What did you buy when you were pregnant/had a tiny baby that you just did NOT need? And that you couldn't do without?

[hunkermunker]

My recently-pregnant-for-the-first-time friend has asked me what she needs to buy and it occurs to me that it's very personal.

And, as with all very personal things, it's probably best to ask MN about it

I really loved my ring sling, eventually, but when I bought it, I thought it was a vast waste of money as I couldn't work out how to get DS2 into it - once he sat up it was much easier. But my wrap sling, I didn't use nearly as much.

I can't really remember much else - bit of a sleep-deprived haze. I seem to recall numerous muslins, but they were v useful...for me, though not everyone will use them, I guess!

Tommy tippee nappy wrapper. Expensive, and never could work out how to use the thing. And a baby bjorn strap on carrier thing, ds was too heavy for me to carry about.

Muslin cloths. Couldn't get enough of them. They never seemed as soft after a wash so i continually asked people to buy me them as gifts .

Those, and my babyden. Used that for 3 years.

Oh and that bouncy seat thing. Loved that. And the mat thing for the floor with the monkeys and giraffes hanging off the sticky up bits, and it played classical music which I thought would be delightful but in fact was horrendous.

Hope any of this makes sense.

cheap bouncy seat.
cheap telescope folding buggy
happy days

Ah, it does make sense - thank you!

What about pushchairs - expensive travel system or cheaper umbrella fold one? Gingerwig, did you have both?

Useful:
Millions of bibs. (Used rather than muslins, here, so I guess it's personal choice)Something with hanging toys for baby to lie under and bang.

Useless:
baby bath (only used for a week or two, should have just borrowed one!).

changing mat.

Also, think about where things will be when choosing colour schemes...your bouncy chair should match your living room, not your nursery.

do you seriously colour coordinate your baby equipment with your house angelberry?

Well, not especially, I'm just saying, with my first I was insisting all the baby stuff matched, without considering the fact that it's not all in the same room. So if you are bothered, it's worth remembering!

Did not need a cot, dummies, childproofing.

Used the sling, carseat, buggy a lot.

Bought/got and didn't use:

baby massage kit (wtf?!)
big-kid-style clothes eg hoodies and jeans for a tiny baby

Loved:
bouncy chair (un-colour-coordinated!)
baby carrier of Evil Intent ie Baby Bjorn

(Hi Hunker!)

No I did not have an expensive travel system at all. a second hand folding very basic folding pushchair which could recline a bit and had a hood , with a space for shopping underneath.

later bought telescopic type pushchair for £20 if I recall.
Inherited very unfancy car seats too

did NO childproofing.
No baby monitor - loathe them still

Tell her to check if the pushchair handles extend or not! Her OH might be much taller than her.
We bought our first pushchair cos we liked the colour. Oops.
We are onto our 9th now and it has extending handles and a not-bad basket (techno xt)

Most useless purchase was the cot as I ended up co-sleeping. Think I can count on both hands how many times DS slept in it. I had a cold sometime in his first year and put him in it so he wouldn't get ill. That was the last time.

Most usefull preparation buys were nappies and baby wipes.

Most useful gift at birth was a baby bouncer and a Babasling.

I Also bought a couple of pretty, plush newborn baby rattles (like a yellow giraffe with a rattle attached to it) that DS never bothered with. They looked so pretty when I was PG.

Waste of money - top & tail bowl (use baby wipes or stick 'em in the bath).

Couldn't live without - muslins (particularly if you have a dribbler).

pretty much anything which wasn't obvious was useless. People have had babies for quite a long time without needing lots of props but the manufacturers would have us think otherwise.

Would like to add the object I almost bought and was so glad I didn't buy- a wooden cot top changer.

Mamas and papas 3in1 pram saw me through 3 children. Plus maclaren umbrella pushchair for later.

Gates saved my sanity by letting me have an oasis of relative peace in the kitchen while children locked out.

Cheap change mat on the floor instead of an expensive change table.

No baby bath. Just wash baby in the big bath.

I loved the wooden cot-top changing table!
Also, I refused to buy a baby monitor. Then remembered that I lived on the second floor of a big house (flat was at top) and could safely leave the baby sleeping there instead of taking him out of the pushchair and up two big flights of stairs...Also meant we could put him to bed and drink wine in the garden. It was SUCH a no-brainer...

Usefuls:

Ear thermometer
Nappies
Wipes
Twinkle toe shoes
bouncy chair
Toddler bed side to make co-sleeping easier (my bed wouldn't fit against the wall because of fireplace)
ringsling and babybjorn carrier

Useless

Bottles
Sterilser
Changing bag nice birthday present! Just what I always wanted!

Best buy - Door bouncer. It enabled us to eat many meals in relative peace and both at the same time rather than doing the eat-quick-then-swap dinner routine.

Could have done without ridiculously expensive Bumbo. £30 for 3wks use before DS grew out of it. And is it me or is there no way a cloth nappy can fit in it?

Oh, this is wonderful stuff - thank you! I am remembering more inappropriate purchases of mine - I seem to recall thinking I needed a top and tail bowl desperately, for instance. I also bought one of those baby changing boxes which we never used for baby change stuff (we had a tray which we slid under the cot on the changing mat) - but it is ACE for Lego now they are older as it separates it and keeps it neat

(UnePrune, HELLO! I miss you, was thinking of you just this morning, in fact - I will email you [fond] )

I am probably the only one who used my top and tail bowl a lot. Then again, I like to change dcs' nappies in the living room, not the bathroom.

Oh, I did use it. But I don't know why it didn't occur to me that I already had, um, bowls. Of all dishwasher-safe descriptions

I loved my sling - got one from Freecycle thinking "oooh that might be useful" and used it everyday for about 6 months.

A friend gave me a Thermos thing for warming up baby food when out. Said it was the most useful thing she had when her DS was a baby. Never used it.