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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask what baby items did you reuse.?

50 replies

WheresAllTheGoodInTheWorld · 20/05/2019 21:51

So v early days into pregnancy and have a 14m old.
Weve kept loads of her stuff. Except the baby bath as too bulky to store and she bathed with us as she hated the bath. Bouncer again she hated it and was bulky.

We kept 99 percent of her clothes. Swaddle wrap things, crib bedding (not the crib or mattress as was second hand with new mattress and looked tired)

We still use her pushchair but is immaculate and have the crib bit for it.

We kept things like the wraps etc and I've said even if a boy. The pink patterned ones won't hurt as spares or even just to use. Dp is against this and says I'm being tight. They were only used for a few weeks. Same for sleeping bags barely used. And no one except us sees tjem

All vests were white as we're the NB sleep suits. But also if a girl have majority of her clothes. Lots still tagged.

Brought the mam bottles so they don't need a steriliser. Had loads of unused tests and some used (wasn't sure to keep or not)

Have still got the hooded towels that again she was too long for withing 2 months.

Obvs if a girl it would be a doddle. If a boy thinking of selling the pink stuff and usgung cash to purchase other stuff.

Its not that we can't afford to buy all new. But we went ott with dd, despite knowing lots wouldn't get used and wasted so much money that could of gone to better things.

And this time I'll learn the first month or so will be sleep suits mainly as I stupidly got loads of outfits before that were a faff to put on or by time they fit the weather changed.

OP posts:

Piglet89 · 20/05/2019 22:45

I’m expecting my first in August, all being well well, and have just bought a wee sleepsuits, vests and Muslins, plus hats and socks bundle (0-6months) for £25 from Gumtree. Really no need to buy new and they grow so quickly!

User12879923378 · 20/05/2019 22:46

If you get a changing table, it can be used as a splendid printer table once you realise that it's far easier and safer to just change the baby on the floor...

SmarmyMrMime · 20/05/2019 23:15

Two DSs, so virtually everything unless I needed a duplicate as their stages overlapped such as a booster seat at the table. I bought fairly neutral, especially for the big things because I was pretty sure we wanted a sibling. A lot of it would have been fine had DS2 been a girl, things like dungarees could have been feminised with vests etc.

DSHathawayGivesMeFannyGallops · 21/05/2019 00:25

Other way round to you but I'm an only Dd and DM was the Queen of second hand and hates most pink & all frilly things for babies. I have slightly older male twin cousins, so had loads of gender neutral or boys clothes until I was maybe 3 and was more interested in dresses of my own volition and put up a fight towards anything trousery (still do, tbh). I've seen the photos & allowing for 80s/90s taste and a couple of pics after my rather severe 1st haircut, I just look like a normal baby, looking a little more obviously feminine as I edge towards toddlerhood. It's done me no harm, I promise!

Kokeshi123 · 21/05/2019 01:31

I think virtually everything can be reused, except mattresses and maybe bottle teats, as these get a bit beaten up.

drspouse · 21/05/2019 01:41

Everything, except teats, and we went for a crib rather than a Moses basket with DD.
I only bought clothes for DS that I'd be happy putting a girl in (but I don't like slogan/camo/superhero stuff anyway. DD is now nearly 5 and gets superhero birthday invitations from boys in her class that actually scare her. And me).
A few things we thought "not using that again, it was rubbish!" and I sold, and bought back, a sling!
They are 2.5 years apart and we managed with sling and buggy and then buggy and buggy board (though the latter was hard to do).

Caterina99 · 21/05/2019 03:16

Mine are 2.3 years apart. DS and then DD. Reused everything we could - why wouldn’t you? A lot of our newborn baby clothes were gender neutral anyway, and we got lots of gifts of girls clothes. Sleeping bags, bedding, buggy, highchair, coats, wellies, toys are all used again. Our nursery is painted yellow so we moved DD in there and gave DS his own room and a new bed. She does have blue nursery furniture, but I wasn’t changing it! DD has the cot and the mattress as I figured DS would still be sleeping on it if she hadn’t arrived so no need to get a new one.

I do think it’s sad, but it’s definitely more socially acceptable for girls to wear boys clothes, so DD does wear her brother’s old clothes. I usually just mix and match a “boy” shirt with pink leggings or the other way round. It’s handy to have extra pairs of joggers for her for toilet training etc as we have no one to give us hand me downs so I had to buy all my DS clothes, even the spare ones he kept at nursery and in the car. Also things like my mum bought her a new coat (pink of course as it’s my mum) but she has DS old one as a spare which is useful

Thatsnotmyotter · 21/05/2019 03:37

We don’t know if we plan to have another one and if we do, there will likely be a reasonable age gap so we’re planning to sell quite a lot of stuff (good quality clothes that were barely worn, jumperoo, baby gym, bumbo etc) and just keep a few favourite bits and bobs. Pretty much everything we’ve had for him has been (immaculate) secondhand anyway so we’ve not spent much. The only thing I’ll definitely hang onto is our cloth nappies as they’re quite a big investment and it took a while to build up the stash.

Oysterbabe · 21/05/2019 04:33

We had a girl then a boy. 2 year gap. We resused everything. I don't buy a lot of pink flowery stuff anyway but we got some as gifts. He's worn the odd pink baby grow. He's in a pink sleeping bag while I feed him right now.

ThanksItHasPockets · 21/05/2019 06:04

I have a five year ages gap but we reused pretty much everything - a lot went to my niece and then came back again for DC2.

Don’t expect to make much if you sell, however.

ThriftyMcThrifty · 21/05/2019 06:09

I bought new muslins as mine had turned into cleaning cloths. That was basically it.

BikeRunSki · 21/05/2019 06:23

Everything except bottles and cot mattress. The cot mattress had gone mouldy in storage.

Yura · 21/05/2019 06:27

We reuse everything that fits. but then i hate pink, so we don’t have anything in pink

HoustonBess · 21/05/2019 06:32

First baby gets lots of new stuff and inexperienced parents.

Subsequent babies get used stuff and parents who know ever they're doing.

Happyspud · 21/05/2019 06:34

Everything. My ds even wanders around with pink dummies.

WishIwas19again · 21/05/2019 06:40

Bought new mattress for moses basket and cot and bought new bottles and teat (felt weird about reusing the bottles I'd kept but gave away for free on local Facebook so some people don't mind) Everything else reused. 3 year age gap, Dd then DS

Ithinkmycatisevil · 21/05/2019 06:56

I reused pretty much everything that was still serviceable. Seems a waste to buy new when you have perfectly good stuff sitting there waiting to be used.

Original poster

WheresAllTheGoodInTheWorld · 21/05/2019 09:40

Thank you. I posted then fell asleep lol

Majority of her clothes were dresses and skirts. So wouldn't use for a boy. A fair amount of the sleep suits are neutral as we wernt originally finding out her sex. But then did.
Agree with everything else.
Thank you.

OP posts:

Original poster

WheresAllTheGoodInTheWorld · 21/05/2019 09:42

Would definitely buy new mattresses for crib an cot any way. To be fair have to get new crib and her cot is a cot bed so she'll be using a while still.

OP posts:

Cuppycakes · 21/05/2019 10:08

Not reused anything but kept the travel system, steriliser, nursery set, all neutral clothing plenty of bibs, towels for when the time comes 😊

MightyDonut · 21/05/2019 10:10

I kept and reused all the equipment and bedding. I think the only thing i got rid of was the clothes.

YetIWill · 21/05/2019 10:23

I deliberately bought neutral stuff first time round so the stuff could be reused (I know there's nothing to say "girl" stuff can't be used for boys etc, but I figured it would save discussion if it was all non-pink and non-blue).

Reused everything, apart from the cot mattress (DS was still using it when DD came along!) and some bottle teats (both mainly breastfed so didn't have many anyway).

Also replaced things like teething rings if they couldn't be sterilised.

I had boy-then-girl and a friend had girl-then-boy at the same time, so we swapped a few outfits.

We still buy things like bikes etc in plain colours (ie not Paw Patrol etc) so they can be passed down without complaints. I think it just makes sense financially and environmentally; also shows the kids that secondhand stuff is absolutely fine, as is handing stuff down, and it's not good to buy new all the time.

DulcieRay · 21/05/2019 10:42

DDs stuff (DC1) didn't get reused much. A combination of lots of very ostentatiously girly bits and things not being stored well. I went more gender neutral afterwards but that was helped by having boys. Family and friends really loved buying dresses and dolls for my DD. Me included

soontobefour4 · 21/05/2019 11:00

Reusing everything except mattresses

DulcieRay · 21/05/2019 11:15

Oh I replaced mattress, bottles and dummies too. Due to safety and hygiene.

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