That is the grand total of items on our registry and that does not include our stroller, glider or taxes. We seriously need to take a look at what we’ve put on there since we will be VERY LUCKY to get 1/4 of it. What do we actually NEED? How many of those items are WANTS?
Forgive me, but this is going to be LONG. Here is a list of Baby Essentials (link is HERE ), it’s from Playtex. Items in PURPLE, we’ve purchased or plan on purchasing on our own. Items in GREEN are on our registry. Items in RED are up in the air – do we NEED these? Items in ORANGE we do not yet have. For the registry items I’ve put the COST associated to determine just how much we’ll need to spend to cover the essentials.
Nursery:
Crib – GOT IT
Crib Mattress & Liner – GOT IT (both Mattress but only the Liner for the Mini crib)
Bassinet – GOT IT Stokke Mini Crib
Bedding/Blankets – GOT IT 2 fitted sheets (1 blue, 1 pink).
Changing Table/Pad – GOT IT
Hamper – NEED IT
Glider – NEED IT (Step-Mom is currently striking a deal for one at cost, FX) $299.00
Mobile – Not sure if this is a WANT or a NEED? $69.99
Feeding:
Small Bottles – GOT IT
Large Bottles – GOT IT
Nipples – GOT IT
Pacifiers – GOT IT
Bottle Brush – GOT IT
Breast Pump – NEED IT $64.99 (Manual - Medela Harmony)
Nursing Pillow – GOT IT/WANT IT (we have our Boppy pillow but I want THIS one as well)
Nursing Pads – NEED IT
Nipple Relief – NEED IT
Diapering:
Diapers – NEED IT $21.99 x 2
Baby Wipes – NEED IT $14.99
Baby Powder – I thought you shouldn’t use this anymore?
Diaper Rash Ointment/Cream – NEED IT
Diaper Disposal System – GOT IT
Safety:
Nursery Monitory – NEED IT $149.99 (Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor)
Bathing:
Plastic Infant Tub – NEED IT $39.99 (could go cheaper if not purchased for us)
Towels & Wash Clothes – GOT IT
Hooded Towel – GOT IT
Brush and Comb – NEED IT $19.99 (Safety 1st 12 Piece all in one kit)
Baby Wash and Lotion – NEED IT $20.99 (J&J Bathtime Essentials)
Health
Medicine Dispenser – NEED IT $0 (Safety 1st 12 Piece all in one kit)
Thermometer – NEED IT $0 (Safety 1st 12 Piece all in one kit)
Nasal Aspirator – GOT IT
Nail Clippers – NEED IT $0 (Safety 1st 12 Piece all in one kit)
Humidifier – GOT IT
Travel:
Newborn Baby Carrier (Infant Car seat?) – WANT IT $299 (Peg Perego Primo Viaggio - Black Tie)
Car Seat – NEED IT $369.99 (Britax Boulevard)
Stroller – NEED IT $499 (Peg Perego Pliko Switch)
Diaper Bag – GOT IT
Hand & Face Wipes – Aren’t these the same as baby wipes?
Toys and Activities:
Bouncer Seat – Wasn’t planning on buying one. Is this necessary?
Stroller, Crib, Car seat toys – NEED IT $214.90 (Clearly this is an area where we can cut back!!!)
Swing – GOT IT (Plan on exchanging THIS for THIS since we’ve changed our minds since we bought it)
Gym or Playmat – WANT IT $74.97
Jumper or Stationary Entertainment – Wasn’t planning on buying one. Is this necessary?
Total left to purchase: $1797.49 (Includes the Stroller and Glider that were not on our Registry approx. value of $700)
In summary: I have $1693.94 more on my registry than we apparently NEED. I can't figure this out!!! WTH have we asked for that is so unnecessary??? This stuff really adds up but at least we'll now have a better idea of what we need to return/purchase or exchange to make up the essentials list.
NOTE to D: Stella McCartney for Baby Gap is not on the Essentials list. (;
Preaching to the choir here, ladies. I can't BELIEVE how expensive some of the 'necessities' are. We scaled back our lists when it came to the stroller and carseat, so we could cut the pricetags down a bit... but there's places where we're padded too... my breastpump is $350, for example. Our plan is to re-evaluate after our showers, and see what we need to get for ourselves. :) That's a hefty list!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely get the bouncy chair. Those things are lifesavers if your baby likes it. (Both of ours did.)
ReplyDeleteYou're not supposed to use baby powder, from what I understand. It's bad for their lungs for some reason.
I second the bouncy chair! But, you could have less
ReplyDeleteexpensive options for travel systems/car seats/stroller etc. We have registered for items by Graco, all well approved by Consumer Reports and they are much more reasonable. I hve been stockpiling diapers when on sale and with coupons, so maybe try that too to save $$ for the future? There is a lot of stuff and we gave already spent over $1000 on stuff including crib/mattress and breast pump... Guess we should all get used to it.
It is so easy to go in there and scan away with that fun little gun. However, I totally see when things change when/if you have to buy these things for yourself. We *think* that we have a pretty good, basic regestry and don't have anything too far fetched on there. We are going to wait until after our shower and see what we did and did not get and evaluate the situation from there....
ReplyDeleteWow! How'd you figure out the amount - did you sit down and add it all up? I should do that. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteWe actually went and got our car seat and saved a bundle doing it, b/c we got it early. Kids Woot had last year's model of the first years true fit convertible car seat (great ratings; as good or better than the britax) for half price - $100, and we just couldn't pass it up. And we were very lucky to get a hand-me-down baby bucket and snap-n-go system from friends, so we didn't have to worry about getting a travel system stroller and separate car seat.
But with big ticket items on our registry still like the stroller ($220), the high chair ($250) and the breast pump ($270), I'm definitely worried. We Tried hard to only put things we needed or really wanted on there, but still.
Man, now you've got me paranoid...
I know there are areas we can cut back on... for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe stoller is a bit of a tricky one for us because we do not have a foyer to store it in. It needs to stand on its own and occupy a pie shaped stair without taking up too much room. Most travel systems are OUT (Graco etc) becuase they fold flat.
I'm going to add a bouncy chair to our registry!!
N -
ReplyDeleteYes, I did manually add it all up to see how much we'd be spending if we bought it all.
You can always return stuff you do not need. That's what we're going to do. And our budget WILL change once we're the ones paying for it all!!
I just had a panic attack/mental break down about this last night.
ReplyDeleteI too have heard the bouncy chair is a must, we have one our registry as well.
Also, for some of the items you have to think of them as an investment. Our stroller (BOB revolution) runs around $400 BUT we will use even when the baby is a toddler.
if you plan on pumping more than once a day I would recommend a double electric. yes to the nipple cream and breast pads (i love lan.sioh)you probably wont necessarily need two nursing pillows
ReplyDeletesave the diapering for what you buy after the showers.
we went with a very cheap monitor and it works great. we use it for naps because at night he is still sleeping in our room.
we have the swing you want...love it! eats up batteries but worth it :]
yes on bouncy chair (i thought the same as you but found out six weeks in that it is a great thing).
we have an inexpensive bathing chair, works great so far.
as for the toys those can wait...the baby wont be able to see or interact with them till 2 1/2 to 3 months.
we needed two car seat so we got a cheaper infant travel system (gra.co) and a more expensive grow-with-me type of car seat. we have yet to use the stroller, ha.
hope this helps :]
We never used a mobile for either kids. We bought a small "sleep sheep" which we used often with Riley. We got it at Chapters for like $24 and it goes on for 45 minutes. That or a white noise machine would be better IMO.
ReplyDeleteI had a manual breast pump and hated it. Bought the Medela Pump In Style double electric pump. Awesome. But expensive. It sure is great to pump both at once sometimes since pumping is a pain in the ass. And it's quick.
Nursing pads--recommend Johnson & Johnson because they absorb a lot and don't show through the shirt as much as others like cloth ones or Gerber.
Nipple relief...never used it really. But I found nipple shields to be awesome in my case (flat nipples) and they really helped with pain. Keep them in mind if you have trouble breastfeeding because they're not expensive and can be a life saver when you have any pain. I used them for 3 months and then took them away and never had the horrible pain people talk about because I'd put them back on when I had pain.
Diapers...we use disposies for going out and have always used cheap brands (never like Huggies/Pampers). You can get Life brand (awesome) or something like Costco's Kirkland brand. I have also found stores like Oh Dear! Diapers to be cool.
Never used baby powder. It is bad for you as it's full of chemicals and gets inhaled when its used. You don't need it at all.
Never used a plastic infant tub. Just used the kitchen sink when the babies were little and then stuck them right in the bath when they got bigger. Prefer a seat for small babies like the one you can get at Diaper-Eez that we have.
J&J products are full of chemicals like formaldehyde. I recommend a more natural product if you can like Nature's Gate shampoo or Baby Organics. Aveeno is a bit better than most brands, I believe, although not completely natural.
You don't really need a medicine dispenser because Motrin/Tylonel come with dispensers and any prescribed medications will come with some too.
I use adult nail clippers on the baby. :P But yeah when they're really little I guess newborn ones are easier.
You could get a cheaper infant car seat if you want because we used ours so briefly. I hate them personally (they're awkward to carry around). We had the Peg though and liked it. We're loaning it to friends so they don't have to buy one for that short time.
Love the Britax seat. I wouldn't cheap out on it as it has a steel frame in it--better than other seats. We got it at Mother's Choice in Scarborough for less. Not sure if it's still on sale but it was like $299.
Loved our Peg stroller. Highly recommend it. We have the Peg Perego Pliko Pram. I don't like the quality of our double stroller the Peg Aria but I guess that's why it's cheaper.
You don't need hand and face wipes...use regular wipes.
Bouncer seats are awesome. I use it frequently from newborn up until now 7 months. Great place to put the kid for a few moments. I used to put Riley in it when I showered.
I recommend the Jumperoo but that's just because I think it's awesome and offers a break from the kid. :P
We loved our swing. Still do.
Do not *really* need a playmat. We have one. Used it for Riley. Never really used it for Jackson.
and monitors are great. we had the angel care but it didn't work right in our house so we got rid of it. i liked co-sleeping in the beginning until i felt comfortable with their breathing (paranoid). jackson still does though because of the breastfeeding and therefore the angel care monitor would be pointless if you do end up cosleeping.
ReplyDeletewe spent extra for the type that has its own channel (not just the 2 channel type) and doesn't interfere with cordless phones or each other. we liked that because we could run 2 monitors (one for each kid) and have them not interfere with each other. it also has great range. i think they are avent brand.
Amily: Interesting point that you have never used your stoller... my mom said the same thing (that we wouldn't need one right away).
ReplyDeleteEveryone... thank you for your advice... hope this helps others reading too!!
p.s. have you tried looking at Once Upon a Child? They have TONS of stuff used and some looks brand new. You can get baby gates, toys (exersaucers, bouncers, etc.), clothes and many other things there.
ReplyDelete