Picking Out Baby Gear

Picking out the stuff you will need for your baby can be confusing at the easiest of time. There are so many variations of the same items. It completely baffles one. The worst part is the selection is ever changing. When my daughter was born cup holders were extra and separate from ones stroller. Now strollers come standard with cup holders and even have a little space to hold a small snack or burger and fries. Let me just say eating on the run is a bad habit no mom should get into.

With all the fancy items with extra features how do you know if it is worth the money. First let me start by saying it is only worth it if you are going to use the deluxe features. Stay at home moms often use their baby gear constantly and therefore it is usually worth having a slightly nicer stroller or a car seat that can be removed from the car easily without waking the baby up.

Too often though I see moms with gear they do not need. I see moms walking around the mall with hiking strollers. These are great if you hike but they do not belong in a mall. On the other hand back pack carriers geared towards babies who can sit up are a must own item every mom must have. My daughter preferred hers to her stroller. It was much easier to handle than the stroller in any situation including mall shopping and it kept her away from snakes or other wild animals while we were hiking.

New gear changes the even newer gear. When Nyssa was born we had infant car seats, convertibles, and boosters. Then the boosters were good from 40 lbs up and convertibles 40 lbs down. Now we see boosters good from 22 Lbs up. This is great if your little one grows at an even rate. You can get the infant seat for under $60 and the booster for under $60 and skip the convertible which can cost anywhere up to a small fortune. I know people who always thought you should get the convertible and then the booster. Now it costs the same regardless which route you go.

When buying your gear really shop around. A lot of times you can get stuff cheaper through mail order because you do not pay sales tax on it. One time I got a Peg Perego high chair for $120 with $9.95 shipping and no sales tax. The sales tax alone would of been close to the shipping if I could of even found that chair at that price locally.