Keep It Simple

The topic is "Having the latest baby everything", which will be particularly relevant to today's young mothers. There is such a variety of baby products available in stores that it can be overwhelming. Add to that the pressure you often feel from your peers to have the latest and greatest of baby equipment. Add to that still the bombardment of products that promise to make your baby smarter, faster. When you want to be hip AND have those things that make mommying a little easier, how do you keep from breaking the budget?

I must not be very hip. It's either that or I'm a cheapskate. Because I don't give a darn about acquiring the newest, coolest, whatcha-ma-do-dad, make your baby the smartest on the planet do-hickey. Oh, no! What am I doing to my kids? Well, I'm letting 'em be kids. Letting them use their built in imagination and creativity. You can't tell me it's more fun pushing colorful buttons on a fancy toy to make it light up and play music than it is to create your own symphony using pots and pans and a good ol' wooden (or metal) spoon. Have you ever been to the moon riding in a space shuttle made from a large refrigerator box? Or crawled around on the floor with your one-year old, mooing like crazy, while your 4 year old ki-yips you into a 'corral' for branding?

My philosophy on child-rearing is to keep it simple. Babies love nothing more than a mother's soft caress, and face-to-face human interaction. I know you've all seen it - how a baby's face lights up with an adorable, gummy smile when his mother walks into view. But, of course, mommies need their own "me" time. So here's a few basic staples of baby equipment and toys that I've used, and my children have loved or benefited from.

EQUIPMENT
#1 Crib - skip the cute little bassinet that only safely works for the first few months. Our first crib was bought at a yard sale for $40 and lasted for six children. We've had to get a new one for Ira. The old one just totally fell to pieces when we tried to set it up. I honestly don't know whether that was because it was old or unduly worn out from Dad getting in it when playing hide and seek with the girls.

#2 A bouncy seat - worked for half of my kids. The other half didn't care a bit about it. So I suggest borrowing one to try it out.

#3 Car seats- At first we bought Eve's car seat at a yard sale. But after two years I realized this was an area I didn't want to skimp in so we bought our car seats brand new. And with laws now dictating that a child be in a booster seat until eight years old (at least in our state) we've had up to four car seats or booster seats at one time in our Suburban.

#4 Quality clothing - I love yard sales. But I am very, very picky. I only buy brand name clothes because they really are the only ones that last. My favorite brands are Old Navy, Land's End, and Gymboree. Children's Place is pretty good but their clothes have worn out faster than the others. Having seven children I firmly believe in hand-me-downs for play clothes but for 'going out' clothes they each deserve their own brand new pieces. Now we live 1/2 hour away from the nearest town and yard saling really isn't a good option anymore. So here's my little secret for getting brand-new clothes for free. I use my Discover card for all purchases. (Note: This will not work if you don't have good self-control and pay off your credit card in full every month) And I mean all purchases, groceries, Wal-mart, hardware store, internet shopping, etc. And I rack up my cashback bonus points. Then I use my points for gift cards from Land's End and shop their overstocks. And it doesn't cost me a cent. Especially when I take advantage of their free shipping offers.

#5 Cloth Diapers - This is honestly just a matter of preference. I used disposables with my first but switched to cloth with my second child and have used them ever since. And, no, I don't waste my time on laundry away from my children. I bought enough cloth diapers to last a whole week so I only do one extra load of laundry a week. That's what, 5 minutes total to throw them in the washing machine and then into the dryer after that? I don't even bother to fold them. They get placed in a nice $5 wicker basket from Wal-mart and put on a shelf. But like I said, this is just a matter of personal choice. You can read all about my cloth-diapering here.

#6 Baby Carriers - I LOVE baby carriers. They free up my hands to do things while still keeping the baby with me and happy. I have used two types: my Baby Bjorn for when they are little (up to six months) and my Mei Tai for when they are older. The Mei Tai gives me flexibilty to hold them in the front or the back.

TOYS
#1 Stacking Toys - Wooden blocks, large legos, and Wedgits have real kid appeal for ages 6M on up.

#2 Exersaucer - Bought used of course. Great for keeping the pre-walkers occupied and sitting up to see all the action.

#3 Any household item big enough to not be a choking hazard. Creativity and imagination required.

#4 Books, books, BOOKS! I love books - board books, pop-up books, touch and feel books, quiet books, story books. What child doesn't love snuggle time on a parent's lap reading a good book?

Okay, there you have it. Montse's views and recommendations. Thanks for bearing with it!

If you are interested in reading more women's views on this topic visit Lei or Morning Glory to see who's written posts.