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It is sooo much fun to buy for the little baby in your tummy. I remember looking at all those little pants, and shirts and hats and socks and I could not believe that I would soon have a child who fit into those tiny little cotton clothes.

My husband was the opposite extreme: He was superstitious and thought that buying anything before the baby was born would be a terrible jinx. So we compromised and I only bought the absolute necessities the baby would need as soon as we arrived home from the hospital.

As it turned out, our compromise saved us a lot of money. There are many items that you won’t need at all and others that you will get as gifts, so let me share the secrets I learned as a first-time mom.

1. Don’t buy mittens. They will not stay on a newborn.
2. Do buy baby socks and use them on the hands as mittens.
3. Don’t buy too many newborn or 3-month size items. Each size only lasts a few weeks because everything shrinks in the wash.
4. Don’t buy six-month size until your baby arrives. You will get a lot of gifts in that size.
5. Don’t buy shoes. A newborn does not need them.
6. Don’t buy typical burp cloths because are too small and expensive.
7. Do buy a bag of cloth diapers and use them as burp cloths.
8. Do buy cheap washcloths. You are going to throw many of them out after what they will have to wipe up!
9. Don’t buy any bibs because most baby outfits that you will get as gifts are going to come with bibs.
10. Don’t overstock on nursing accessories like breast shields, cooling pads or freezer bags for breast milk storage. You won’t know how breast feeding is going to work out for you and your baby until you try it.
11. Don’t buy special towels for your child. They are harder to use than regular towels because that cute “head cover” corner is very hard to position on your shoulder. Plus, you are going to get these as gifts.
12. Do limit the number of swaddling blankets you buy because not all babies like to be swaddled.

Over at Pregnancytoday.com, Jacqueline Bodnar sought advice from Sandra Gordon, author of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products (Consumer Reports, 2009) about what new parents should buy before the baby arrives. I thought her list was right on target and economical.

1. Four sleep sacks or one-piece sleepers with attached feet.
2. Six side-snap T-shirts.
3. Four to six one-piece undershirts that snap around the crotch. A small baby cap (although the hospital will probably give you one).
4. Six pairs of socks/booties.
5. Two to three soft, comfortable daytime outfits. (Get only a few items in newborn size. Then go for clothing in the 6-month size. Your baby will grow into it quickly. But don’t buy baby sleepwear that’s too big; it’s a safety hazard.
6. Cotton sweater or light jacket.
7. Summer babies should have a brimmed hat.

For winter babies, also include these items:

1. Snowsuit with attached mittens or fold-over cuffs, or heavy bunting.
2. Heavy stroller blanket.
3. Warm knit hat.

The main idea is to take it easy on the shopping. Baby clothes shopping is a convenient way to feel more connected to your child before he or she is born, but it’s really not cost effective at all. Remember that the stores are still open after your baby arrives. You can always send your partner, a friend or other family member to the store to buy whatever you overlooked.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 10:20 am and is filed under Baby Prep, Finance & Money. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.