from coming out.
In addition to whether I doubt if the diaper containers are really effective (anyone who can certify it?), They may not seem too expensive to us but we must bear in mind that we must buy the special replacement cartridge cartridges every so often, which are not nothing cheap.
In return, before throwing the diaper in the trash you can wrap it in one or two plastic bags (from the supermarket) well knotted.
9) Disposable diapers: Although its use is not fully extended, reusable diapers have more and more followers. It is the only article on this list that I have not been able to do without, for now.
In addition to benefiting the environment, they are much cheaper than traditional ones. Eye, it is not necessary to be washing every diaper by hand as our grandmothers did. Today there are very practical solutions for this type of diapers. Some models are composed of a disposable or washable part and another type panties to place on top.
It is a matter of being interested and researching on the subject. The saving is quite significant.
10) Baby monitor: Unless we live in a house of enormous proportions, the baby monitor, that is, the intercoms (some with a camera) to place in the baby's room and listen if he cries, is completely useless.
Just check if we would hear the baby crying from any corner of the house before deciding if your purchase is necessary. Most likely, unless we live in a Petit Palace, is that we can hear the baby from anywhere in the house.
Sometimes it tempts us from the window, especially those that incorporate a camera, but it is something totally expendable. Babies usually sleep with their parents for a few months, so surveillance is direct, without the need for intercoms. And when they are older they already have enough power to listen to them from the corner.
Personally, I find one of those typical things that if I had bought them I would never use it.
Of course, the list of these 10 items of expendable babies It is totally subjective, starting from my personal experience. It is understood that if these items are offered in childcare stores it is because many people buy them. The decision to buy them or not is absolutely personal, but maybe my experience will help you. Do you agree?
