Baby Gear: How to Beg, Borrow and Save

How to Save on Baby Gear & Equipment

How to Save on Baby Gear & Equipment

According to data collected by the USDA, the average middle-income, two-parent family spends $12,290 to $14,320 annually on their child. In addition to housing, health care and clothing, there’s no question baby gear contributes largely to that annual expense during the early years. Carriers, car seats, cribs and strollers can all add up to a big expense for first-time parents.

Happily, experienced parents know a thing or two about saving on everything from baby formula to car seats. Before you max out your credit cards in preparation for your bundle of joy, consider these tips to save on all the baby gear you need.

‘Me Time’ for Mom

Me Time for Mom

Making Time for YOU is Essential to Good Parenting

By Amy Egan

When we are pregnant, have a new baby, and into the child’s toddlerhood, we  have to put our little one’s needs before our own. We put ourselves on the back burner–a necessary sacrifice we are often happy to make. Then, once our kids are about two years old, they tend to have not only needs, but wants, and lots of them.  It becomes so important around this time to make sure  we are fitting in some ‘me time’ for mom. Taking care of ourselves comes in many forms; getting our nails done, having dates with our spouse (especially important!), nurturing our social relationships and interests as well as having firm boundaries with our kids.

If you wonder what the benefits to our kids are by taking care of ourselves, check out a few I have listed below:

How to Nurture Your Baby’s Curiosity

Nurturing Baby's Curiosity

Interactive Ways To Encourage Baby’s Curiosity With Objects

From birth to 2 months, baby’s tiny hands are usually found clenched in fists. According to this parents.com article, How Baby’s Hand Skill Develops, by 3 to 4 months baby “has developed enough muscle coordination to get a grip on small objects placed in front of him.” Free, wiggly fingers combined with a new curiosity may mean you have a “new” baby on your hands; one that is far more interested in objects now than he was a month ago.