I’ve Turned into a Baby Gear Minimalist
Maybe it’s the fact that I am in serious nesting mode and the idea of clutter makes me go absolutely crazy, but I have recently had a revelation that I want the least amount of baby gear possible in my apartment. There will be no buying items that I think she might want to keep her entertained, we are using just the basics.
We visited our storage unit last weekend to get out all of our baby items from when my daughter was younger. When we moved from Florida to NYC, we went from a big house in the suburbs to a tiny apartment in the city. I didn’t realize just how much stuff I packed in that house until I was up close and personal with it this past weekend.
Apparently with your first child you find the need to buy every single toy, gadget, and piece of gear that your friends recommend. In my storage unit I found two different types of stationary activity play centers. Don’t ask me the reasoning behind it, because I can’t give you a rational answer. But I do remember at the time that it was completely justified in my head. I also found two baby seats. One that we used to help me feed her and the other that had an activity ring around it so that she could be entertained while I took a shower. I don’t find the need for two now, but at the time I did.
I can’t help but laugh at all of the baby gear that I packed my house with. Anything that I thought would make my life easier as a first time “single mom” (my husband was living in NYC for the first nine months after our daughter was born,) I bought. Now all of this stuff is consuming my tiny apartment and making me go crazy!
I have piled all of the “unnecessary” items in the baby’s crib to give away to charity. I’ve now made a new rule that I won’t buy any other baby items until the baby is born and I can’t find myself functioning without them. I am hoping this will help alleviate the clutter and help save money!
I think the second time around, I’ve become a lot more level headed when it comes necessities versus luxuries. I guess the luxuries just don’t sound as appealing this time.
Did you get rid of baby gear or just buy more of it for your second child?
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Image: simple registry
I don’t have a 2nd (yet), but with my first there was sooo much stuff! We bought most of what we needed 2nd hand, and as we realized we weren’t using something, we re-sold it. So far we’ve sold the 2 swings (one was a gift after having already bought one), a glider, a snap&go car seat stroller (we used the funds to instead purchase the adapter bar for our full stroller), numerous toys and clothes.
we don’t have much either and what we bought is designed to grow with the baby (stroller, carseat, highchair, crib….all from birth to at least 3 years), don’t get fooled by the industry that wants to make money but i understand how hard it can be to resist;-)
I’d love to hear your list of essentials. I’m expecting my first and also am in an apartment with limited space and non-existent storage. I want to keep things as clutter free as possible, but with no experience, it’s easy to get sucked into the “you’ve gotta have this” advice of friends. Just curious to hear from a minimalist what her list includes!
We had a ton of stuff with our first, and then gave most of it away after I finished chemo, thinking we were done. Now I’m pregnant again and wishing I had kept that bouncy seat, the million t-shirts. We are being much more selective with what we are buying for this one, who I have dubeed the CraigsList Baby.
My daughter is 5 1/2. I have nothing…just ordered some furniture online & waititng for it to come in. My son is due in April. We’ve been getting basic stuff as we go. Carseat, swing, onesies, etc. There’s a lot more out there, not sure if we really need all that extra stuff though.