I think my girlfriend might be pregnant

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A car seat is absolutely essential. It's illegal not to use a car seat when there's a young child in the car.

The best stroller/carriage item, to me, are those which are carriages first, then become strollers later.

all i want is a kid now.

you will be a great dad retro. you'll find your way

It CAN be expensive if you allow it to be. What makes it so expensive is a matter of lifestyle. Odds are you're not going to be in a major car crash. Sure, it could happen. You could also get struck by lightning. You get the cheapest car seat you can that doesn't have any manufacturer's recalls and meets regulatory standards if applicable. Sure, formula can be expensive. You know what else is expensive? Fresh produce. Frozen or canned veggies may not taste as good or be as easy to prepare for nice dinners, but they are still nutritious. Likewise with formula--buy inexpensive generics/store brands. The nutritional content is near identical and will sustain a newborn just the same.

Baby food? Baby food is nothing but regular food mixed with water and pureed. Seriously, read the labels. Green beans? Boil and puree. Carrots? Boil and puree. Apple sauce? It's apple freakin' sauce, same stuff you send little kids to school with. Reduce your salt in your grownup meals, stuff it in a blender with a little extra water, and BOOM...baby food. Buying this stuff is unnecessary except that it just buys you reassurance that baby food makers should know what they're doing. After a few months, adding rice meal to formula is more filling, helps the digestive tract get stronger, and cuts down on how hungry your baby feels while getting just the nutrition she needs. Or he needs, whatever. So consider what you normally eat. If you have a food processor and you're used to eating things like cooked vegetable, lasagna/pasta, ground beef, chicken, turkey, just take a portion of that, process until you have about 4 oz., and it's a meal.

A lot of "they're so expensive" talk is really discouraging. Don't listen to people who go all out when it's not necessary. In my experience, the only thing that was scary-expensive was childcare. We used sitters as long as we could. The last one we had let us work out an hourly fee for when we needed someone after hours. Before that, we bounced between two, one that turned out to be psychotic. We used a daycare after our first good sitter moved away and were mostly happy with that. But when our kids finally got into school, it was like money started raining down out of the sky. I even quit my job to raise my youngest by myself and it was awesome. For four years, my wife was the only one working, our kids were in a Catholic school, and we had wads of cash left over. When my youngest started school, I took a school job and things just keep getting better for us. If we moved to public schools, we'd have it much easier, but the quality of education and level of safety for our kids is worth it. We are carefully considering a move so I can get a full-time job and have something to show for all the years I've put into it. If that happens, our kids will be in a NICE public school and maybe, just maybe, I can pay off all my loans. Keep in mind our combined income only until recently has been less than US$30k. So we're not afraid of taking risks because we can make it on very little and all we can do at this point is improve. Just hang in there for 5 years and it WILL start getting easier.

I bought secondhand strollers although I mostly used baby carriers (also used). You can buy a lot of secondhand gear besides clothes.

Don’t buy a secondhand car seat. You can’t know for sure whether or not it’s been in an accident.

You have to keep an eye on whether or not something has been recalled.

Breastfeeding is inexpensive apart from buying a pump if she wants to go that route.

I like it when babies are carried in front.

Not so much if babies are carried from the back.

Strollers can be a pain when traveling on public transportation.

I bought car seats for my children in a supermarket for about 100-120 zł (26-32 USD) each, all the EU certificates but no fireworks. I was aiming at the cheapest with all the certificates.
Breastfeeding is cheap, healthy and handy but some Western countries seem to have a big taboo about it.

There are plenty of traps of various sellers trying to convince confused new parents to buy improbable amount of unnecessary stuff. You need to resist it. Your baby does not need the newest whatever, really. Second hand clothes are great, babies don't have time to damage them before growing out of them. Your family will probably flood you with too many toys.
Just make sure you have a good health insurance, babies and toddlers often fall sick.

I don't know the English name for it but with my first baby, I used mainly a cloth wrap to carry her. Great in public transport.
When my second one was born, I bought a cheap twin stroller (something like this: https://allegro.pl/oferta/wozek-spacero ... 8218863628 ) because the older one hardly walked and I couldn't carry both. The strolled fell apart two years later but it lived long enough to serve its purpose.

Trust me----the baby doesn't care if it's a "brand name" product. As long as it does the job and lasts at least three years.

I had a cloth wrap, but I never got that good with it. I usually used a carrier with buckles that very quickly snapped in place.

A lot of people do prefer the cloth wrap, though. I can’t remember what it’s called.

I breastfed. Most people think women “should” breastfeed but they don’t like seeing them do so in public. Weird.

Certain brands are better than others although sometimes the store brand is fine. It just depends on the product.

Often, I’d prefer a used brand named item over a new store brand one. It just depends.

There can be vast differences in quality and convenience when it comes to baby stuff. It’s really odd.

I typically preferred having a few quality items over a lot of cheaply made ones. It’s really helpful to read product reviews and figure out what is or isn’t important to you and your family.

The funny thing is, I was already given a great deal of independence. You'd think that would've left me with no need to rebel.

ROTFLOL!! ! (speaking generally of course) One needs to give kids something to rebel against b/c it will happen! ! Sometimes I put my foot down and decide this is it --- and the four-year-old popsicle war begins or the five-year-old toy-for-a-chore war. At the time it's daunting, but in hindsight it's perfect. You've got this.

Deep breath. Congratulations.

I looked up car seats on a government. There was talk of putting 12 year olds in car seats! What the fudge! I would have been mortified if someone suggested I sit in one of those baby seats at half that age.

The website said any child shorter than 150 CM needs a car seat. I know adults who are less than 150 CM. Should they be in a car seat too?

Why do we have a law saying children under 150 CM need a car seat? Probably because the manufactors of car seats bribed the government to make such a law.

I understand that a baby absolutely cannot sit in a normal car seat saying a 12 year old can't is ridiculous.

Congratulations, Retro.

When is the baby due?

The most important consideration right now, is how is your girlfriend feeling? I hope she isn't dealing with morning sickness or feeling overly tired. Please make sure she gets regular checkups from her GP or ObGyn, and she is taking a good prenatal vitamin with folic acid.

Best wishes to you all.

Congratulations and a happy safe delivery for baby & Mom.

That advice from Ms. Linton is really good--the better health she is in, the better likelihood the baby comes out healthy, and the more fun everyone has all round.

About the car seats, I'd say it does sound silly but go ahead and do it. My aunt destroyed a Lincoln Mark X a few years ago when she drove it over the side of a ravine by mistake. They had to airlift her to a hospital, and the paramedics who cut the roof off the auto to get her out came to visit her to ask what model of car it had been--the wreck was unrecognizable. It looked like a plane had wrecked. There was metal everywhere, blood & hair on the trees, just a mess. The speed? 35 miles per hour. Safety devices do a lot more good than harm in the long run, though I agree they do look ridiculous.

She is.
She is.