Every new baby brings a new set of challenges. If you’re a first-time parent, you’re learning everything from scratch. If you’ve already had a baby, you’ll still have plenty more to learn. With that in mind, here are some expensive baby mistakes to avoid.
Buying too much before the birth
It’s certainly worth stocking up on essentials for your newborn. That means anything they need for eating and drinking (including diapers), sleeping, basic play, transport, and safety. Keep this to a minimum, however, especially with clothes. Yes, they’ll need to be changed often, but they’ll also grow quickly.
Once you’re over the newborn stage, then it could make sense to start bulk-purchasing some items. Even so, you want to be careful, especially when it comes to food. If your baby takes a dislike to their formula, you don’t want to be left with a huge stockpile of it.
Buying toys for the wrong developmental stage
Babies learn through play. It’s therefore vital that they have the right toys for their developmental stage. It probably won’t do them any harm to play with “outgrown” toys from time to time. It can, however, do them a great deal of harm to play with toys intended for older children. In fact, in the worst case, you could end up taking your child to a pediatric doctor.
Buying furniture designed for newborns/babies
As a rule of thumb, you should try to buy regular furniture if possible. Only buy baby-specific furniture if there’s no other option. If there is no other option, buy furniture which can be adapted as your baby grows.
For example, a Moses basket may look cute, but it will generally last 3-4 months at most. If your baby is large and/or grows quickly, it may not even last that long. A cot, by contrast, can last your baby from birth until they are ready for a bed. In fact, some cots can be converted into beds.
Buying technology you don’t understand
The prime example of this is video-linked baby monitors. These have changed the parenting game for many people, generally for the better. It is, however, important to understand that these monitoring systems connect to your home WiFi. Unless this connection is 100% secure, they can be a way for people to gain access to your home (digital or physical).
Unless you really know your way around technology, be prepared to invest in a new video monitor from a reputable source. Alternatively, just stick to audio-only monitors, which don’t need to be connected to WiFi. They’ll still let you know when your baby wants attention.
Buying too many gadgets
These days, there’s probably a gadget to take over, or at least help with, every aspect of baby care. They may do exactly what they say they do. In fact, they may do it very well. The key question, however, is whether or not they really add value to you or your baby? In general, try performing a task the old-school way before you decide whether or not a gadget is worthwhile.
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