Back when I was pregnant, choosing all of the gear that came along with having a baby was fun. And then as my pregnancy progressed, it went from being fun to being crazy overwhelming. Everyone had an opinion and everyone thought that we needed to choose all of our baby gear right.in.this.very.second. So one day, Ricky and I were registering for all of our baby stuff. And I found myself standing in the high chair aisle staring blankly at all the options. I had no clue what to choose. And it was in that very moment that I decided that I didn’t need to make every single baby decision before he was born.
And now that he’s five months old? I have to say that I’m really glad that I made that decision. I’m incredibly glad that I didn’t try to pick out a high chair before my baby was born. Because back then, I wouldn’t have known that it’s easiest to feed my child in a seat that sits on our kitchen island. I wouldn’t have thought about the fact that my dog would probably push a standard high chair clear across the dining room in order to get it out of her way. And I definitely wouldn’t have thought about the amount of space a regular high chair was going to take up in my dining room. Or the fact that a portable high chair would not only be more functional for our life, but grow with my baby – it transforms into a booster seat when he gets bigger.
Obviously, we chose the portable high chair. And a serious bonus of this choice? We spent less than half of what we would have spent on a full sized high chair. SCORE.
And with this new addition of gear into our house this week, I’ve been taking inventory of all the things we have in our house – and the things that we decided not to get. The thing that no one tells you when you’re looking at baby gear is that just because something looks really cool doesn’t mean that you need it. Or that your kid is going to like it.
Bottom line: one of the best pieces of mommy advice I can give you is to not feel the need to invest in every piece of baby gear on the market while you’re pregnant. Wait and see what you really need or want based on your child – you’ll thank yourself later. And your wallet will thank you, too!
Tell me in the comments: what did you buy while pregnant that your baby refused to use?
Nicole Robinson @TheBookWormMama March 8, 2013 at 3:31 pm
It’s definitely wise to wait on some of the baby gear. We got this adorable swinging chair for my daughter months before she was born. She hated it. She wouldn’t even sit in it for five minutes.
Cortney March 20, 2013 at 1:59 am
LOL – totally happened to us, too. We were gifted a beautiful swing that RJ REFUSED to sit in. Thankfully the seat detached and we could use it around the house for him to play in. Now that he’s a little bigger though, he likes the swing from time to time!
Sarah B March 10, 2013 at 7:13 pm
That’s a really nice portable high chair! We have a Fisher Price $30 portable one that folds up really small and can fit on any chair that we use for trips to grandma’s house
. We were given a full size highchair that folds up in half and has wheels to easily move it from the kitchen island while I am cooking to the dinner table to eat with us. If I had to buy one though I’d go the same route you did. You’re one smart mommy 
Cortney March 20, 2013 at 1:58 am
Awe, thanks mama! I love it! There’s another one that I also considered that was super portable (aka easy for trips and going out to eat) by Fisher Price. It’s around $30 – it just doesn’t have a cushion on it. Not too bad of a price!