mercredi 31 juillet 2013

The economy of Craigslist

Preparing for baby number 3 was a completely different venture than preparing for baby number 1.  Here's what preparing for Josué looked like.

-2 hour long trip to Baby's R Us with good friend (already a mother) and using the store's checklist to go through and scan item by item onto the registry.
-Receiving multiple gifts from baby showers (we were blessed)
-Purchasing (and receiving as gifts) 500 dollar crib, mattress, mattress cover, change pad, change pad covers, high chair, bouncy chair, nursing pillow, baby bath, pack and play, play mat and the list goes on, baby carriers, stroller etc....

And here's what we discovered:

We didn't need half of it!!!

Over the past 6 years our priorities and our views have changed a lot- we have become a lot more environmentally conscious and we have discovered our parenting style (attachment parenting) which is actually a style that requires VERY little material goods.

We co-sleep (so there goes the crib, the mattress, the sheets, the pack and play- which honestly was a hassle to get baby down into to sleep anyways).
We breastfeed on demand (there goes the need for soothers, or bottles- we go right to cups when the time is right)
We carry our babies (there goes the need for a double stroller (although it does come in handy for a suitcase or two during travel)... which natural child spacing due to breastfeeding and the fact that we carry our babies a single stroller could have done us fine!

Here's what preparing for baby 3 looked like:

-Not needing any clothes (my very generous friend with a 2 year old daughter has passed on ample and more clothes for our baby girl)
-Ordering half a set of organic cloth diapers from motherease (we still have a half a functioning set from our 2nd)
-Finding a new toddler bed rail for our bed on craigslist (15$) Nat gave ours away by accident
-Buying an ergo baby insert (which was actually an exchange in a store for some girl clothes we received but didn't need).

And voilà our baby is good to go!!!

Over the past 6 years I have shed my snobbiness towards used goods and realized it is just plain smart to buy things used  (and then re-sell them).
My friend bought her ergo baby used off craigslist and sold it two years later after plenty of use for just 5$ less... She was able to use and enjoy one of the best (and most expensive) baby carriers out there for her for only 5$.

And that goes without mentioning the saved environmental impact!!!

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