Comments on: Baby Gear I Lived Without

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:09:01 +0000

Brilliant! I was a minimalist mum too - I just can’t stand clutter (and it proves you don’t need half of the stuff when you go away on holiday for a week - we all managed with a car load of things don’t we?!)

I would add that slings are fab - no need for a huge pushchair and you get to keep your babe close to you all the time (so then you don’t need loads of covers and blankets, because your baby is kept at a constant temperature close to you).

And if you co-sleep, you don’t need a cot either; your babe can go straight into a bed when they are old enough…………

Wipe warmers LOL! I’d never heard of those; perhaps we don’t have them in the UK

By: Angie at Baby Cheapskate

Angie at Baby Cheapskate — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:00:36 +0000

Great post! Aren’t wipe warmers the silliest things! I even saw a portable wipe warmer the other day — it’s for the diaper bag!

By: Larisa

Larisa — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:33:33 +0000

I guess I start out low on the green scale because we live in a big house, so a monitor was necessary (particularly if I wanted to work in the garden while the baby napped upstairs), and we used the bouncy chair so my son could “sit” with us when we were downstairs or outside. And when he was still small enough, I don’t know how I would have gotten dinner prepared without the excersaucer in the kitchen (now he just runs around the house, or demands to be picked up and held). I did get the crib and excersaucer used and have already passed the latter on to another family.

What I didn’t buy that some people feel are “must-haves”: a changing table (we just stuck the changing pad on top of the dresser and it works great); a bebe pod (because we had the bouncy chair); large toys like a play kitchen, etc., because there are coffeeshops and a toy store in walking distance where he can play with these things, so why should they clutter up my house?

What I was given, but ended up not using: wipe warmer (we use Seventh Generation wipes and my son doesn’t mind them room temp), bottle warmer, the large diaper bag I was given at a shower. Those “bedding sets” they advertise that are so cute are also a huge waste of money–except for the diaper stacker and the crib sheet we never used any of it, and of course you can buy crib sheets separately and I could just as easily have kept the diapers in the top drawer of the dresser.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:43:01 +0000

Ditto what La Reveuse said!

The one that gets me is posh diaper bags. It’s, like, people don’t realize that the backpack under their bed will work just as well if not better. It might not have gone with my fashionable ensembles (ha!), but it didn’t scream Gullible Consumer, either.

I’m stunned by the registries that I’m seeing these days. And the new moms who rationalize the addition of $2k or $5k worth of new plastics to their houses by saying, “*I* didn’t buy it!”

By: La Rêveuse

La Rêveuse — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:46:08 +0000

I used the Baby Bargains book to guide me on this, and there were very few things I got that I didn’t use. Most of what I did get was either a hand-me-down, garage sale find, Craig’s List or a gift. I plan on handing down to friends and family, too, so it will all get reused. We saved tons of money this way, and didn’t create more waste, which was important to us.

By: Indrani

Indrani — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:13:13 +0000

Haha! I agree a 100% with you. And, for much the same reasons. Wipes - from the very beginning, I have used a bowl of warm water in which I dip my wipes before applying. As for the hideous glider/rocker - well rocking and rolling baby while seated upright is better abdominal exercise, takes away the need for the ugly contraption, costs less, and keeps baby just as happy.
Her moses basket was so very handy! Now, she sleep in bed with me with a guard rail, so I have eliminated the need for a bassinet. When she is old enough she will use a toddler bed, eliminating the crib. As for play pen - there is no way my little one is going to remain happily trapped in a 2 by 3 synthetic cage, and so I let her play on the floor on mats, with cushions as barricades. The only thing I do have is the Bjorn bouncer - simple, elegant, cotton fabric and wood. But hey, she is only in it for 5 minutes at a time….

By: sommer

sommer — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:44:39 +0000

Love the wipe idea. I haven’t been able to part with conventional wipes (seventh generation fan). I love my rocker too! Have the same bouncer. Participating in a mom to mom sale tomorrow and set up was tonight. Oh, the wasteful purchases so many moms (me included) have made. Great post. Can’t wait to report more tomorrow. Stay tuned for some big stuff over at Green and Clean Mom!!! Lovin’ your blog ladies!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:52:09 +0000

Absolutely! I tried to write a short comment, but failed, so I will just I agree with all of this. I ended up making a blog post about it over on mine.