Five Baby Tools We Can’t Live Without

April 11, 2007

When I first read the article, 10 Baby Items You Think You Need, But Really Don’t, I thought it was a delayed April Fools joke. I kept waiting for the part where they said just kidding but it never came! Below are the items I disagreed with the author on. As a parent of a nine-month old baby, I’ve found these things to be great tools in our parenting toolkit. They may have cost us some money but we’re sure glad we have them.

Bottles
The author argues that most people don’t need bottles. I think most parents will need a few bottles at some point in their parenting career. I agree that nursing is great for the mom and baby. However, my wife works all day. She and many other working mothers need a way to store the milk they pump at work, not sure how they’d do this without bottles.

Pacifiers
What do you do when your kid is screaming in the middle of the grocery store? Our first line of defense is to pop in the pacifier. Well worth the cost.

Baby Swing
When you have a newborn baby and you can’t remember the last time you had decent sleep you’ll do anything to get that kid to take a nap. A good baby swing will put them to sleep so it’s worth its weight in gold.

Playpen
As working parents, we take our son to child care at a women’s home every day. She puts him down for naps in his portable playpen. His pack and play provides a safe and comforting place for him to sleep. Again, worth the money.

Stroller
After being cooped up all day at work or at the babysitter, our family is ready to get out in the evenings. We take our son for a walk as often as we can, without a stroller this wouldn’t be possible.

I agree there are many things that Babies”R”Us will tell you to buy as a new parent that you don’t really need. In my opinion, the items above are not on that list. They will make life happier and easier for you and your baby.

Ben

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Ben
Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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Comments

2 Responses to Five Baby Tools We Can’t Live Without

  • Ben

    That’s another good one Blaine. Our little guy liked his, even better, it was a gift so we didn’t have to pay for it!

  • Blaine Moore (First Time Home Owner)

    I forget exactly what it’s called, a “Bumbo” chair or something like that. We got one of those for my neice last year, and she loved it. It allowed her to sit up like the big people before she had the muscles to do so, and my wife says that they are supposed to help build the muscles in the baby. I don’t know anything about that, but I do know that the baby loved being able to sit in her chair.

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