Baby must-haves vs. baby nice-to-haves: How to tell the difference

Having a baby? That first trip to the baby department can leave you feeling like a babe in the retail woods yourself. There are so many products and brands of baby gear to choose from, each boasting a dizzying array of supposedly must-have features. How's a parent-to-be supposed to distinguish between the must-haves and the frills when it comes to shopping for baby?

Experienced parents will tell you that the only way to avoid succumbing to the charms of too-cute nursery ensembles and other baby world gear is to know what you need long before you ever allow yourself to step foot in a baby store. Here are some other tips from parents who've survived the nine-and-a-half-month long shopping experience called pregnancy.

• Talk to friends who have recently had babies about which baby items were essential and which were frills — and which items were awkward to use (snowsuits that didn't zip down far enough in the leg) or that didn't stand up to real-world baby conditions (dry-clean anything).
• Round out your friends' experience by visiting websites that specialize in baby product reviews and by consulting shopping guides such as Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields and Parenting Magazine's Baby Must-Haves.
• Test-drive baby products at friends' homes and in baby stores, using your own baby or a reasonable facsimile (if you're still awaiting baby's arrival. Tip: A teddy bear borrowed from the stuffed animal aisle will give you a solid sense of how easy it is to get a real baby in and out of that snowsuit or car seat. If you find that you're contorting the test teddy into impossibly uncomfortable-looking positions, give that particular snowsuit or car seat the heave-ho.
• Don't feel like you have to buy everything right away. See what items you're able to borrow from others or pick up second-hand — and which items you'll receive as baby gifts. Of course, it's important to know which items you should avoid purchasing second-hand, for safety reasons. Here's what Health Canada recommends.

Once you've come up with a baby gear wish list, you may want to consider registering your picks with the baby store of your choice. That will make it easier for family and friends to zero in on the baby products that best meet your family's needs. This is particularly important for products like nursery furniture, breast pumps, strollers and car seats, which are difficult for others to pick out for you and your baby. "Every new mom needs to find the product that's going to work best in her situation," notes Lisa Bain, executive editor of Parenting Magazine's Baby Must-Haves.

Bain advises friends and workmates planning a baby shower for a mom-to-be to check out a mother's gift registry for ideas and inspiration. "Even if you don't find something that you'd like to purchase, you'll get an idea of the style and theme that she's planning to use for her nursery, and the products that she'll likely be receiving as gifts." 

So there you have it — some advice on avoiding some of the most common baby gear overspending traps. How did you make out when you were shopping for your baby or, if you're currently pregnant, how is your baby budget holding out? Any advice for other first-timers who read this blog?