Five things new parents don't need to buy
Having a baby is so exciting, you can easily get caught up with all the gadgets and gizmos at the baby stores. Walking into those stores makes your head spin... but do you really need all of it?
You can save a lot of dollars by bringing things back to basics. Here's a list of 5 things you can most definitely get by without.
1. Baby bath.
Dedicated baby baths are a pain in the arse! Even worse if it has a stand. They are bulky which takes up room when you're not using it and they are incredibly heavy once they are filled up with water (which after a c-section is impossible to pick up and probably not recommended after a natural birth). Get yourself a bath support and they can go in a standard bath or just use the good old kitchen or laundry sink. Newborns will outgrow a baby bath incredibly quickly and you'll wonder why you bothered getting one.
Chance of Grace recommends a bath support like this one available from Baby Bunting Australia:
https://www.babybunting.com.au/infa-terri-bath-support-pillow-white-b16.html​ *babies must be supervised at all times
2. Nappy bin/disposal unit.
You are about to embark on the journey of the 8000 nappies. On average, they say a baby can go through 10 a day. The nappies don't stop until they are about 2-3 years old.
Nappy bins have bag cartridges that individually wrap nappies internally. Those cartridges need replacing... and they are expensive. The bags in the nappy bin still need to go in the garbage bin. Save yourself the money. Use your normal bin which gets taken out to the trash anyway. You can't stop nappies from smelling offensive no matter what you use.
Chance of Grace recommends Nappy Sacks for nappy disposal. Available at most good retailers.
3. Soft toys.
Sure, soft toys for babies are pretty cute. But seriously, you don't need them. Newborns have no idea what they are, let alone what to do with them. And I can guarantee you will be given 500,000 soft toys when the baby is born anyway (no joke). You will end up with a great collection to one day donate to charity. It is also recommended to avoid soft toys in the cots/bassinets as they pose a suffocation risk.
To read more on the dangers of soft toys in cots/basssinets, head to SIDS Australia for more information https://rednose.com.au/article/soft-toys-in-the-cot
4. Glider chair.
When you become comfortable breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you will feed anywhere. The couch, the bed, the floor, where ever! You do not need an ugly, bulky chair that has no place in the house once you're finished using it. If you really need a designated chair for the nursery, there are plenty of standard wing chairs/accent chairs that will still look pretty when reading stories at bedtime and are a lot cheaper.
Like this classic one from Fantastic Furniture https://www.fantasticfurniture.com.au/Categories/Sofas-%26-Armchairs/Armchairs/Earle-Armchair/p/EARCHA1STOOOFABGRY
5. Towels & face washers.
Unless you are drip-drying yourself after a shower, I'm pretty sure you are going to have some towels in your linen cupboard. You don't need to fill your linen cupboard up with more towels. The only obvious difference is that "baby towels" are slightly smaller than normal towels. Not saying that you don't need towels. You just don't have to go and buy specific towels for the baby.
