When I got pregnant with Bryce, I wasn’t sure what exactly I needed to buy. I heard so many stories from friends and read an endless amount of advice online of what I needed to buy but I hated the thought of buying tons of stuff for this new baby when I had no clue if I was really going to use it. I look back now at some of the stuff I thought we needed for Bryce that was never even touched or used. One major item was a crib, no one told me that my baby would be sleeping in my room well after 1 year. My crib became a place to keep clean laundry, every time I pass it full of stuff needed to be put away I think of all the diapers I could have bought with hundreds of dollars we wasted on that piece of furniture.
I know everybody is different and not all babies sleep in their parents room for extended periods of time. I do know there are many items that are completely worth buying in bulk that will help you survive the first year of being a new mom. I’m a BIG believer in buying in bulk. It saves me time from not having to make multiple trips to the store, I’m all about convenience! It also saves me money by allowing me get a discount by purchasing in larger quantities and receiving warehouse prices.
I stocked up on so many things while I was pregnant, I nested in the form of shopping. I bought enough shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste to last us years from Sams. It’s quite funny looking back on it but there were a few items that I highly recommend buying to help you get through the first year of motherhood. If you’re looking to make your first year of motherhood a breeze, buy these items in bulk.
Food
No joke, this was the one thing that would make me so angry during the first few months of postpartum. I would get so hungry from breastfeeding every couple of hours the last thing I wanted to do was to have to come up with ideas for meals. Sleep deprivation is real and when you aren’t eating proper meals it isn’t pretty. I was seriously HANGRY all the time. After a couple months, I started making lists of my favorite foods and snacks for us to buy in bulk. I would keep them around the house near the places that I would nurse and be with Bryce so they were always easily accessible. This was a major game changer in my mood and health.
Bonus: Stack up on their coffee! Iced coffee is what kept me somewhat alive throughout the first six months postpartum. I can’t tell you how much money we spent on coffee from a very popular coffee chain during those months because we never had enough at home. Looking back, I could have saved us hundreds of dollars if I bought these in bulk.
Formula
I breastfed Bryce for 11 months. We had a good run then one day, he went on a nursing strike. I had no idea what to do. He never took a bottle and never had anything other than breast milk so transitioning him to formula was a big deal. I had no issues with transitioning him but there were so many questions – which is right for him? how much do I feed him? where do I buy formula? After finding the perfect formula for him, I instantly knew buying in bulk was the only option. Y’all, formula isn’t cheap so being able to get a discount when buying in bulk is the only way to go. Running out of baby formula is almost as worst as running out of diapers. Having to run to the store in the middle of the night was the worst, so we started purchasing in bulk to save my sanity.
Diapers
When other moms tell you that you will need a lot of diapers, don’t ignore them! I had no idea we would go through so many diapers so fast. It was insane, how can something to little cause so much damage? HA! I started paying attention to prices when purchasing diapers because it seemed like we never have enough. It’s one of those items that you want to have in excess but if when you don’t have them, it’s not fun. I refuse to buy the small box of diapers because it’s not cost efficient.
Baby Wipes
You will instantly learn that baby wipes aren’t just for cleaning a baby’s butt. They can be used for any and every things – need to wipe up a spill? Baby Wipes! Notice a scratch on your floors? Baby Wipes! Does your shirt have a stain from eating your meal with one hand? Baby Wipes! The possibilities are endless. You will find baby wipes placed all over my house because they are always being used. Most commonly you will find a pack in my purse, a pack in my car, two packs in the living room, two packs in the bedroom, one in the kitchen and other random packs placed sporadically throughout our home. It’s an item that you can never have enough of.
You will get bombarded with suggestions from everybody about how to raise your baby, where he will sleep and how you should parent. Take everything with a grain of salt. Your baby will be like no one else’s baby, they will have their own schedule, they might eat more or less or sleep in their room from the first night. There is nothing wrong with the way you want to do things. Do what you can to make yourself and baby happy. For me, it was keeping our house stocked with necessities. It meant there was one less thing for me to worry about.
I suggest looking in to subscription services. From the day Bryce was born, we were constantly on the move. We didn’t stay home ever, being stuck in one place makes me go crazy. While we were gone a lot more than the average new parent, the last thing I wanted to be doing while we were out was chores and shopping with a new born. Subscription services saved my sanity.
If you aren’t already a Sam’s Member, they are currently running an amazing special if you sign up for a new membership, you’ll receive a $20 gift card, as well as $25 in new member Instant Savings! Sign up here for great savings!
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