Karsyn Bass has more than 100 pair of shoes, 500 outfits and at least 80 hats.

And she's still in diapers.

Parents Angela and Eric Bass of Sioux Falls are the first to admit they're besotted over their baby. After all, it took three years for Angela to get pregnant, and Karsyn is their first child.

"We've gone completely over the top," says Angela Bass, 27, referring to all the baby stuff they have accumulated.

They had two parameters when buying. "If it was pink or advertised in a parents magazine, we had to have it."

Figuring out what babies need and don't need when you're preparing for your first child requires negotiatingg a confusing mish-mash of infant articles and baby ads infused with a subliminal layer of guilt touting the latest, greatest baby widget. Being prepared for the birth of a baby is good. Being guilted into buying another version of the same something you already own is obsession.

And it comes at a time when you're vulnerable. "They get us when we're hormonal, and we're suckered in," Bass says and laughs.

What's a parent to do?

Experienced moms say: Ask other parents what they like.

And then borrow.

"A lot of times, you don't need to buy" baby gear, says Kara Weber, mother of a 2-year-old girl and a 3-month-old boy.

"You can try out things without buying them, and then you can know what you like and don't like." When the lender wants it back, it's a good thing — you don't have to store it.

If you decide to buy, keep in mind that most of the baby stuff you purchase your kid won't use for more than a year. And that includes clothing.

Avoid buying lots of clothes for babies in sizes 0-3 months. "You never know how big your child will be or how fast they'll grow," says Weber of Sioux Falls.

Both moms recommend not buying a wipe warmer or Diaper Genie.

"I had a lot of people tell me you've got to get a wipe warmer, but I never got one. I don't see the point. I don't think my kids ever missed it," Weber says.

The wipe warmer "was something you have to plug in. It just didn't seem like something I wanted in my baby's room."

Getting rid of diapers hasn't really changed much in 25 years. But many new parents are enticed by the single-wrap disposal system.

"The Diaper Genie is loud and doesn't help with the smell," Weber says. "It's a pain to use. You can't do it while holding your child; it would wake your baby up if they're drowsy still."

Car plug-in bottle warmers are a waste, too, Bass says. "Ninety percent of the time, it didn't warm the milk; the other 10 percent it would have melted my daughter."

Small-ticket items can be just as intriguing.

"I stocked up on pacifiers the first time," Weber says. "They're so cool. You think you're going to need them. You don't realize your kid might not take one."

Don't go shopping for blankets, either.

"You usually get a lot. My sister got 18 through shower gifts. And you can't return them because a lot are homemade," Weber says.

Stifle the urge to buy baby shoes, says Bass, who has 27 pairs of baby Nikes. "Where is she really walking to when she's a month old? Besides, they're harder than heck to get on fat little baby feet."

And they just kick them off again.

Skip the baby robes, too. They're only good for pictures. Why make her hang out in a robe, Bass says.

Skip the $300 breast pump. If you're staying home, you don't need it, moms say. And a $30 hand pump is more efficient, Weber says.

Baby stuff is so darn cute, and consumerism is an American way of life, making it sometimes difficult to draw the line.

The most important part of parenthood is providing love, support and security, says Janel Schmidt, therapist at Southeastern Behavioral Health Care.

"Parents are responsible for providing boundaries and teaching morals. In the long run, the stuff doesn't matter."

There also is a dark side to the stuff problem.

Children who have been overindulged can show the same types of personality traits as abused or neglected kids, Schmidt says.

"Abused and neglected kids feel they're wronged and they're owed something to make up for it. In a weird way, indulged children show similar behaviors."

Abused kids didn't have rules and rebel when they have to follow them, while overindulged kids may feel they don't have to follow the rules at all. They both exhibit entitlement behavior, Schmidt says.

"The material stuff doesn't matter. The love is what matters," Schmidt says.

Bass encourages other parents not to give in to the marketing. She's planning to recycle most of the baby stuff with her future children.

And after the baby stage is over, "I'm going to have one heck of a rummage sale."

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