About babies: what do you REALLY need?
Today I got an email from a fellow Chesapeake "freecycler" wanting a bassinet for a friend's baby. Actually, it was a repost, as a good portion of her message was a rant about all the people who responded but never provided anything.
That got me to thinking about baby "equipment." A bassinet is a luxury. Why would a down-on-her-luck single mother be asking for a luxury? Well, the answer is because most people don't know (or won't accept) the difference between wants and needs.
Anything you can survive without is a luxury, plain and simple. If you're strapped financially, the first thing you should do is cut out all luxuries. Easy to say, hard to do. Most people would even argue that several of today's luxuries are needs. For instance, cell phones--in most cases are a luxury--unless you need them for business, they are a matter of convenience. Cable TV, even with kids in the house, is a luxury. Really, TV is a luxury when you get down to it.
Needs boil down to food, shelter, clothing--and modernizing this trio a bit--communication and transportation. One could argue that a telephone is a luxury, but if you've ever tried to look for a job, or register a child for school, you'd soon find out how critical a phone is. Of course you could share a line with a neighbor, but we'll not get too carried away. Transportation is another necessity, though it doesn't mean you must own a car or truck. It could be a bike if you live in a temperate climate (not in Chesapeake with all the rain, though). Or it could be the bus if you live within walking distance of a bus line.
Back to babies.
Baby gear is a great thing to get used. Clothing, blankets, etc., can all be purchased second hand for pennies on the dollar of new. Or ask around at church, work, etc., and get it for free.
They need a safe, clean place to sleep. When they are newborns, this can be as simple as a large basket lined with a blanket, or even a box. Ideally, though, since a crib will become necessary once they get a little bigger and get mobile, you may as well start off there. A hand-me-down crib is fine as long as the spindles are close enough together (very old cribs were made with them too far apart and pose a strangulation risk), also make sure the crib has not been painted with lead-based paint (only a consideration on very old cribs). Crib sheets are nice, but you could use a flat sheet from any other size bed and wrap the mattress with it. Babies should never use pillows.
One of the more modern "appliances" is a specialized pillow to keep baby sleeping on their side. You can easily roll up a receiving blanket in place of the pillow and it serves the same function (that's what we did before the pillows hit the market).
"Receiving" blankets. These are just squares of fabric with a hem. It's good to have a few around since newborns should be swaddled. In the summer months you can use light flannel or thermal fabric and hem it yourself, and if you have a winter baby you can just cut up a large fleece-type blanket, no hemming required.
That covers the sleeping arrangements. Mobiles are a luxury, and newborns certainly don't need them. Older babies sometimes like them, but usually they're not too keen on staying in their crib once they wake up anyway.
This site has been visited