Low Waste Baby- What did I actually buy and need?

If you read my blog before, you might remember my plans before baby to have a "minimalist" approach this time around with my second child.
Now that he has been here for six weeks, I decided to take inventory of what I bought new, second hand, and got for free and what I actually use.

What I Bought New:

1.)  Baby Bath Sponge - $7.19

I got this to go in the kitchen sink when I wash him. The little tubs in my opinion are not needed. I could have skipped this and used a towel, but it does make bathing in the kitchen sink a bit easier, and was not expensive.

2.) Cloth Diapers/Wipes/Diaper Sprayer - $275.00

I bought half of my cloth diapers used, the other half new. Once again, I probably could have bought them all used, but this kit came with an attachment for the toilet to spray them off, plus cloth wipes. Fancy stuff I *could* have done without. ( And my loving husband has yet to attach the sprayer, go figure.)

3.) Wet Bags $20.00

A Large one and a small one- I use these in lieu of a diaper pail to hold dirty diapers. The whole thing goes in the washing machine. These are awesome! I also carry one in the diaper bag.

4.) Sheet for co-sleeper- $16.00

5.) Nursing Pads - $20.00

6.) Stroller - $179.99

I had not planned on getting a stroller, but it is compatible with his car seat and makes walking to the bus stop everyday with older son easier.

7.) Nursing Pillow - $12.00

Impulse purchase. I do use it but I think regular pillows are fine.

Total for New Items : $530.18

What I got Second Hand:

8.) Car seat- My sister had a baby last year, and he out grew his infant car seat and she passed it on to me, along with a winter car seat cover. - Free

9.) Bouncy Chair- Leftover from first kid- Free

10.) Bottles- a friend of mine gave me a box of glass Dr. Brown's bottles she was done with. - Free

11.) Clothes- all hand me downs. - Free

12.) Baby K'tan  Carrier- bought on Ebay- $30.00
I use this a lot!

13.) Cloth Diapers- I purchased some second hand cloth diapers on ebay, a lot cheaper than new. - $80.00

Total Second Hand: $110.00

Gifts:

I received a lot of baby gifts. While I did not really need anything, people really like to buy baby stuff.

14.) Blankets- I already have a ton of blankets and received more as gifts.

15.) Co-Sleeper- my parents bought this as a baby gift, I asked for it. I am torn on this, so far the baby is 6 weeks old and has yet to actually sleep in it- he sleeps with me in the bed. But, it does give me peace of mind that if he were to somehow roll over out of the bed, he would roll into the co sleeper. Although, I do not think one needs to spend $200.00 on a co sleeper when a bed rail would probably suffice. I know not everyone is into co-sleeping, but I sleep better knowing he is near me, and it is quite convenient for nursing. Our first son slept with us until he was about 5. Given a choice, he would prefer us all to have a giant family bed :)

16.) Pacifiers/Soap/Toiletries- a lot of people gave me these things.

Total Gifts: $0.00

Grand Total: $640.18 <-- Not too bad, and a lot of that stuff I really did not even need.

So, you really don't need to buy much stuff for a baby, and if you have friends and family, you will receive a lot of gifts. Especially clothes. And blankets.

What were essential purchases in my humble opinion? Well, cloth diapers and wet bags. The baby bath sponge. The Baby K'tan carrier. Oh, and nursing pads if you are breastfeeding!!

                                              "I love my Fuzzibunz!"

Katie