things I wish someone told me before - 10 months, 1 week, 5 days

most babies (especially boys!) are only in newborn size clothes for a couple of weeks - and in the summer, they really only need a diaper most of the time, so  all those adorable tiny outfits people buy usually end up never being worn.. and they're only in 0-3 for a month or so after that! Yes, some buck that trend, but my boy has been about average in height and slightly below average in weight mostly, and this is what we've found.. at 10 months, he's now in 18 month clothes.. so don't take tags off of EVERYTHING.. wash the older clothes and put them away, and a few outfits in the smaller sizes, and then leave tags on other things so you can return them and get more in a few sizes up!

swings are huge. all lined up in the store they look small, but you get one home and set it up and wonder why such a tiny human needs so much equipment that takes up so much room! we returned ours and just used a small bouncy seat that I could bring outside, inside, up to the shower, wherever..

they outgrow the huge equipment so quickly! Cole's infant tub, carseat, bouncer, attachments for the Pack-n-Play, etc.. all in the attic. and have been since he was about 6 months old.

wraps, slings, or in our case, the Baby K'tan are AWESOME for the first 6 months or so - easy to go out with and to get things done around the house with. We went thru a few brands before finding the K'tan.. After about 6 months, an Ergo is a must-have, especially if you want to go hiking or just to hike to the beach from wherever you parked.. because strollers + sand isn't always the easiest thing to manage..

"travel systems" are usually bulky and expensive.. but we found a brand that's lighter than most - 9 lbs for the carseat, because who wants to add an extra 15-20 pounds to your baby's weight and carry both around for long?! And the stroller (only 3 pounds!) is simple and folds up really small for easy carrying, the infant carseat clicks right in nicely, but the stroller itself will continue to get more use after the infant carseat is put away..