Here’s a spin off question for you guys from the favourite baby products thread- what products did you consider an investment vs. a budget buy? And why?
For me, it was the strollers- I had pretty strict guidelines laid out for myself (size, weight, maneuverability, folding, features, looks), the toddler car seat (safety rating, looks) and the high chair (size, looks). Things like bouncers and swings I didn’t spend too much on. I needed them to just be compact to suit apartment living and gender neutral. I also didn’t spend much on nursery furniture. I opted for ikea furniture with clean lines and bought the bedding I loved from Target. I didn’t buy a rocker or a glider because the one I wanted- and this was purely based on a certain design aesthetic- was $900 and too pricey for us. I’ll admit I’m still sad about this haha. It’s such a beautiful piece of furniture. Oh well!
I’d love to hear from the dads too. My hubby was monitoring overall budgeting because he knew some things I would gravitate towards would be pricey. What did you guys think of the products you/your spouses wanted vs. Bought? Were there any things you splurged on that your wives perhaps didn’t agree with?
Re: Baby products you invested in vs. Budget buys (spin off from favourite baby produ
No worries! I’d consider buying everything but the car seat and that’s purely for safety reasons. Car seats have expiry dates and plus you just don’t know if it’s been in a crash or whatnot- why risk it?
Re: Baby products you invested in vs. Budget buys (spin off from favourite baby produ
I got a beautiful bassinet, my so. Did not sleep in the crib at all and slept in that bassinet for 6 months. The bassinet has really high sides. Car seat and stroller were $110 that is the travel system and since the car seat has to meet safety guidelines, we were fine with that. The system lasted us two kids and lots of travel. I bought a rocking chair/ glider for$400 and could not live without it.
I got pricey ( by my standards) going home outfits too.
I didn’t research at all. Made do with graco travel system. ugh I was so oblivious to things like weight, height, ease of folding. For our firstborn we made do with crib and we did buy a swing though. We loved that swing.
For the second one I bought a 4-1 crib that I can’t seem to get rid of now. Feels like such a waste in terms of space and aesthetically isn’t very pleasing in our bedroom either. Yeah the kids sleep in the same room as us.
Re: Baby products you invested in vs. Budget buys (spin off from favourite baby produ
I took ages selecting the push chair. I love my baby jogger but now I wish I had got the GT rather than the city mini. My main issue was weight as I had had a C-sec didn’t want anything bulky. It is perfect. I also got the carry cot and I am very pleased with it as I am still using it.
for car seat I got maxi-cosi as it had the best safety rating.
I also got a pricey cotbed as we weren’t setting up a nursery I wanted a nice cotbed at least.
We also got a cheapo Moses basket as my baby didn’t want to sleep in the cot for the first two months.
clothes originally I got pricier impractical dresses, and my baby is still in onesies. I think from now on I will buy any regular clothes from the supermarket and buy expensive stuff only for special occasion.
Re: Baby products you invested in vs. Budget buys (spin off from favourite baby produ
SGC: u’ve already covered off a few things we took our time looking @ travel systems and car seats, primarily for safety concerns + ease of use, and did not have a set budget for that. It is what it is…u cannot compromise on certain things…
Other items I considered as investments were the crib and mattress - wanted one which would last a few yrs and could be used as a junior bed, and found it…so yes, it was a big expensive compared to the regular cribs, but I know it’ll easily last me at least 2 more years (would’ve lasted 3 years if Mishaal wasn’t as tall ) when i was buying that, the mrs. didn’t like the price point and said that perhaps it would be better to get something cheaper as just a crib, and then when it’s time for a bed, a junior bed can be bought and it’ll be a good change for the room etc as well. I could see her point too…but my point was that kids grow so fast, why does it matter if we get a bed when the lil one is 6 instead of when she’s 3…so she agreed…and she loves the junior bed now (we recently converted it to that from the crib), as does the lil one
everything else was a budget buy…got a 2-in-1 change table + chest of drawers, didn’t buy a rocker/glider as we had one already even though it was pretty beat up (but it served it’s purpose well still)…same thing for clothes, kids grow so fast, onesies don’t really matter as they are usually underneath the main garments, so as long as the cloth material was good, got it from anywhere - joe fresh @ loblaws, or some stuff @ walmart usually would do it (same thing for clothes to wear at home)…same for toys: kids love their new toys, but only play with 'em for a bit - so as long as there were no safety concerns with the toys, buy cheap toys from walmart, target (previously zellers) or toys r us (when on sale) etc.
we took our time looking @ travel systems and car seats, primarily for safety concerns + ease of use, and did not have a set budget for that. It is what it is…u cannot compromise on certain things…
) when i was buying that, the mrs. didn’t like the price point and said that perhaps it would be better to get something cheaper as just a crib, and then when it’s time for a bed, a junior bed can be bought and it’ll be a good change for the room etc as well. I could see her point too…but my point was that kids grow so fast, why does it matter if we get a bed when the lil one is 6 instead of when she’s 3…so she agreed…and she loves the junior bed now (we recently converted it to that from the crib), as does the lil one