By Jennifer S. Wilson
“Will we really need that?” has quickly become the most oft-asked question in our household. As I’ve begun navigating the baby aisles, I’m overwhelmed with all the ‘must-have’ gear and faced with determining what really is essential and what is purely marketing to uncertain new moms.
At the root of my inquiry is a ever-increasing desire for less stuff and more life, on top of an 1100-square-foot house. I’m by no means an I-only-have-100-things minimalist, but have been working towards ensuring what we bring in to our home is generally needed, useful and perhaps even beautiful. My personal preferences, coupled with real space limitations, have left me conflicted about nearly every baby-item decision.
The first genre of items that perplexed me are these activity/entertainment items. Does my baby really need a swing, a bouncer, a play mat and one of these odd contraptions called a stationary entertainer? Is it really necessary or even developmentally healthy to have 3-8 colorful things attached to these items dangling in her face? I can see the need to have a place for her to chill out, one that’s not her car seat or her crib, but more than one?
The mom guilt is already starting I suppose. However, I can’t see that my child’s physical or mental development will be affected by choosing a Boppy in lieu of a My Brest Friend or not opting to use a diaper stacker. I keep trying to tell myself that she really only needs a warm place to sleep, two at-the-ready boobs and an arsenal of diapers, but I’m constantly bombarded with messages that tell me otherwise.
As I go through this process, I can’t help but wonder if there are other fairly minimalist moms out there like me. Can you tell me, what do we absolutely need and what can we leave off the registry?
Jennifer Wilson’s rear end survived not having a wipes warmer or a grocery cart cover, so she will not be shopping for those items. Jennifer writes 31 and Pregnant, a column about navigating first time pregnancy in Champaign-Urbana.