The Real Deal on Baby Gear

You grab the little radar gun and go running amok through Babies R Us, zapping anything and everything to add to your registry. You pore over customer reviews to pick the BEST *insert baby item here*, weighing the pros and cons, pitting similar items against each other, creating lists or God-help-us Excel sheets for comparison.

We North Americans are in a materialistic society. And makers of all things baby have preyed on the desperate vulnerability of new parents. Thus, we are inundated with stuff - the doodads and whatsits that we are told will make parenting easier and more effective. Just spend hundreds of retail dollars and you will raise a Mozart-playing LeBron Einstein that walks at 6 months and recites poetry coming out of the womb.

Helpful and time-saving equipment does exist out there, and has indeed made some aspects of parenting easier. But rookie mamas like me, please know: it is not things that make you a good mom. The best, top-of-the-line bouncer/car seat/crib/etc. does not equate perfect or even ideal child-rearing, necessarily. You know what will make a difference? Patience. Warmth. Acceptance. And above all, unconditional love for your baby. Your little one comes into this world knowing nothing, having nothing. Surround her with comfort and material goods that will ease her transition and help her learn, but primarily, surround her with love.

That being said, here are the few things that have made things easier for us, or have simultaneously been envied and scoffed at by parents from older generations:

• Diaper Genie: seals away diapers and their accompanying aromas in a compact little bag that is cut, tied off, and thrown away. Easy to use, blends into the background of any nursery decor. Wal-Mart seems to have the cheapest refills although watch for sales at Shoppers Drug Mart, Zehrs and Target. 
• Nursing pillow: learning to feed my chunky monkey in the NICU was a harrowing experience. Until I became comfortable with positioning, I relied heavily on the nursing pillow; and even though I don't use it for nursing now, it's great for holding a napping baby. Buy more than one cover for those early weeks of spit-up madness.
• Sleep Sheep/sound machine: thank you to our good friends who gave us our Sheep. White noise works beautifully to lull my gal to sleep. In a pinch, a fan, radio, or the exhaust above a stove works too.
• Infant seat/rocker: especially important when you're alone and nature calls. Just bring her in the bathroom with you!

I will end with a disclaimer: not all gear works for all babies. The bouncy chair your friend swore by may fill your baby with both rage and vomit. So unless you're making it rain, please don't blow your bank accounts on something extravagant. At the very least, keep your receipts!