Small Miracles Come in Expensive Packages

   Babies are expensive. It has been crazy to try to get everything together that we need for our little girl. There are so many things! It is overwhelming because we feel like we need everything and there are things that are okay to skimp on or get second hand but not a lot when it comes to our baby. We have gotten a lot of stuff from my sister-in-law, which is great because their good quality things from a trusted source. We would be more open to second hand things if their were more people we knew willing to part with their baby things. As it is, we have to buy most of the stuff ourselves so that has caused a lot of research on quality and pricing.
  Some advice from someone who is still figuring out what she is doing: register at Burlington/Baby Depot. Go to Burlington, Wal-Mart and Babies R Us (and whatever other store you want) to see what you like, but also register online. There are so many more affordable options online than in the store. We registered at Babies R Us first in the store and it completely skewed our idea of what things cost and what we actually need. Going to the store is helpful for discovering what products are actually like but for price comparisons and for a greater selection I would highly recommend going online. Combining both means you'll find the best prices and selection but you won't get burned by reviews that are overly enthusiastic or that do not reflect your personal needs.