Useless baby-related equipment

[Umberta]

This is a light-hearted thread... just want to ask for examples of things you don't recommend that parents buy!

My DH and I are slightly worried that in trying to be prepared, we will fill the house with useless junk before our baby is born, and then never use it haha. So I'm consulting the collective wisdom of MN

Eg an ex colleague received a "baby wipe warmer machine" as a gift and hardly ever used it, turns out cold wet wipes are fine 😂

Scratch mits as baby will probably live in baby grows and they have built in mittens

How useful something is just depends on what you choose to prioritize when you’re sleep deprived and running around after a newborn. My baby lost a lot of weight from birth (and even now is only regaining it slowly) so I didn’t use any of the dummies bought as gifts — instead, the second baby rooted I put him on my breast.

I also followed hospital / NHS guidance and didn’t buy bottles or formula in advance and it really helped me to stick to breastfeeding past the awful 1 week mark. It was at the point where I needed to express due to the weight gain issues that I bought bottles.

In terms of breastfeeding gadgets I wish I didn’t buy a manual breast pump and just got the breastmilk collector and electric pump. I also wish I didn’t jump the gun and buy nipple shields - Lanisoh nipple cream worked far better for me when I had sore nipples because I have short wide nipples and the shields didn’t fit properly. I found the breastfeeding covers useless too because the baby didn’t actually fit under them (combination of too tall and my breasts hanging too low).

For me a changing table was a lifesaver as I had forceps and so couldn’t sit easily. But I found nappy cream a bit pointless because I change baby immediately after poos, and every 3-4 hours regardless of whether he dirties his nappy, and so he doesn’t get a rash.

One thing I did right was with nappies - if you play your cards right and get lots of bounty packs / emmas diary packs, then you don’t need to buy a single newborn stage nappy (which are a waste of money because they will likely grow out of them before you finish a pack). Both sets of packs contain full size newborn nappy packs if you get them from Asda / Tesco.

As others have said, depends massively on you. Many feel that a changing table and nappy bin are unnecessary - I loved having both! Meanwhile I was given a bottle warmer as a present from someone who had found it a lifesaver - I never used mine as breastfed and when baby got given a bottle he didn't mind the milk room temp.

Best to buy just the basics and then see what you might appreciate... online shopping and next day delivery!

Nappy bin
Changing unit
Nipple pads
Baby carrier
Muslin squares
Baby shoes
Newborn outfits
A million different Lamaze toys
Bottle warmer
Travel cot

I found a medium sized bun with a tight fitting lid very useful in place of a proper nappy bin. More eco too.

Not buys:
Newborn clothes (unless you have small babies in your family, mine were all 8lb +)
Changing tables (2 mats, one for upstairs and 1 down is useful tho)
Changing bag (I got this to pop inside my regular bag)
Top and tail bowl
Baby bath (an in bath seat can be useful particularly for second and subsequent children)
Wrap sling (couldn't get to grips with it)
Baby bjorn (other structured slings so much better for my back: see big babies above!)
Travel system (I preferred a lie flat umbrella style buggy for DC2 and 3. I think I used the car seat/ buggy adapter once with DC1!

Basically it's inevitable you will buy something useless and as so many have said babies are all different!

I know a few of you are saying the changing table is a waste, but for me personally it's been a god send. Admittedly I have the unit that's on top of a chest of drawers rather than an actual unit with shelving, so it serves a couple of purposes.

I still use it now with 2.5 year old. Changing on the floor or sofa/bed has always killed my back but I find this much easier. Especially as I had 2 dc close in age so it's been in constant use for 2.5 years.

My useless baby item is probably toys aimed at very young babies. Until they can hold something they are pointless in my opinion. Even then other than an easy grip teether mine would rather play with something that they weren't meant to rather than their toys.

Oh and also a baby bath. Used mine about 3 times before buying an angelcare baby bath seat which was sooo much easier.

It's all personal. I always use my changing table and nappy bin! Wouldn't be without them. Also use a baby bath.

Things I got given lots of and barely use are blankets and knitted cardigans. I have this lovely fleece envelope for her pram and a morrka blanket in her carseat and she sleeps in a grosnug so really have no need for blankets and cardigans!

I actually found a changing table really useful! Wouldn't want to be changing on the floor / sofa all the time, especially for messy poos.. and the storage space underneath was useful for packs of nappies. Everyone's different!

I never got the point of baby baths. You still have to try and hd a tiny, slippery baby with one hand when they are in there. Something like the Angelcare bath seat though where they are supported in the main bath we used with both DC till they were comfortably sitting and I wouldn't be without.

I think nappy bins are great too. When we stay at my parents/PIL it seems to be a constant having to go and get shoes on, walk out in the cold and dark to take individual nappies out.

@GrumpyHoonMain I also changed my babies after every poo and every 3 hours. You obviously lucked out with a non-rashy baby.

Fwiw I had a baby bath ( 2nd hand stokke flexi bath), loved it, still sometimes use it to wash toddler DC2. DC1 hated the pram and all dummies, DC2 loved both ( large travel system, still going strong).

The size of nappies and outfits you buy depends on the size of your baby lol

Mine did a month in tiny baby and now at 11 weeks is just outgrowing some makes of newborn.

We used an old desk as a changing table and I loved it-my lower back was so fucked in the early days before my pelvic floor recovered. Like others we were minimal-car seat, sleepsuits and a cot basically. Loved slings but went to the sling library to test out.

Oh and baby baths might be crap but the angelcare bath seat is really, really good and has done the round of all our friends.

OMG, almost everything :o

My best tip is instead of actually shopping for things, start a Pinterest board. Or an Amazon wishlist. Go crazy, do both! Only actually buy things if you see them at some crazily reduced price/second hand, or if you know you will 100% need it in the first 3 weeks (for example: nappies. Car seat. Clothes.) or if it's something that when you do want it, you'll want it immediately without waiting, for example, a fever thermometer. (Bear in mind prams can take a while to order if you buy new and want a specific colour.) Most things you'll find if you think about it for a moment that you'll be able to manage for a day or two without. If you suddenly want to feed the baby a bottle, you can go to a 24 hour Tesco - it's not like it would be hard to get. If your baby is difficult to settle in the evenings and you decide it would be useful to try a swing, you can order one or go and get one from Argos or whatever. It doesn't need to be something you buy at 32 weeks because your best friend said it was a lifesaver (unless she's selling you her old one for a fiver, in which case, fair enough!) You might get a magic chilled out baby who doesn't have any need for things like swings, and you can save yourself £50! But, if you do decide OK I do want to give the breast pump/magic sleep inducing pillow/wind medicine/micro fold buggy a go, you will have at least done all your research and set out your preferences in advance so you can just look at that wishlist and click buy, rather than trying to make a choice while sleep deprived and hormonal.

Also ask yourself before you buy anything "If I found myself without this product, what would I do?" For example, if you forgot to buy baby towels or they were all dirty - you would just dry the baby with a normal person's towel. Which then begs the question: Do we actually need special towels just for the baby?

I am actually a bit of a car seat nut but in hindsight we spent over €200 on the baby seat + base which we got to use for LESS THAN A YEAR. I then developed some very expensive tastes in what I wanted out of the second stage seat and ended up doing loads of research and bargain hunting and ending up with a 0-18kg one that we could have just used from birth for about €235 all in. This one will last until DC is 3 or 4 (longer, if they are small for age, sadly mine is not) and the only thing we would have missed would have been a bit of convenience with the carry along baby seat, and TBH, we could have picked up something very cheap and basic to use for the amount of times we actually needed that (doctors' trips, for example). This sounds a bit backwards, but I would actually start researching the Stage 2 (Group 1/age 9-15m+) seat first and then pick your criteria for the newborn seat after you've worked out how much you intend to shell out for that one. If we have another DC then the expensive baby seat will have been worth it in the end due to giving current youngest a bit more time in the toddler seat and possibly avoiding buying two of those, but currently it's looking like a bit of a duff buy. I don't know how I got caught out by this because this is DC2 for me, but I think probably just the costs of car seats have exploded since DC1 was little (he is now 11). I also expected the baby seat to last a bit longer as was not aware I had bought a small brand . Anyway...

It's really personal on most things.

Like some pp said baby bath, but I have only showers in my house so a baby bath is necessary ( although bought the one from Asda as it was cheap).

Some said baby monitor, but baby sleeps on second floor and I have my living area ground floor. Baby monitor was essential as I can't hear a thing from downstairs. I'll actually sell my normal one and buy one with a video.

My daughter loved baby bouncer( I bought it for £5 on market) and bumbo Seat was useful for when we were at others. Also used bumbo for shower once she was able to sit. Bought for £5 on market. I sold both afterward and got my money back.

As my last baby was my third I had a rough idea of what I needed, but still I waited for baby to be born and then I bought stuff I taught we needed.

Even nappies, didn't buy tones before as with DS1 had problems with all nappies apart from Pampers. In fact DD was the same, but couldn't know until I tried some.

I didn't buy a special nappy bin, a small one did the thing for me, and I changed it daily as baby's poop every nappy and smelled. Much cheaper for me this way.

Some clothes I received were nice and lovely but a bit pointless as difficult to change a nappy with so many layers and also didn't look comfortable for baby. Ended up using some only once for church. I wouldn't have bought them myself.

Loved my sling and baby carrier, so pram for newborn was a bit of a waste( anyways bought it second hand). I found a lighter on that recliner completely and it's also parent faced is more useful( at least for me).

Agree with diaper bags. A normal backpack does the job and doesn't kill your arm because of the weight.

Most of it is personal but toys are really useless at the newborn stage, as are lights etc - you might get them as gifts, but wait till baby is old enough to see far enough and play before you buy!
Also, I never did have a baby nursery and not sure what people use one for? If anyone can enlighten me? I'm pregnant with my third, and had a one bedroom flat until my oldest was 18 months - he slept in our room no problem. We now have a 4 bed house (I know i'm lucky) and second son slept in our room til he was 6 months anyway. I never found that noise or lights disturbed a tiny baby but I guess that depends on the baby?

The nursery industry is mad and really, you need very little for a baby. Certainly you need very little in each stage, and things can be added and taken away. Exactly what though, you can’t know in advance, but pretty much everything can be picked up or ordered online within a day or two without much bother now, so it’s really worth waiting and seeing.

I learned that and I think I can count on one hand the amount of things I bought for a baby in advance of its arrival - I had it pared down to babygros, nappies (reusable), baby carrier, car seat (birth to age four type) and side crib thing for the bed with a blanket.

Agree about a nursery - my first one slept in my bed until he was 2 and my second one spends half the night in there still at 16 months so is probably going the same way

Makes you wonder why you bother with a 3 bedroom house when you could just have one big bedroom and all pile in together :o Rent would be cheaper!

If you read any equipment thread anywhere, you’ll inevitably see people insisting you need dozens of muslins. I bought some and honestly, over two babies, never used them. I had no occasions on which a largeish flimsy cloth was useful for me. Other people (virtually everyone) rave about them for all sorts of reasons but honestly, I never seemed to use them.

Came here to say exactly this! The only thing we used them for was to protect the sofa from vomit!

It’s largely personal choice, baby dependent and lifestyle related isn’t it?

Pretty much anything brand new (except the car seat and mattress) is a waste of money.

Other useless things:
Clothes which either have to go over the head or fasten at the back.
Outfits for newborns
A crib- mine hated it for some reason
Top and tail bowl
Socks for newborns (sleepsuits have feet and they’re all you are going to dress a newborn in)
Mittens (almost all sleepsuits have them built in)
Nappy bin- the refills are ridiculously expensive.
Sudocrem etc. You’ll almost certainly be given samples of this or similar at some point either before the baby is born or before you leave hospital. And if you don’t have a baby who gets nappy rash, it’s useless.
A sling. I just didn’t get on with them.

However I disagree with changing table being useless and wouldn’t be without one. I didn’t want to get one, but ended up buying a second hand one for £10 on a friend’s advice. Although we could have managed without it definitely makes life much easier and it saves your back.

Oh & I have sooooo many breast pads that I never needed because my breasts just never leaked much

Found top and trail bowl useful especially stm as still using cotton wool to wipe baby.

Buy clothes with poppers ago the way down, not ones shaped like a tube you have to stuff squirming baby through.

Buy 0-3 clothes, few newborn. Or navy ended up on the big side so some newborn clothes just don't fit. Although it depends on the retailer. I do like frugi, John Lewis, Picalilly, Kite. They have roomy sizings so hopefully last a while. Baby can always here into clothes! Find cheaper clothes are on small side and none have fitted.

Baby swing thing. As of yet, unused. I don't feel she has ever needed it. If she wants a swing, i do it which is much better!

What i have found useful are these small muslins. They are just small squares. Good for cleaning milky faces. I bought larger ones but haven't used them. And these small soft flannels i find on Amazon good to use to dry baby bums or as wash cloth.

But those towels with his fur babies? Rubbish!

Bouncer...absolute waste of £50 and you struggle to even give them away let alone sell them on.

Found the bigger baby bath useless but my shnuggle bath and later bath seat in the main bath god sends.

If I had another it wont be in anything else other than babygrows until at least 6 months! SO many unworn outfits with this one

Woah guys thank you so so much 😍 for all your seriously helpful advice! It's so helpful to know what people actually end up using and not using 💙 I'm going to feel so much more prepared when we go to the baby fair next month

Also very much taking on the general advice that we don't need to buy it all in advance... we do have amazon prime and some good late night supermarkets nearby. Feeling so much less overwhelmed 😅