Baby Popcorn was conceived just a few months after Mr. Popcorn and I eloped. We had just scrapped our wedding registry and soon needed to put together a baby registry. For some reason the idea of putting both together stressed me out. The baby registry stressed me out the most. I was operating in an unknown space and wanted to make sure I had absolutely everything (and the right thing) for our little kernel. I consulted various online checklists of what you should add to your registry and they varied. So I consulted moms who already had kids, and mixed and matched the lists based on the advice they gave me.


She looks cute now, but you should have seen her when we were putting this sacque number over her head.
The thing is, every mom and their baby are different. What’s perfect for them may not be perfect for you. Case in point: my sister recommended that I get lots of the sacque onesies with the synched elastic bottoms. Not having to deal with zippers or snaps when changing your LO would make life a lot easier. It turns out that Baby Popcorn hated getting caught in the elastic part when it was being put on and Mrs. Popcorn was too much of a wuss to push through and get that onesie on her. It was so hard to hear her cry. We quickly abandoned these for the zipper and snap rompers instead.

Another example: A couple of weeks before Baby Popcorn arrived I had yet to purchase her co-sleeper and my breast pump. These were the remaining unpurchased items from our registry and it seemed at the time pretty critical tools that we needed to effectively raise this child. Wrong. Baby Popcorn has slept in her co-sleeper 4.5 times. It is currently being used to hold my water glasses, her boppy, my phone and her baby journal.

I’ll say it. Baby Popcorn slept in the bed with us for the majority of her first 2 months. Sure it meant that I only slept a third as well, but it worked and helped quell my SIDS paranoia. I purchased the breast pump only to discover (on Hellobee, actually) that I could have called my insurance company to see if we were eligible for a pump that cost $FREE.99. Thank you, Mrs. Tricycle! You may be tempted to purchase a used pump on Craigslist, but tread carefully. It’s not advisable to use second hand pumps especially from people you don’t know. I did this and wasted another $50 on a second Medela system.

Just yesterday a new mom friend sent an email out to our new mommy circle saying that she had lots of bottles that her baby wasn’t using. I’ve wanted to try Dr. Brown’s bottles but have been dragging my feet on shelling out another $20 for something that may not be the right match. Her email came at the perfect time! Now I get to try them for free.

The same has been the case with clothes. With the exception of purchasing a $40 bag of clothes and blankets from a neighborhood mom that I made contact with through our neighborhood parent listserv, Mr. Popcorn and I have yet to purchase any clothes for Baby Popcorn. I just can’t settle the idea of spending loads of money on the cutest of cute clothes and them not fitting in a few weeks. Let your baby’s cuteness shine in those second (sometimes third) hand clothes! Baby Popcorn wears a mix of all the clothes we didn’t ask for on our registry that people bought anyway and second hand threads. You can also visit baby consignment shops to see what they have. Mrs. Bee wrote a great post that included a link for online consignment shops where you can buy and sell your kid’s clothes and read Mrs. Superhero’s post for the ins and outs of buying used and selling your used items.

Naturally, you will purchase some things that you just won’t use or need and someone else will thank you for your generosity when you gift it to them. But be prudent about the things you ask for and patient about things that you think you need to purchase. Chances are someone in your family or city has the exact thing you’re looking for and in great condition. It breaks my heart to know that we purchase so many things for our babies that just end up in landfills.

What purchases have you made that you could have gotten for less or free?