Study Says These 10 Baby Items Are Most Useful For New Parents
Parenthood is tough, but these items can help.
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock For many new parents, having their first baby is one of the most exciting moments of their lives.
But excitement can also cause panic and worry in the midst of making sure their little bundle of treasure has everything he or she needs.
You're about to bring a child into this world, and that can get really nerve-wracking. It's something you have to experience for yourself to truly understand it, and you can read all the parenting books in the world, but nothing truly prepares you for it like the first night you bring that little bundle of joy home.
Where do you even start? You find yourself in the baby section of Target and have no idea how the clothing options work or how anything is organized, and why are there so many different kinds of strollers. Then you get distracted by the scented candles and outdoor furniture.
This brings up another damper: cost. Your baby is going to be growing very fast in the upcoming months, on top of diapers and toys to keep the little one as occupied and tired as possible. And don't even get us started on the amount of sleep you should be expecting with a newborn.
“When you are expecting, deciding which products to buy is one of many big and costly decisions you need to make,” said Richard Headland, editor of Which? magazine in the U.K.
In the U.S., an average middle-income family spends around $12,000 for the first baby year, according to Parenting. It increases to $12,500 by the time your baby turns two.
That's not including all the money you're going to be putting into your baby's future college fund either.
To help you avoid bankruptcy from the arrival of a new baby, Which? asked 2,000 parents and came up with this list of the 10 most useful and 10 least useful items for your new baby.
10 Baby Items That Are Most Useful For New Parents
1. Baby Delight Go with Me Portable Mesh Baby Gate
This gate is lightweight and easy to fold, fitting snugly into a portable travel or storage bag.
2. Motorola Baby Monitor
Easily view, listen, and communicate on the live video feed of your baby's room on the LCD color screen. Even at nighttime, the infrared night vision camera gives a clear video feed.
3. Chicco Advanced Electric Baby Bottle Steam Sterilizer & Dryer
Holds up to 6 bottles including nipples, cap rings, and lids, and sanitizes and dries bottles quickly and naturally.
4. Huhu Everyday Diaper Bag
This ingenious diaper bag fits all of the things and makes sure there’s no hassle involved in accessing them at the drop of a hat (or shoe …or granola bar).
5. Halo Sleepsure Smart Baby Monitor
This smart baby monitor, which works with a mobile app, tracks 4 key sleep measures in real time; heart rate, skin temperature, rollover, and movement.
6. Dreamland Baby Sleep Sack
This weighted sleep sack is designed to help baby feel calm, fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer.
7. PureBaby Penguin Ear Thermometer
Using the gentle beak probe that fits comfortably in ears of all ages, get fast and accurate readings in just one second.
8. Philips AVENT Microwave Steam Sterilizer
This sterilizer uses natural steam to kill 99.9% of germs and bacteria without chemicals in just two minutes.
9. Ergobaby Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer
A 3-in-1 baby bouncer for newborns, infants, and toddlers, this bouncer is the perfect kids' chair with three heights tailored to every stage of development with easy step pedal adjustment.
10. Keekaro Peanut Changer
This diaper changer's strong outer shell makes it impermeable to any fluid, so clean up is easy.
Now you have everything your little one needs, along with what you need to make this parenting thing as easy — relatively speaking — as possible.
Caithlin Pena is an editor and former contributor for YourTango. Her work has been featured on Thought Catalog, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Psych Central, and BRIDES. Andrea Zimmerman is the deputy editor for YourTango.
