When to Start Buying Baby Items: Pregnancy Guide

Pregnancy is an exciting life event. After getting positive pregnancy results, you are easily tempted to mark the celebration by buying adorable baby stuff. However, when is the most appropriate time to start buying baby items?

When to Start Buying Baby Stuff

According to various parents, buying the baby stuff after the first ultrasound result is ideal. That is when you know the gender of the anticipated baby. More specifically, most individuals buy baby stuff between weeks 13 and 20 of pregnancy.

Therefore, if you’re already past week 13 and you know the gender of your child, you can start shopping for the items they will require. Please don’t wait until it’s too late. Baby arrival poses a lot of excitement and pressure. If you don’t assemble the baby stuff at the right time, it will be a daunting task for you to catch up.

Baby Items to Buy in the First Trimester (0 to 3 months)

As stated above, start buying baby stuff between 13 to 20 weeks. It falls in the first trimester- the planning stage. Create a budget and shopping list of all the baby items you need. The first trimester is when you should be serious and active when buying baby stuff.

Baby essentials like toys, clothes, and crib, among others, are quite expensive to buy in an instant. Therefore, you need to plan how you can spend the money you get.

If you don’t know the exact items you can buy for your baby, please research online and ask your friends for recommendations. It’s also important to consider the available space of your home to get a good idea of what will fit and what won’t.

Things like baby wipes, diapers, strollers, and pacifiers come in different brands. Understand the buying guides before you settle on a specific choice. Is the item suitable for your baby? Is the price reasonable? How long will it last? Proper research will help you save money and get great products.

In the first trimester, it’s also important to stock stuff with a long shelf life—shampoo, dish soap, toilet paper, washing detergents, and conditioner. You can also buy products that you anticipate their price to rise in the coming days.

Things to Buy in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy (3 months to 6 months)

The second trimester is the period that you should execute the listed plans. Think about the long-term baby items as only what is required. Declutter your home and prepare the environment ready to receive a new charming human.

Plan a baby shower to get awesome gifts from your friends before you decide what you will buy. By the second trimester, the baby’s gender is known, and you can advise the gifting friends.

Some of the stuff you’re likely to receive during the baby shower include parenting books, feeding bottles, baby clothes, soft toys, diaper packs, and mugs. Wait until the baby shower has elapsed to know what you’re missing. After that, step ahead and design the nursery theme.

The second trimester is also the right time to order an infant bed and other furniture. Furniture might take some time to arrive. That is why you should order earlier and get enough time to put them together.

What Should You Buy In the Third Trimester? (6 months to delivery)

Finally, you’re in the 28th week of pregnancy, and your baby will arrive soon. Please be prompt and buy all the baby stuff during this antenatal period.

By the third trimester, you have a good count of what it’s available. Please add lotion, strollers, extra baby clothes, wipes, and even the car seat. Don’t forget to buy yourself breastfeeding creams, blankets, diaper bags, breast pumps, nursing bras, and tops.

For all the baby clothes you’ve bought, ensure they are prewashed. It’s a brilliant idea to wash all the clothes bought online or in-store since it picks up a lot of dirt and microbes on their transit from the factory to your home. 

If you fail to wash them, you will expose your child to microorganisms that cause early-life infection, also called neonatal sepsis. It can affect their growth and development.

Generally, by three-quarter of the third trimester, you should have the following baby stuff:

• An infant bed with sheets and waterproof mattress
• At least four blankets
• Changing mat
• Car seat
• Baby outfits which include vests, hats, and sleepsuits
• Pushchair
• Warm pram suit
• At least 7 Muslins
• At least 7 Bibs
• Playmat
• Well-baby essentials such as wipes, nappies, baby bubble bath, baby moisturizer, Baby monitor, and Baby towel, among others
• Toys

What You Shouldn’t Buy For the Unborn Baby

Limit what you buy for your babies at the first, second, and third trimesters. Avoid buying baby formula because it’s impossible to know the formula they will tolerate when born.

Baby shoes are not necessary until you know your baby’s exact fit and shape. Ultimately, don’t buy too many commodities that are unnecessary until you understand their physical fitness.

Factors to Consider When Buying Baby Stuff

Shopping and stocking the baby items without a plan is not a good idea.

Here are the factors that you need to consider before buying any stuff:

• Budget

First things first, how much do you want to spend on your anticipated baby? If you lack a proper budgetary plan, you will strain your pocket. 

Plan will help you budget and save a lot of money in the long run. There are various brands with competitive prices out there. Do your research to know the great products with pocket-friendly prices.

• Space

If your home is a smaller space, please avoid buying unnecessary furniture. If you’ve a nursery, you can keep items like the infant bed, clothes, diapers, changing tables, and bassinets.

• Baby Shower

If you’re planning for a baby shower, wait until you’ve received all the gifts. Check your list and mark all the items availed.

Don’t be a speedy parent; it’s a great idea to plan a baby shower and allow people to give you various items. In the same case, you might also receive very useful baby stuff from the parents who don’t require them anymore.

• Baby’s Gender

Only plan the nursery décor when you know the gender of the baby. The 20 weeks ultrasound scan is helpful with that. Again it doesn’t matter if you plan with a neutral gender.

• Month of Pregnancy

When your pregnancy is going well without the morning sickness and vomiting, use the extra energy to plan for your baby. The first trimester (13 to 20 weeks) is the best time to start planning and acquiring items for your baby.

Conclusion: Is It Bad to Buy Baby Stuff Too Early?  

It’s not wrong to buy baby items too early. That won’t interfere with the progress of the pregnancy. However, you must start it between 13 and 20 weeks and finalize it in the third trimester. Plan yourself well in that every month you know what to buy. Avoid making bad decisions by buying baby stuff too early (before gender disclosure) or too late ( when on labor pains).