I’m going to preface this post by stating these are simply our opinions and in no way are we intending to tell you how you should parent.\u00a0 We wrote down these notes when we were a few months in to our role as new parents in case we had any friends or family who were expecting in the near future to pass along some lessons learned.<\/p>\n

There is SO much marketing and advertising when it comes to two life events: babies and weddings.\u00a0 It’s as if you’re a bad parent if you even think about buying things second hand or if you don’t get the very top rated stroller.\u00a0 Did you know there is a $1,300 bassinet<\/a> out there these days?! $1,300!!\u00a0 Do you know how long a baby is in a bassinet for?\u00a0 Weeks?\u00a0 Maybeeee a month or two?\u00a0 How oh how did parents ever survive without this magical contraption in the past?<\/p>\n

Please do not go broke over your new baby!\u00a0 Many of these items are used for a very short<\/strong> time frame.\u00a0 You are looking for good quality at a reasonable<\/strong> cost.\u00a0 Many of the items listed below we received for free second hand from other parents in our community and guess what, our little girl is still alive!<\/p>\n

We figured it wouldn’t hurt to share these notes with the world as there are always soon-to-be-new-parents out there looking for as much information as they can find about babies.\u00a0 (Insider scoop, no matter how much reading and prep you do pre-babes you still have NO idea what’s coming for you.)\u00a0 We took a solid look to see what we decided we actually<\/span> needed for new babes vs what all the marketing tells you you’ll need.\u00a0 We’ve made a few updates since our initial notes and we hope any new parents out there find this useful.<\/p>\n

We will follow up this post with a post detailing exactly how much we spent on our daughter during her first year and then another post similarly outlining how much we spent on her second year now that we’re past the two year mark. And yes, of course I keep track of these expenses to the penny!<\/p>\n

We are trying to dispel the myth that kids have to be expensive!<\/p>\n

Full disclosure: The links for several of the products listed below are affiliate links. This means Modern FImily would receive some cash money if you sign up for them using our links (at no extra cost to you). And for that, we thank you. For other items, we won\u2019t receive any money at all \u2013 I\u2019m just telling you about them because I happen to think they\u2019re handy.\u00a0 Please try to buy second hand as there are SO many parents out there trying to get rid of these items from their garages.\u00a0 Your wallets and mother earth will thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Items We Actually Recommend Getting for You\/Your Baby:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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• First off, good news, you need<\/span> way less<\/strong><\/span><\/span> than you think you need.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
• A place to sleep<\/strong>\n
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  • Baby Box\/Bassinet<\/strong>:<\/strong> We used a baby box, which was provided by the government of Alberta for free, which is essentially a bassinet on the ground aka a cardboard box with a small mattress.\u00a0 It came with a few sample products, some newborn diapers, soothers, baby socks, etc.\u00a0 Some people started their baby off in the crib from day 1 so even this isn\u2019t necessary. We just wanted babes in our room for the convenience of nighttime feeds and diaper changes.\u00a0 We transitioned Finn into her crib around 3.5 months which is when we started some sleep training (which was a nightmare, and still is to be totally honest).\u00a0 The downside to the baby box is that it is on the floor vs being elevated<\/span>. No biggie for us.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Sleeping Nest<\/strong>: Nic’s sister made us a baby sleeping nest<\/a> to help the transition from baby box to crib.\u00a0 We absolutely loved this super neat contraption as it kept babes from rolling as we transitioned her into a larger crib.\u00a0 It helped her to feel “snug” and she was in this for a good few months once out of the baby box and in the crib.\u00a0 We also liked that this helped to keep her from rolling and to instead remain on her back at night.\u00a0 This is also great if you plan to do any co-sleeping as there is a clear separation between you and baby so you don’t need to worry about rolling on to them when you’re asleep.<\/li>\n