Is there anything you regret buying/didn't need for baby?

[Strawberry06]

Just for fun I was wondering what people bought for their newborn but didn't like, didn't use or didn't need?

I didn't use any of the colostrum syringes I bought. I did end up expressing colostrum in hospital but they just gave me syringes and by the time I got home, my milk had come in.

I regret that I received so many bottles of dove/Johnsons baby lotion as presents. My baby has eczema so I just use aveeno, organic babies and epiderm. I wouldn't have bought dove or Johnsons myself anyway as I also have sensitive skin. You don't need any of that stuff for the first month anyway, just warm water!

I didn't make any huge purchases while I was pregnant, just waited to see what I needed.

Edit to say, obviously I had a pram, moses basket, car seat!

Don't go crazy on the small clothes sizes as they grow through these really quickly. Agree with the bath / baby toiletries that PP said about.

Really glad we bought the next to me crib, Ewan the dream sheep, Mam bottles (combi fed) xx

I wish I'd bought a really basic baby bouncer as they love bouncing themselves in it, can't do it with a fancy one.

Too many clothes, although I think I was
understandably excited. But I just always had more clothes than she could wear, I've done the opposite with my youngest and have to make sure I'm on top of the washing 😂

The nappy genie thing. it's a good concept but the refills are a fortune. cost about £60 and only lasted a couple of weeks so constantly needed changing too. we eventually gave up and just bought scented nappy bags - like 300 for less than a £1 and lasts about 2 months. the bin itself is ok but would prefer a pedel bin rather than having to have one hand on baby and then trying to get the lid open with the other. the mechanism if you do have the made for bags is also really stiff and hard to use with one hand so you have to take your hand off baby - ok at newborn stage but once you get to 4-5 months oh boy.

Hats and mittens. all the baby grows have built in mittens at that age and despite being a winter baby i think we used one hat (that was wool). we didn't even get to use them in the hospital as she was given an "orange hat" by the hospital to show she had additional care needs (she was a few weeks early). never used the cutsey newborn ones at all

When my daughter was born in 1991 I boight long flannelette nighties with ties at the back for her as a newborn, but they were more trouble than they were worth - impossible to change her her nappy without changing her nightie as well because that was usually wet as well. All in one stretchsiuits were a much more prctical solution and as soon as daughter grew out of those rediculous long nighties I threw them out and put her in stretchsuits instead.

I LOVED my skin to skin top in the early days, but admit it was an expensive purchase for something that was used so little.
If you could get one 2nd hand I’d say go for it, but they are not worth paying full price.

I am onto baby #3 now and I haven’t managed to use it yet due to having a c section, but DD2 lived in the freerider sling I had for her in and out of the house, so I would recommend a comfortable sling or baby carrier. Once she outgrew the stretchy sling, I moved onto a Mamaruga Zensling.

Ewan the Dream Sheep did not deliver on the promises his packaging made me! A friend bought us a very expensive-looking ring sling which another friend had absolutely raved about. I didn't like it at all and used moby wraps instead. I still feel guilty about that and wonder how much it cost her 😔

Nappy bin

Muslins. We really didn't need as many as people seem to say you do but then DS wasn't a very sicky baby.

Sling. DS seemed to be the only newborn in the world who just roared and roared when he was in it but then I also wasn't a massive fan honestly.

We bought a bottle prep machine and a fancy breast pump. I exclusively breastfed dd & didn’t use either! Also lots of cute (but impractical) baby outfits. Dd just lived in sleepsuits for the first 6/7 months.

Things that were VERY useful.
Plenty of muslin cloths, sleepsuits, baby carrier/sling , cloud machine (white noise) &
decent nursing bras.

Moses basket, breast pump, first size clothes/nappies

I was so excited to buy a next to me crib. My son hated it! I think perhaps it was just too big for him. We ended up going out and buying a traditional, cheaper, moses basket after the first few days and he slept much more peacefully in it. Also, I got given lots of very cute but impractical baby outfits that were never worn. I ended up using and repeatedly washing 10 comfortable babygrows. I mostly bottle fed and the best thing ever for me was the tommee tippee electric steam steraliser.

A baby bath

Purpose built bedside cot - the converted normal cot I had for my eldest worked a million times better.

Modern style bouncer - nothing like the old fashioned ones unless you get the ££££ baby bjorn. Had a swing instead for DC3, much better.

Door bouncer - totally useless!!

Swaddles - none of them liked them

Scratch mitts - I couldn't bear covering up their hands, I think it's cruel.

Snow suits - a gigantic arse to get them on and off and you can't use them in car seats.

Haakaa pump - couldn't get it to do anything.

These things all tend to be pretty marmite though. You will get people saying that these things are their total essentials

I used muslins loads for example, and loved a sling.

haha i didn't buy any cute but inpractical outfits but i had a few bought for me. including a couple of very expensive babygrows that did up with a few buttons at the top of the back. so you had to put the baby on its front and pull off the entire babygrow in order to change their nappy and at that stage that was like 10 times a day. i tried it once. lasted an hour before i got annoyed at it and never wore it again...

Also got a few that were hand wash or dry clean only. i was like - no time for that.

Honestly the best clothes i've had have been tescos and asda! they wash well and i don't get upset when they get wrecked.

Next to me crib. They never used it. Preferred a moses basket beside the bed. The next to me was too open and they wanted to be snuggled.

@BertieBotts I felt the same way about scratch mitts with DS1 - why would you ever do that?! Then DS2 came along and would scratch himself until he bled. Everywhere. He's 3 now and still does it in his sleep 😖

Breast pump - I never got on with it.
Bottles - never expressed or used formula
A cot for downstairs - both DD and DS contact napped
A next to me - both of them co-slept. DD did go in her next to me every so often but DS never did.
Basically all the cots ended up being expensive storage 🤣

I spent quite a lot on a hands and cable free breast pump that I just used for a few weeks and just switched to breastfeeding only and no expression.

A dedicated nappy/bottle bag. I sold it and just used a rucksack.

Babygrows that only button round the legs or at the back. Super annoying at any age but especially for newborn. When you see a zipper, BUY IT!