Things you didn't bother with the second time round

[SausageSimon]

I saw a great thread about this ages back but can't seem to find it.
What did you not bother to buy the second time you had a baby?
And what things were better than you thought?

With DS I found I barely used his baby bath and he soon grew out of his Moses basket so I think I'd look for an alternative for downstairs naps.
I don't think I'd get a high chair again, it took up too much room and he outgrew it so second time round I'd get a mamas and papas seat that you attach to a chair that does the same job but adapts as they get older

I found muslin squares more useful than I thought they'd be!

Didn't bother with Moses second time round, just used the carrycot from pram downstairs
Also love muslins!

Never worked out the point of muslins, what are they even for???

Wouldn't bother with Moses either - baby outgrows it really fast
Also these little 'lay down and look at the dangly things' playmats - packed them away fairly quickly (total waste of money tbh)
Cute outfits. Would rather get lots of sleepsuits as I have now ended up with a lot of clothes that never got worn 🤦🏻‍♀️

Muslins - never too many and would also invest in a sleepyhead and good electric breast pump

Bouncers, useless as both dc hated them. Wish I'd had my poddle pod first time though.

Scratch mitts, not good for baby's sensory experience.

Hats, bibs, cardigans. Dc both always in a sling so didn't need the layers and both chew on it and don't dribble.

Muslins are so useful! Drying baby after nappy change, mopping up sick, towel, warmer changing mat, burp cloth, bib, tissue and makeshift nappy insert when you get behind on the washing.

I still use DS's Muslins and he's 5 I use them as back up tea towels and if he wants a snack in the room that's messy I put it on his lap

Any opinions on changing tables? I never used one for DS but I know I'd need a c section again and I'm thinking a second hand one could be a life saver the first month or two for downstairs changes

Nappy bin

A proper mother and baby bag

Ooh yes nappy bins, never had one but I remember a friend saying how pointless they are!

Changing table was a lifesaver for me, second time around. Never bothered first time and still don’t know why!

I spent a fair bit on a sling but it kills my back and you still have to carry bag too. I use pram 99% of the time

Definitely the nappy bin. I kick myself every time I think about it.

A travel system- I'll have 17 month age gap and instead of looking for a double travel system I'm just going to get a straightforward side-by-side.

Dresses or "outfits". Honestly, baby grows until they're at least six months are a million times easier.

I never bothered with a changing table and I honestly can't remember how I managed to change a nappy in the first week because I remember being in a lot of pain!

Thinking of a sling to help when walking the dog, but think I'll try get a cheap one or second hand as they're more expensive than I thought

I wouldn't bother with a carrier, we bought the ergobaby and I hated it and because DS was such a big heavy baby it hurt my back too much to even use it, I also have a dog and figured it would be better but actually it was harder! Carrying baby / ball thrower / lead and poo bags is hard work, plus picking up dog poo is near on impossible with baby on your front. I used the pram wayy more than I thought I would, my dog walked nicely by the side from the start (surprising!)

Scratch mitts as someone else mentioned - pointless, we never even used the ones 'built in' to sleepsuits, plus it seems mean.

I'd not bother buying jumpers or anything with complicated buttons for newborn, just stick to sleepsuits and cardigans.

Door jumper! this was too hard to get DS into by myself and we never thought to use it when DH was home.

Clothes! DD was dressed most days but DS was in babygros till his first birthday. He was lovely and snuggly and comfy and easy to deal with : )

I never had a changing table. I found a 'changing bag' a bit pointless too, really any big tote bag would do the job just as well.

We had muslins because they both had reflux so we were forever mopping up puke. Then DS liked sleeping with one clutched to his face and couldn't sleep without one till he was close to two.

Expensive pram
Changing bag
Any ‘nursery’ furniture
Expensive baby classes like babysign, babygym etc

I was waaaaay more relaxed and realised the baby stage lasts about a nanosecond and doesn’t need money thrown at it.

I did buy a wrap sling second time around though (didn’t use a sling with DC1), which was very handy with a baby and toddler to manage

Good point Stilton! I never thought about the practicalities of having to try and get down to pick up poo! We tend to walk down the fields so I don't know if the push chair would be ok down there, but I could start walking towards the park instead.

Massive fan of sleepsuits instead of outfits, I like outfits but tended to save them for days out or special occasions. Sleepsuits the rest of the time

I thought I was the only Mumsnetter who wasn’t totally in love with their sling!

I had a wrap one which I loved when dd was tiny, but once she got to about 3 months the weight distribution really started to hurt my back and neck, plus the stretch of the wrap made me feel like she was going to slip out.

I bought a lovely snow suit and only used it once, I used a star wrap otherwise and this was great. Likewise I bought coats in sizes up to 6 months and never used them. It was impossible to get my son in one when he was a new born and we quickly defaulted to hand knitted cardigans which were warm and stretchy (inside the star wrap of course). Didn't get a lot of use out of the MANY hats were given as gifts either.

Also scratch mits, was given some of these and never used them.

Pram shoes are a total waste of time as they fall off, so socks all the way next time.

The baby walker and jumperoo have been cluttering up my house forever and now he is big enough he doesn't like either of them. They are only useful for 5 mins whilst I have a poo! Even then we have a collapsible play pen which is nicer for him with a few toys in (even then he tires after 5 minutes). At least that doubles as a toy storage pit. I think they are both going to have to go on eBay.

I would also ignore the advice to use cotton wool and water to clean a newborn at nappy changes and just buy some water wipes instead. When facing that first meconium poo with a bit of damp cotton wool in hand I realised the mistake I had made in listening to that!

“Didn't get a lot of use out of the MANY hats were given as gifts either.”

Yes! Why do people buy so many hats as gifts!? They never get dirty and the baby only has one head!

I’d love to start a lighthearted thread about crap gifts people were given for their baby, but it would definitely come off as ungrateful.

I would have never managed without my carrier.

@SausageSimon you say you barely used baby bath - what did you use instead? DD is 7 months and I want to get rid of our huge baby bath but don't know what the alternative is.

I wouldn't bother with a carrier, we bought the ergobaby and I hated it and because DS was such a big heavy baby it hurt my back too much
Yes utterlyimaginativeusername that's the one we have too and our baby was 9lbs9oz when born. Tried to get it on and off and get her into it, my bag on my back and walked for about half an hour... then she was hungry, pram so much easier!