Why thrifted toys are the best

I was really lucky with my son that so many people gave us some amazing toys. Honestly, I have purchased very few brand new toys for Benson. I bought him a teether toy or two brand new but that's about it.

Kid toys are a tricky business. It seems to always be a balancing act between having enough toys to entertain, keeping things fresh and not having them take over your house. When you're buying brand new toys it can start to add up really quickly and you probably won't get as many toys for your dollar as you will if you're buying used.

My friend sold me an entire garbage sack of toys for $10, which was incredibly sweet of her! (Thanks Moon!) I got so many toys that I'm able to split them up between my office, the living room, the front room and Benson's room and he still doesn't play with all of them! Which is incredibly helpful because I like to switch his toys in and out so he doesn't get bored of them.

My absolute favorite baby thrift was an activity play mat. I am a member of a local Facebook garage sale group and before Benson was born I scoured that page daily for baby deals. I knew I needed to get a couple of things to entertain him since I would be working throughout the day and a play mat was on the top of my list. Brand new they run $20-$50. I got this exact one retailing at $49.80 for $3. Three. Dollars. It was missing maybe two toys, but for $3 I was not going to complain. Plus Benson doesn't know the difference! The best part of that purchase is that Benson will still play with it at 10 months old. It has been by far, my favorite baby purchase, thrifted or not.

If there are toys you really want brand new, then go ahead and buy them, or put them on your registry! My sister-in-law, whose son is just year older than Benson, was sweet enough to gift me her favorite toys and books. Some of those toys are my favorites too so I'm definitely glad we had a few new things for Benson when he was born.

If you do buy used toys just make sure to wash them before you let your little ones play with them, or if you kids are anything like mine, play = stick them in their mouths. I sprayed the non-cloth toys down with some disinfectant spray and then rinsed them off in the tub. It took me all of 10 minutes and then they were ready to go! You can wash most cloth toys in the washing machine. I really want this bag for that very reason!

I am also a big believer in donating unused toys to a friend or thrift store-mainly because I don't want them overrunning my house. I read an article that said to donate or sell old toys when you buy new ones. I loved the idea of getting rid of toys that are no longer holding kids' attention because by then they are just taking up space and not serving a purpose.

What are you best kid thrift finds? What's your policy on new and old toys? Any advice for this new mom?
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What's in my diaper bag

Packing for yourself and baby in one bag can be a tricky business. I always want to be prepared for any scenario, which I attribute to growing up with five eagle scouts; however, I also want to keep my bag as light as possible because when you add carrying a baby to the mix things get heavy quickly! 

I try to pack the bag with a majority of baby essentials and then fill in the gaps with my own essentials. Here's what's in my diaper bag! 

For Him:

Diapering essentials: In order to keep my bag somewhat light, I only pack a couple of diapers, a pack of wipes and these scented bags to throw the stinkier diapers in. The trick to packing light is remembering to restock when you run out!

Figure Eight Teether. Winkle Owl Rattle. FlutterFly Teether. 

Toys: My boy Benson is a serial teether (he already has two teeth at 6 months!) We always take a couple of toys when we go out so that if he drops one on the ground while we're running around Walmart we always have a back up. 

Backup food and supplies: I always carry a burp rag, bib and extra food just in case we are out longer than planned. I'm really excited now that Benson is eating solids so that we can bring along puffs and other finger foods (and some snacks that I can eat too!) 

For Her:

The bag: When I was pregnant picking my diaper bag was the first thing I wanted to do. I knew that my diaper bag was going to be my new purse so I made sure I got something I loved. I waited for months for this bag to go on sale and then snagged it when it was on sale and it was worth the wait. I'm so glad that I got a bag that I loved instead of settling for the typical tug boat diaper bag. 

My essentials: I was so glad that my bag had a big momma pocket so I could store everything I needed: Mary Kay Lotion, EOS chapstick, a couple of pens, a notebook and earbuds. These were all in my purse pre-baby and I knew that I would need them in my diaper bag too. 

Looking for some good diaper bag options (under $100)? Check these out!

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