What did you find a waste of money?

[BabyMadwithBump]

Just wondered what you find a waste of money and will not be buying this time round!? Could be items that were for the baby or you, before baby (PG) and after!

top wastes of money include:
buying stuff new (except mattress and carseat)
thinking stuff had to be colour coordinated
thinking the baby would care what they were wearing
any 'special baby versions' of stuff you already have perfectly good adult versions of or could get cheaper if they didn't say 'baby'
things you think are revolting (plastic mobiles, vile pastel borders, frilly moses baskets etc) but you think you should buy because It's Done and make you cringe every time you see them. Get nice-looking ones.

Don't bother with a baby bath! Its much more fun and bonding to have your baby bath with you. The only downside to this is you don't get a chance to relax, shave, face pack etc so my dd usually jumps in with her daddy. When she is done I get her out, dress her and feed her and he fills up with hot and has a nice relax himself. If I need to bath her when on my own I just pop her in the sink as its not safe to get in and out the bath holding her myself.

Rocking/feeding chair + stool for night feeds. Baby was in our room for the first 4 months and fed her in our bed...she slept through the night from 9 wks onwards anyway. Luckily the chair was an ex-display model, so only paid £50 for the lot.

Cot mobile, by the time my kids were interested in it they could sit up and it was a hazard
Baby bath
Front carrier as so hard to get on single handedlyad do up straps, huggababy sling you just chuck over your shoulder so much easier.

changing bag. In the end I had a small fold out changing mat that came in a pack that had space for wipes and a spare nappy

steriliser. We did mixed feed for the first month (excl bf after that), but honestly, a pan on the hob would have been just as good. Ditto bottle/food warmer, which we didn't use once.

baby bath - except it did get plenty of use last summer when we'd let 1yo ds splash around in it on the balcony (in the shade, of course).

contraception

dresses - little girls vomit A LOT when you are trying to do up fiddly buttons on their backs.

But the BEST thing was my tummy tub, we LOVE bathtime!

babybath
playnest
changing bag - used one for first child, now just chuck the essentials in my bag or buggy basket.

in fact there is loads of stuff i used for ds1 then for ds2 didnt bother! lol

take along highchair thing that belts onto a dining chair.... why?
tons of sippy cups - most leak/let too much out/don't let any out. get them on a tumbler asap imo.

disposable nappies-just dont go there, quite literally waste a of money!

baby 'outfits' before 6 months - ime, a tiny baby in a proper outfit is difficult to handle, they end up with their top crunched up under heir chins etc from being carried/picked up, unless you get the tops with a vest style bottom and put trousers over the top, a v.good combo.

cant think of any more atm.

oh yeah, outfits. ds was in babygros and dungarees most of the time until he was walking at 14 months. Looks much nicer too - I'm afraid it grates on me to see tiny babies in jeans or little skirts/dresses and tops - and shoes (wtf).

Soup Dragon?

We had a thingummy jig which plugged into the car and was supposed to warm up baby food. In the end I always took a flask of hot water when we were out & about and used to stand the pot of babyfood in a lid of hot water instead, to heat it up. Never used the blooming contraption once! Also we had a cat net for the pram and didn't use that either.

we bought a baby bath which was rarely used, a cot mobile which is never used, a cot bumper which looks great but is coming off as ds likes to try and put his head under it, and clothes for newborns which he wore for about a week before they were too small. Would recommend a well padded playmat which can be washed and tumbled dried!!!

God yes, outfits! This time I'll get quite a few more vests and sleepsuits - that's all DS wore anyway for the first 3 months.

Baby bath, especially the expensive moulded ones.

The glider chair and stool, however, I still use now, and think they're one of our Best Buys. (Mind you, DS didn't sleep through at 9 weeks. Or even 9 months.)

Disposable wipes or even cotton wool - horrible stuff! We've got lovely fleecy wipes now - much nicer.

Breast pads - I had loads of them and never leaked a drop!

Cheap nursing bras. What a bloody waste of money. I could have bought 3 really good ones for the amount of dosh I frittered away at Mothercare or M&S. If you're over a C cup now, get yourself to John Lewis and get a really good bra!

A Baby Bjorn carrier. There are better slings out there!

Parenting books that a) make you doubt your own abilities as a parent or (even worse IMHO) b) make you doubt your baby's progress/development.

Baby bath/shampoo/lotions.

Talcum powder. Never used it - the thought of putting powder on my baby's bits? Bleurgh!

ds1 wore rompers till about 16m ds2 is going the same way.

also, no shoes till they can walk, they cost £30 a pop and wtf are cruising shoes about?! lol
we managed just fine without those!

shoes!!! ds just kicks them off or pulls on the laces/velcro until they come off!! Def won't be buying any more until he can walk and they will be properly fitted!!

top and tail bowl- never actually used, we just wiped him with wet cotton balls and later baby wipes which may be environmentally evil but are very, very convenient.

mothercare 'feeding' pillow- completely flat, floppy and useless. This time I am getting a solid foam 'my breast friend' one, because you need firm support.

mothercare nursing bras- uncomfortable and ugly.

mothercare disposable breast pads. Utterly useless. Get avent washable ones, they are so much better and environmentally friendly.

talc- other people bought this for him, total waste of their money.

The cot mobile, yes of course, every time ds was in that cot I just wanted him to sleep anyway and when he woke up he was always in a starving rage, so it NEVER got played with. Mobiles elsewhere though, like over the changing mat, did.

bumbo - will probably use it again but v overpriced for the amount of use it got

bottle warmer

agree with Soupy on contraception!!

one of the best things we bought was an inflatable breast feeding cushion from boots. Been used for feeding, encouraged ds to lie on his tummy, supported him when learning to sit up, as a toy and as a 'shelf' to put ds toys on!!

Baby bath
outfits, mainly used sleepsuits and only used outfits like dungarees/dresses rather than separate top/bottoms

Steriliser if you've got a dishwasher.
Babybath - if it's your first baby it's easier to get in with it.
Bottlewarmer (I used the microwave and a good shake)
For breastfeeders: a cot that isn't a bedside cot (ie side flips over or under and mattress at same height as yours)

None because most of it apart from car-seat was 2nd hand from SIL!

Glad we hadn't forked out for the pram - was a bloody nightmare to fold up and get in/out of car. Was glad when DS was big enough for a buggy (admittedly we did buy a new one at that point but was the basic Mothercare £30 one).

The condom that split

To contradict some other posters:

bumbos are fab. Sociable portable, good for feeding and ^indestructible* our one's a family heirloom.

bath (superbath) nas been a great buy for dc2 - soI can bathe them together without lo getting scared.

Waste of money:
mobile
toiletries for baby