Now that I have four kids, there are a lot of things I wish I could go back and tell myself when we had our first child.
One of them is: don’t waste any time or money on a diaper genie. Gross. A diaper genie, if you don’t know, is a little apparatus for disposing of dirty diapers. Only you don’t really dispose of them until it gets full and you have like 40 diapers sealed and stuffed inside. I dutifully used the diaper genie all throughout my firstborn child’s diaperhood and then finally wised up to how nasty the whole thing was.
Another one is: don’t waste money on a beautiful crib set. Blanket, sheets, crib bumper, skirt, the whole bit. I understand the appeal. There are so many super cute sets out there, and you want your baby’s crib to be 100% adorable. Here’s the thing. Your baby will DESTROY it. He will poop, peep, barf, drool, stomp, jump, and chew on it. By the time your kid is 10 months old, it will look like you’ve been keeping a billy goat in there.
Another thing I’d like to tell my new-mom self it this: “Look hun. Just because you are young and broke doesn’t mean you and your baby have to settle for particle-board furniture you found in the clearance aisle of a going-out-of-business K-mart. Head on down to the thrift-store, pick up some solid wood furniture, and PAINT IT!”
But Tara was already hip to this fact that I wish I knew 13 years ago. She saved big on her nursery furniture by using this old set that her husband still had from his childhood. It didn’t quite fit into her ‘white, gray, and pink’ motif, but …
… that’s what paint is for! Stylish, sweet and sentimental, and perfect for a new baby girl. See it at Spot of Tea Designs.
Do you have any advice you’d love to go back and give yourself? Tell me tell me!
12 Comments
Bee
October 1, 2015 at 6:51 AMI am now a grandma and can support your ideas. The pretty stuff from stores and on-line websites that we are sucked into buying for our kids is not as appreciated as things you tailor exactly to your own budget and needs.
Take your old stuff or your thrifted stuff and make it into something unique that your kids will love as a family heirloom. I just bought one of those little monogramed PB armchairs from CL for my granddaughter for 15$. It came with the name Emerson on it and looked like it had never been used. (Of course I washed it carefully.) Even though my husband thought the name Emerson would be an excellent nickname for our granddaughter, I persevered and sewed a patch over the name. The patch is from some cute fabric with camels, deer, and horses on it. I am happy to say that the patch attracts our granddaughter to sit in the chair (even tho she doesn’t sit down very much) and talk about the animals (or ammos). It is quite the conversation piece in our living room.
Jessica [Havok]
October 1, 2015 at 8:01 AMDiaper genies aren’t amazing?! I’ve been lied for so many years – I’ve only ever heard fabulous things about them and…well, really, it does sound disgusting xD Though I would never dream of spending a lot of money on cute bedding or clothes for a baby. They will destroy it (as noted by the fact that the diaper genie is gross, ha!), it’s in their nature.
The dresser and changing table here worked out perfectly. It’s sturdy in appearance, and will probably last for ages. I still have the dresser I had as a young kid (I mean, I remember having the thing when I was 4 years old, and it has newspaper from ’88 or ’89 in it, if I’m remembering correctly, on the bottom of the drawers!) and it is still functional (and intact!) to this day.
casey f
October 1, 2015 at 8:16 AMMy husband and I painted a second hand dresser (nicer than my own), and painted a second hand crib, when I was 8.75 months pregnant. It was actually kind of fun. Except for leaning over.
Hmmm advice re: decoration? Buy what makes YOU happy, don’t worry too much about it all being matchy matchy. You’ll be spending a lot of time in there with an infant and can always update it as your baby develops tastes of his/her own!
Katie
October 1, 2015 at 10:05 AMI totally agree about the diaper genie. Plastic readily absorbs odors, so it will always smell, even when empty. My youngest is in diapers, and we have found the solution. A galvanized metal lidded pail from the hardware store. The lid keeps odors in tight. Watch out when you open it! But hey, it can be scrubbed clean, and actually be clean, unlike plastic. The size we have only holds a couple of days so it gets taken out on the same schedule as the kitchen garbage. I would give myself lots of advice, like “get off the couch”. But I wouldn’t listen anyway. The diaper pail thing, though, that plagued me for years.
sara bonert
October 1, 2015 at 10:45 AMI loved my diaper genie and actually bought two? 🙂
General advice, everything you think you’ll need….you actually need half of it. The one thing I’m glad I never did was use all those fancy Dr Brown bottles with all the little parts to clean! The $1 bottles that our parents used for years worked just fine for me.
I’m also glad I bought a cheap crib from Target for my first, and an even cheaper one from craigslist for my second. I bought the one that can convert into a full bed. And here is my before (crib) and after (headboard) for about $25- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/180918110008308636/
Love your blog!!!
LeeAnn
October 1, 2015 at 4:33 PMI always thought the diapers in the Diaper Genie looked like big sausages. A long link of big ol’ sausages.
Our neighbor gave us a changing table. We bought the floor sample of a crib because a store gave us a big discount. Honestly, I think billy goats would be easier on a crib than babies. There’s always that one child who figures out how to get the diaper off and has a poop painting party in the crib. *side-eyes son*
I love the transformation of the furniture. It’s beautiful.
Lindsey @ Better After
October 2, 2015 at 10:56 AMHahaha, you are so spot on! I’ve cleaned up more than a few poop-painting parties. And yes, one big smelly chain of diaper sausages, barf!
Sarah @ I Speak Canadian
October 3, 2015 at 7:30 PMI’m a first-time mom to a 14 month old, so I’m right there! Luckily I worked in the office of an online baby store for 2 years before he was born so I knew most of the silly products that are ridiculous and all the must-haves that SOUND ridiculous but are really helpful (like the snot sucker). I wish I could have told my new new mom self to put him down when he was sleeping. I could have gotten more sleep that way – and he might have as well!
Sarah @ I Speak Canadian
October 3, 2015 at 7:32 PMAlso we have very VERY similar furniture in his room but we just had to work with it. I’m pretty sure I would be disowned if I painted it, so it wasn’t worth it. I will live vicariously through this dreamy white set 🙂
Sylvie
October 7, 2015 at 5:19 AMI have 5 kids, twin boys and 3 girls. Never had a diaper genie, never had a changing table. Especially with twins, I wasn’t about to walk up and down the stairs 800 times a day to change diapers on the designated table. My advice to 10 years ago me? Stop worrying – they bounce.
Nursery Dresser Makeover - Spot of Tea Designs
March 6, 2017 at 10:44 AM[…] Better After […]
Nursery Dresser Makeover | Spot of Tea Designs
June 23, 2018 at 8:38 AM[…] Better After […]