New Dudes Being Dads Baby Checklist--Bank or Bust?

Dudes soon to be Dads, and Dudes who just became Dads, let's get some BANTER goin' shall we?!

There's these lists of things you "need"---probably like a million of them, and each list has different products listed. A lot of people are on tight budgets these days and how do you know when it's actually worth it to spend the money? Also, I'm not talkin' diapers wipes n
bottles and pacifiers and clothes, im talkin' the stuff that's maybe or things you may not think of. So, let's do this the DUDE way... BANK or BUST?

Stroller/Carseat Travel Combo--

I say BANK. At first, mom is going to be afraid to leave the house, but when you finally take that first trip to the grocery store, and only to get milk--nothing else-- the last thing you'll want to do is wake up your infant child due to the transfer from carseat to stroller. No one likes getting woken up and pushed around in a place they've never seen before. Now Mom's worst fear is coming true: you're the people with the screaming baby. Getting the combos that allow the carseat to face both ways in the stroller is not necessary in my opinion, don't pay extra money for it.

Sidenote: Extra Base for the other car--BANK BANK BANK. Really good to be able to use both cars without the transfer of the base. It'll run you about an extra $30-50.

Unisex Diaper Bag--

BANK it. To be honest, these are not really existent. There's just less feminine and more feminine. Try to steer clear of the ones that look like purses, at least you'll be carrying around an identifiable "diaper bag" and no one will hassle you for it. Carrying around a ginormous leopard print hand bag might be something that your woman wants; sorry honey, I'd rather be dead as the animal they got that print from before you see me walking around with that thing. The link is to Diaperdude.com, it's a pretty cool option.

Sidenote: You can spend a good chunk of change on a man bag--nicer ones that are leather are $300+ or you can go cheaper with a canvas, but they're still probably about $100 or more. Go with a $20 diaper bag, that is less girly.

Walkers/Excersaucer--

Eh... I'm torn on this one. Full price? Bust. On sale, used, discounted? Bank. These are great, we have an excersaucer we got at a garage sale for $20. We threw the pieces in the dishwasher, and wiped down the rest of it. That was definitely worth it. It's a good distraction for him throughout the day, and it gives him some help in balancing as he learns to walk. But I don't think we would have gotten one for $100. Call me... economic. :)

Sidenote: I think I read somewhere that walkers can be dangerous for some reason... check on that.

Swing/Bouncy Seat--

100% Bank. You don't need both, however. Swings can get huge! They take up so much room. Bouncy seats and smaller swings are the way to go on this. Get one that vibrates, because it's a great distraction and kids love it.

Sidenote: The ones that have something hanging over the seat is good. You can put any toys they like on it, and they'll learn to swat at it and stare at it for a while.

Pack N' Play--

The Pack N' Play AKA "play-pen" is a pretty cool system. It is fairly convenient as far as disassembling it and bringing it somewhere ("pack"); it also has an insert that allows the floor to be about half-way up. You can take this out when the standing and walking begins to keep them locked in the cage for while (just kidding moms... I have to joke so dudes will actually read this stuff). We were able to use this as a cradle in our bedroom also, so it could save you money on that as well. I say Bank. But it could easily go into the 'Bank for Later' list below if you already have a cradle, and somewhere for him to sleep in the living area. This leads me to the next one.

Cradles/Bassinett--

BUST BUST BUST. All for glamour. You get so much more bang for your buck with a pack n' play. You could also put the kid in his crib fairly early, or have some other little sleeping pad or something, these are simply to look pretty. We had two passed down to us. Our son hated them both, and we never used them. They just took up space for 3 months. He loved the pack n' play, and still does now at the 5 month mark. If you're on a budget, leave this out for sure. If you're not on a budget, be prepared to sell when you kid hates it. :)

Monitors--

There's a lot out there. I say Bank of course, but want you to be weary of the fancy smancy monitors out there. They are super cool and have the latest technology with apps that give you live streams of your baby's room, and sensors that will sound an alarm if the baby stops moving or heart stops beating... yeah, crazy. All this is awesome, but they're like $150+. Call me cheap, but we went with the regular-old-walkie-talkie style monitors. They pick up great sound, and have worked great.

Sidenote: (I know you missed my sidenotes with the last 2...) Get a pack that come with two transmitters. I keep one in the garage so that while I'm working on manly things, I can hear if this champ needs me or not. We move the other from our room to downstairs as needed.

Changing Table--

Busted. You don't need a "changing table" fancy pants. Unless you don't have anything that you can put a changing pad on (which you'll use on a changing table anyway).

Changing Pad--

Banked. You DO need something to put your kid on while you clean him/her up. Changing diapers is like half of your day in the beginning. Once they get to 2 or 3 months it starts to slow down--to like every 3 hours! ha, slow down... yeah right--I digress. Changing pads are good because they can be decorated with a cover that matches the room, they can go on top of a dresser (now you have you're beloved "changing table"), and you can transport them if you need to. Dudes, it's just a giant firm cushion that's a little curved to keep your kid in the middle. Cheap too. Not rocket science.

Rocker/Glider--

OMG. These are awesome whether you have a baby or not. Bank Bank and Bank. Really comfortable for you or mom while you're holding baby, feeding baby, putting baby to sleep, etc.

Sidenote: People use babies as an excuse for overpaying for stuff and name brands. Go fancy if you want, but there are some good options in the 150-300 range.

Mittens--

Moms, don't hate me. Bust. We never used mittens. Did my son scratch his face, oh yeah. He looked like he took out a baby tiger; sometimes I like to believe he killed the tiger and ate it- YEAH SON! You show that tiger who's boss! refocus--The scratches weren't bad, and healed in a day or two. Keep their nails short, and you won't have any issues. They come off anyway. These are that expensive, so if you get them, it's not the end of the world, just had to throw this in there.

Boppy-

Can't get enough of this pic. Really illustrates my point I feel...

Try to say this word and sound like a DUDE. Bust. I don't want to say it or see it. It's an oversized neck pillow that won't fit around you or your woman's waist (not because she's fat, omg ladies--relax). This thing barely fits around my 5 month old son's waist. What you can do is turn it up on it's side, and put it in your glider for extra back support. Other than that this thing is just an oddly shaped pillow and is worthless.

Sidenote: Rant continued: Plus you have to buy covers for it, because you can't wash the pillow, so you have to buy those and wash them...They realized that it was pointless and tried to make all these other uses for it like sitting the baby up, and laying down in it, blah blah... aaaaaannnnd garbage.

Breast Pump--

This is a hefty item. usually around the $250 mark. Dudes, if you get this, you will not have an excuse not to help feed the baby in the middle of the night. Purchase at your own sleep deprivation risk. In all seriousness, this is a Bank, but it's a wait-and-see Bank. Because you don't know if mom will be able to breast feed or if she is going to want or like to pump. So buy it before baby comes, keep the box and the receipt just in case. DON'T open the box, or you can't return it; apparently they don't want to risk boob-to-boob action.

Little Banks...

Bottle Cleaning Brush
Formula Container/Dispenser- compartmentalized is nice
Saline Nasal Drops
Bulb Syringe  (I call it a suction thing)
Burp Clothes- Like a ton of them... they'll be all over your house


Banks for Later...

HighChair--5 months
Bowls/Spoons--5 months
Bibs--5 months

Post in the comments if I forgot anything! Was there a BANK or BUST that isn't on the list?

Go be a Dad, dude.

Joe Gattone