Outfitting baby’s room: Everything you need – Part three: Where to get the goods
If you’ve already read the first and second part of this series – tackled the baby room basics and even considered the extras – you might still find yourself wondering, “Just where do I get all this stuff?” Unless you’ve done a lot of shopping for little ones before having one of your own, chances are that expecting Baby will open up a whole new world of products, brands, stores, and such to familiarize yourself with. (Don’t worry – you’ll know the difference between Boppy and Bjorn in no time!) Here are some options for where you can get all the supplies you need:
- Borrow: You don’t need baby gear, especially newborn items, for a very long time – supplies you buy for the first months will actually will have a pretty short life in your home unless you have more than one baby. The silver lining here is that this often means it’s possible to borrow baby gear – from clothes to bassinets to toys – from friends and family who have had babies not too long ago. However, this option does involve doing a bit of homework on the safety of the baby gear you’ll be using. When it comes to certain gear – especially items like baby cribs – you’ll want to do some internet sleuthing to make sure the models that you’ll be using are still safe, especially if the product is older, and that there are no current safety recalls on the items.
- Buy second hand: There are a number of places online and in person where you can buy baby gear second hand, like consignment shops – some of which are even dedicated entirely to baby products. Much like above, just be sure to check on the safety of the products, especially since you won’t personally know the people who had the gear prior.
- Buy new: In store or on online, there are plenty of places where you can create a baby registry or just explore what’s available before you buy – big box stores, smaller local shops, and plenty of online vendors too. Even if you eventually decide to buy products online, many parents find it helpful to see, touch, and try out gear in person – especially big ticket items – to better understand what their options are and to even give items like folding strollers or folding playpens a trial run before bringing them home, all in the hopes that you’ll be happy with your choice when actually using it with Baby.
When preparing for your little one’s arrival, it’s certainly easy to get caught up in all of the new baby products available on the market or the pretty images from glossy mags and Pinterest that suggest you need a nursery that’s decorated to the nines. It’s not that you can’t create a space for Baby that looks super sweet (or fun, or hip, or whatever other style you might want to aim for). But as you buy or borrow, do keep in mind that what works best for you and your family is really all that matters.
