While Your Baby Will Be New, Your Furniture Doesn’t Have to Be
The best schools, homes, clothes, friends, neighborhoods – these are just a few of the things we as parents strive to give our children each and every day. When we have children, we dedicate the rest of our lives to making sure that they are okay – promising to care for them for long after their turn’.
This drive to provide for our children is a good thing, but it can also be an expensive one. This is especially true in the case of new parents. When it comes to buying for baby – clothes, accessories, etc. – bank accounts can dry up pretty quickly. This can especially be the case when it comes to baby furniture.
Cribs, playpens and changing tables, like all furniture, are expensive. They are made of pricey metals and woods and are also in high demand. Moreover, furniture manufacturers do their fair share to manipulate consumers into purchasing the most expensive items. Companies know that new parents are desperate to provide for their children. Furthermore, they are also aware of the general misconception that price is always an indicator of quality. Manufacturers hike up prices of baby furniture, knowing that new parents are likely to buy anyway.
New parents, then, have to be especially aware when it comes to buying baby furniture. It is vital to know that while a baby is new, his or her furniture doesn’t have to be. Babies are expensive enough as it is, and looking into used furniture can be a great way to keep costs down without making sacrifices in other areas.
We all know that babies grow out of their clothes at an amazing rate. What we may not consider, however, is the fact that babies grow out of everything fast – including furniture.
New parents may be shocked to find out how fast those first years past – and how fast things that once seemed so necessary become obsolete. Within a few years, anxious toddlers will soon be nagging for big kid beds, leaving cribs and cradles behind. Potty training will quickly make changing tables unnecessary, and strollers will be things of the past. You may find yourself wondering why you insisted so much on buying everything brand new when not only is it the case that your child grew beyond such things so quickly but when you also see how fast your little one was able to break or dent even the seemingly sturdiest things.
So before going to the mall to buy the newest baby furniture and accessories, why not check into gently used items instead? Friends and family with small children will be more than willing to lend you cribs, strollers and even clothes their children no longer need. Second-hand stores and rummage sales may also hold some great finds. Used furniture is not only more economic, but it is also perhaps safer. Recalls of baby items take place all the time, and you may feel better knowing that whatever you’ve bought has been tried and tested.
It is obvious that all parents will want the best for their children. Nevertheless, it is vital to keep in mind that price is not synonymous with quality and that investing in all brand-new furniture for babies can be frivolous in terms of both money and safety.
Byron Jonas is a recent father who had triplets. When shopping for prams, especially triplet prams, he soon realized there are no better pushchairs than those of the Go Bubba Go range
