5 splurges for BAby

What I Regret & What I Would Rebuy

Being a first-time mom is amazing and terrifying all at the same time. There are so many things I worried about and was unsure of. I tried to read everything and prepare as much as I could. Truth be told, no matter how you try to prepare, nothing can really prepare for life as a new parent. Everyone told me “You won’t understand until you’re a parent”. They were 100% right.

I didn’t have a concept of how much love I’d have for this little human. It was like a flood of emotion when I saw his little face for the first time. It is “the miracle” of all miracles! I know any Momma reading this can relate. It’s truly magical!

Now while I do agree there’s no way to be completely prepared for what life will be like with your new baby, I do think some investments can make your life MUCH easier. On another note, after 2 years of motherhood, I’ve learned to regret some of my splurges. I hope by sharing this list it helps some of you decide on to splurge on or what to skip!

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1. Bjorn Baby bouncer - rebuy

So the first item I totally would repurchase is the Baby Bjorn Bouncer. I was gifted a different bouncer before purchasing this one, and while it did serve the same purpose, the Bjorn bouncer was just on a different level.

Firstly it easily folds away for travel or storage. With a simple click of a lever, it is ready to be tucked away. Secondly, the fabric can easily be removed and laundered when needed, and trust me this was much appreciated! Our bouncer saw a few diaper blowouts! I also want to mention it’s super modern-looking and complementary to any home decor. While this is not a practical reason for loving this product, it was something I found appealing. Lastly, it can hold a baby from 8lbs to 29lb. That is a HUGE range! For reference, my 2-year-old is about 27lbs.

With all of the other things that babies so quickly outgrow, it is nice to know this chair can be used for almost 2 years! I did notice too that certain colors are priced lower. I ended up buying the beige/khaki option which was priced $40 lower than other colors.

2. Loverly Play Gym $140.00 - REGRET

My next item, one that I wish I had passed, is the Loverly Play Gym. I want to preface this first by saying the quality of this product and the research behind it is really impressive. This play gym/mat can be used for tummy time, and then as a fort when the baby is older. It has 5 different development zones that let the baby explore sights, sounds, and touch. It also has a lifelong parts replacement which great. It’s aesthetically beautiful and I was so excited when we got it.

So why is this a regret? Well, unfortunately my son never really took a liking to it. He was around 3 months old when we purchased it, and we kept it out for almost a year, but he rarely was interested in playing on it. The design is another negative for me as the supportive wooden legs were a hazard when he was still learning how to navigate and control his head. We had another play-mat that was constructed with foam supports, which was much more forgiving. Finally, the size of the mat was unfavorable. We live in a condo and space is not as ample. This mat is about 3 feet wide and stands about 2 feet tall, so the combination of our little one not using it much and the space it took up made it hard to like. It can be dismantled and stored away but its not a super quick process.

Again I think the quality of this play gym is top-notch, just something that wasn’t a win for us.

3. Sleep Consultant $125-$325 - rebuy

I had little to no experience with newborn babies, and the only reference I had was my then 3-year-old nephew who was a sleeping champ! He just slept like it was his job. Started sleeping through the night within a few weeks, would often sleep past 8 am and take nice long naps. So naively I expected to just “fall into” a routine with my son. I knew he would initially be up every 2-3 hours to feed as a newborn but eventually, he would sleep longer, RIGHT? Wrong!

We were at MONTH 8 when this mama finally cracked! I was up every night at least 3-4 times, some nights it would be every hour. Naps became harder and harder for him and often he would end up sleeping on me or my husband. Our guy had to be rocked or nursed to sleep EVERY SINGLE TIME! And sometimes would wake as soon as we tried to lay him down.

I was beyond exhausted and frustrated, as was my poor tired baby. Something had to give. That’s when I reached out to Amelia at Nighttime Dreamers. Within a couple of weeks, he was sleeping 9-11 hours straight thru, his naps were much more predictable and restful, and we could lay him down and let him fall asleep on his own. That was HUGE! We got freedom back. I love being a mom, it’s my greatest joy! But that nap-time when you can be alone and relax or get some things done is so important. Also, my husband and I now have quality time together at night, whereas before I was spending an hour or more trying to get our guy to sleep and then would pass out myself.

Baby’s sleep is so critical! For everyone. And it can be very challenging to navigate through. Amelia was such a wealth of knowledge and supported our gentle/no-cry choice of training. I think we spent around $250 and it was worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY! I only regret not calling Amelia sooner! If you need any help with sleep training I would highly recommend reaching out to Nighttime Dreamers. If you mention this blog post, Amelia has offered to give 10% off of any package!

4. JuJuBe Diaper Bag $180 - regret

Shopping and looking around at diaper bags was fun. There are so many cute styles to choose from. I remember watching many YouTube videos from experienced moms talking about their favorite bags, and how to pack them. One bag that came up often in my research was the JuJuBe BFF bag. Specifically, I fell in love with the black and gold BFF bag, and decided that would be the one. I ended up finding a gently used bag on Poshmark and spent $128 after shipping and tax. The bag is well made and has a shoulder strap or backpack strap options. It has tons of storage and pockets and has a nice mommy compartment in front for your wallet, chap-stick, and keys. Initially, I liked the bag. But as time went on, the fabric began to stain and I was just not overly thrilled with the function of it. The hardware began to wear out, and the shoulder strap broke. I did try to wash it, as it is machine washable, but a lot of the stains just weren’t coming out. I think a patterned version of this bag would have done a better job hiding stains, but unfortunately, this bag began to look worse for the wear. I wanted to keep using it because I spent so much on it, and it technically was still functional.

I decided to look around on Amazon and came across my new diaper bag. It’s in the same color combination and has even more storage but was 1/5 of the cost. The fabric is very durable and so far cleans off easily. I won’t go too much into detail but if you need a stylish and super functional diaper bag I HIGHLY suggest taking a minute to look at the reviews and photos of this $32 bag on Amazon!

5.House Cleaning Service $160 - Rebuy

So this last purchase is not something you would see on a baby registry, but it’s something worth considering in my opinion. Let me begin by saying I am a total DIY girl. It is not often I seek out for help with things, but certain situations call for it.

I was 38 weeks pregnant in August. I was hot, tired, not sleeping, and was having a hard time doing the things I would normally do. I could run the vacuum and wipe surfaces, but to do a good scrub down of my house wasn’t something physically I was up for, nor did it appeal to me. So I decided to look for someone to come and give my house a good run through the week before I had my son.

I used the app called Thumbtack. If your not familiar, Thumbtack is an online service that matches customers with local professionals. It’s available in all states and has over 1000 types of services offered. I was matched with a super sweet woman who had many rave reviews.

Every corner of every room was spotless and perfect. Like I said I love doing things on my own, and cleaning is cathartic to me. But at 9 months pregnant it was nice to have someone else take care of it!

there you have it!

Hopefully, by sharing my experiences, it can help you decide what to invest in. I’d love to hear what you would rebuy or what you regret. And if you end up trying anything mentioned, please let me know how it went!