A Crunchy Mom’s Perfect List of What to Buy When Pregnant

cloth diapers
cloth wipes
a ring sling
convertible car seat

I think that’s it!

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In all seriousness, I’m expecting my third and can only think of ALL the things I thought I needed for my first, and even my second, and that I literally just threw my money away on!

Please keep in mind that this is a list for crunchy moms.

A crunchy mom is a mom who practices natural living. She is an advocate of natural birth, non or selective circumcision, not vaccinating, baby wearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, cloth diapering, attachment parenting, homeschooling, organic and green living, etc. source

If you are planning on going another route with your baby’s uprising, you will probably need a TON of other stuff. However, if this parenting style seems to suit you, stay and learn! Without getting in any controversial subjects a.k.a vaccinations, and RIC (routine infant circumcision), let me tell you that being crunchy is the best thing that has happened to me as a parent. We breastfeed, cosleep, babywear, and use cloth. For this post, I’ll focus on those aspects of being crunchy.

Cloth diapers and cloth wipes. Holy moly huge savings!!! Have you been out to buy disposable diapers and wipes?!?!?! Sadly because of Hurricane Maria’s aftermath (no water, no electricity), I had to stop cloth diapering and oh-em-gee, it’s definitely an unexpected expense. Lucas is 26 months old and this is literally my first time ever buying and using disposables, precisely why I had no idea they’d be so expensive. So, to summarize, with cloth diapers you get huge savings, they’re better for the environment, better for your baby’s skin and let’s face it, WAY cuter than disposable diapers!

I’m not gonna lie, at the beginning it is somewhat of an investment and it will definitely seem more expensive, but trust me, you only make this investment once and you can keep those cloth diapers and use them for any subsequent babies that you have. Now, if that isn’t saving, I don’t know what is. We also use cloth wipes so there is no recurring expenses because of the baby on that front.

See how cute they are? At the very end of this post I will list some of my favorite stores to buy cloth diapers and cloth accessories.

Cosleeping. Sleep with your baby. Do it safely. That’s it. If you really want to invest in something regarding your baby’s sleep, invest in Dr. James McKenna’s book: Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Cosleeping. There, I just saved you tons of money worth of cribs, crib mattresses, playards, bassinetss, baby cots and you name it that you’re not gonna use. You’re welcome.

Babywearing. If you’ve never looked into babywearing, I suggest you do some research first, as there is a wide variety of baby carriers and they all accommodate to different needs and styles. However, if you’re new to this, BUY THEM ALL. I’m kidding, you can start by trying out different carriers: woven wraps, soft structured carriers, ring slings, meh dais and more. If trying them first is not an option, you can always purchase a ring sling, which is fairly affordable, easy to use, you can use it throughout ALL your babywearing journey: from newborm ’till college and if it doesn’t work, you can always re-sell it and get back some of your money.

Convertible Car Seat. Now, I’m gonna get all serious and quit the jokes. Crunchy aside, car seat safety is no joke and every parent, or basically anyone who’s responsible for a minor’s passenger safety should do a proper and thorough research regarding which car seat suits their needs best, always taking into account child’s age, weight, height, and other details mostly pertaining to the vehicle. I’m no expert on the subject so I do recommend and cannot stress this enough that you please do some research. Now, back to the subject: car seats. Instead of purchasing an infant car seat, look into convertible ones. They don’t detach and re-attach somewhere else, like perhaps a stroller, but you won’t be using one of those, remember? You will only need this one (convertible) car seat instead of having to change from infant to convertible a few months down the road. In case you’re thinking that you’re gonna die with a baby and no stroller. I have never used one and we’re fine. Also, our convertible car seat is still good for extended rear facing, which I’m all about.