6 Lessons That I Learned The Hard Way About Baby Stuff

1. Cute is not necessarily the same as practical. Repeat this to yourself over and over as you’re picking out baby clothes. Cute is not necessarily the same as practical. Cute is not necessarily the same as practical. Do yourself a favor and don’t buy things just because they’re cute. I assure you that you will, more than likely, hate yourself for it when you have to take it off and put it back on at 3 AM.
2. There’s a reason that onesies have those so-called “lap necks.” It’s so you don’t have to pull said onesie over the baby’s head and get whatever disgustingness is all over it in the baby’s hair. Nope. Not happening. Instead, you pull the onesie down over baby’s belly, rolling it as you go, and keeping the mess inside. Just saying. Feel free to then throw it in the garbage. I’ve definitely done it a few times. Some messes aren’t worth cleaning up.
3. Make sure that you have multiples when it comes to crib bedding because the first time that you say your baby isn’t going to throw up or have a blowout, guess what you’re going to be cleaning up at least twice that night? And here I thought that I was safe with one extra set of everything.
4. You definitely do not need one of everything they make for babies. Ask me how I know this. If you can, borrow it before you buy it. I swear that I had the only baby that didn’t want anything to do with a swing. Thankfully, that was one of the very few things that I ended up borrowing from someone else. The bouncer? Bought it and he hardly ever used it. The activity mat? Bought it and he hardly ever used it. Are you seeing a trend here? Don’t waste your money if you don’t absolutely have to.
5. Take more than one extra outfit with you wherever you go – for both you and the baby, even if that means leaving a backpack in your car with a few extra outfits for both of you. It never fails. You will end up needing them.
6. Clothing sizes and age recommendations mean very little in the grand scheme of things. Use your best judgement. My son is tall and thin and at barely 8 months old was wearing 12 month clothes. I’m positive that the size tags lie. I seriously have 9 month clothes that still fit and 12 month clothes that are too small. Explain that. Oh, and they’re the same brand. Go figure.

Are there any lessons that you learned the hard way about baby stuff? Leave a comment and share.

Written by: Cristi Wuenschel