Things you only buy as a first time mum [title edited by MNHQ at OPs request]

[GreenSlide]

I give you...the bump sheet mask

@Doublechins

Not for the baby but for me, disposable knickers. What an itchy uncomfortable waste of time they were.

Next 3 times I just bought huge comfy knickers, much better!

Hah yes I bought these and couldn't squeeze into them

@Mummy195

This thread so reminds of old times.

I had a thingy around the bump to listen to the baby heartbeat. Could not tell if my heat or baby's, so sold it off on eBay.

Had a baby scale, despite pfb seeing health visitor either at home or clinic for a weigh in every second week.

Did not know how to use BabyGro clock, so sold that too.

Had an air clarifier and humidifier too.

The Boots staff knew who I was cause I took about 100 pics of pfb daily and used to go develop them and they would comment about how grown pfb was and I was so flattered. I try to hide some now, as other DC have asked why there are so many pics of dc1.

At some point I would ask DH to walk in front of us down stairs, incase I fell and he would then cushion the baby's fall !

Can't believe how quickly that all went out the window by the time DC2 was born.

This has really made me laugh I have a huge old fashioned photo album of DS1s first 4 years. Must remember to give DC2 a look in!

I was given some kind of bottle sterilising unit, after I had to stop breast feeding, but never used it, as used to just chuck the bottles and teats in the washing up bowl to wash out.

@GreenSlide

Oh speaking of top and tail bowls, with my first I had a whole changing table set up. Realised quickly it's much easier and safer to just do it on the floor! And the whole thing went unused even though it did have a top and tail bowl attached

We were given a changing table and it's been amazing, but I have back problems so I try to minimise how much I have to bend down with DD (particularly first thing in the morning when my back tends to be stiff).

I think we've mostly avoided the useless stuff, though we were given a second Moses basket and thought we'd use it for daytime naps. DD will not sleep in it, even though she's quite good at going in her nighttime basket.

I had earbuds in a baby first essentials gift. I still am unsure what I should have done with them
I used them to get fluff out from between my baby's toes 🤣 hardly essential though

@RuggeryBuggery

Bumbo! Pretty useless imo and only used for a very short space of time. Bit of a fad - are they even still a thing?!

They were in 2017 when my daughter was a baby. I got one free on marketplace and used it about 3 times before my daughter's legs got to chunky to fit it. And then she learned to sit up days later anyway.

Other pointless items:

• baby bath (we had a bath seat instead, so much easier
• snot sucker device which just made my kids wail more and didn't actually help at all

@RuggeryBuggery

Bumbo! Pretty useless imo and only used for a very short space of time. Bit of a fad - are they even still a thing?!

I’ve remembered ours isn’t the original bumbo seat though. We have the Mamas and Papas equivalent which doesn’t have the issue with the leg holes. It also has an insert so it can be used for longer.

-For us the top and tail bowl (it's been repurposed as an emergency sick bowl and been used for that many more times!)
-a changing bag - a large bag with a few pockets/compartments is basically the same but half the price

• the all singing travel system.the 2nd hand tandem pushchair we got off ebay was loads better!

DS is 5 and we still use Ewan And the electronic thermometer has been useful this past year as his speech therapist gets us all to take our temperature before she comes to the house.

For me, the baby hairbrush. DS was practically bald for years...

@Greenslide - your comment about the photos made me laugh. I have hundreds of proper (i.e. not on camera) baby photos of DC1 and literally none of DC3.

It's like she doesn't exist, poor girl.

With my PFB I bought a special baby sponge, with special soft rounded edges, because I honestly believed that a normal bath sponge might hurt his delicate skin. A fucking sponge.

Nappy bucket. The vile things stink when you empty them and it's easier just to put the nappy in a bag in the bin.

For us the Moses basket was never once slept in.

I actually would have tried that bump mask with DS2 - I had the angriest, itchiest stretch marks ever, even the midwife looked horrified by them. I would have tried anything by the end

@WellJuhnelle

Ewan the fucking dream sheep. Promised so much, delivered so little.

In the end we just accepted that I have children who don’t need sleep for the first three years of their lives but I hate that sheep for all the false hope it gave me

Oh god. His smug little face gives me The Rage.

Muslin squares £16.99 from mothercare
HV insisted I had to have them in in my overnight bag
Still haven't got a clue what I was supposed to do with them 🧐
There still in the original wrapping

£250 blender for weaning. Again as required by HV, she showed me the one I had to get, in the Argos book 😡

£25 sipper cup. Again a necessary item according to HV.Hadn't got a clue what this was, so brought on that literally said "sipper cup" on it, hence the price. I then found out it's just a cup, with a lid, to avoid spills. Yeh well fir £25 I'd I've been happy to clean the spills up!! 😡

@Svrider

Muslin squares £16.99 from mothercare HV insisted I had to have them in in my overnight bag Still haven't got a clue what I was supposed to do with them 🧐 There still in the original wrapping

£250 blender for weaning. Again as required by HV, she showed me the one I had to get, in the Argos book 😡

£25 sipper cup. Again a necessary item according to HV.Hadn't got a clue what this was, so brought on that literally said "sipper cup" on it, hence the price. I then found out it's just a cup, with a lid, to avoid spills. Yeh well fir £25 I'd I've been happy to clean the spills up!! 😡

Your HV must have shares in Mothercare!

I don't think I'll get a baby bath this time round. Much easier to dip them in the kitchen sink

Green slide

Yeah, I'd learnt a lot by DC 2 and 3!

DC 3 is practically feral!

Thanks for reminding me of the door bouncer. DD sat in hers about twice, both times just just looking at as if to say "what the f* is this?". Must remember not to waste money on one for DC2....

Wet wipe warmer. It was given to us as a gift & we gave it away a few years after still in the box never used. I just used to sick the wipes in my massive cleavage to take the chill off. Best thing I got when I had my 1st was a tumble dryer from my brother, life saver.

I think the bump sheet mask actually sounds really nice! I’m pregnant with my third and my bump always gets so tight and itchy and sore. A nice cool, moisturising sheet mask sounds really soothing!

I used a lot of muslin squares with DD for wiping up baby sick! She seemed quite sicky. (I still had way too many though!)I can't remember using them with DS though.

oh and feeling obliged to get the baby towels (some with a hood) from boots. I'm sure a normal towel would have been fine.
Even the baby monitors were not all that neccessary because when a baby starts crying you can pretty well hear it anyway! (and they didn't seem to work outside if we were in the garden)