My best friend recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Jordyn Akemi is a pretty pink princess in a sea of rough-and-tumble brothers. In addition, she is 10 years younger than her closet sibling, which means my friend had a ton of shopping to do prior to Jordyn’s arrival.
I happily donated many of my daughter’s baby items, including containers filled with adorable outfits. However, my friend and her husband were on their own to furnish Jordyn’s nursery on a very strict budget. While they consider Jordyn’s birth a miracle, babies are not cheap. They require a crib, stroller, changing table, clothes, diapers, and a litany of other “stuff.”
Interestingly, once my friend and her husband found out that they would be welcoming another baby to the mix, they stopped purchasing each other gifts for special occasions. No money was spent marking Christmas, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Actually, my friend did receive a present on her birthday from her husband–the four-in-one deluxe stroller she had been eyeing since May.
Looking back I could have easily gone broke purchasing all of the baby gear I placed on my wish list. Like many moms, when I was pregnant with my first baby, I was determined to buy the best crib with matching changing table, the most stylish stroller, the cutest clothes and the coolest baby gadgets.
Then, after the baby arrives you realize that you really didn’t need the baby wipe warmer, the musical night light or the dozen or so darling little newborn shoes to match the equally adorable dresses, hats and tights.
Heck, all my kid needed was a clean diaper, a few onesies and my breasts. She didn’t even really need a crib since she nursed 24/7 and ended up co-sleeping for nearly a year.
Children are an added expense, but if you plan strategically, you don’t have to go broke bringing home baby.