Spit-up On My Shoulder

I found a great article this week at The Dollar Stretcher titled 10 Baby Things You Don’t Need by Michelle Kennedy Hogan. Michelle was kind enough to give me permission to share it with all of you. It’s one of those articles I wish I had read when I was a pregnant with my first child and saved a ton of $!

Here’s the first part of the article with more to come in later postings:

10 Baby Things You Don’t Need by Michelle Kennedy Hogan
Save yourself the space and cash

When I became pregnant with my first child, I had been babysitting for a wealthy family for quite some time. They had every gadget you could possibly imagine for raising a child. They also had every glossy magazine available, detailing every shiny new gadget I would “need” in order to have my baby. I was 20 years old and a little overwhelmed by the finery. Howwould I ever afford it all? I soon learned that yard sales were the best places to find all of the gadgets I would need.

Between the sales and the baby shower, I was outfitted. I had every gadget a mother could possibly need to take care of her baby. It wasn’t until baby number two arrived a little over a year later that I realized that I needed very few of those gadgets, and I had a yard sale myself to rid myself of the clutter that was overtaking my apartment.

Save yourself the space and cash. Here is a list of 10 things you absolutely do not need in order to have a baby. There are many others, but this should get your started.

1. Baby Lotion/Baby Cleanser – I’ve received a number of bottles of these items through the years and I must admit that they do smell pretty good. However, not only does your new baby not need to smell any better (they already smell really good), but also take a look at the list of what’s in the bottle. No, it is not just baby goodness. Indeed, I can’t pronounce 90 percent of what’s in it.

Buy a nice bar of natural soap from your local co-op if baby is really that dirty, but a little warm water will do just fine for baby’s already very soft skin. Savings: $10 (plus refills)

2. Diaper Genie – OK, well, you won’t be using disposable diapers anyway, right? But if you did use disposables, this thing has got to be one of the most wasteful, ugly things on the planet. It produces what can only be described as a giant doody caterpillar when full and I have no idea what you do with it after that. Savings: $30 (plus refills)

3. Changing Table – I had one of these for my oldest, but I soon learned that I changed 99 percent of his diapers on either the floor or the couch. Instead, make yourself up a little basket with the appropriate changing needs (diaper covers, diapers, washcloths, etc.) and keep it next to the sofa. Especially in those first weeks, you spend a lot of time on the couch as most of your time is spent nursing, changing diapers, and trying to catch a nap! Forget the table. Savings: $100 (at least)

Michelle Kennedy Hogan is the mother of six and the editor of
Organically Inclined. Her new book 100 Ways to Save Money Right Now is available in digital and print formats. She and her husband John homeschool their children, work from home and practice sustainable living on an organic farm in Vermont. Email her at: editor@organicallyinclined.org