Preparing for Baby, What You Need.

You will hear that babies are very expensive. Well they can be. You get pregnant, start wanting to prepare for your child and are faced with a HUGE amount of things to buy. Cribs, changing stations, dressers, toys, swings, clothes. But what do you really need for the baby? Well it depends on the level of connivance you are looking for. Some items are purely to help the parents, others are for the child's safety. Here is a list of things i believe you need for the first months of your babies life.

Car seat. Its the law, all children must be buckled into a safety seat. Get one that is lightweight, comfortable and easy for you to use. And get one that you like, you will be using it for the first year of your child's life. I prefer to buy a convertible car seat, that works for newborn through preschool age by removing inserts. Its first a infant seat, then turned face forward a toddler seat, and with the harness removed a belt positioning booster. Mine is rated for 100 lbs, its more expensive then an infant chair but will last much longer.

Diapers. You will spend more money on diapers then anything else during the course of your children's first year. There are many options of what to buy as to diapers, many brands of disposables and easily 4-5 times that many of cloth. Cloth while more expensive in the short term will save you money in the long run. But they require more care in the washing department. Disposables will cost you more over the course of time, but are simply that, disposable.

Carrier or stroller. You will take your baby places. Its a fact, you will be out and about, shopping, going places and doing things. An infant car seat can get heavy. So a stroller or a baby carrier is great for those circumstances. I have both, and use both depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing. For hiking, ill use a baby carrier, strap my son in and we are ready to go. For long trips to places such as the state fair, i prefer to use a stroller where it can multi-task, provide a place for my preschooler to rest when he is tried, nap my preschooler, and hold purchases and jackets to name a few. Both options have their place.