Babies may be small, but they sure need a whole lot of stuff. These wise words were shared with me during my first pregnancy (along with the sage advice: always buy baby products in bulk), and like most sayings, namely, "kids grow up in the blink of an eye," I didn't really believe it until I actually had a child. Now I would wholeheartedly agree that yes, babies need a crazy amount of essentials from day one, and yes you should buy them in bulk.

Practically speaking, buying baby essential items in bulk is just smart economical shopping. Forgo the stress of running out of wipes when you know you've got them stored away in your closet. At the end of the day, you know your baby is going to need them, so might as well buy more and save a little money in the process. But don't just take it from me, the U.S. News and World Report has something to say about essential items worth buying bulk. Several of my suggestions are listed in their findings, so hurrah. But remember, when you buy in bulk you will likely be plunking down a bunch of money upfront to pay for the convenience of having those essentials on hand. Make sure you can absorb that cost with the knowledge that you won't have to make any essential item purchases for a while. Happy shopping!