Blogging Baby Size Six: Baby products I thought I needed but didn't

Diaper Genie (II): I guess I'm the only one who loves this!? Diaper Genie II is WAY better than the original. Mine never stinks, we empty it once or twice a week, & you have to give your self a little extra to tie the bag with before cutting it off!

Changing table: We use a buffet we already had, with a changing pad on top (in baby's room, not the dining room)!

Wipe warmer: At first I wanted this, because our son cried during changes the 1st couple weeks, but we soon figured out it wasn't because the wipes were cold - it was because he wanted to eat first, then be changed. After we started changing him after the feedings, he rarely ever cried again.

Bassinet: We never got one. We were loaned a moses basket with a foam pad that worked perfectly. We have the crib in our bedroom & just put the basket inside the crib until he grew out of it. It allowed our son to get used to the crib, but feel secure in the meantime.

Diaper bag: I have one that's a backpack, which is nice to keep hands free. But, it's a little big, so I also use a small, see-through, zip up plastic tote for short trips. (I got this free with a perfume purchase)

Bumbo chair: This was nice briefly, but expensive considering it was only good for maybe a month (after he could hold his head up well, but before he could squirm out of it).

Baby monitor: If you live in an apartment, like me, you don't need it.

Baby shoes: So far, at 6 months, haven't been able to keep them on.

Bottle warmer: We used this a couple times, but warm running water in a bowl is faster & easier.

Breast pump: This will depend on how often you need to pump, but if it's just a few times/wk - the cheap, Avent manual pump is good. (it's easier to use w/out the let-down cushion, & don't give up after just a try or 2 - pumping is an artform!)

Must-Haves:

Multiple pacifiers, with one permanently attached to carseat and/or stroller.

Bouncer seats - We have 2 & use them all the time - our son loves bouncing!! One with a canopy is great to use outside if you don't have shade. One with music & vibration usually calms him down when fussy.

Our son loves the Baby Einstein musical, crib attached, turtle. It has lights, moving fish, & wave sounds (wish these lasted longer). It plays music for 12 minutes & puts him to sleep almost every time.

----------------------------------------------------

I was just about to purchase a high chair...now I think we'll try the booster instead. Thanks!

Reply

I totally agree with the things on your list that overlap with my own. If I had just known how easily I could transport the babe in my (voluminous) assortment of baby carriers (from my slings to my wraps...still using the Patapum at 20 mos!). However, I will give this little piece of advice to breastfeeding mommies, especially those that travel a lot (thus having to lift their shirt next to complete strangers in a space that is too small for sitting, much less breastfeeding): Boob brand nursing shirts. They are pricey but totally worth the money!!

Reply

Lets see....
I totally agree on the high chair. When we first wanted to use it, Morgan was so tiny that her face didn't come above the tray! We still use it now (pushed up to the table) but its soooo hard to clean that its way more trouble than its worth.
We got Morgan a baby swing that she HATED with a passion so that was a waste for us but I know people who swear by them so I guess it just depends on the baby.
We received a jogging stroller as a gift which went unused because I hate running.
I'd say our baby monitor was unnecessary. Its probably useful in a large or noisy house, but ours was neither. And the monitor was super-sensitive. Every time the baby squirmed it sounded like the walls were caving in. Every coo or sigh came through as a blood-curdling scream. And the thing picked up jet noise (we live near a military air base) about 5 seconds before we could hear it with our naked ears.
The other thing that I wish I had waited to buy was a diaper bag. We found one that we thought looked both stylish and functional before the baby was born. It turned out to be totally wrong for our needs. To new moms I would recomend just using a tote bag or backpack for the first few weeks and then shopping for a diaper bag when you have a better idea of how you will use it.

Reply

I love nursing shirts. They allow me to feed anywhere and everywhere. You just need to find the style of opening that works best for you.

I didn't need wipes warmers, diaper stackers, swaddling-only type blankets, toilet locks or a changing table.

Reply

We didn't get a whole lot of things when our daughter was placed with us, primarily because it all happened so fast. Having said that, the most useless thing we ever got - because everybody told us we must have it - was the Diaper Genie. Absolutely useless, worthless crap. We used it for about two weeks before giving up and using a plain old diaper pail.

Reply

What a great idea for a post! I don't have any words of wisdom to share myself as I'm pregnant with our first, but did I mention this is a great post? (Especially for those of us who have yet to "live and learn" this stuff).

My goal is to only collect the "essential" baby stuff (which will take up mucho space as it is), though I know I'm doomed to buy at least 4 things I'll probably never use.

Keep the tips coming, guys!

Reply

For us, it was 0 - 3 months clothes. Paul was just over 10lbs and almost 23" long when he was born. He was in the NICU for 20ish days, and for most of that time we weren't allowed to dress him in his own clothes. A lot of these were pull overs, instead of snap up the front shirts. When we were allowed to dress him, we could only use things that snapped or zipped up the front.

Our other big ones were all the terry bibs and nursing tank tops. My son wasn't content to just spit up a little. It always caused the people who saw him to do it to ask if he was trying out for the Exorcist. I think I would have been better of donning a nursing garbage bag instead of those cute little tank tops I ordered before he was born.

We also had the big, bulky travel system with the infant car seat. We got another base for my husband's car. Between my son being so tall, stuck in a carbed until he was 2.5 months old,and ordered not to go out for non essential trips, we never really used it and he outgrew it around 4 months. I'm letting one of my best friends borrow it so she doesn't have to make the same mistake.

I also have a lighter stroller that's in between one of the bulky ones and an umbrella stroller. We used it for our road trip, and it hasn't really been used much since I got one of the REI baby backpack carriers and an umbrella stroller. If I had it to do over again, I'd just get the umbrella stroller, backpack carrier, and convertible carseat. We would have saved quite a bit.

Reply

I would have to agree w/ a fellow poster - the most worthless thing we've purchased was the diaper genie. Nice idea and all, but it's horrible. We rec'd one as a gift, thinking it was great, we used it. 9 months later we're still using it because we can't give it away (no one wants it) and we still have a ton of refills. The thing I hate most about it is that you can't tie a knot in the bag directly from the top when you cut it - diapers just spill out of the bottom when you open it. And - what's w/ all the little shreds of plastic from the shred-job when you try to cut it to disgard? I'm afraid my little one will choke on all the plastic shreds it produces.

Reply

In our case, the crib turned out to be totally unnecessary. My son napped in it maybe twice, and my daughter's precious head never touched it. They slept in the cosleeper until they were big enough to hold their own in our bed. DH and I aren't necessarily AP ideologues, but man, it's just so much easier.

Reply

I loved the wipes warmer. Mine was a simple little cloth thing that plugged in and wrapped around either round or rectangular shaped containers. We lived in an older drafty home when my daughter was a baby. Taking a warm baby and applying a cold wipe at 2 am isn't recommended.

Hated the diaper genie. Takes forever to figure out how to refill the dang thing, if you got the right size - and it still stinks like a diaper pail.

Both my kids hated baby swings and the large cumbersome stroller is fine for home (parked in the garage!) but an umbrella stroller is the only way to go for trips in the car.

Reply

I use most of my stuff...the baby bathtub, changing table, wipe warmer, high chair. I think the booster seat is a great substitute because of the size and trouble, though. The swing was not worth it, unfortunately! One thing I would really recommend is a dresser that the top is the changing table. It is taller and doesn't require additional space in the room. I love mine and used it for my last two babies.

Reply

Definitely the wipes warmer. We used it for about two weeks. It was more trouble than it's worth. He also hated the swing, but we borrowed it and didn't have to purchase one. My large Graco stroller has been great (he's 8 months now), but now I want an umbrella stroller and will be putting the Graco in the basement until the next baby. Wouldn't say it wasn't worth it, but I use the jogger for walks around the neighborhood and think an umbrella stroller will suffice for malls and other outings.

Reply

Diaper Genie. After one week, in which my husband emptied it EVERY SINGLE DAY, it stank. All. The. Time. We tried everything--bleach washes, scented liners, emptying twice a day. Finally, we threw it away and opted for a trash can with a secure lid. In the garage.

Reply

Got a hand-me-down changing table and never used it except for more shelf space. It was easier to change my daughter on the bed with a waterproof matress pad under her because it gave us more room to work with.

Reply

Ditto on the baby bathtub, corner protectors & nursing shirts. The other things that weren't worth it were a metal stand for said baby bathtub, a basinet (hand-made by my MIL) that took up a lot of space but he outgrew in six weeks, and a special foam pillow thingy you can use to make sure your newborn sleeps on their side.

Reply

I was thankfully warned about the genie. A pregnant friend won't listen to me, so she'll learn. Now with two, nothing short of a nuclear bomb would prevent that stench.

Diaper bag. What a RACKET. My knapsack from College works JUST DANDY. And it cost me 50.00 10 years ago.

Diaper shirts. Too many buttons for baby sitting grandparents. AND they're ugly.

Knitted sweaters. I knit, so it pains me to say it. I would NEVER dress either child in them-they were either pretty, or looked like safety hazards.

Snugli: NOT meant for fat girls. Stick with the slings

Any clothes that button up the back. Come on. Who is the moron that makes those?

I love my strollers though, despite the fact that my Evenflo one had it's wheels fall off mid walk, and took 4 months to be replaced AND barely fits into anywhere...

I could go on for days. The stuff you get suckered into with the first...

Reply

I meant "bassinet"...whoops!

Reply

Woo hoo! Now we're talking! Stefania, let me add the baby bathtub and high chair to my list, too. Since my daughter is on the small side, the kitchen sink worked for a long time. And I didn't have to kill my back. Ah, those were the days! The booster seat is the best. We spent $15 on it and it's still being used. The best thing is the tray is small enough to easily fit in the sink or dishwasher. One thing I didn't get suckered into was the diaper bag. I've used a small green and black drawstring backpack for two years now. It's perfect and the hubby isn't embarassed about carrying it around.

Reply

What's a diaper shirt?

It's so much easier to list the things you do need from day 1:

Diapers and wipes
Clothes
Blankets
Car seat

Everything else can be adapted from something else or obtained when and if you need it. This includes cribs, strollers, high chairs, toys, diaper disposal systems, parenting books, swings, exersaucers, bouncers, bottles and binkies, wipes warmers, baby food mills, diaper bags, play pens, Boppy, rocking chair, nursery decor, diaper rash cream and just about anything else.

Obviously a lot of this depends on your personal parenting choices. I found that 99.9% of the items I was given or bought I ended up not using. I just cringe when I think about how much money I could have saved myself and my friends and family.

Reply

One other thing for me: the nursing bra. I wore them for the first two weeks then switched to just wearing a sports bra. I didn't get the same support (and maybe this will come back to bit me in the arse one day, who knows?), but I found it so much easier esp. when nursing in public. I didn't have to undo snaps and buttons or whatever. I could just lift my shirt and bra together and feed the child. He nursed for six months and the sports bra worked great for me.

Reply