Dear Home-Ec 101,
I just recently found out I am pregnant with our first baby and ohhhh was it a surprise. My husband and I are just short of our one year aniversery and had planned to stay in our tiny one bedroom apartment for another year to save for a house. We were already bursting at the seams in our less than 600 sf of space and now we are going to be adding baby to the mix. So here is my question, all the baby books and sites have these huge lists of things it says we “need” but what do we realistically need? What are the must have items and what kind of quantities do we really need? Oh and just a note, our building does have inexpensive pay laundry facilities which is good since we are planning to cloth diaper.
Signed,
Where the heck do I put the baby

Heather says:

Congratulations to you and your husband. I promise you, you’re not going to miss all the junk and longterm your family will be so much better off.

Babies don’t need half the garbage you are told they need. People all over the world have been having babies for thousands and thousands of years without wipe warmers or diaper genies. I want to tell you how encouraging it is to meet a lady like you.

Here are the musts:

• YOU
• a carseat
• some clothes
• diapers
• a couple of blankets

Thanks to my friend @beanjeepin for putting it so succinctly. Since you’re cloth diapering I’m going to assume that you plan on giving breastfeeding a try. I don’t know if you will be staying home or returning to work, if you return, you will need a good quality breastpump. That is the one I used, but it was passed down to me and I used it for my second two children and then I passed it on to someone else. If you get a second-hand pump, you can buy new parts rather than a whole new machine. If you formula feed or return to work you’ll need a few bottles. *edited to note* Some would caution to use a “closed system medela” rather than the one I linked. Do your research.

As far as cribs and high chairs go, you can certainly make do with a pack-n-play style crib rather than a full one. We also used a high chair that strapped onto an existing chair rather than taking up valuable floor space. The one item “unnecessary” item we got the most use from was a swing. My oldest had colic and until he could walk it seemed he was only happy in the swing. (Yes, I did carry him in a sling, when he wasn’t in the swing).

We did splurge on an Amby Cradle for our second child since our experience with our first was so miserable and we were willing to try anything to keep it from happening again. (Uh, I’m not trying to scare you, I promise, just listen to your gut parent feelings.)  We got a lot of use out of it and two other families have as well. All of the items we used are in storage until my sisters or another friend has a baby. You see, there is no need to buy most of these things new, with a very strong exception for carseats. Kids only use these things for a short while and then they are donated or put away until they are used again.

Now, it’s easy for me to look back and see what I didn’t need, but I thought it would be better if I included other people’s experiences, too. Yesterday I asked some people to share what they didn’t need. Here are their responses:

Keep in mind that many of these responses are from Twitter, so don’t knock the grammar.

• @idreamofclean lived in 740sf w/ my 1st so I have a while series on small living spaces. I had very little: pack &play instead of crib, no changing table, only a few clothes, foldable bath mat (instead of tub). I had cute baby towels but def not necessry
• @indybabyplanner Definitely recommend doing a drawer with a changing station on top. Works great and saves space. Did it with both of mine.
• @notdiyheather did NOT need a wipes warmer or baby swing. Or fancy baby dresses.
• @kooner923 all i truly needed were my boobs, a comfy chair, spit rags and a sling.
• @shandonfowler Changing table. Just use a bed and a basket.
• @betzwhite changing table
• @mygomom wipes warmers, bassinet if you have a crib, bouncy seat if you have a car seat, stroller that doesn’t fit the car seat
• @webprgirl Um, a million toys .

Sense a theme with the changing table there?

I also asked in a group on Facebook, here are their responses:

• Megan Crume Diaper Genie (we could never get it to work), bottle warmer
• Kelby Carr Most swings… I later found one that was awesome and stuck with it for all kids. But I would wait to buy until they are born. One good bouncy seat is enough. Fancy clothes (why put them in them except for pictures so you kind of only need one… or maybe one and a backup for when you put the one on and they hurl).
• Kelly Whalen The list is SOOO long. But here are a few items: diaper genie, changing table, swings, bouncy chairs, strollers (only use them when they got older), all the baby lotions and potions, bottles (not everyone will say the same I know),cute baby clothes, baby towels (we just used regular ones), baby bathtubs, really anything that had one purpose we barely used.
• Robin Elton Anything beyond the most basic toys. And after seeing the documentary Babies, I’m convinced the only toy a baby really needs is a sibling or a dog.
  ****I mentioned that siblings may be hard to produce in short order****
• Michele Chestnut Diaper Genie and the warm wipe thing… they just dried out too quick.
• Jodi Fur A really big expensive, heavy stroller. I once cried at the mall because I couldn’t get mine to fold and someone honked at me and the baby was like a month old. And then I bought the $20 snap and go that the car seat fits in.
• Maricris Guadagna Baby Spoons. You don’t need them until baby starts solid food. I’d rather get GC and buy diapers
• Andrea Updyke baby shoes before they can walk. Get one pair for the picture and move on!
• Angela England I honestly didn’t even use my diaper bag
• Cindi Matthews Some of those baby bouncers that sit on the floor or table & prop kids up and the kids outgrow in 3 weeks.
• Audrey McClelland Wet wipe warmer. Total fail.
• Jill Berry Snuggly. I didn’t do enough research, so bought a “baby faces mom only” Snuggly. Also I found it almost impossible to place the baby in the Snuggly. I used it once.

And via chat from Brian Crawford who moved from the US to France with an infant:

We brought a swing and a pack and play. The pack and play served as the crib and basically that’s all we had! And believe it or not we didn’t buy too much else. Diapers, yes. But you really don’t need all the mountains of stuff that you get for your first baby (well, typical parents get that is – we certainly did).

The swing was used as a high chair/dinner table chair. We find the same thing with baby toys. Babies don’t tend to play with baby toys. You have to find what engages them, and go with that.

So Home Eccers, what about you? What did you find completely unnecessary when you had your kid(s)? Chime in in the comments.

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.

Shared on The Bona Fide Life.

Vera says:

Have you ever…

1. Come across  a stunning, yet astronomically priced crocheted skirt or a simply darling crocheted baby sweater and wished you could make it yourself?
2. Been intrigued by someone knitting away in public and wanted them to teach you? Perhaps you learned to crochet as a child and would like to reconnect?
3. Wanted to learn a technique new like sock knitting, granny squares, or working with colors.
4. Desired to crochet even though you can knit or vice versa?
5. Thought about having something to do that’s relaxing, enjoyable, portable and productive? An endeavor that sharpens your reflexes, brain and is good for many social settings or going solo?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above (or have other reasons), then knitting and crocheting may be in your future.

You’d also become a part of a large–and growing–family of crafters. Over 50 million people in the United States knit and crochet.

I came to knit and crochet via Reason #2.  As a child in New York City, I was fascinated by the women I would see on the city subways and buses working away; it looked like magic to my 9 year old brain.  I used my allowance to buy needles, hooks, and yarn. I didn’t have anyone to teach me and any idea what to do, so I just made something up.

My first project was a  crocheted hat and scarf with a yarn in Halloween colors for my mother, and since I didn’t understand hat shaping, the beret was more like a cone, but she wore it anyway; such is a mother’s love.

In time, I purchased books and taught myself again. My school years were spent making mostly afghans, vests, and pillows–hey, it was the 70′s.  I pretty much put down my needles for some years while in college and the military, but connecting with others on line and in person encouraged me to pick them back up again and learn new techniques like sock knitting.

Today, I’m rarely without a project, and my crafting helps keeps me focused. I enjoy knitting while watching television, on my lunch breaks, or crocheting to smooth my frayed nerves in a  traffic jam.  Although I mostly work in private, I love knitting in public (There’s a day for that), and I have made connections with people locally and all over the world.

I’d love to pass along my knowledge, tips, tricks, triumphs, and disasters gleaned over the years with you.

Some ideas I have are the following…

1. Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
2. Reader Q &A
3. Instructional videos
4. Knit and Crochet Alongs–a virtual crafting circle
5. The Crafting Life–Commentary on the world of, needles, yarns, patterns, magazines, etiquette, etc.

Let me know your interests in the comments.

In any event, it’s all about helping each other to become–and remain, no matter what the level–fabulous knitters and crocheters!

Vera Hannaford lives and crafts in Charleston, South Carolina and wishes she’d make more things for her husband, but can’t seem to get around to it.  You can follow her adventures in needlework on Vera’s Crafty Blog and on occasion, get some helpful hints at KnittingTips on Twitter

Heather says:

Yesterday on the Home-Ec 101 Facebook Fan Page I asked about baby teeth. Are they precious memorabilia or are they something that must be disposed of immediately?

I don’t like teeth. I don’t know when I started getting skeeved out by them, but I am. I think it started in my teens when I started having THAT nightmare, the one where you’re talking or eating and all of your teeth start falling out? Ugh. I cringe inwardly when our oldest shows us another wiggly tooth -good night, how many teeth does this kid have?!- and I know we have two more sets to go.  So yeah, there’s baggage on the teeth front here. In our house, the tooth fairy does not pass go, she tosses the teeth.

I used to clean houses and I did stumble on other people’s baby teeth from time to time. The most memorable occasion was finding a small pile of teeth in a dusty dish on a piano. I suppose surprise teeth might be a great find if you’re an archaeologist learning about an ancient culture or a CSI agent looking for a clue. In my world? Surprise teeth aren’t cool.

How do you feel about baby teeth?
Are they something to save or toss?
And if you do save them, how do you store them?

On an unrelated note, if you have satellite radio I’ll be interviewed tomorrow on The Catholics Next Door (Channel 129) at 11:20 AM Eastern.