This was a great article i saw in the Articles section by Kelly, and I'd love to hear other mums' lists of the things they bought but didn't end up using/needing when baby came..
cos you know what it's like as a new parent-to-be walking into a baby store... dismay at how many things that seem no necessary, but so expensive! =)
A change table, never used it with DD#1 other than to store stuff & didnt & havent used one at all with #2.
A monitor, was offered monitors with both, but never saw the point, as you will definately hear your baby crying. Never used one with either.
A feeding chair, I feed Indah on the couch in the loungeroom...
- About 3/4 of the clothes I bought her before she was born LOL
- Expensive baby bedding sets...I'm in Brisbane and DD was a November baby. All she could have on the bed was a bottom sheet because it was too hot! The quilts in those sets are a SIDS risk until they're much older so didn't use that and WHY is there a pillow case????
- Bumbo seat. Totally useless, she could flip herself out of it at six months despite the manufacturer claiming she wouldn't be able to.
1/ too many 'going out' outfits....when your baby is needing many changes in a day, you really need a lot of practicle, comfortable clothing that doesn't need ironing!
2/ Booties - socks stay on better and are more practicle.
3/ a baby bath - we bathed our last child in the sink as a newborn (a good hight, and they're small enough), and now she loves to kick around in the big bath (we just have a non-slip mat on the bottom, and have the water very shallow, and keep a constant eye on her, of course)...she LOVES to splash the water everywhere, it must be one of her favourite times of the day!
1/ Baby bath as Kaitlyn was using our bath by 4 weeks
2/ Baby monitor ....unless you have a big house and you plan on spending lots of time at the end of your yard away from the house you will hear you little one crying out for you.
3/...thats it actually
One thing that I REALLY used and only got when Kaitlyn was two months and could have had from earlier on was a bouncer for her to lay in ..really helped if I needed to do something and she was up. She still sits in it if I am DESPERATE and need to have a shower...she is getting WAY to big for it but if I need to keep her in one place it works hehe. I also got a change table with the compartments below and that was good as I keep all her "spew rags" , nappies and other bits and pieces under there for easy access!.
1) Yeap a baby bath. Waste of money!The sink/big bath option is easiest I think anyway
2) A change table/mat - just use the bed (if they are too young to roll off) or floor
3) One of those nappy bins (forgotten the name, but they seal the nappies like a big sausage), although I did use this a fair bit in the early days, and when #2 arrives I might use it again in the new house when we will be downstairs mostly during the day.
To be honest, i think its a personal things... Some things i love others hate and vice versa.. unfortunatly the only sure fire way to find out is to spend the $$ and see if you use it or not...
I have a change table, use it at every change and love it.. it puts him at just the right height so it doesn't hurt my back, and i can have everything there when i need it..
I use our baby monitor a lot also.. I take it into the bathroom with me when i'm having a shower so i can relax knowing he's not screaming.. And now we are moving to double story i'm def. going to use it so i don't have to go upstiars to check on him
Baby bath - i didn't really use this.. you can make do.. but as i got mine for $15 off ebay (it sits over your kitchen sink so its a bit better than the normal ones), i didn't really care if i on;y used it for a few weeks..
Bedding sets are a bit of a waste.. I just bought a couple of packets of fitted sheets, and he just has a bunny rug over the top of him.. We got given a few, but I wouldn't buy them myself personally
Baby bath shampoo etc. also i think is a bit of a waste, and terrible for their skin..As i have eczma myself, my dermatologist just told me to use QV body wash on him...
If i think of anything else that is a waste, i'll try to remember to post it here..
FYI (totally OT) But don't get rid of your baby baths! They are great for toddler water play. Get an ice cream tub fill it with water and freeze wallah you have iceburgs for dinosaurs Stick it in with a wee bit of water and some plasitc dinosaurs and hours of fun for the kids... or even sand play... alll totally supervised of course!
We use our monitor stacks too. Our computer is outside and there's no way I could hear Gab if she woke up while I was surfing BB if we didn't have our monitor.
Those that haven't used their monitors for #1, keep it for #2 JIC. While the new baby is sleeping, you might want to take the older one outside so it might come in handy?? Otherwise you could probably sell it on ebay or something?? LOL
Ok... useless things for me:
#1 - the change table. I did use it quite a bit when Gab was a newborn but now I don't use it at all. So yeah, I could take it or leave it. It definitely wasn't a necessity.
#2 - size 00 dresses. Gab was crawling so she didn't wear half of the beautiful little dresses she had! It's only now, when she's walking, that she can wear dresses and she's grown out of the size 00!
#3 - baby powder. I got given so much and I haven't used it on Gabby once because it's actually bad for their skin.
I agree with Fletch... don't spend a fortune on a bouncer. Just a nice, simple one will suffice. I was given one so I didn't have to worry about that. Also, don't spend a stack on a high chair. So long as it is safe and does all the things it needs to, you don't have to have all the fandangled bits and pieces. It's harder to clean if it has more crevices!! LOL
I would more inclined to spend money on a good car seat (if it's second-hand, make sure you know the history... has it been in an accident before?) and a pram because they do a lot of mileage!
Hi - I'm regretting buying the leap frog circle thing babies sit and play with the toys around it. I like Alex being on the floor more seeing as he's a bit of a lump, rather than plonked in something. These sell well on ebay though.
Buying too many clothes ahead of time - at the end of last winter I bought a lot of things for winter this year and now I just don't like them or I'm sick of looking at them hanging up.
And we never used our monitor - I used to keep it under my pillow and turn it on and off all night to listen for Cait even though she was just a wall away. Sold it on ebay recently for $35 ! most happy.
I love the high chair though - it's a sturdy number that reclines and goes up and down and has a fixed bar between the legs. Definitely no Britney Spears job this one ! It's also done the rounds of friends in the years between Cait and Alex using it. One downside - bigger/fancier chair = more parts to clean and crevices for food to get into ! Have seen them on ebay for up to $100 second hand.
I only bought a cheap bouncer and I loved it, I agree that the flashy ones can be a waste of money, I used mine when he was younger when I had a shower he loved to watch the water and fall asleep in it in the bathroom (aww it makes you realise how much they've grown)
Um baby bath too was something im glad I bought, IL's dont have a bath in their house (2 bathrooms and not one bath :s) so it came in handy there and he uses it now to play like cailin mentioned... I think a cheap one can come in handy, I bought mine brand new for around $20 so not a great deal of money...
Top 3 things I wish I hadnt bought
1/ Snappy Nappy or whatever they are called, Ive never used it! I did use cloth nappies for a while and could never work the thing out
2/ The hideous amounts of clothing! I have so many outfits with the tags still on them! I know i might use them one day but I have a serious shopping addiction I think!
3/ Formula - this is just my little waste of money, I bought 3 tins prior to having jay and I never used them and the grossest (sp?) part is that I mentioned this to jays godfather one day and he was like "i love the stuff" and ate a tin of it DRY !! ewwww i gave them to him, what a weird thing huh? lol
Id always wanted to buy a baby monitor and never got around to it, which Im glad because I dont think it would have got any use either. But I can understand them being useful for other people.
I love my baby bath and monitor!! I learnt from DD1 that I don't need most things. Don't use a change table for one. WHat the other things I've learnt not to get is alot of toys, we have a few that she plays with, will just wait for b'days and christmas to get toys from rellies. I also keep some in cupboard so I can pull them out when she's bored with others (she really does not have alot at all, compared to my other friends with kids). Also we dont' have many clothes. Pretty much every single day she just wears her bonds wondersuits! Easy to buy new clothes, I just go to woollies!!
I really have very little for her. I got a cheap pram (great because I will downgrade to stroller soon that's even smaller, and won't feel I've wasted any money on a pram). We have a rocker for her which has been great and I just bought a highchair (the cheapest but it does the job)!!
So My top 3 I don't use would be:
1. change table
2. clothes
3. toys
(Im not a mean mum, we do have toys, but I don't believe they need too much. Im also happy to make things like bottle's filled with rice)! xoox
1 - Too many fiddly going out outfits - I love to just dress her in wondersuits as they are so easy.
2 - Talc and other lotions etc - don't really need any of these yet, only using a couple of things like top to toe bath and nappy rash cream.
3 - Nappy bin - I got this as a gift but have only used it a couple of times. I find the disposal bags a lot easier and they just go in the normal bin.
Top 3 things you didn't need for baby
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Stick it in with a wee bit of water and some plasitc dinosaurs and hours of fun for the kids... or even sand play... alll totally supervised of course!
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