To ask when you stopped using baby stuff

[suzu1982]

I know this should probably go somewhere else, but putting it here for the traffic.
DS is 2 in a couple of days (new years eve) and we still use his high chair for all his meals and baby monitor at night.
When are we meant to stop using this stuff? DS is our only child, so we've not had any experience of when to change things.
I'm only just weaning him off his dummy, so I don't want to throw too many changes at once.

DCs are 16, 15 and 9 and I still think I would use the breathing monitor if I could get away with it. DS1 has asthma and had a bad chest the other night and I went in to check on him, I thought how much easier it would be if I still had the monitor.

DD is 2.4 months and has refused high chair, booster seat, bib, pushchair for some months already. Shame as life was so much easier with all of the above.

She figured out how to climb out of the crib around 18 months so has been in toddler bed since then and is much happier. Still use travel cot when we go away and still have stair gates.

We still use the baby monitor as the way our house is built you can't hear even if she was screaming

Still using monitor at almost 4. Big house so wouldn't necessarily hear her otherwise, plus it's a sensor one so works as an excellent 'out of bed' alarm so she can't get out and cause havoc without me knowing!

We use the highchair when we all eat at the kitchen breakfast bar and for her to do painting etc, otherwise she sits at the table with us to eat.

For as long as you feel comfortable. High chairs are great for confining runaway toddlers! Provided you are not doing things that restrict his ability to learn and explore, then do as you like.

Although we stopped using a high chair and switched to a bed fairly early, I would absolutely agree with "if it ain't broke don't fix it". In our case, the change was led by DD, who is really tall and sleeps like a starfish, so was waking herself up with limbs entangled in bars of the cot! Wish she'd stayed in a bit longer but she's slept much better since she's been in a bed

Lol my house is obviously smaller than many MNetters

Mine is three. We still use baby monitor and high chair and only very recently took the side off the cot bed. The latter has been a disaster for her sleep. What's the rush?!

He wakes you up in the night if he needs the toilet at age 7, cam??!!

2.10
High chair- got rid when he was about 18m as liked sitting at the big table on a cushion!
Baby monitor- still use because we can't hear him downstairs. I stopped taking it upstairs about 2.6. He rarely wakes and I think that's because I don't rush in unless he cries loud enough for us to hear! If he's just having a moan in the night he settles back off. Also useful if older DC are poorly in their beds so they can shout me if needed!

Pushchair- rarely use it but useful for longer walks when we don't have the car and have shopping so can't carry him if he needs it.
Cot- got rid when we re decorated his room at 2.5. Sleeps way better now! Went straight to a single bed we had stored from older DC, just bought new mattress. He's never got out of it yet!
Stair gates- got rid at bottom of stairs at age 2 as never bothered to go up them without us. Moved it to his bedroom in case he escapes in the night and goes to the stairs or older DC rooms. Although he never has.
Dummy- still in use for night times.
Nappies- only for night time and night get rid of that soon as he's mostly dry in the mornings.

About 18 months with everything.

Dd is nearly 3.

We still use buggy a lot as she loves it and it's quick.

She sits at the table now though had booster seat until about 2.6.

In cot until 2.11. Actually didn't outgrow it and loved it but we needed her to move.

Still use monitor and probably will for a long time because our bedroom is on a different floor.

First was in a bed at 10m as I caught him with his leg over the top, second was 16m (mainly because 3rd baby was on her way) and third was nearly 2. We have had a booster around for them all from around 1 year just so they could eat with us. Youngest two still have them now at 3 and 4.

We had a baby bath but we mainly used it for the kids when our bathroom was being fitted (4yr old in bath in kitchen! haha) we used the kitchen sink (was a good excuse to do the dishes and clean the sink!)

I still have the baby monitor upstairs but it is mainly there for the daytime when they are playing upstairs (3,4 and 8) and I can hear their arguments!!

Still using monitor on DD1 who is 4, she's upstairs and we wouldn't hear her. Also useful as an intercom if she is playing up there (it has talkback).

DD2 ditched the high chair at 18 mo, she's in a booster and at 21 months is desperate to use her sister's Ikea junior chair (but she falls off it occasionally so persisting with the booster)

We took the sides off DD1's cot at 3 when she asked. DD2 still in cot at 21months, no hurry to put her in a bed, it's big and she is short so hoping she won't be able to climb out for a while.

Buggy - DD1 still in it sometimes at 4 but she has mobility issues and gets tired very easily. DD2 starting to refuse it already at 21mo, loves the buggyboard though so we end up with them the "wrong way round" quite often.

Nappies - DD1 day trained about 2.5 (too early, didn't really get it till 2.8). Still in night nappies at 4, no hurry to train as she's a bad sleeper and don't want to give her a reason to wake iyswim.

Stairgates could probably go now at 21mo, but will be on for a while just in case, as we have long flights of stairs and a very hard floor at the bottom.

General theme is that DD2 wants to be like her big sister so is refusing all baby accoutrements very early

DS is 4 and still has his monitor as I can't hear him when we're downstairs.

Cot sides off at nearly 3 - he never climbed or complained so I didn't fix what wasn't broken. He's in a full single mid sleeper now and loves it.

High chair only went about 6m ago at 3.5 - let him decide. For a while he sat on a chair and the HC was in the garage then he decided he wanted it back again until 6m ago when it went completely.

Errrr

Non spill cups went a while ago in the daytime though he does still take one to bed with water in. Would probs be ok with a cup now but I'm not fussed and neither is he.

Dummy - no idea. DS refused one despite the fact it would have helped with his bloody awful reflux as a baby!!

Gave up bottle himself at 15m - his only comfort and I was expecting to be offering him beer in it at 18!!

I've always tried to follow his cues really. Go with the flow and they'll tell you what they're ready for.

My son's are 6 and 4 and we still use monitors for both! Stopped using them for our 6yo when he was about 3, until very recently when he said "mum, I was shouting you in the night and you carried on sleeping and didn't come!"
Felt terrible, we just hadn't heard him! So a new set bought...
Our younger son is not a good sleeper, so it's still useful. (He's still using a booster at the table, but going to give it away in next week).
Monitors make me feel reassured, and everyone's happy so I would say just keep using whatever you want for however long, as long as you're all happy xx

Baby monitor stopped being used about 6 minutes after we first plugged it in.

High chair got handed on after 18 months.

Never had baby bath.

Steriliser got handed on at 6 months.

Pushchair sold on at 20 months.

And that was all the baby paraphinalia we had.

DD was 3 in October. She's still in her cot with sides. Still
Occasionally uses a potty. And she still rear faces in the car and will do until she's 4. We use the video monitor (but don't really need it as she's more than capable of yelling when she needs something). We'll probably stop it if she ever wants the sides off her cot (she's not keen on the idea).

All the other baby stuff is pretty much gone. Proper chair since about 2.5. No more pull ups for going out (last few weeks). No milk at bedtime for about six months.

Oh - we still have her pram but maybe use it once a month if we're out in a big city where there's lots of walking or out late at night g3eg bonfire night)

Still use a buggy with the 3 and a half year old. Not always, just on things like days out at the end when dc is tired and whiny and on the school/nursery run

The school/nursery run involves a 40 min bus ride and then a trip on a train. Faffing small children just don't feature in my plans so it's a case of sit down and hold on tight. And if it's a school day I can guarantee dc will fall asleep on the bus. I have a disability that means I am physically unable to carry dc any real distance so buggy it is.

My oldest was out of a highchair just after he was 1, we used the baby monitor for years. My twins are 17 months and we stopped using their highchairs about 2 months ago, I just have a little Ikea kids table and chair set now and they use that fine, even my oldest will sit at it and he's 6

And we still use our video monitor and plan to do so until it breaks basically!

Still use a rear facing carseat with straps and will carry on using it for a long time. It'll be a cold day in hell before dc has a booster seat in the car.

Dd is 4 and still use baby monitor as our house is big and I want to hear if she cries when we are downstairs. We have recently got rid of the video camera but only because it broke!!!

Depends what stuff you use.

Baby monitor- never used one.
Dummy ditto.
Stair gates - never bought them.
Pram, didn't have one
Cot didn't use one.
Buggy ditto.
No steriliser
No bottles
No muslins.

So not a lot to get rid of.

With most 'baby' things there are no right or wrong answers, just keep using them as long as they remain useful. Exception are things like bottles and over-use of dummies which are bad for oral development if used too much/long.

DS has cotbed sides on at 2.5 - he's a good sleeper and shows no interest in climbing out so definitely 'ain't broke don't fix it'. Buggy used for nursery run (would take forever on foot) and shopping trips (prevent bolting). High chair (against table) still in use, but he sometimes sits on chair instead. Haven't used monitor at home for yonks, never had fixed stairgates. No sign of readiness for potty training yet. Used open cup for water but milk in a sippy cup to prevent spillage.