(upbeat music)
So, there's a lot of things
that people tell you that you have to buy,
and you feel this pressure
to spend all this money on stuff.
And then at the end of the day, you look and you're like,
"I wasted so much money on all this stuff for a new baby."
It's a hard reality.
So, let's just get the record straight.
Cause there are four things, in my opinion—
again, these are all my opinion—
that you do not need for a new baby.
That you do not need to waste your money on.
Number one: a wipe warmer.
No, they're fine.
I promise.
They are fine.
I don't care if it's 3:00 p.m or 3:00 a.m.
They're fine.
Unless you got a wipe warmer for a shower gift
and you got it for free,
then sure you can use it.
Don't go buy one.
No, no, no, no, no.
You don't need to waste your money on that.
Number two: expensive baby clothes.
Listen, in an hour, they're gonna outgrow the clothes, okay?
So they usually wear an outfit,
especially that first year, like once or twice.
I had so many clothes from Amelia.
So many clothes.
And then I passed them on to Caroline,
and now that it's a boy,
I just consigned 187 items,
and I was so excited.
But guess what?
Only 86 sold, so now I'm stuck with 100 items
I can't use that I bought that have literally been used once.
So, someone at Goodwill in Franklin, Tennessee,
is gonna be very happy if they have a little girl
cause there's gonna be a lot of cute baby girl clothes.
But again, I've wasted so much money on baby clothes.
It's just so sad.
Number three, in the same genre:
Don't waste your money on baby shoes.
No. No baby shoes.
When your baby can't walk,
your baby doesn't need shoes.
And yet people spend so much money on name-brand shoes,
like Uggs and Nike and like, all this.
And yeah, I guess it's kinda cute to have like,
a little two-week-old in a pair of high tops,
but I don't think so.
I don't think it's that cute
because they're gonna outgrow them like,
in an hour. They are not gonna need the shoes,
and the baby can't walk.
Do you remember that?
Like, they can't walk.
So don't waste your money on baby shoes.
And last but not least, in my opinion again:
the Diaper Genie.
Yeah, you know, just a Publix bag, a Kroger bag,
a Whole Foods bag, a grocery bag,
anything that you can just throw old diapers in
and throw it away at the end of the day or in the midday.
It's all you need.
You don't need a fancy little thing for your diapers.
Okay, just get a trash bag.
It's fine.
It's all good.
Now, there are some things that you really do need.
And again, this is all my opinion,
but things that are great investments
that will make your life easier if you have a new baby.
Number one: SleepSack swaddle.
Yes, zip them up.
They got those little Velcro flaps.
You put their little arms down,
and they sleep.
Oh, and they sleep so well.
Swaddling, it's the best thing,
especially when they're newborns.
They sleep really, really well.
So, invest in a good swaddle.
Number two: Aquaphor.
We have tubes of Aquaphor at our house.
Lots and lots and lots of Aquaphor,
because Aquaphor solves anything, from chapped lips,
to diaper rash, to whatever you need.
It solves it.
We've convinced our kids
that Aquaphor literally solves everything.
Amelia had a mosquito bite the other day.
She was like, "I need some Aquaphor on it."
I was like, "Oh poor thing.
"You don't know it doesn't take away the itch.
"But you believe it solves,
"it solves even mosquito bites."
So, Aquaphor though, really.
It's the best thing.
So, get a bunch of Aquaphor.
Also, cloth diapers for your burp cloths.
That's right. Like, Gerber has a brand
and it's a white cloth diaper .
But don't use it for the diaper.
Use it for the burp cloth because when they spit up,
it absorbs so much, and they're super cheap.
You can buy them in bulk.
I love it.
Next, I'm gonna get some haters on this next one,
but I'm totally confident and okay with it.
But Babywise.
Yeah, it was something I could not live without.
It's like a ten-, fifteen-dollar book on Amazon.
And it helps you sleep train your baby.
In fact, the subtitle is, "On Becoming Baby Wise:
"Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep."
And not just your infant, but you.
Yes, parent, new parent of little child.
Yes.
You get the gift of nighttime sleep.
I'm all about sleep training.
It's one of my spiritual gifts.
I say it all the time.
I could be a travel agent or a sleep trainer for a baby.
It's what I'm good at.
It really is, and so I could not live without it.
And again, this is totally to each its own.
Some people hate the idea of sleep training.
That's fine.
If it's not in your natural bent, don't do it.
Don't do it, cause it might drive you crazy.
But for Winston and myself,
we like thrive on this kind of stuff.
And it's helped us.
Both of our babies have slept through the night
at eight weeks.
And it works.
It does.
It really works. But you've got to be committed.
Okay, you've got to be committed.
Some people say,
"Yeah, I kinda did Babywise-ish. And it didn't work."
I'm like, "Yeah, that's the ish mentality."
Like, that's when people say,
"We do the Dave-ish plan."
Like, "We're kinda getting out of debt."
Yeah, no, no, no. You've got to be committed.
So if you do Babywise, you've got to commit.
Alright.
And the final, probably the most important thing
that you need to take care of while you have an infant
is making sure that you have term life insurance.
Your baby doesn't need term life insurance.
You need term life insurance.
So, with all the new things that parents have going on,
there's so much.
It's not usually something that people think about needing.
So, it is so, so important.
Even if you're just thinking about starting a family,
be thinking about term life insurance.
And it isn't something
only parents who work outside the home need.
Even if one parent stays at home,
you both need to make sure that you have life insurance.
Cause let's be honest, stay at home parents,
they do a lot for their families.
And the bottom line is,
you need to make sure your loved ones are protected.
Winston and I personally love working with Zander Insurance.
They make the process super easy.
They will walk with you through every step of the way,
help shop around for the best rates,
and make sure that your family's getting
the right amount of coverage.
So go to zander.com,
or click the link in the show notes to get started today.