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Aside from the obvious things like clothes and diapers, binkies, bottles and butt cream, I never imagined just how many accessories one little human would require. A child can affect everything from how much food you need for the week, to how much house and what kind of car you require. However, when considering all of the stuff you need to take care of your little pregnancy reward, you should really first evaluate the things that you DON'T need.

The baby industry has grown very large, and in some ways, very superficial. We can't really blame these companies for capitalizing on our compulsion to please our children; we can however do research enough to escape buying a bunch of things that really prove to be rather useless. Thinking carefully about what you don't need is not only a cost consideration, but one of space and organization as well; even if you have a very large home, there is only so much gear that you can reasonably find a place for. A lot of gadgets are dependent on your personal preference and budget. But here are my lists of essential, nice to have, not so essential and not even remotely necessary items for baby:

ESSENTIAL:
SWING: critical if you ever want to shower during the day
CAR SEAT: necessary to go anywhere and keep your child asleep
STROLLER: a regular, mid-size stroller is crucial for going out and about
CHANGING TABLE AND PAD: especially if you have a boy...he'll pee all over the place the first few months
DIAPER BAG: again, if you want to ever go anywhere, get a big bag that wipes clean
CRIB AND BUMPER PADS: duh. Unless you plan to co-sleep until he's ready for a bed

NICE TO HAVE:
JOG STROLLER: critical if you are a serious runner/walker, if not, a regular one works
CRADLE: nice to keep in your room for the first few months while he's waking up all night
BABY BJORN FRONT PACK: so great when he's super little and loves to curl up on your chest
DIAPER CHAMP: stores your diapers smell free so you don't have to take them outside every time
ROCKING CHAIR: especially if you are nursing-even if not though, it's such a soothing activity
PLAY-SAUCER: so great before they start crawling yet want to be up and around
HIGH CHAIR: you can hold him or sit him in a bumbo, but a high chair is really nice-even just the cheap little ones that sit on top of a normal chair
BREAST PUMP: if you plan to nurse, it will make life so much easier

NOT SO ESSENTIAL
DOORWAY JUMPER: by the time he is big enough to really play in it, he would rather be crawling around
BUMBO: they have

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