About 2000 years ago a couple had a baby in a manger and his mom wrapped him in strips of clean cloth and laid him on some straw in a box. Talk about minimalist accoutrements!

Fast-forward to this day and you can drop thousands of dollars before the newborn ever comes home to his designer crib with a full monitoring system and alarms. How much of this is necessary? In truth, not much of it. But it hardly seems likely that you'll be pulling out the bottom drawer of the bureau and placing the heir apparent on a stack of clean dish towels either. Bassinets are a lovely idea and so adorable. If they last six weeks, your child will be outgrowing the confines and off to attic it goes.

We always had a regulation crib - probably not the safest, but what did we know - when our children were small. My grandchildren were in a Pack and Play that easily moved from room to room with their parents. It was also a great contraption for containing the curious little crawlers who were likely to get into mischief if you turned your back - and you do have to do that from time to time.

You need a good sturdy car seat for the car, but it's also going to go wherever you go - to the grocery store, the bathroom, into the kitchen while you cook as your baby sits on the table and watches you. Sturdy is the operative word because if it isn't, you can bet the your bouncing baby will jounce himself right off the table and that will make you feel like a really awful parent.

You'll need bottles, but breasts are nice, generally sterile enough for the baby, the right temperature and always available. Once this little one comes into your life you should plan to haul him along no matter where you're going. That makes breast pumps optional, but they always felt like they were so mechanical. I had visions of milking stalls and suction cups - echh!

Buy enough clothing so that they you won't be washing more than once a day. Babies burble over onto their shirts and then they aren't the sweet little pink cheeked things one envisions...rather little cheesy smelling individuals that need a good wash up. But remember that what looks way too big today will be way too small in three more weeks. You can practically watch your infant sprout like a sapling and shoot out of their wardrobe overnight. Get gowns because you have access to the soppy end without having to haul kicking little legs out of their casing. In the end, gowns and receiving blankets are the most appropriate garb for the under three-month-old set.

Unless you are determined to go green in the diaper area, go disposable. I'd have killed for those when mine were going through a dozen and a half in a day. They may not be very eco-friendly though, so if you make the commitment, then get as many as you'll need for a couple of days to avoid having to be on a first name basis with your washer and dryer. After the initial investment it's smooth sailing all the way until your wee one is in training pants.

Monitors sound like a good thing, but don't get rid of it after your infant is past needing it. They will come in handy when this child becomes a teen-ager - think about it! Mobiles are nice to stimulate the eye muscles. You can make them with found objects. Baby Einstein music is adorable...yes there is a correlation between music and brain stimulation, but you can go out and get a nice selection of classical music and put it on the disc player for far less.

Pretty soon your baby is going to weigh like two bowling balls and that sturdy car seat isn't going to make it quite as far. Get a stroller that will be negotiable in tight spaces, but study as well. It's nice to have one that will allow the baby to lie down flat - gives you more time away from home when you are out on errands.

It seems like you must have toys for your baby - but probably not. You've heard that children would just as soon play with the box than what came in it. Measuring spoons are simply rattles. Pots can be stackers. You get it. Stuffed toys end up to be pretty spitty and noxious, and we all know that half of what they have out there on the market comes from countries where they don't care if there is lead in the paint - not their kid. Babies like to reach and grasp but they aren't so interested in the brand name stamped on the object of their intention. You no doubt have what he wants around the house somewhere.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things you can spend money on for your baby. While you are piling up the consumer goods for this pint sized little thing, remember that he's growing up and out even as you bring in something new. If you love garage sales, that's where all your stuff will end up. If you've got to have it, go buy it from parents who've already dropped their dollars and are now reaping back pennies on baby goodies.

Take the money you would have spent on frippery and put it into a college fund, or sock it aside for private pre-school - you know I'm a Montessorian and think that's value added for small children. While you're at it, please resist commercial baby food when you can puree your own for so little and you know what's in it. Above all, try not to cave into commercialism. You child doesn't need life insurance, a set of encyclopedias or a set of designer diddies. He needs you, lots of love, and plenty of brain stimulation so he can grow up to be an intelligent, awesome being.