Baby Gear Essentials You Need in the First Year: Everything Under $1000!

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The baby gear world can be so overwhelming.

What you need versus what you want.

Style versus functionality.

This brand versus that brand.

So many things to think about and decide.

However, the hardest part about navigating the baby gear world is trying to stay on a budget!

And you will quickly discover, if you didn’t already know, having a baby is freaking expensive!

There are a lot of things you are going to need when you have your first baby. Like a lot.

And if you’re anything like me, you’re going to want new things.

And if you just fly by seat of your pants and get everything you fall in love with on a whim…you will be broke before your baby arrives.

Baby gear adds up fast, Y’all!

I know there are tons of people who will probably say that getting new things is unnecessary, wasteful, etc. Why not use hand me downs or buy used?

Well, that is definitely an option. You would save money and it’s a lot more eco-friendly. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Still, sometimes getting new things is nice. Actually, I am going to be brutally honest here. Getting new things is awesome! I love getting new things. Who doesn’t?!

Getting new things is even more special when you’re getting them for your first baby. It’s exciting and fun and all kinda part of the new phase of life you’re entering.

So because I believe all mamas deserve to get shiny new things for their babies, I challenged myself to find all the baby gear essentials you need in the first year…everything under $1000!

With this list you can take $1000 and get every baby gear essential you NEED!

I’m talking:

Stroller, Car Seat, Carrier, Wrap, Bouncer, Swing, High Chair, Nursing Pillow, Baby Tub, Diaper Pale!

Those are the items I believe are ESSENTIALS.

I did NOT include:

Clothes, Furniture, Nursery Decor, Diapers, Toys, Baby Care Products, Baby Accessories, Technological Devices, etc.

I know. Seems like everything right?

Well, while you will probably want and definitely need many of those things, the cost of those things is going to depend on many variables.

Like if you have a nursery, your taste in clothes, your lifestyle, yadda yadda you know what I mean.

So in order to streamline and simplify,  I limited my list to ONLY the BABY GEAR I believe you truly NEED.

I’ve also included a couple of bonus items. These items will take you above the $1000 threshold slightly, but I think they are items many people would love to have and/or would make life more convenient.

If you want fancy, top of the line baby gear, this post is not for you.

In a dream world, we would all have $1500 strollers. But that is not feasible for me and I know it’s not feasible for a lot of people.

And I am going to be honest with you all.

If I had the money to buy a $1500 stroller…I would. Because most of the time those strollers are a lot more attractive and have more fun bells and whistles.

So part of what I challenged myself to do was find stylish, cool, trendy looking baby gear WITHOUT the stylish, cool, trendy looking price tag.

What I discovered is that there is a lot of baby gear out there that looks amazing and is great quality, but won’t send you to the poorhouse.

In each section, I will also give you my personal favorite pick! Just in case you wanted to take all the guesswork out and just take my word for it.

I am very trustworthy. I promise. lol

Okay. I am done rambling on. Here is the list!

(Just click on the picture of the item for more information)

STROLLER

All Under $250

{ MY TOP STROLLER PICK }

After having my $400 Chicco Urban stroller for 10 months ( It was a gift) I can officially say I do not like it. It is not user-friendly, the storage component is almost unusable, the plastic tires are squeaky, and it’s a pain to fold up and take somewhere. The only pro is that it looks nice and is easily washable.

If I had to go back and pick all over again with a $250 budget, I would pick this Joovy Jogging Stroller. It folds easily, it has more durable tires, it folds in one piece, you can actually use the storage underneath, and it is compatible with most infant car seats.

 

CAR SEAT

All Under $150 

{ MY TOP CAR SEAT PICKS }

My daughter Lily has this Graco Snugride infant car seat and I love it. It is great quality and looks way more expensive than it is. I love that it’s mostly all black but has cute beige and white stripes inside. You cannot beat the price for you get.

However, if you don’t want to purchase two car seats within a year, I strongly suggest you get a convertible car seat. They usually accommodate babies from 5lbs-85lbs, so it will last you so much longer. This Graco convertible car seat is simple in style yet functional. If I was working with a $150 budget this Graco Contender is the car seat I would choose.

 

OR

If you want to buy your stroller and infant car seat together, that’s an option too! Some of these options are actually less expensive than if you bought a stroller and car seat separately. Plus you have that added bonus of being able to transfer a sleeping baby seamlessly from car to stroller by removing the car seat from its base. A quality you lose with a convertible car seat.

 

TRAVEL SYSTEM

All Under $400

{ MY TOP TRAVEL SYSTEM PICK }

I picked this Graco Modes Jogger Stroller because it was an all-terrain type stroller that paired with my favorite infant car seat. The stroller has so many cup holders, great storage space, durable tires, and a huge sun cover! And obviously, the car seat just clicks right in for easy transfer of baby.

 

STRUCTURED CARRIER

All Under $100

{ MY TOP STRUCTURED CARRIER PICK }

I have this Baby Bjorn carrier and I love it. It is so easy to use and great for newborns as well as older infants. Also, it’s so easy to clean. Which is great because my daughter likes to chew on the sides as I walk with her. The price has gone down since I purchased it so that makes me love it even more!

SOFT WRAP

All Under $50

{ MY TOP SOFT WRAP PICK }

My Moby wrap is one of my favorite things! I was very overwhelmed by its size when I first tried to use it. But once I got that hang of it, it was a life saver. Soft wraps come in so patterns and fabrics. What I like about my Moby wrap is that it’s black so it goes with anything and it’s thick enough to still securely hold my 22 pound 10-month-old.

BOUNCER

All Under $100

{ MY TOP BOUNCER PICK }

I have this 4Moms bouncer and I love it. It’s lightweight and simple. I love that it’s not a super bright color but has some fun colorful things for your baby to look at. My daughter has pooped in her bouncer multiple times and it’s really easy to remove the cover, throw it in the washer, and get it back on.

SWING

All Under $100

{ MY TOP SWING PICK }

Lily doesn’t have a swing. However, if I could go back and get her one for those early days, I would! It would’ve been nice to have a comfortable place to put her down when I needed to run around and get things done. This Graco swing is sweet, simple, and not too bulky. Oh and only $100!

 

HIGH CHAIR

All Under $80

{ MY TOP HIGH CHAIR PICK }

As I was researching high chairs for this post, I realized something. There are no cute and affordable high chairs. All the stylish ones are ridiculously expensive. So the six options above were the best I could find. However, the high chair I have is from Ikea and I love it. It beyond basic but it does its job and does not look hideous while doing it. The best part is that it’s only $20!

 

NURSING PILLOW

All Under $50

{ MY TOP NURSING PILLOW PICK }

To be honest, I never used my nursing pillow for nursing. I just didn’t need it. However, I still think everyone needs a nursing pillow because it functions as a baby proper as well. I used my Boppy every day until Lily was able to sit up on her own. It was the perfect place to sit her, lean her, prop her until she was able to hold herself up.

 

BABY TUB

All Under $40

{ MY TOP BABY TUB PICK }

I received a 4moms infant tub as a gift. It was $60 and I actually registered for it. I loved that it had a clean water basin and temperature control. However, it was awful for newborns! It was so hard and didn’t have any soft support for my delicate little baby’s head. Then as Lily got bigger, over half of her body was sticking out of the water and her head was resting on the plastic ledge. Not to mention it was huge and a pain in the ass to store!

If I could choose all over again, I would choose this Angelcare Tub. It’s small, simple, and has a flexible mesh which forms to your baby’s body and head. You can put it in a sink or bath. I can’t believe I didn’t get this for my daughter!

 

DIAPER PAIL

All Under $45

{ MY TOP DIAPER PAIL PICK }

I did not get a diaper pail until about a month ago. I just used a regular trash bin, because my daughter’s diapers did not smell bad and I thought a diaper pail was unnecessary. Until, all of sudden, her poo started smelling not so great, not horrible, but definitely something I would rather not smell all day. So my wonderful sister knew I wanted one and bought me this Playtex Diaper Genie and I love it! It’s simple, not too expensive, fits right in the corner of my room, and is white so it matches everything.

 

Bonus:

ACTIVITY MAT

All Under $60

{ MY TOP ACTIVITY MAT PICK }

I never got Lily an activity mat for when she was doing tummy time and I truly regret it. This activity mat is what I would get if I could go back in time! It’s by Skip Hop, which is a reliable brand, plus it’s simple but has fun elements for your baby to play with. Also, I just really like the look of it.

 

CHANGING PAD

All Under $25

{ MY TOP CHANGING PAD PICK }

I know this might seem like a random addition to this list, but hear me out. Changing your babies diaper is something you’ll be doing numerous times a day. So having a dedicated place to do that is important. Personally, I don’t have room for a changing table so I change Lily’s diapers on my bed or sometimes on my floor. However, after she learned to roll over changing her became a challenge because she had so much room to move around and nothing was stopping her from doing so.

Enter a changing pad! I asked my all my mom friends and the consensus seemed to be that using a changing table stopped their little ones from trying to roll away while getting changed. This is probably because the sides of the changing pad are lifted up and it makes it harder for them to roll. So I think investing in a changing pad is a good solution. You don’t need an actual changing table, but you can just use the pad and move it around to where you need it (i.e plop in on a dresser or table ).

This like this particular changing pad, because it comes with a cover!

Well, there you have it! A list to show you that getting stylish, good quality baby gear can actually be affordable. Comment below if this was helpful or if you get any of these awesome items or any that I might have missed! I wanna know!