Before our son was born, I remember falling in love with a Bloom Fresco high chair I saw in the window of a baby store. I imagined it in a picture-perfect mid-century modern kitchen and informed my husband that if we ever had a kid, we had to buy that chair. Fast-forward almost four years and we did have a child, we did get the high chair, and it did look impossibly sleek. But it didn?t take long before food found its way into every nook and cranny and I felt like I needed a chisel to clean it out every night.  And despite being designed to use through school age, our son refused to sit in it just after turning two. After recently selling it for less than a quarter of its original price, I had to ask myself if the chair was worth the $750 we shelled out for it. Like some of the other big-ticket baby items we purchased, I wish we had saved instead of splurged. Of course, when you?re a new parent, you aren?t sure where to invest your money. That?s why I spoke with seasoned parents and experts about where they wished they?d saved or splurged on baby gear, to help new parents save themselves some money and disappointment.
High chair: Save

Like me, most parents agreed that it?s not worth dropping a lot of cash on something that gets covered in food and ultimately doesn?t get used for very long. ?I bought a $300 Italian-made high chair, and even though it’s being enjoyed by a third child, a $25 Ikea one would have done the trick, both stylistically and functionally,? says...