Less is MORE: The Baby Registry Illusion

Being a first time mom is quite overwhelming. You have no idea what to expect from labor & delivery to what your child will need or be like... It is a roller coaster to say the least.

If I could go back and change one thing it would be to buy so much less!

After the baby shower my husband and I went on our baby shopping spree like most (first-time) parents do. Overwhelmed by the plethora of things there are (mostly gimmicks) we quickly started buying everything we "thought" we would need...and we bought a lot of stuff. I have never dropped the amounts of money in stores like we did that day... $300 here and $500 there and we didn't even buy baby furniture like cribs, changing tables, and such. It is so crazy when you come to think about how much people really do spend on a baby. 

After Oliver was born day after day, week after week, moth after month... I started to notice that most ( 99%) of the things I bought I NEVER used! The worst part you can never get a full refund for all you spend...bummer. I was able to return stuff for store credit, however I wanted/needed stuff not found in those stores...

So if I was to go back in time and re due my baby registry...it would look like this: 

• K'tan Wrap (my favorite wrap for newborns up to 15 lbs.)  www.babyktan.com
• A Girasol Wrap (for heavier baby) http://shop.paxbaby.com/girasol
• Ergobaby Carrier (http://store.ergobaby.com/) or Manduca Carrier (www.manduca-baby-carrier.eu) (for lond trips with heavy baby)
• Cloth Diapers (at least 25) www.alvababy.com
• Organic Bath Products 
• NoseFrida Snotsucker www.fridababy.com/
• Ikea High Chair http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30069724/
• Bouncer http://www.babybjorn.com/products/bouncers/babysitter-balance/babysitter-balance
• Baltic Amber Teething Necklace http://hazelaid.com/collections/childrens-baltic-amber
• Car Seat - http://www.combiusa.com/Products/Car-Seats/Zeus-360/48
• Wooden Teethers and Toys
• Clothing nothing fancy
• A Cleaning Lady
• A Personal Chef

Why I Make My Own Baby Wipes...

So the story begins with me trying to conceive...I had some issues and decided to change my diet and remove dangerous chemicals from my products. One of the culprit chemicals that attacks your reproductive system are from the Paraben family. Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The family of Parabens include Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Heptylparaben, Methylparaben, and Propylparaben. Read more about the dangers of Parabens HERE. So what does this have to do with making baby wipes... Well most baby wipes contain them and I had no idea...

I received a case of Pamper's baby wipes for my baby shower. The case contains three bags of wipes inside that are unmarked and unlabeled. So when baby Oliver was born I asked my husband to get me some baby wipes and he brought me one of the bags. Since I was exhausted I did not think to investigate the ingredients in the wipes and since the bag had nothing on it I just ignored it. When I got myself together after the birth and started getting back into daily routine, I went to the room where all the baby stuff was. I picked up the case of baby wipes and the word Paraben jumped out and slapped me in the face. Here I am trying to protect my baby from these crappy chemicals and I have been washing his genitals with them for some time. I immediately threw them out....

I realized baby wipes are a new invention for convinced so I went online to see if anyone else made their own baby wipes. I found out a lot of people do. Some to save money, others to save the planet from waste, and some to save our babies from horrible chemicals. 

So I found some online recipes and was quite happy with the results. Since I cloth diapered washing the wipes wasn't a big deal I just washed them with the diapers.

Here are some good ones:
http://wellnessmama.com/1459/homemade-baby-wipes-recipe/

http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/mama-resources/expert-panel/diba-tillery-rn-bsn/making-homemade-baby-wipes

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2012/05/10/cloth-wipes-diy-free-or-fancy/

http://simplehomemade.net/how-to-make-and-use-cloth-wipes/

Since then, Oliver and I started venturing out more and I found it easier to carry a small spray bottle of diluted solution and dry wipes. I just spray him , wipe and then throw the wipes in our wet bag with the soiled diapers. 

At home since Oliver started squirming around during diaper changes I found it much easier and much more hygienic to walk his tush and other parts in the tub after pooping...so I don't even use wipes at home. I just hold his tushy under the running water and soap him up. 

Ladies I would highly recommended that you carefully read all your products as well as your baby's products to make sure these bad ingredients aren't in there. They are in almost EVERYTHING! What is crazy to me is that face creams I use to spend tons of money on contained them too. So just because something is pricey doesn't mean it is good.  Don't be ignorant do research and protect yourselves from the poisons that these money making companies are trying to expose you to. I am not willing to be a guinea pig for no one especially when I am paying for the products. I hope I spread some awareness. Remember a good rule of thumb is if you would feel safe putting it in your mouth you shouldn't put it on your body. Your skin is a living organ, it absorbs everything you put on it...