Anyway, we typically have a garage sale each year. I pile up all the items throughout the year that I think *might* be worth a little money in a certain spot in the basement. This makes garage sale time a little easier. I still go through the house and declutter in the month or so before the sale, but at least I already have a start! Bigger money items, I will typically post on Craigslist.com so I don't have them taking up space and I've found that you can usually make more money on Craigslist than at a garage sale.
Anyway, prior to last year's garage sale, I asked my husband what I should do about all of the baby stuff. I hated to get rid of it, but some of the items were huge and if we weren't having another baby then there was no point in holding on to it. He said to sell it, so I did. I kept a few of the smaller items and several outfits that were "sentimental", but most of the other things went out in the driveway! I was able to sell my pump (which was great when I was working after baby #1 was born, but didn't use it much for baby #2 since I stayed home), some of my baby clothes, bottles, bumbo seat, baby carrier, etc! It felt good, but it was also really sad at the same time!
Fast forward to about 6 months later...surprise (not as much for me as for him)! Baby #3! I had a lot of problems in the beginning of this pregnancy and for a while thought we were going to lose the baby. But at the 20 week ultrasound, we saw that everything looked perfect and that we were having a GIRL! I was so excited (and relieved) because now I could go re-buy things that I actually would use this time and get them in girl colors!
I also lucked out because a couple of friends gave me some of their girl clothes (garage sale leftovers!!) and another one of my friends recently had a boy so I traded my baby boy clothes for some of her 3 year old daughter's clothes (SCORE for both of us!)!
Besides clothes and a crib, I found that there really aren't that many baby items that are necessary. When I was pregnant with baby #1, I know I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed just walking down the baby aisle. After having 2 kids, I realized that while some of these items might be nice, most aren't necessary and take up lots of space. But these are my top 5 "must-haves" for baby #3:
1) A good Stroller. I have gone through several strollers with my kids. So much so that my dad says that I belong to a "stroller of the month" club because I'm constantly buying and selling strollers thru craigslist! My favorite single stroller is the Baby Trend Expedition Jogger. It's super easy to push, you can jog with it, and the infant seat attaches very easily (I've always used the Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Car Seats - LOVE THEM).
My favorite double stroller has been the BABY TREND Sit N Stand Double Stroller. It's great because you can have the infant seat in the front or back seat space. My kids are on the smaller side, so we are going to be able to put the baby in the front seat space and the two boys can sit/stand on the second seat space (with the seat removed there is a little platform that they can use). By the way, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing strollers at garage sales or through craigslist! You'll save lots of money...just make sure it has all the parts/pieces that it's supposed to have!
2) A Bumbo Baby Seat. This thing is amazing! It helps your child sit on their own, but the best feature is that you can use it in the bathtub! Once your baby is too big for the infant bathtub (or sink or whatever you use to bathe your tiny baby), but not quite ready to sit up on their own, you can use the Bumbo! I just typically try to "burp" the air out of the bottom and it sticks to the tub quite nicely. It also makes it so big brother can't push little brother over...not that my kids would ever attempt that :)
3) A Babybjorn Baby Carrier. I'm not really a person that cares too much about having the best, most expensive name-brand items, but I LOVE this brand. Honestly, I haven't really tried any of the other brands because I received mine as a shower gift, but this one was so comfortable! I didn't use it as much with baby #1, but used it almost daily with baby #2! When my older son wanted to go outside and swing or go to the park, I honestly don't know how I would have survived without it!
4) LeapFrog My Pal Violet. This was the one thing that I actually purchased for baby #2 and it's been so great that baby #3 is going to get one in the purple color! It comes with a cable that you can hook up to the computer and customize with your child's name and some of their favorite things. The feature we use the most is the bottom blue paw...it plays either 2, 5 or 10 minutes of "bedtime music". When you hit the paw, it says "Goodnight, Ryan (or whatever name you select)". If you press it once, it will play 2 minutes, twice and it will play 5 minutes and three times it will play for 10 minutes. Most of the time, Ryan is asleep before the 10 minutes is finished playing. We've used this in his crib almost from day one and have had much fewer sleep issues than with baby #1 (who didn't have one of these)!
5) A good high chair. I received a high chair for a baby shower. While it was functional and easy to clean, I hated the amount of floor space it took up. Our house isn't huge, and I felt like it was taking up more space that it should. It was also on wheels, which was fine with only 1 child but not so nice with 2 children! After seeing a high chair at a friends house, I did some investigation and purchased a Scandinavian Child Anka Convertible High Chair in Honey
. So far, I love it! I've had it for about 4 months now and it's been super! It scoots right up to the table for my almost 2-year-old to use without the tray. I also didn't put the bottom horizontal feet on it, and it takes up even less floor space that way (but still super-sturdy). It's also adjustable so we can use it with a tray, without a tray, remove the bar between the legs and raise and lower the foot rest. I'm super-happy with the purchase!
. So far, I love it! I've had it for about 4 months now and it's been super! It scoots right up to the table for my almost 2-year-old to use without the tray. I also didn't put the bottom horizontal feet on it, and it takes up even less floor space that way (but still super-sturdy). It's also adjustable so we can use it with a tray, without a tray, remove the bar between the legs and raise and lower the foot rest. I'm super-happy with the purchase!
Anyway, these are my top 5 things that I will have for baby #3! What are your top must-have baby items?