The Baby Gear You Shouldn't Buy Till You Meet Your Baby

Baby bottles sound straightforward enough, but the array of options and nipples (slow flow! fast flow! medium flow!) is dizzying. Buy just a couple of newborn bottles, but wait until you know your baby's specific needs to fill the cabinets.

It's lovely to think that we as parents have control over our babies' sleep patterns, but the reality is, they've often got plans of their own. Bring your bambino home from the hospital with their standard-issue swaddle, then see if you can borrow a few different "sleep solution" options from friends to test out what works best for your own baby.

My suggestion in the car seat department is to start with an infant seat that attaches to a base and can easily be transferred in and out of the car. Wait till the baby's actually big enough to use their convertible/toddler car seat to make that purchase. New and improved models are constantly being introduced to the market, and you may discover that your priorities are different in practice than they were in theory.

Not every baby wants a pacifier in their mouths, so before you stock up on the little suckers, get to know your little one's preferences.

It may be tempting to look ahead to your baby's year of firsts with a wardrobe to match, but it's a lot harder to predict what size he or she will be wearing months down the road than you might think. Some babies wear 6-9 month clothing when they're actually 6-9 months, others when they're just a few months old, and still others not till they're past the nine-month mark.

Be prepared to shop on an as-needed basis, but know that you'll actually be saving money this way — the less little outfits that they outgrow while the tags are still on, the better!

Depending on your home's layout and how frequently you travel, new parents' monitor needs can be very varied. Since your baby's likely to start out in his parents' bedroom anyway, you may want to hold off for a few weeks to assess your needs.

Making your own baby food is an awesome and somewhat ambitious endeavor. Sure, you may become the Martha Stewart of pureed fruits and veggies, but you also may need to surrender to reality and buy one of the (healthy, organic, and totally acceptable) options on the store shelves. So don't clear out room for a new appliance and matching accessories just yet — give yourself a few months (babies generally don't start solids until 5-6 months anyway) to see if this is actually something that you want to embark upon.

PS A standard food processor does the same exact thing as a "baby-food maker" — we promise.