Minimalist Baby: Cut the Clutter, Enjoy the Child

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I’ve found that a minimalist baby is a happy baby, and a minimalist baby mom is much less stressed! Here are the inside tips of what you don’t actually need.

My fourth and last baby just turned ten months old.  I am officially a seasoned baby-mom.  But I had my newbie days and I remember them well.

When we had our first baby, I pretty much followed the Babies R Us rule book, which can be summed up as follows: buy one million infant items specially designed to hook excited moms-to-be.  Hello wipes warmer!

If you are an excited mom-to-be, or even just expecting another bundle of joy, I want to tell you this: you don’t need all that stuff.  Now maybe you love the baby paraphernalia. Maybe that’s your jam. Great!

But someone out there needs to read this: You can do it differently.

Here are my recommendations for a minimalist baby experience:

Receiving blankets double as burp cloths.

The babies don’t fit in those receiving blankets for long, and after they have outgrown them, throw one over your shoulder for a nice, soft, extra long burp cloth.  Instead of storing a supply of receiving blankets and burp cloths, consider just one or the other.

I prefer just receiving blankets because they are nice and long.

One basket of baby toys.

This is hard, I know. I get it. But babies don’t need a lot of specialized toys. They are more curious about your hairbrush, your water bottle, and a speck of lint on the floor than they are about those noisy, light-up, colorful toys.

Whatever you provide will be scattered immediately, so only provide one basket.  When babies have fewer items, those items become special. If you have an abundance of baby toys, consider watching to see which ones are the favorites, and donating the rest.

One basket of baby books.

They don’t want 100 books. They want to hear the same one over and over again because it is their favorite.

Do yourself a favor: have one basket of books and another in the closet. Switch them out when YOU are bored. Baby won’t care.  You will obviously want to develop a killer library when Baby gets older, but you don’t see a lot of baby-age books.

Bouncers, Bumbos, Jumparoos, exersaucers, walkers.

By the time we got to number four, we were just over these shin-skinners and home clutterers.

Really, you don’t have to have them. If you love them, keep them! But if you are secretly annoyed, ditch them. We liked to keep one toy that encouraged baby to sit up to play, and one toy that encouraged standing, but even these aren’t necessary because Baby’s favorite pullup spot is your coffee table. Things with sentimental value for you can be stored at Simplex Storage Springville.

Our youngest, Suzanna had the least of these contraptions of any other baby and she has not missed them at all. She started crawling at seven months and is just about to start walking.  She has greatly enjoyed the wide open spaces not crowded with elaborate baby toys.

Baby’s curiosity and your involvement are all that is needed.

Simple wardrobe.

Baby clothes are traded like crazy and this is so awesome! However, it also has the potential to become overwhelming.  Don’t keep everything. When someone gives you a load, give thanks and chose what you need.  Pass on the rest to someone else.

Baby’s closet should contain your most favorite items and a few play things. But keep it simple, not loaded and stuffed. Dressing your minimalist baby will be SO much more fun if you can easily access everything.

Shoes are not necessary until baby walks.

If you love accessorizing, go wild! But if you want a minimalist baby like me, pass on the shoes.

And most other baby accessories like sunglasses, tons of hats, rain boots, etc… Use these as a cute picture prop, then donate. It’s work to try to keep track of all those extra accoutrements before they are actually useful.

Baby bath tubs. Not necessary.

Wash baby in the sink. It’s good incentive to keep your sink and dishes clean, you can use the sprayer like a mini shower, and most sinks are deep enough that it is very safe.

Hooded baby towels. Not necessary!

Just use your regular towels and rub off that soft little punkin head.  Hooded towels are a pain to fold and store.

Say NO to the diaper genie.

Doesn’t hold in the smell, requires special trash bags, and is unnecessary. Let’s be honest here: the only thing that will help poopy scents is to change the bag frequently.  Just get a nice, stainless steel lidded trash can that can be used for other rooms later.

Diaper bag: only the essentials!

Diapers, wipes, one extra outfit, diaper crème, paci.  You don’t have to use an enormous bag and you don’t even have to purchase one. Pick your favorite tote bag or a cute purse. “Think outside the bag!”

I loved having babies.  They are tiny, precious, and very, very brief. 

Your baby will be a toddler in the blink of an eye.  Don’t let your home be crowded with a pile of unnecessary baby stuff.

Keep it simple:  give you and Baby space to breathe and play and learn together how to do this crazy ride called parenting.

What’s your best minimalist baby tip?

 

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