“The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide” author Heather Maclean offers the following tips to parents outfitting their baby:
Superstores: “I liken them to Las Vegas casinos, with the lights, end caps and lack of windows so that you are walking in circles for hours, and that leads you to spend more.
“Read a book before you go to learn about categories, products and some of the crazy baby (products) terminology. Then search on the Internet for patterns and prices, and make a list of what to buy.
“But make sure you break your baby shopping into small chunks by zeroing in on three things per visit.”
Bad buying cycle: “Many times, parents are driven to buy a product because of the intense need for quiet and calm in their house, but once you get to the store, it’s noisy, overwhelming and there are so many similar choices, that you end up just grabbing everything.
“You overbuy products and bring them home — only to then realize it is hideous, ugly, the music is driving you nuts or your baby hates it. I have no problem having a salesperson come over, open the box and put batteries in so I can listen to the music before I buy it.”
Nice, but not necessary: “You can live without a video monitor, but it can change your life. The amount of sleep I lost when wondering what was that rustle or that cry, but the video monitor lets you instantly see a visual confirmation of what the child is doing.
“I also think a pretty high quality diaper bag will last longer and Mom will feel a lot better holding it. Why not get a diaper bag that makes you feel great?
“Lastly, a good lightweight toddler stroller is something you won’t regret. You can get a $9.99 one for sure, and you can break your wrist pushing it. The minute you make the switch to a $100 lightweight stroller that lets you push it with your pinkies, you will notice the difference. You will use that stroller from the time the child is 8 months through 4 years.”
Stroller splurging: “Some of those systems are three strollers in one — they have bassinets, then become lightweight strollers, they have toddler attachments and boogie boards for siblings. When you add up all those options, you would spend just as much on buying all of those things separately.
Hand-me-downs: “Hand-me-downs are amazing money savers, but some can be dangerous. A bad hand-me-down is one that is essential to your child’s safety or has an unknown history. I wouldn’t do hand-me-downs for car seats, because you can’t even give them away to Goodwill. I say no to play yards and cribs.
“Cribs are recalled so frequently for a million things that you could never keep up with. Crib mattresses have the issue of bacteria seeping in and staying there. Same goes with breast pumps.
“Great hand-me-downs are clothes, of course. Strollers are great — they are very safe and hardly ever recalled. I like activity tables, baby gyms, rocking chairs and nursery decor.”
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