So the youngest turned a year old already few months ago and thinking how time flies so fast, makes me rekindle the memories rearing my two children. I honestly do not know how I did it being nannyless for 5 years to date. But in those years, I know for a fact that I have learned my lessons really well. These children honed me into the best dragon mommy I am. Kidding aside, they have taught me so much in life I never knew I could. Imagine life with three little monsters in your house being alone for hours and all you do is redundant. Every. Single. Day.
Trying to sort their stuff in my free time, I realized I have bought so much things that aren't actually needed. Yep, those binge shopping for baby stuff is just way beyond control probably because these baby stuff are way too cute to resist. But in those years, I have narrowed down their stuff that I think, I didn't actually need.
Sterilizer. I bought my eldest a sterilizer which costs roughly 8k and never had a chance to use it with my youngest, not a single chance. With my two children, I could say, I probably used them less than a year, the most. It was an impulse buy actually because I was originally shopping for baby clothes for my eldest before I gave birth that time. But then I realized, you really don’t need one most especially if your are exclusively breastfeeding. There was a time I used bottles for him for one week and I just used a pot to sterilize it, it was quite hassle but saves me 8,000 pesos for buying a sterilizer which I really will not use for a longer time.
Crib. Yes, you read it right. Since we are exclusively breastfeeding, it also comes with co-sleeping. These two go hand in hand and of course the crib will no longer be of use. Believe it or not, my youngest did not use the crib of his older siblings even for a day. So it all boils down to realization that I could save my 12,000 (Graco) pesos for not buying that crib and we could actually live without it. We just have to baby proof the entire house and we are all good.
Walker. These are actually banned in other countries because of the reported cases of harm in children. I believe in the old way of making them walk, if you are familiar with the andador, that was the one I used for my two older children. But because of my fear that my two older kids might strangulate the youngest while using the walker, I didn't let him use it. It was when I saw with my two eyes that children could really walk just by holding on to furnitures. He actually learned how to walk on his own by holding on to the furnitures and onto the walls. It was safer in my opinion rather than having him inside the walker/andador and my older children would just strangulate him and ended up getting hurt.
Trainer Cup. Since we are exclusively breastfeeding, he didn't experience using trainer bottles. It was only in his first two weeks from the hospital when I had engorgement and breast sore that I let him use bottles. But after the horrific breast soreness, he was back to breast because it was the most convenient thing to do. So when he started solids I usually assist him only drinking in a glass or give him water using spoon. Little did I know and as the days and months passed, he was already holding a glass with both hands! Yes, both hands when he was about 11months old. He could drink water on his own and of course more spilling and playing on the side. It was again a realization that, babies do not really need trainer cups. Also, I always have hard time cleaning it and being an OC mom, it usually takes longer to clean it because of the small holes in it and I do not find it really sanitary to let them use it again.
Stroller. Again, do not hate me on this because we had one with my two children and they use the same but again this time, it was different. My body was the stroller because we are into baby wearing. I must say, this was the best decision ever because I have a happy baby. I can do chores whilst carrying him and lulling him to sleep. And most of all, we do not lug a stroller when we go to the mall. Less hassle.
These are the few things that you can actually strike off your list when buying baby stuff. You just have to plan properly on what options you have most especially when budget is at stake. Let us admit it, baby stuff and gears doesn't come cheap. We could actually use the money in some other important things rather than buying these and be sitting in the house unused and put to waste. Do not hate me though because I, once had these and had that slight regret as to why I bought expensive baby stuff and wasn't able to maximize their use. The only key here is planning. That's it.
I hope this will serve a your guide. If you have additional ideas you may add in this post, feel free to comment them down.
