Sunday 3 August 2014

New pages: services, resources, stuff

I've added links to a couple of pages on the right hand menu:

Baby Items we are buying/considering

Birth/Parenting resources we are using

My main motivation for starting these pages is to keep track of my own ideas/research, especially with regards to the baby items. It's all very new and confusing to me, and even though I am slowly coming to understand my own values and decision making process, I'm having to look at a lot of stuff and think about how I feel about it. Safety is also a big concern so I'm looking up safety research on every product and practice, where available!

So far it's all been internet research but Mr. Turtle and I have decided that Soon we will venture to the baby stores, camera in hand, for Research Purposes Only. Not ready to buy anything yet!

Having said that, if anyone is so inclined to offer comments or thoughts on any of the pages, or has experience and/or knowledge to share, please do! commenting is enabled on both pages. On the other hand, if you'd rather ignore musings about baby stuff, also easy to do! If I have a lot to say about a book/experience/product, I might blog abut it here, but for the most part I think I'll keep thoughts and musings about products on the separate pages.

I do have a basic philosophy about baby stuff:

1) I really only want to start with the necessities. A good place to start for us is the Bare Bones Baby Guide from Unclutterer.  Not saying we'll follow it to the letter, but I like the idea.

2) Our house is a modest size, and based on how things look at this point anyway,  we are Staying Put for five years minimum. We have all kinds of reasons not to want bigger mortgage/more chores and maintenance/longer commutes (like, we value our sanity). But that means especially now we have to be careful about how much Stuff we put into our space. I hate clutter and have a horror of living in a pile of crap that spills out of every nook and cranny. So I want to be really thoughtful about baby stuff.

3) Compact, lightweight, simple and adaptable without dozens of features and gizmos appeals to me. I don't like to live in clutter and I don't like to look at it or spend hours figuring out wtf it does, either.

4) I'm a walker and a transit user. I travel light. Pounding the pavement (or grass) feels good. I'm afraid we will have to get a second car when baby arrives; I would love to find a way around it but I don't think it can be avoided. That will probably be the biggest immediate baby-related expense. Still, I only see myself using the car when I Have To, and loading and unloading tons of heavy fancy-ass gear is not my idea of fun.

5) Safety. I want the best and healthiest for baby. I don't want to be paranoid, but I'm really uncomfortable with compromising here in any way.

6). Money. It's not a huge concern as we are in a good place financially. But, expenses will go up, income will go down, so it's a factor. I would rather our money goes toward baby's education savings fund/family experiences rather than tons of stuff. I would love to do second hand/hand me down for anything that is not a health/safety hazard. Unfortunately we have few peers with babies/young children (well I have none; Mr. Turtle has a few more contacts at work). There are second hand stores nearby though which could be a resource for clothes/furniture items. I do have some weird consumerist guilt that if I don't get the best and newest for baby that I don't appreciate her enough. I'm not sure where that is coming from. Not from the way I was raised, that's for sure.

Anyway. The summary: Starting to get organized. Comments and perspectives welcome, especially if they reflect on philosophy above. This is all new and scary. Also, feel free to ignore this whole matter.

12 comments:

  1. Good job mama! This is a great first step!

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    1. thanks! it's all about those first steps, whatever part of the journey you're on...

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  2. I'm definitely coming back here when I'm up!

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  3. I love getting organized and hate clutter too! Thanks for sharing your resources. I have my registry finished but don't know how to share it and still keep my info private, so we'll see. You should check out the Baby Jogger City Mini stroller if you want something compact with great reviews- also you can get the 2012 model on Amazon for almost half price and the main difference from the 2014 model is only color choices.

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    1. thanks for the stroller suggestion! Strollers are one of the most confusing things to me right now and on top of it I don't really like them so I find myself looking for faults on everything LOL.

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  4. Thanks for sharing! I'm about to do such a list myself, although some of the parameters are different from yours (like, we will most likely move in 1-2 years, only that we have no idea where). I certainly like the minimalist approach.

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    1. I think a prospective move in 1 to 2 years is a good motivator to only buy necessary stuff! Good luck with your list; if you share would love to see.

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  5. I really dislike over consumption & I think we've done a good job at only buying what we really need. Good for you, you are off to a great start!

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    1. I agree!! we are surrounded by so much stuff that is not necessary - that probably actually impedes quality of life. I find it kind of depressing sometimes, although I am as vulnerable to (some kinds) of marketing as anyone. thanks for the encouragement!

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  6. You're looking good! I agree with your views about baby stuff. I dislike clutter too, and safety's my priority. Call me paranoid, but recently I've changed all my plastic feeding bottles, baby bowls and utensils to glass and stainless steel ones, as I read recently that even BPA-free containers aren't as safe as they're marketed to be. My pram is a lightweight that can be conveniently folded and placed in the car boot. But yes I do try to avoid getting sucked into the consumerist trap. As for second-hand stuff, I'm personally fine with used baby clothes and toys, and I've a preference for simple, traditional toys instead of those with flashing lights and loud sounds (although I have a couple of those). You'll get gifts, so there's no need to rush to get these things.

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    1. good point! someone also made a point that for things like strollers etc. better to buy close to when baby is born, or even after because some of them come with very tight return deadlines.

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