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Original poster

Are most fancy baby equipment items a marketing ploy?

51 replies

maybemaybeno · 19/10/2023 14:20

TTC and overwhelmed with the amount of choice out there. Hundreds of 100-in-one travel systems, about 20 electric/singing and dancing baby swings, wipe warmers, white noise machines, socks to monitor heart rate. I imagine you could spend a fortune!

We only have a small house and though I want all to be perfect I also don’t want to get sucked into the trap of paying over the odds without reason to.

Do you really need much? Somewhere to sleep, somewhere to play, clothes to wear, sterilising equipment if FF and a sling and/a pram and car seat… fair enough, but more than this?

I see all these influencers booking appointments and consultations at high end retail stores which go on to sell them a load of products. MNers and experienced mums weigh in, is it needed? Does it make life easier or no?

OP posts:
TakeMe2Insanity · 19/10/2023 14:26

Enjoy where you are right now! Worry about the choices you need to make when you are there.

Sandpitnotmoshpit · 19/10/2023 14:28

Some things can be really helpful but usually for a short period of time and it depends what sort of baby you get. And it's all lifestyle and location dependent. For example neither of mine screamed during every nappy changes but if you had one who did a wipes warmer might seem like a good idea. I'd get a car seat, buggy and somewhere for baby to sleep and minimal clothes then wait until they arrive. I've bought lots second hand and sold on. If youre desperate for things once baby is here John Lewis and Amazon do basically everything next day delivery

LadyDanburysHat · 19/10/2023 14:28

You will get answers ranging from these items are all completely invaluable, to you don't need anything at all. The reality for most is somewhere in the middle. And it's up to you and your lifestyle.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families
showmethegin · 19/10/2023 14:28

No no and a million times no. The things you mentioned ie car seats etc yes of course. Other than that a stretchy wrap was invaluable in the early days. We do use a white noise machine because our baby was a light sleeper so it stopped us having to creep around. 16 months on we still use it and it acts as a sign to him that it's sleep time.

Probably controversial but I think those monitor type things (owlet etc) profit from parents fear and we never had one. You will check your baby a million times when they are sleeping anyway so you don't need an expensive gadget!

If I was going to spend any money on anything when pregnant it would be a big freezer stash of good quality freezer meals for the early days! And a massive water bottle!

showmethegin · 19/10/2023 14:29

We did buy a rockit though after taking the piss out of them when I was pregnant! It was really good I can't lie 😂

Mama822 · 19/10/2023 14:35

We used a cold water steriliser that my mum used when I was a baby!

the tablets are £1 a box from tesco! It’s just a tub lol. So we didn’t buy anything expensive to sterilise. My sister gave us her fancy bottle formula heating up machine thing that broke and we didn’t miss it! Just made up a couple bottles in advance each time!
we were lucky to get lots of hand me downs.
we were gifted a rock it but our baby hated lol. Also hated the vibrating baby bouncy - unless constipate but seemed to help
loosen the bowels and then he was done with it lol.

my sister also gave me her monitor which also broke lol. But our LO was loud enough when he woke anyway so we didn’t bother to replace it!
I get clothes bundles from Vinted and eBay etc.

Mama822 · 19/10/2023 14:37

also
icklbubba do pretty good deals on tables systems (because buggy and car seat important!)
we got a £500 deal that came with buggy that converts from baby style to toddler, isofix car seat that can clip
into buggy, portable high chair seat (space saver!), the vibrating baby bouncer , changing mats , bag , safety things ….

PenguinRainbows · 19/10/2023 14:39

showmethegin · 19/10/2023 14:29

We did buy a rockit though after taking the piss out of them when I was pregnant! It was really good I can't lie 😂

Rockit is an absolute game changer. Didn’t have one with our first and wish we had - would have made things so much easier!

Definitely get the rechargeable one though.

Sandpitnotmoshpit · 19/10/2023 14:40

See, we've got a rockit and it has made zero difference to either baby staying asleep in the buggy. From about 8 weeks onwards both would only nap in the carrier and wake up after 25 mins on the dot in the pram/whenever you went indoors. It's horses for courses!

CoffeeWithCheese · 19/10/2023 14:49

It's a huge industry and there are lots of "miracle innovations" which are either old stuff re-branded or absolute shite. Buy the basics at a level that you're comfortable with (I'd recommend checking your pram/pushchair/travel system fits in your car boot, that you/DH/grandparents can all fold it up and down, and that it fits through doorways/side alleys and wherever else you need though), put the money aside for things you're dithery about buying and you can pick them up when you need to - and always consider second-hand for bits that you're happy to do that with (things like white noise machines etc?) because for everyone that something worked amazingly for, there'll be someone else whose baby didn't read the marketing blurb and it was flipping useless for and they want shot of.

PinkRoses1245 · 19/10/2023 14:56

TakeMe2Insanity · 19/10/2023 14:26

Enjoy where you are right now! Worry about the choices you need to make when you are there.

This! Focus on today. You don't need to even think about that stuff until hopefully your baby arrives.

fungibletoken · 19/10/2023 14:57

We felt exactly the same as you and kept our pre-baby purchases to essentials along the lines that you've listed. No regrets. As others have said, so much of it depends on what sort of baby you have. With the likes of Amazon Prime and Boots/Argos/supermarket click and collect you'll be able to get something in a matter of days if it turns out to be useful - e.g. if your baby likes white noise played from YouTube then look for a cheap machine. Even amongst our NCT group our babies were all so different in terms of what they got on with and didn't.

All the best for the rest of your pregnancy!

Caspianberg · 19/10/2023 15:20

Most are gimmicks. Some are handy though, but it depends on lifestyle as to how handy.

Ie we bought a car seat on swivel base. Our car has to park in tiny garage and then get baby out of half open door. So a car seat that removes was pointless as I would never be able to get it out at home, but swivel was so much easier getting them in and out. We still swivel it daily with 3 year old.

LolaSmiles · 19/10/2023 15:32

Agree with you CoffeeWithCheese. We bought the basics and didn't buy most of the 'must haves'.

I'm cynical and think a lot of the products advertised as miracle solutions and must haves are largely based on telling parents that they're doing something wrong if their baby wakes up and wants comfort through the day. It's entirely normal for babies to sleep in short bursts, and normal to cluster feed, and normal for them not to get onto whatever schedule the latest expert has decided is in fashion, and normal for them to want comfort. Making parents feel crap, insecure and doubt themselves to flog the latest gadget is crap in my opinion.

MollyMarples · 19/10/2023 15:46

You’ll need a steriliser for other stuff too. Eg dummies, breast pumps, water beakers

catsnore · 19/10/2023 15:57

Yes mostly just expensive nonsense, wait and see what your baby is like and what sort of things you genuinely need. Most things you can buy second hand and it's fine. Except car seats - buy new or only from family/friends who you trust to tell you they haven't been in an accident. You are advised to buy new mattresses for cots/cribs etc too although many people reuse after the first baby.

LeefsPrings · 19/10/2023 16:00

Look at it this way. Your baby is going to sleep just as well (or badly!) in a £200 cot as it will in one costing ten times as much. The most important thing with a buggy is how much it weighs and whether or not you can collapse it and unfold it again one-handed. Designer baby clothes get just as much sick and poo on them as ones from Tesco.

Igloolou · 19/10/2023 16:10

When I was pregnant I made a huge wish list of things I wanted for baby. I had the sense to hold off purchasing most non essentials and decided if I felt I really must have it, I can buy it next day on Amazon when baby is here. Almost all of that stuff remained un-purchased and some of it was just bought second hand at a fraction of the price. Most of this stuff only suits baby for a few months so I’m not glad I didn’t splurge. My baby adored his bouncer and I got to feel so smug every time I remembered i had paid £20 second hand in perfect condition instead of £120 new.
it depends though, if you have bottomless pockets buy whatever you want. Some of ot you’ll find helpful and some of it you’ll hate.

KnittedCardi · 19/10/2023 16:25

I had the benefit (or curse) of being the youngest and last to have babies in my family. Most of our stuff was therefore second hand, quite a bit of it used third, fourth, etc. We are talking sometimes 15 odd years old by the time we got it. We even had a vintage pram, which I actually bloody loved. The babies spent many happy hours being bumped along field edges (it had suspension) or snoozing in the shade.

So, I really didn't get to choose much tbh. Sad in some ways, but easy. Bought a new cot, and linen, and new bottles, but that was about it! Soooo many clothes, I had bags and bags in the roof, ordered by size.

AndrewGarfieldsLaptop · 19/10/2023 16:27

showmethegin · 19/10/2023 14:29

We did buy a rockit though after taking the piss out of them when I was pregnant! It was really good I can't lie 😂

They are bloody excellent aren't they?

WellIdontknowwhattocallmyself · 19/10/2023 16:29

Well they’ll need teething toys and other sensory toys to interact with

skkyelark · 19/10/2023 16:35

A lot depends on your lifestyle and your baby. And secondhand is great (but not for carseats, unless from someone you know well and trust, or mattresses).

For a pram, try them out and think about where and how much you are likely to use it. The town we live in, the one-way system plus parking means it's easier to get to the high street, retail park, GP, nursery, and eventual primary school on foot than by car. We walk a lot, but mostly on pavements with only the odd bit of off-roading. We have a mid-range travel system that we love, but it's not what we'd have bought if we still lived rurally (so lots more farm track walking) or if we lived in a big city and needed to take it on buses a lot.

Ponche · 19/10/2023 18:36

I didn’t go overboard when buying for our first baby but one thing I do recommend is the BabyBjorn bouncer as it’s brilliant (but expensive). Both kids loved it. It folds flat for easy storage, they can bounce themselves and you can buy a nice toy bar for it when they’re a few months old.

Original poster
maybemaybeno · 19/10/2023 18:40

Ponche · 19/10/2023 18:36

I didn’t go overboard when buying for our first baby but one thing I do recommend is the BabyBjorn bouncer as it’s brilliant (but expensive). Both kids loved it. It folds flat for easy storage, they can bounce themselves and you can buy a nice toy bar for it when they’re a few months old.

My sister said this but surely it doesn’t do anything? Whereas an electric one would swing etc

OP posts:
Ponche · 19/10/2023 18:55

maybemaybeno · 19/10/2023 18:40

My sister said this but surely it doesn’t do anything? Whereas an electric one would swing etc

Show quote history

It bounces gently when they’re younger and as they get heavier there’s more of a bounce and it’s just a nice place for them to rest, look around and maybe nap. I got an electric swing for £40 for DD2 out of desperation when she was going through a phase of not being put down all day and wouldn’t go in the BabyBjorn much and I regret it as she didn’t like it and it’s bulky and has barely been used.

Soon after she liked the BabyBjorn bouncer so the electric swing just felt redundant. I also didn’t like how she sat in the swing and had to keep adjusting her head, whereas the BabyBjorn one felt more supportive as the fabric moulded to her body and you can just slide the baby in rather than having to fiddle with straps.