What baby items could you have done without?

Question

What did you buy thinkin you reallly needed.. and it turned out you didnt use it much or it wasnt really necessary?
thanks!

Answer 1

Good question! ;)

Bouncy seat - I know many infants love them, but the all three of our girls absolutely hated it. The swing was a much bigger hit. ;)

Front carrier - I've tried three different brands, with a wide range in price, and every single one hurts my shoulders and back. Loved the sling I got for my last daughter, however, so I'm looking forward to using that again this time.

Extra bottles and pacifiers - good to have on hand if you plan to pump at all, but my youngest refused any sort of artificial nipple (bottles, nuks, etc.) and went straight to a cup once she did start drinking anything other than breastmilk. Quite a few brand new babas and pacis went completely unused with her. Obviously I'm not stocking up this time around. ;)

SMALL burp clothes - those narrow, barely bigger than an infant washclothe sort that are good for nothing more than a touch of baby drool. Forget actual burping, and especially not for spit-up! LOL I purchased a few larger, thicker ones last time around (a bit more expensive, but they actually work) and supplemented with receiving blankets (which were too small to use as actual blankets for my nearly-11-pound newborn, anyway).

Sleep positioner - I had two for our oldest, and she wriggled right out of them anyway. Now they're often cautioned against as useless, at best, and potential suffocation hazards as well, so it's a bit funny you still see them in the stores, baby registry suggestions and such.

Wipes warmer - we had one once. Sure, it kept the wipes warm, but it also dried them out and even scalded the bottom few, so they were unusable. LOL If you're really worried baby won't like the chill of the wipe, rub it between your hands for a second before the first swipe. ;)

Pack n' Play - this was GREAT when we lived in a small apartment, since it gave our daughter a safe little playplace and doubled as a bassinet and changing table, but we rarely used it with our third. We have plenty of room for toys, the house is obviously kid-friendly (after three girls and a fourth on the way LOL), we have a fully-stocked changing table in the nursery and an informal "changing station" (diapers, wipes and a waterproof pad) we use right on the living room floor. Far less a strain on our backs, and no chance of baby rolling off (not that you WOULD walk away to grab something, of course! But you know what I mean LOL). Last time around, we set the play-yard up and it basically ended up being a catch-all for baby toys. So while it's still very useful at Gramma's house (we have one at both sets of grandparents' homes), not really something you absolutely NEED for your own home.

Newborn onesies, socks and certain other "essentials" - they outgrow these so quickly, and the next size up fits just as well ... only you get more use out of it by buying the larger size.

Bottle sterilizer or even a bottle brush - the dishwasher does a better job of cleaning AND sterilizing. No need to scrub, boil, etc.

Special baby detergent - most assume this is "recommended" for infant clothing, but that's really only because it tends not to be harshly scented or full of dyes and other unnatural ingredients that can irritate baby's delicate skin. Two of my girls have eczema, and All Free and Clear or Tide Pure Essentials worked just as well, didn't irritate them, got all those baby stains out far better AND cost less, so I felt good being able to use the same detergent for everyone's clothing.

Baby powder - the ol' diaper-changing assumption is so cliche, and the use of powder is actually discouraged now (baby can inhale the small particles). Definitely not something you need to have on hand.

Infant tub! - I can't believe I forgot to mention this right away. Our oldest hated it. Screamed the entire time and I'm certain WE got far cleaner -- and wetter -- than she ever did. LOL From then on out, we've bathed baby in the regular tub, safely seated on Mommy's lap (propped up against Mom's knees to create a bit of a seat). Bathtimes are more fun, even bonding experiences, and definitely more productive (since you come out with a happy, clean baby rather than a crying, frightened, still-dirty one).We've since read that many pediatricians are now recommending this very method to new parents, and shunning the stereotypical baby baths. Needless to say, we've never used the old blue plastic job again. :)

And while it isn't exactly a certain baby item that wasn't "needed," we did stock up on Newborn and Size 1 diapers with our youngest ... who again, was nearly 11 pounds at birth and NEVER wore a single Newborn diaper. LOL She was in Size 2 at a few weeks old as well, so we had quite a few packages to exchange for larger sizes (which, luckily, is rarely a hassle ... though still an unnecessary trip after just giving birth LOL). I'll stick to a package -- or two at most -- this time around, just so we have some on hand for those first few days.

Answer 2

I got so many gifts that I didn't have to buy anything other than clothing and diapers. The gifts I never used:

Take-Along swing - he always sat up in it, which made it stop swinging.
Bouncer - we did use this, but he didn't bounce and hated the vibrations and music. A simple infants' chair would have been much cheaper and easier to use.
Icrib - He likes the colored lights, but they make him want to play instead of sleep.
Bottles and liners - he's breastfed, and refused to take a bottle.
Pacifiers and pacifier-keepers - Again, he refused them from the start.
Bath duck - they seem very inaccurate. Poor DS would be in the bath *shivering* and the duck would insist it was too hot for him!
Duck bath - as it is with most inflatable items, it sprung a leak right away. By the time he outgrew his infant bath, he could sit in the tub itself anyway.

I do feel bad for never using these gifts...but there was no point, and they were often counter-productive. Then again, a lot of these are just because of my son's preferences, so they'd likely work out a lot better for someone else.

Answer 3

I'll use my cousin's example since they have the most recent baby.

Swing - baby was injured in it the 3rd time they used it. Found out at Emergency room that this is common. Please note: NEVER leave a baby unattended for even 30 seconds while in a swing.

Sterilizer - Doc told them they didn't need to sterilize anything if they stuck it in dishwasher. Just soap and hot water was good enough. Donated it to rural women's group, unused.

Infant shoes - total waste and pain to put on. Bought cute infant socks instead.

Stocking up on diapers: It makes more sense to just put the money in the jar. She went through 3 different brands in the first 3 months due to sensitivity or fit problems. Couldn't return these large opened bags from Sams Club. Wait until you find the RIGHT diaper and then buy the big bags.

Thing she couldn't do without: Wipe warmer. Worked so well she bought a second (multilevel home).

Answer 4

Sleepers that have hands that fold over, so that their hands aren't free and they can't scratch their face. Dr. Brown's bottles. I also got a bassinet/play yard/changing table. It was graco and about 100 dollars. I am going to visit my mother in law and it fold up so you can take it with you on the plane(check it I mean). I also got breathable bumper pads. My 7 weeks old scoots all over the crib and he always end up in the back of the crib agianst the rails. Hooded bath towels, booties that will stay on maybe with velcro on them. I also got a swing it was about 99 dollars and he will stay in that thing all day. I also love sleepers with zippers down the front.Its so much faster to change the baby. If your going to formula feed I just bought a dr browns forumla mixing pitcher so that I can put 5 oz in the bottle instead of the 4 or 6 when you use the scoops. if your going to breastfeed you gotta get a boppy. I also loved the Lanisol breastpads and get a bra thats soft for breastfeeding. I got one at motherhood that had underwire and was lined and it was just to hard to get the thing to roll down and feed. Also get some baby wash thats all in one. Its to hard to use shampoo and body wash seperatly.

Answer 5

A boppy. A carrier car seat (i made a sling and wondered why the hell i was carrying the car seat all that time... shew!) a play pen, I have yet to use it and my son is 10 months old, it just holds toys. A bassenett, he wouldnt sleep in it at all. ummm.... yeah, there was a lot of stuff. A baby swing. A high chair, he eats at the coffee table, always has... lol. A diaper bag, I never took it with me, just a diaper and a box of wipes.

The things I couldnt live without were

A sling
A bouncy seat for him to sit in from birth up.
My kolcraft contours stroller- all others are from hell.
Our Caravan minican.

Those are literally the only things I have ever REALLY needed. And honestly all I ever used. Everything else was just... redundant.

Answer 6

I didn't buy them but people bought for us that I never used was...

-baby swing
-wipe warmer ( i use cloth diapers and cloth wipes anyway)
-diaper genie, those things are junk even when i did used to use disposable diapers
-bottles/pacifiers (because i exclusively breastfeed)
-car seat toys and mirrors - those are actually quite dangerous

that's all i can really think of offhand.

Things I can't live without:

Sling
.......yep that's it lol, if the only baby item i had (besides clothing of course) was a sling then I would be set.

Answer 7

I have no use for a lot of stuff that's considered a must-have.

We didn't buy a crib but some friends gave us theirs, and it's still unassembled. Hooray for co-sleeping!

And UPS lost our stroller, and that turned out to be a blessing. Hooray for babywearing!

We use cloth wipes, so just grab those for burp cloths, which seems to make receiving blankets useless. (I'm not sure what else people use them for besides burp cloths...) We were given a baby bath, too, which has never been used; she bathes in the tub with me or in the shower with Dad.

I find the standard zinc paste diaper cream pretty useless, too. It did NOTHING for the one rash that showed up while travelling.

Answer 8

The Diaper Genie. These really do not work after your baby starts eating solids.

Answer 9

#1 item that hasn't been used yet.. Change table, I pretty much change her wherever. Also the bottle sterilizer.

Answer 10

bottle sterilizer my daughter is breastfed and will not take a bottle for anything! and the boppy some swear by it....i rather hold her that thing was so uncomfy