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Splurging on Baby Gear in a Recession: Don’t
I love that word, splurge. It’s the name of the comedy show I produce and something my mother used to say all the time when I was a kid. It’s onomatopoeic, really. Splurge. It’s the sound of overflow, excess. But in a recession, can anyone really afford to splurge? Especially on a baby?
“For many parents, there’s a temptation to rationalize spending on children,” writes Ruth Mantell for the WSJ column The Juggle. She quotes Eric Tyson, author of Personal Finance for Dummies (Hello! Someone buy this for me, please! I’d buy it myself but I can’t afford to, cuz I’ve been so dumb about my personal finances…), who says, ”We love our kids and we want what’s best for them, and we equate what’s best for them with buying them things.” Right?
I was pregnant in 2005, back at the height of the Bugaboo stroller craze. I’m so proud of myself that I didn’t sell my spleen in order to buy one (they start at 600 bucks – more than a spleen is probably worth). I’ll admit – I did pay $150 for a Fleurville diaper bag – which is totally ridiculous – but my ex still uses it five years later and it’s in great shape. That was pretty much my only splurge re: baby gear. We were given a Zooper Peas & Carrots high chair as a gift, which, although on the pricey side of the scale, actually broke right as we were done using it.
According to Alan Fields, the co-author of Baby Bargains, I was right about the stroller. There’s no need to splurge on an expensive one, he told MoneyWatch. Same thing for the high chair. But he says I should have shilled out the big bucks for a high-end breast pump (looking back, I agree) and that of course parents should buy the highest-quality car seat they can afford. Other than that, the rest are non-essentials. Save your dough.
You hear that pregnant women and mothers with infants? Of course you don’t. No one wants to be told not to splurge on their children – especially their first child. We love browsing the aisles of Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby (where you shop until your baby drops!) for diaper wipe warmers and pacifier cleaners and baby bathtubs with jacuzzi jets. Okay, okay, the last one hasn’t been invented yet – or at least doesn’t turn up on a Google search – but really, the only things you need for your little baby are food, clothing/diapers and shelter. You don’t even need a changing table – just throw a towel down on the bed and you’re all set.
My fellow SD bloggers and I were emailing yesterday about the ban on drop-side cribs, which led me to pose the question: Don’t the infant years seem like a financial rip-off in hindsight? Everyone seemed to agree. Madeline said, “Yes, absolutely. By the time I had my third kid, we basically rounded up some diapers. The rest is totally optional.” Bethany concurred that you can’t tell any new mother that most baby gear is purchased in vain, because she “needed every last onesie washed and in place by 7 mos” - along with her firstborn. Paula confessed, “I would have bought completely different stuff (or all 2nd hand) now that I know how fast it goes!” Even our Baby Bjorn (also a gift) was rarely used.
But splurging on a sturdy carrier hardly seems gauche compared to buying your child a John Galliano pink gazette print bubble dress for $438. Despite the recession, “luxury spending has been gaining since January,” reports Forbes. “High-end retailers raked in $4.05 billion so far this year, up 14.3% from 2008.” If you’re worth billions, $225 pj’s by D&G are like a new Disney Princess doll to the rest of us.
Photo: tlossen via Flickr
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[...] I know it can be overwhelming figuring out what to buy, but don’t be fooled into thinking you need a professional help. As long as you’ve got some diapers on hand, you’ll be just fine when the baby arrives. I promise that you will never use that diaper wipe warmer. [...]
Baby Planners: The Hottest, Newest Way to Throw Your Money Away | Strollerderby commented on Jul 19 10 at 1:35 pm[...] all parents will say to themselves, ‘Should I really buy this?’ ” In other words, buy fewer things of better [...]
Pacifiers Recalled. Are Any Baby Products Safe? | Strollerderby commented on Jul 22 10 at 11:42 am[...] magazines and books dedicated to the subject. Millions of dollars are being spent on unnecessary baby gear, in soft, soothing pastels or bright, funky colors, depending on how you see yourself. (Am I a [...]
Is It Time to Cut Helicopter Parents Some Slack? | Strollerderby commented on Jul 27 10 at 4:42 pm[...] Children may come into this world naked and free of accessories, but they don’t stay that way for long. New parents are bombarded with pitches for baby products that promise to make their lives easier, cleaner and safer. While some of these products might actually deliver, many of them seem designed to do little more than separate eager parents from their hard-earned money. [...]
Parenting Products You Probably Don't Need | Strollerderby commented on Jul 28 10 at 2:37 pmLoaded commented on Jul 15 10 at 5:55 pm“Splurge” is a term which applies to someone without a large income. If you have a high paying job or are independently wealthy, it is not crazy to spend $600+ on a stroller.
Magnoliama commented on Jul 15 10 at 10:16 pmI think it depends a ton on your lifestyle as well. We’re a single car family and live near a park, library, coffee shop, farmers market, and strip mall. Because I am frequently without a car, we bought a $300 stroller and a $500 bike trailer. We could have bought them cheaper, but we went for high quality products since we were going to be relying on them for transportation. I can see why someone who never walks or rides bicycles out of necessity would think that a good stroller was a “splurge,” but that’s not the case for everyone.
AwesomeCloud's Mom commented on Jul 15 10 at 10:18 pmNot every parent is like that. I keep meeting frugaler-than-me moms. I’m happy to hear how they budget for baby better than me, and I’ve learned a few things too.
CityMama commented on Jul 15 10 at 10:19 pmBuy the $600 stroller. DON’T splurge on the second car. Much better financial advice.
AGH commented on Jul 16 10 at 4:23 amComments Go 2nd hand whenever possible- the swing, high chair, baby play mat thingy, walker (but not a walker thingy), baby bjorn– all useful but for 3-12 months tops. i got underwear older than that. and please $600 stroller- what are you buying the kid a Tercel? I got a $12 one from target, 3 years old, still works beautifully
PlumbLucky commented on Jul 16 10 at 7:51 amI suppose if I lived in a city where I didn’t have a car, I would have felt differently about the stroller purchase. We do have one “nice” stroller, but it wasn’t a $300 one. It works well with the infant “bucket” seat (came as a set, actually), holds groceries from the Eastern Market in the basket, and most importantly, husby can actually move with it at a good clip without kicking it or chopping his stride. I think I also have that $12 one from Target – I always get to use it, since its too short for my husband.
“Splurge” is definitely going to be an individual definition.
bob commented on Jul 16 10 at 9:15 amWe didn’t splurge, but we did end up wasting money by buying the byorn, carseat and stroller before we knew what a large child we were going to produce, and without understanding that weight limits are not good guides for how long the gear might serve. He was too big for the byorn by the time he could hold his head up, too long for our 30-lb-rated infant carseat at 6 months and he couldn’t comfortably squeeze his shoulders into our 50-lb-rated stroller at 1 year.
Laure68 commented on Jul 16 10 at 1:30 pmExpensive does not necessarily mean high-quality. The only “expensive” item we got (it was a gift) was a Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag, and it was the biggest POS ever. The zipper was constantly getting snagged due to a poor design and the material was extremely flimsy. When it fell apart after 6 months of use I emailed the company. (I didn’t want any kind of compensation, but I thought they should know.) I was told that this was a very delicate item and I needed to be very gentle while using it. A baby item needs to be handled delicately? I ended up replacing it with a $35 diaper bag that was very functional and is still in great shape.
On the other hand, everyone who has one of those BOB strollers loves them, so I would assume the cost is based on quality.
Linda commented on Jul 17 10 at 1:41 pm{{{Madeline said, “Yes, absolutely. By the time I had my third kid, we basically rounded up some diapers. The rest is totally optional.”}}}
LOL. That was us with the third.
Shannon commented on Jul 18 10 at 9:02 pmActually, there is a baby jacuzzi on the market. I knew I saw something like it before:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2908734&CAWELAID=129858070
If I don’t have a whirlpool bath, why should my baby?
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jul 19 10 at 4:12 amMy SIL “upgraded” the basic baby bath I had on my registry with the baby jaccuzi monstrosity. My son hated, hated, hated it, the sprayer never worked and it was very loud. I went back to the simpler tub and bathtubs stopped being a traumatic event.
I always purchase the Baby Bargains book as a shower gift for friends. Their Wedding Bargains book was indispensable to me and that was almost 11 years ago!
RidgewoodMom commented on Jul 28 10 at 4:45 pmI live in a city. Actually in a borough, and my mom insisted on buying us the Bugaboo. And to be honest I didn’t fight her that much on it becuase I thought it would be great to have. Let me tell you, it’s not worth the money. You have to fold the stroller when going on the bus (did you know that??). You can’t do that with a Bugaboo. Going up and down subway stairs is not easy becuase they it’s cumbersome, and really difficult to pick up. If you don’t have to fold the stroller at all, a Bugaboo would be great, very easy to maneuver, doesn’t shake the baby over city potholes. We now bought a Chicco LiteWay Stroller and it has been amazing. We traveled with it on a plane, and while holding a cranky baby I was able to fold it up with one hand and pick it up. Absolutely life changing. The other item which I didn’t even register for but received from a mommy was the Excersaucer, which I have to say it was a blessing! But other than that, even now by 21 month old doesn’t even play with the toys she has. I wish someone told me the real truth, and I would like to think that if I didn’t listen to all the advice, at least some of it.
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