Buy Well, Buy Once

In this blog to round off our Green October campaign, hear from baby expert, Anita Worlidge of Anita's List, on how she believes in the concept of buy well, buy once and the difference it can make for your parenting journey.

Buying for your first baby can feel extremely overwhelming. Especially as there is so much information available online and from friends, family and books.

It’s very easy to over buy. As soon as you announce your pregnancy to the world, you receive daily encouragement to buy products you’ve never even heard of or knew you needed. Even the vocabulary is new – and often confusing. Is it a carrycot or a bassinet? A pram, pushchair or buggy? A crib or a cot? A babygro, sleepsuit or onesie? These words are often, by the way, just a case of being English English or American English.

This is where taking it slow and investing time in your product research has positive, far-reaching ripple effects.

What is Buying Well?

By getting it right for your own unique circumstances, you will not only buy right and buy once, but you will also save yourself a great deal of money, stress and sleep.

You will allow yourself to get out of your home comfortably, in whichever way you choose – be that a walk in the park or a catch-up with a friend in a tiny local café. Inside your home, you will have all of the kit you need to hand, exactly where and when you need it. By buying right and intentionally, you will surely use and enjoy every single piece of kit you welcome into your home.

You will be investing in products that you can use from day one, and for years to come, that are exactly right for you and your circumstances – this not only benefits you and your family but also the environment and the world into which you are bringing your little one.

Why is Buying Well So Important?

Buying right is as much about making your daily life easier as it is about the future of your baby and the world they will live in.

The world will be a far better place thanks to you and your adoption of this environmentally friendly approach. With each careful and intentional choice of kit, comes a brighter future for our planet.

I think it is one of the most extraordinary shopping moments of your life to date. You’re a fully capable, grown-up human being who works hard in your daily life and makes multiple daily decisions. And yet … when it comes to buying for your first baby, you face, for the first time possibly ever, a series of important and seemingly overwhelming decisions that affect not only you but your child, and you may feel like you don’t quite know how or where to begin.

This is totally understandable and absolutely normal.

It's important to remember that the products that will work best for you will be the ones which are suited specifically to you, your lifestyle and your budget. Just because your sibling or best friend swears by a particular brand or product, that doesn’t mean that it will be the best one for you.

How to Buy Well

I would start with a long list of categories to think about and then use that as your checklist. This will help you organise your thoughts and to-dos. You can then, whenever it suits you, check off one category at a time.

Our Anita’s List Ultimate Kit List is based on my experience of helping over 12,000 expectant parents, over the past 20+ years, choose all of their baby kit.

You won’t need everything on this checklist, but it always helps to have a focus point for your research. When it comes to baby kit, it’s important to think about the criteria of each product. For example, if you have a narrow front door, what is the maximum width your pushchair needs to be?

Once you understand your criteria, you can start to build a shortlist of what you actually need, and this is the most efficient and fun way to ensure that everything on your final shopping list is something which you will use.

In turn, this will ensure that you buy right and you buy once. Better for you, your pocket, the environment and the world into which your child is about to be born.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to when to start thinking about what to buy for your baby. Some people like to plan well in advance, and some prefer to leave it to the last minute – it really is your choice and whatever makes you feel comfortable.

Even if you don’t want to buy too early into your pregnancy, or want to spread out your purchases, you can always start your research any time. If you allow yourself time to delve into the world of baby kit and what you might actually need, there is more of a chance that you will also enjoy the process.

Buying the bulk of your baby kit once your baby is born or even a week or two before they are due, can be extremely stressful. So, at the very least, I would recommend you plan to have everything bought, delivered and set up at least four weeks before your due date.

This way you will be well prepared if your little one arrives early and you will be able to tick off one very large admin thing on your to do list before your final month of pregnancy, when you won’t feel like making too many decisions.

Save on Handpicked Baby Products

We hope this blog has demonstrated how important it is to take time over your purchases and ensure that they are always high quality and perfect for you and your family. It's true that there's a lot to buy for your newborn, but as Anita advises, if you buy well and stick to a checklist, you can always ensure you are buying thoughtfully. 

To help you get what you need for your baby and save money on your wishlist, we have some incredible Black Friday offers across our whole website and most popular brands. Shop our Black Friday collection now and start ticking off your new baby checklist.