When Less Than Best is Good Enough

One of the biggest stressors I have experienced in becoming a parent started in just the early days of pregnancy and has continued from that point. It is the tug-of-war of getting the best of the best for our daughter and the just good enough. When should we just focus on her basic needs, and when should we go the distance to secure the highest quality? It encompasses every category - toys, food, clothes, gear, activities, and so on. I have my rational side of me that says kids around the globe are highly successful without the highly priced items and my nurturing side that wants to give my kid every advantage to succeed in life, and if that means spending money - I should.

It is truly an exhausting process deciding what your child truly needs. I look back on some of my purchases and think, maybe I should have saved the money on that thing. This thinking then fills any future purchases with doubt. When I buy something, I usually think something along the lines of I hope there isn't a better version out there.

Don't get me wrong, I am all about finding deals on the things we buy for our daughter. Very few of our purchases have been at full price. I research in advance and keep my eyes open for a deal on what I know I will be needing. We haven't spent an exorbitant amount of money on her, and everything we have gotten has been mindful of the use of any future kid(s).

I'm lucky in that we are able to give her a lot of the things that are fundamentally good for her. I can breastfeed without difficulty, and I have the time to easily make her food from fresh produce. I get to stay at home and interact with her, and we have the ability to go out whenever and do outside activities. 

I just really want to stop worrying about the best choices. I want to curb the need to buy things to "enrich" her life. I would rather give her an experience-rich life than a life full of expensive items.