Baby Furniture – What You Need and What You Don’t.
One of the first things that we discovered as new parents is that you do not always really need all of the baby furniture and gear that you think you will. It is very easy to get sucked into the thinking that you need every baby item out there, all purchased brand-spanking-new, or your baby will be somehow deprived. The reality of the situation is that babies need the basic necessities to be perfectly happy and content. They want to be safe, fed, warm, and they don’t really care about much else.
If you are on a budget for your baby furniture, as most of us are, I would highly suggest investing in a nice quality crib. It’s preferable to purchase it new, so that you can insure that it meets all of the latest in safety regulations. You want to make sure that your crib, and all of your baby items for that matter, are 100% safe for your baby. Your crib needs to be very sturdy for when your baby starts getting older and trying to climb out of it. The crib should have slats that are close together so your baby will not get their head trapped between them. It is also important the crib you purchase is easy for you to get your baby in and out of without causing your back to hurt or become injured.
Depending on your sleeping arrangements, and space, a bassinet or cradle is nice to have. The cradle is generally not as portable as a bassinet. However because cradles are generally made from stronger materials like wood, they can accommodate larger babies in them. This means they can be used for a longer period of time. Bassinets tend to be light and portable. This makes them nice because you are able to move from them from room to room and allow your very young baby to sleep in the same room you are in.
As new parents, the first thing we found to be totally useless was a changing table. We rarely used ours other than as a place to put things on… Rarely did we ever change the babies on it. Once they can roll around it’s hard to get them to stay safely on that little space, high up in the air. It is much easier to change them on top of a blanket on a bed or the floor.
While the changing table was nice for the first couple months, after then we found ourselves wondering what we bought it for and what we were going to do with it. We ended up using it to store toys on and then later sold it at a garage sale.
This dress up carousel is a fun way for kids to dress up and play pretend games.
Some changing tables come as part of a chest of drawers. If you can completely convert it over to just a chest, without looking like it used to be a changing table, they can be a great option. You can use it for its intended purpose for a while and then use it as functional furniture for a long time.
When buying baby furniture I think a good rule of thumb is to buy things that will last even after your child is out of diapers. While dressers and chests of drawers which are built for baby-sized clothing are cute, they are just not very practical after your baby reaches toddler age and beyond.
If you are able to invest in some sturdy and practical bedroom furniture while your child is still a baby it will be one less thing you will need to replace as they get older. One cute idea is to buy knobs for your furniture in a baby theme, and then you can change them out as your child gets older. There are also a lot of removable decals available that can be applied and then removed later without damaging your furniture.
While shopping for your baby furniture remember that your baby cares about you, their parents, and not about where they sleep or the color of their bedding. Whatever you purchase, as long as it is safe and clean, your baby will be perfectly happy with it.
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