We tried minimalism with kids. 

Thank you, I'm due August and live in a small flat so due to space won't be getting much. It's good to see what people consider necessary for the first few months. We're you guys a buy all at once or wait until you needed the things to make sure you really needed them?

THANK YOU!!!

​@kmcm1 hello & congrats!! Mom of 2 here (8 y/o & 18 m/o), I'm definitely team buy-as-you-go-and-get-to-know-your-kid-s-needs. To welcome your baby, you just need a place for them to sleep in & a place to keep their clothes, towels, etc. For our older one, we bought her a crib, a 3 drawers dresser to keep her stuff, including diapers and hygiene stuff in the top drawer since the top of the dresser doubled as a changing spot for the first months, just put a changing mat on it and a basket with essentials. We also bought a stroller with a bassinet option before she was a born, it actually was our first baby purchase... and first baby mistake, because she hated the bassinet and preferred being carried, so we bought a baby carrier in a hurry. First baby carrier model we bought wasn't ergonomic for me and had to return it, so better wait until baby is born to see what's the better fit for them. Every baby is different, some love being carried all the time, others love to have some space for themselves from the get go. Research your options before baby is born, so you can refine your preferences while you have time to do so. But wait until baby is out to actually buy it. For now, focus on safe space to sleep and a solution to keep and organise baby's essentials, and a good car seat if you have a car. Hope you have a nice pregnancy and a safe delivery!!

Pregnant first time momma here! This is an incredible list! Thank you! Been decluttering our home in prep for babe, and wondering how we can keep our space from feeling overloaded. All the friends and fam say we “need” everything but I say it’s bogus. Glad I’m (mostly) right, lol! Thanks again!

I gotta say, as a mum of two with very low income when they were small, when you have no money you very quickly realise what is essential. At least 40% of that list is unnecessary. I would also add that the volume of clothes needed changes drastically with your climate. I grew up in hot climate around navies who only ever wore singlets and nappies, my kids were born in cold climate with poorly heated homes. Think the layers in the home, with 1-2 more when you go out into the wind. I think if you want to cut down on excess or reduce spending, either pretend you have a fraction of your current income, or that you are having a child in the 1950s.

Wow, what a beautiful idea! This really made me tear up a bit.

This is literally Violet Evergarden episode 10

Such a beautiful idea and story, thank you for sharing

Love that idea!!

Thanks for sharing this beautiful idea. It was so sweet of them making these letters for you. I would have loved it if my family had done something like that for me, because I love letters.

I don’t have kids but I have a nephew and this video put into perspective a lot of things! It’s cool to learn how other parents approach parenthood.

Me. I have a 🐈 no human kids. But still watching matt's videos is amazing, always

Same... I also watch the unplanned podcast. 2 doggies but no babies 😅

Yep! Always love Matt’s videos and interested to hear his perspective. I love how Matt & Natt are a unit, having these conversations that align with their values and making it work. Great role models.

😂 I am

I was thinking with the list "buy what you need as you go" - so if you're taking baby home in a car, get the carseat. Clothes I think they did fabulous with. Then just see what you need and want from there 😊

Same here! Wasn’t homeless but was 18 and broke. Didn’t need to buy anything but a few clothes and diapers until the baby was a little older

Yeah a LOT they had on their ‘need’ list were more ‘convenience/can't be bothered’ items.

This!!! I'm watching this as my 5 month old sleeps on me (I'm 23) and this video is making me feel like an unintentional extreme minimalist 😂 So much in this is un-needed (bottles, pump, teats, dummies to name a few) just breastfeed bro

agreed. also they say their a minimalist but live in a big house haha. Not a big deal, but still

Congrats on the baby!

Haha will do, Matt 😂 as if I don't already watch your videos multiple times 👀

I was searching for this video.. i watched half video morning and planned to watch remaining later but suddenly disappeared 😂

👍🏻

You got it, boss!

haha I have a terrier clean up service at my house

The roomba Labrador version is actually a life saver

Omg I can't live without the mutt vacuum. Sometimes it works so good it takes things I had meant to eat. 😅

My Beagle vacuum system is broken, only eats potatoes 🤔

How do you start this with the first child that still allows time for sleep and chores?

@@jessicaneal8553 Wake. up an hour before they do to start your day and I always napped with them during the day which gave me a little extra boost to do a bit after they go to sleep as well. Also I stopped expecting so much from myself. We have so much more time in the day then we think we do. It becomes more apparent as we continue to slow down and simplify life in all areas, not just the surface level ones.

@@bonniebranch6083 my kids hear that I'm awake and get up too- I'm glad this works for you, though! Thanks for the tips :)

My 3 older children (9,6,4) are usually up within the first 20 minutes of me waking up too 😅 The excitement of a new day and a moment with mommy is all they need to pop out of bed! But I encourage them to stay in their beds and ease their way awake by reading, journaling, drawing or just sitting there watching the sun rise and the world wake up through their window. They also get their clothes on, make their beds and brush their teeth/wash their face before they come out of their room so I can usually get a whole hour. They all also help with all the household chores, love to cook and bake as well with me so it never feels overwhelming. Hoping you can find your balance 🥰

you sound like an amazing mother

Yes! Have 4 onesies but let them be colorful! Let their toys be colorful! Their brains need color!

Firstly, there's enough bold colours in the natural world. In the past no plastic with unnaturally bright colours existed, so arguing that such colours are necessary for development as most "anti-beige parents" are, is not really truthful. If you look at the items they chose, they didn't pick only one colour for all items. In fact, all items had some colour, perhaps they were muted or matte. Or they had mainly wood with an accent of a bright colour (most lovevery toys are like that). There's still an abundance of freshness and colour with children, but you can still help curate it and keep it calm and not overwhelming for both you and the child. I spent HOURS of my life examining the specific angles and shadows of my laced window sheer curtains, or the hardwood floors, or popcorn church walls. Having less means each item will be more thoroughly examined and more familiar. We had one single teether for a long time, and after we had an influx of multiple new ones, the familiar one remained the favourite. Same applied to plushies. Yes children can easily grow to love lots of items, and that's a part of parenthood, but the reality is there is an abundance of colour in our days even without excess and loudness. The most important for their good development are calm and composed parents as much of the time as possible, and while calm colours help children's nervous systems as well (since loud colours inherently mean danger - think of all the beautiful poisonous and venomous animals and plants) they can help parents achieve this state as well. A regulated parent means a better regulated kid and if less clutter (both in quantity and in visual clutter) helps get there, it's best to strive for it! :) The most dysregulated as a parent I pretty much ever am is when there's too many and too loud things, and items/objects/activities I feel like I have to manage simultaneously seemingly mixed up all together. I'm pretty confident I'm not alone and there are countless of studies showing people's stress has a positive (rising) correlation with the amount of objects within their household - thus management. It also affects women on average worse. Lastly for food of thought I'll add a random fun fact that hasn't yet been studied, I've been a much more calm regulated and joyous and safe driver in a country with only traffic signs and virtually no advertisement billboards that steer your attention away from the road constantly.

In our house, everything is neutral, so all the colorful kids toys are not overwhelming, but charming and happy.

Same. I hate clutter as well but there’s no need to give the baby 5x the same onesie! Most baby clothes are cotton and machine washable - she was solving a problem that didn’t exist. Why not have 5 differently colored onesies…? Children need some color.

I was looking for this comment. 😅

This comment needs more attention! I love it. It’s so true that you can be “minimalist” and still consumer-minded. Babies need love, attention, and good hygiene.

PLS LOUDER

👏👏👏

Thats literally what i was thinking 😅 expensive baby carriers? 5 yards of fabric as a baby wrap

Yep. These trendy minimalists are so pretentious.

Yes! Love the toy rotation!

You're the mvp.

As a mum with 3 adult young men I would have loved to know minimalism when they were young.. I loved this video and will try to instill it in my kids when they have kids of their own. This was a very thoughtful video Matt! And Frankie is sooooo adorable ❤

Oh my goodness, I’ve made fun of that Catchy thing for years 😂 Nat may have just sold me.

I have a catchy - it's called 2 dogs. We have to constantly remind our 20 month old "no dogs here" when eating in public.

I dont have kids, but how do u understand a baby preferences without trying them on? Like swings and stuff.

I totally agree. I never bought things that were considered “necessities” to others. No swaddles, no white noise machines, no baby monitors, etc. Waiting for each development stage, searching for it in forums, talking about it with our paediatrician and other parents and ending up buying things kind of “last minute “ and when absolutely needed. Each baby is so different, :)

Thank you for sharing I love hearing these type of minimalist stories. Shalom and blessings.

i love how you say "living with a bunch of Maximalists". So true. Sometimes i feel the pressure to follow what everyone else is doing, but I try to stay true and remember "things" aren't so important.

Thank you :)

Yes totally love this and agree!

😂 the photos of me *in* the pot with the wooden spoon as a drumstick 😂😂

😁💖

@AtoZenLife you are an inspiration to us all! ❤😄

Agree 100%

Very 👍 true

Solution- books- lots of books and libraries are great because you don’t have to store them. Also going places. Like museums children’s parks etc

Not that our home isn't colorful (cause we like it that way) but I mean don't kids see color all the time because the world is colorful anyway? They're not inside their crib/home all day anyway, so why does the decor and furniture matter that much?!

​@@palestblue the place they spend the most time in is their home. I guess it would look a bit boring if it was all grey... 😕

Legend!

One thing, don’t bother getting a bottle warmer, but get that snot sucking thing (name escapes me now)

And he should do the narration for the audio book version!!

actually, that is only half tue. yes, kids need color, but the environment, nature has more than enough. 100 years ago there was no colorful Lego etc. On the contrary: too much color can produce overstimulation. You might want to keep colors of the bins that hold colorful toys calm ;)

This might be too much information but the recipe was 4 parts almond milk and 1 part low fat mayonnaise.

@@mattdavella hahah nice, thank you. I'm sure this will come in handy!

I don't think it impacts kid's creativity at all. Sticks and rocks are the same color and they seem to get really creative with thoaw. Plus there are lots of colors out in the world that our son doesn't need bright colored cups, bowls and spoons.

Amazing! I actually come from a family of 7 kids!

@@mattdavella Oh wow! what a neat coincidence!

Thank you! :)

@@mattdavella oh you made my day! Even though I am a creator I still get tickled to hear from my favorite creator. I love my fellow RU-vidrs, it never gets old because I know how much effort it takes to comment and do everything else with your channel and being a dad!

We aren't perfect with gifts and we aren't as strict as some others. If someone gives us a hand woven blanket with his name inscribed, we're not going to toss it. But even if you make the "tough" decision 90% of the time, you're going to significantly reduce the amount of clutter in your home.

Thank you! He's my favorite person.

As a 2nd yr psycn student, i was shocked to learn colours are important for their development... so cool

As a nervous system regulation specialist it's important to note that humans evolved in a natural space (think lots of browns, greens and occasional pops of colors in certain seasons) and that bright colors or excess colors are overstimulating for children and can cause an excessively high threshold for visual stimulation.

@@sabrinajoyable hi, that’s a good point! New to me. Do you have any word on other child development professionals claiming otherwise?

Not sure if you read The Bin Chicken book but it honestly deserves a Pulitzer Prize lol.

I think it’s ok. A lot of people typically don’t keep items like that. For example, I didn’t have a thermometer until i had a child because I didn’t get sick much.

nope. i dont own one and never seem to have needed one? i know when I'm sick-- no need to get the actual temperature!

Not weird, o didn’t have one until my son was born

Yeah same! She still refuses to call herself a minimalist because the label doesn't resonate with her. And that honestly makes sense to me- it'd be like her using an American accent... something about it just doesn't feel right. But she has gotten much more intentional over the years with spending, clutter, work and relationships. And in the same way she's rubbed off on me and helped me to let go of my perfectionism, embrace a bit more chaos, and get out into the world more instead of being a hermit :)

thank you for this comment!

Thank you! :)

Working on it! :D

she's always active on Whats'akp

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I loved the video, but I don't understand the "Try being a minimalist with kids" discussion in the first place. After all, you are adding another human being to your household when you have kids. Of course they need some stuff. The 100-200 items they added is probably way less than each of the parents own (including personal things, household stuff and hobby/work equipment). If Matt and Natalie got a flatmate instead, he/she probably would have brought way more stuff into their shared space. And yes, one of the challenges with kids is that they are changing and developing way faster than adults, so you have to bring in new stuff and declutter more frequently. At times it can be hard to stay on top of it, and your house definitely won't be instagram perfect. But you don't have to fit into the minimalist aesthetic to be a minimalist.

Absolutely! Trying to indoctrinate our kids or SO's into minimalism isn't the way to go.

Funny thing is, the less toys we have around, the more playful my kids are! The less clothes we buy for them, the more we can choose the few we do buy so they're all favorites they love to dress in. But throwing their stuff out is not the way to go. Best is bringing less stuff in

Id love that spreadsheet too

catching strays

aaaah someone recognized him too *A*/

@@arnenoori I've been assured he is in fact a nice guy so my sincere apologies to this gentleman.

Looks like they have a Lovevery subscription. They are toys from newborn to age 4 that come in every 3-4 months with devel appropriate toys. You can even mix and match from previous packs to keep things run.

This is exactly what the toy industry what’s you to believe. Kids really just need the outdoors and basic open ended toys like blocks and balls and dolls. They need to use their imagination and real things like dirt and water and grass and outside etc to really learn and grow and thrive. Read the book 1000 hours outside

@@erinmosey3439 totally agree. also kids learn to make their own toys from sticks and rocks and random bits. This teaches way more creative and resourcefulness than toys ever could.

@@luciavasquez1234yes exactly! I remember being outside all the time and pretending to cook with the plants and flowers in the backyard, I would have a pot and spoon from the kitchen and would pick the plants and stir them around lol

Or just going outside ?

I kind of think that might be why the baby enjoys the manual...cause of the colors. I don't think he looks sad though, but it may be worth considering adding some colorful toys.

@@somomm733 colours are essential to babies development

Looks like they have a Lovevery subscription. They are toys from newborn to age 4 that come in every 3-4 months with devel appropriate toys. You can even mix and match from previous packs to keep things run.

@@eyecandiiz That’s so nice! I didn’t knew something like this existed.

rightt, like I get only 6 outfits but atleast let them be ddifferent. I bet the parents have loads of clothes.