Spent a happy few days telling all about the impending first baby, and today walking round baby shops near to my in-laws. Its going to be so difficult avoiding buying cute things!
I think I'm going to limit myself to a pair of newborn socks for now, and re-read all erin's tips
1. Toys - one in, one out
2. Make tidying a game
3. Try to direct family to buy useful things so I don't end up with a living room full of clutter
4. Realise I may not be able to control any of this !?!
Any other tips?
Congrats, badkitti!
1. Make a wish shopping list, especially for necessities. And if you live near to the future grandparents, they may also want to have things like a high chair, playpen etc at their home(s) so that you don't have to carry those items with you when you visit them.
2. Handmedowns and thrift shops may have gently used but safe items for baby, such as clothes, toys.
3. Ask other women who have little ones for tips.
4. Enjoy your journey!
5. You may want to buy a baby book now, to begin writing in...and you will have baby's first ultrasound photos to place in the book before he/she is born.
This has nothing to do with uncluttering, but have someone take lots of pictures of you while you're expecting. All of my daughter's friends seem to be having babies all at once, and she makes a point of taking really beautiful photos of them with their baby bumps. They all love having them to put in their baby books.
congratulations on the impending offspring!
a gf of mine had a very uncluttered baby.
she dressed him very simply in inexpensive generic cotton stuff and everyone was just fine with that.
and as he grew, she instilled in him, the toy in- toy out idea.
congrats! Don't buy any clothes, you will receive more tiny clothes than any baby could possibly wear, even from people you haven't seen in 20 years. My kids lived (and sometimes still live) in hand-me-downs and my second baby was far more uncluttered than my first. I even uncluttered my pushchair once I found that slings are far more convenient and take up a stack less space, something like a Kozy carrier http://kozycarrier.homestead.com/ can last from newborn to (at a push) a very exhausted 5 year old and makes you both happy :) There's nothing more uncluttered than having a tired baby fall asleep on your back while you're getting on with the washing up! If you're after an uncluttered baby, I think reading some attachment parenting books is a good antidote to the whole 'baby stuff' culture which seems so ridiculously predominant. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Parenting-Book-Commonsense-Understanding/dp/B002IVV3KA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293143743&sr=1-1
Stuff you need: a car seat, some nappies (a nappy laundry service would make a good present from doting grandparents!), a few clothes to start off with, maybe a bouncy chair as my kids loved them when they were too little to sit up but wanted to be right there in the action, not much else! My babies would have disputed the necessity of a cot, judging by how little they seemed to sleep in it, but again this was a handmedown from a friend. Toys: my babies couldn't have cared less till they were toddlers! They preferred wooden spoons and empty biscuit tins over any amount of plastic :) Very small children are exceptionally low tech creatures, despite what the baby industry would like us to be brainwashed into believing...
I think the only thing I would have preferred to have spent money on in retrospect is one of those Tripp Trapp highchairs which you can use over a huge age range http://www.stokke.com/en-us/highchair.aspx My friends who have them have got their value out of them, much better than the horrid plastic thing I used which was impossible to clean and took up lots of space and was only used until my boys were big enough to sit on an Ikea step stool on top of a chair without falling off! But again, this was a handmedown so I freecycled it without having spent a penny. Whenever my friends have babies I always send them books, because they last for years and years and you need a good selection if you're not going to cry with boredom! But you won't need those till 6 monthish onwards anyway, and definitely NO novelty books. Classics only, stuff like Peepo, Mog, that sort of thing :)
You will be given all manner of crap for this baby. The things you don't want try to pass along as quickly as possible without guilt, and try to direct purchases where you can...
Since babies outgrow items swiftly, no one will be shocked when they don't see a particular item because you passed it on to someone else. So it doesn't really matter what you get--just pass it along.
If you have a gracious way to do it, let people know early and often that your goal is an uncluttered baby.
No electronic toys that don't have an off switch.
Try to find things that can do double duty. For example, I've found that a large flannel receiving blanket works better than a hooded towel, and it's usually more convenient than a light jacket. Also, while you'll be ready to have everything ready in the nursery for when the baby arrives, resist the temptation of opening everything. I was stuck with so much stuff that I should have passed on because I was too eager and opened up everything (pacifiers she didn't like, bibs that weren't absorbent, brands of clothes that didn't fit her body type, diapers that were too small when she was born). Finally, think through everything to see if there's a better, more long term option. A bassinet is good, but they won't be in it very long. A mini crib will usually last at least a year so it's better than a bassinet, but a playpen (pack n play) is the same size and it can double as a great play area for trips.
Thanks all - some really great tips here - I've been sharing them with the H.
I bought my single pair of newborn socks, and grandparents to be bought a bib.
I found maternity tops in the sales that can be worn to work before and after too.
I do already want the tripp trapp stokke highchair - but think ikea do a cheaper version - still wooden though and should last.
I will be trying on as many slings as possible - love the idea of keeping baby close but having two hands free
Don't: Buy too many maternity clothes. Get rid of them right after the baby is born!
Do: Use a backpack as a baby bag. Baby bags look so unitasker. Baby bags make your husband look "whipped".
Buy only what you and your baby really need. Don't mindlessly buy what the baby product industry and others tell you that you should buy.
One example is a stroller. They come in many sizes, styles, and prices. If space in your house or car is an issue, consider a 12 dollar umbrella stroller from a place like Walmart instead of an 800 dollar carriage. Grocery bags hanging from the handles of the smaller stroller can give your some storage.
Don't feel bad if you make mistakes, and donate ruthlessly but only after you've tried things.
We never used the highchair, for instance (my son sat in my lap to eat, and mostly nursed anyway) but I really needed a changing table at a height that didn't hurt my back. Some babies like swings, some like bouncers, some only like to be held. I never had an umbrella stroller, but I put about 4 miles a day on my fancy jogging stroller. Also we just sidecarred an existing (drop-sided, so now unavailable) crib after setting up and returning several more expensive cribs, but the sidecar minicrib we hated was perfect for a friend who didn't have much space.
I was at a party this weekend with 3 different babies and each baby had different preferences - and so did each parent, so some families need 2 of things like slings/strollers. My partner is too tall for most umbrella strollers - if we'd used one more we would have had to invest in one with expandable handles. The adjustable handles on the jogging stroller weren't something I based my choice on but they ended up being very important.
Congratulations, badkitti!I think it all depends on the space you have and the money you are willing to spend... as all the baby stuff you can give it to someone you know or a charity or sell it on ebay or similar.
For my 3 babies, the only things I bought were a little outfit for when we got out of the hospital, and a few bodysuits and pijamas... also, if you buy things too big the baby might not be able to wear them immediately, and if they are too small he/she won't be able to wear them at all! Also ppl always give you clothing.
About furniture, my 3 kids have slept for the first 5 months in a moses basket, and then in their cot.
I never had a changing table, I did have a changing mat that i placed on my bed or on the sofa.
About the bathtub (that I got rid of today - sigh), I had one that you can place in the big bathtub, but if you have the space a changing table with bathtub is very practical and your back will be grateful.
Oh but it is so difficult to resist the temptation of buying all sort of things, isnt it? do you know if you are expecting a boy or a girl?
I don't know if its a boy or a girl until 20 wks (currently at 14). I want a girl, so if its a boy I'll have time to adjust and learn what to do with boy children.
Some more good tips - thank you all. If I end up having a c-section that'll affect at what height I'll want to change nappies and bathe the baby too, so you can never tell.
I have spoken to my sister and as we're meeting up tomorrow she wants to buy baby's first stuffed toy - you know the one you love through your childhood 'til its threadbare as you've had it for years. This is good as she has a tendency to overbuy on small usefless things as she is so generous to all - a good well made teddy will keep her happy too.
We're looking at buying our first house too, so its going to be a busy few months. I'm avoiding the temptation to but stuff too early in the Jan sales. Luckily we have nationwide NCT newly new sales where you can buy quality second hand things like bouncer chairs until you learn what baby likes.
Hi! Sorry for the late contribution, I saw this post last week and then wrote this in bits and pieces when I could find the time
Congratulations!
I have a seven month old and I started on my uncluttering journey before I became pregnant.
I have a lot to say on this subject :-).
Unclutter your time so you can devote it to staring adoringly at your little one.
I have found more time in my day by getting some routines in place for housework for example a load of laundry every morning first thing (Thanks to FLYlady.net), and by cooking lots of healthy meals to freeze to eat in the first few weeks home with the baby.
I learned for the first time to pick up after myself and keep the house tidy. Only took 31 years lol. When you are home all day you will find you care about this so much more!
When people ask what you want ask for home delivered home cooked meals after the baby is born. If visitors come and stay longer than about 20 minutes put them to work doing the dishes, folding laundry or vacuuming. Give your partner clear instructions about how long visitors are permitted to stay and when to move them on. I am still embarrassed to remember locking the baby and myself in the nursery in a sleep deprived pique and refusing to come out until my husband’s entire extended family removed themselves from my living room where they had carried on in their usual hectic style for two hours previously when my baby was two weeks old, all the while expecting me to bring them cups of tea and pieces of cake!
I ended up only using the baby clothes that were easy to put on and remove in a fumbling sleep deprived state . One piece outfits were great.
I ended up taking all the other ones out of the drawers and putting them in a box so I wasn’t confused and overwhelmed when I was choosing an outfit or putting clean clothes away.
I also kept two boxes in the nursery. One for clothes she had just grown out of so as soon as something was too small it was gone out of the drawer, and the other for things she did not yet fit, which I could fish around in every once in a while when she needed something bigger.
Think about the season your baby will be born in when buying clothes, blankets and wraps.
Also (maybe not exactly on topic, but as you will find, giving advice to people about to have a child is a compulsion for people who have ever had a child) read up or watch youtube on baby settling techniques. It is easy to focus on labour only before the baby is born, but you might not have time to read up on this after the baby is born. We found ‘Dunstan Baby Language’ (Priscilla Dunstan) and ‘The Happiest baby on the Block’ (Dr Harvey Karp) to be so, so useful.
Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy and bub!
Congratulations:)
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