Things You Can Wait to Buy for Baby

When you find out you're having a baby, there's so much excitement and joy, and even planning for baby's arrival can carry that same energy. However, I've seen a lot parents panicking because they didn't receive certain things at the baby shower or don't have enough money at the moment to pick up certain baby items. Luckily, there's some things that you can wait on picking up until baby's a bit older, so there's less worrying now. Here's some things you can wait to buy for baby:

High chair
This seems to be one of the big ticket items parents panic about the most. Thing of it is, you most likely won't be using a high chair until baby can sit up by themselves or at least be able to support their head very well. And that won't happen until your baby's probably around 6 months old. And even when you're feeding your little one solid foods (out of a jar at first), it might still be easiest to just feed them on your lap. Most babies don't start getting real squirmy until 8 - 12 months of age, so you've got until then to save up for your idea high chair.

Baby gates
Another big item parents worry about is baby gates, but you won't need these until baby is mobile, which is usually between the 8 - 15 month time frame. Also, so much can change in a year, so whatever baby gates you get now may not work out for you later when you're actually ready to use them (think about possible moves, changing of rooms, etc.).

Feeding items
Thinking about cute little plates, bowls, spoons, and sippy cups? No need to worry about these items until much later on. In fact, it's pretty safe to say that you probably won't need to think about these items until your baby is right around the 1 year mark, when you generally give up the bottle and start really giving finger foods more often.

Crib
Not enough money right now for baby furniture? Not a problem. Contrary to popular belief, babies don't need to sleep in a crib right from the get-go. Because a newborn doesn't usually move very much at all, and they tend to wake up every couple of hours anyway, you really only need a bassinet, playpen, or co-sleeper. Just make sure that wherever you're placing baby to sleep, it's safe and meets doctors' guidelines. But other than that, you might not need a crib until baby's rolling over in her sleep or moving around a lot more (because cribs will give her the space to move that she needs). This will usually happen from 6 months on.

Safety latches/knobs/etc.
Generally, you won't need the use of safety devices like cabinet latches and door knob covers until baby's on the move, which probably won't happen for the first 8 months. Luckily, these items are cheap and easy to find, so when you do need them, they're an easily picked up set of items.

Convertible car seat
A lot of parents receive strollers with built-in infant car seats, or even just the infant carrier itself (which is often also a car seat for baby). Some parents go the extra step and pick up a convertible car seat, which can hold larger babies. Honestly, though, if you end up getting an infant (beginner) car seat, they often will hold up to 30 lbs (at least), and normally a baby doesn't hit that until well into their second year.

Jogging stroller
Kudos to the moms looking to get back into shape after having a baby. However, per guidelines from pediatricians, you shouldn't be using a jogging stroller with a baby less than 6 months because their lack of neck strength can really strain the muscles in this type of stroller.