so what else is completely unnecessary?

[star6]

I've just found out - thanks to many helpful mumsnetters, that bottle warmers are a waste of money. There are plenty of threads telling 1st time mums what is most necessary. I would like to know this:
What is out there that is completely unnecessary for a new baby? I don't want to waste money on silly things I will never use

I've still got the large tubs/bottles of talc / vaseline / babyoil (practically unused) I bought when dd was born - she is now 4! Agree with Pavlovthe cat that the fabric chair for the bath is v useful - though I used mine in the big bath.

notjustmom - wipes warmer?!! You can seriously buy something to warm up wipes?!

Thank god I didn't see that when shopping for my PFB...

Oh yes, one of my friends got a wipe warmer. I mean really, WTF?

baby bath - have never had one, have a plastic seat that goes in normal bath
wipe warmer
baby shoes - they will only kick them off and lose them
25 baby cuddly toys!
changing table
inserts for changing mat to stop it being too cold
any baby toiletries
big pram/travel system - I got rid at 8 weeks and bought a Maclaren
swinging crib - DD1 never slept in it
cot bumpers - what is the point you have to take them off at 6 months, especially if matching to everything else (yes that was me with PFB whole Winnie the Poo range)

We did get a baby bath and have used it loads mainly because there's a big vent thing above our bath and it makes the room really draughty so we bathed dd in the living room in a baby bath.

Top & tail bowl is useless, just use a cheapy plastic tub (there always seems to be plenty hiding in your cupboards , well in mine anyway)

The baby box that matched the bath and top & tail bowl...my mum bought it because "you'll need it", I didn't know then what it was for and I still don't. She said put your baby bath etc in...but we don't use it and the stuff MIL bought wouldn't have fit in it anyway .

Talc - god I hate that stuff, it's not needed and MIL bought us some...I gave it away on freecycle after I got fed up of sitting on our shelves for a year.

Bath and/or room thermometers, you will know if the bath is the right temperature. As I read in a book - if you plan on taking your child out ever you can't control the weather, it will change by a couple of degrees, etc. so don't worry about the room being exactly the right temperature.

oh yes I had bath and room thermometers too, DD1 was born in the middle of a heatwave in July in central London the thermometer was never below the "dangerous" 25degrees. She survived though.

I agree nappy wrapper pointless - it smells so you end up putting nappy in nappy bag then nappy wrapper which kind of defeats purpose. With dc2 I just put pooey nappies in bag and drop out of window, to be relocated from bush to bin next time I pass outside!

Actually the only thing we had that was utterly useless was the moses basket.

Ds decided he much prefered co sleeping.

Actually he hated his pram as well so used sling pretty much all the time.

Never bought a top and tail bowl and never thought to myself "I really wish we had a top and tail bowl".

I did however buy a Tummy Tub which was ace and used from about 10 days just with water. we used it until he was about 6 months and basically had to be levered out!

Cat net. The cat couldn't be less interested in going near the baby and now it runs at the mere sight of her.

Changing table. Now just dumping ground.

Top and Tail tub. Now gathering dust.

Steriliser. Very hot water, soap, air dry does same job as does the dishwasher.

But hey, it's a rite of passage isn't it, buying loads of useless things first time 'round!

We did buy a swing when she was about 4 mths, used to send her to sleep in about 3 mins then I used to prop it up and let her doze. Only used it for about two months but there were times when I thought I would happily have paid twice the price (£35) just to get her to go to damn sleep that once

But yes, it's so hard knowing what to buy when you've never done it before!

(PS we had a fabric bath support for the big bath - brilliant)

high chair - we actually bought several different types over a period of time then realised they were all pointless! DD did not use it until she could sit, then she wanted to be at the table with us, so we bought a seat with harness that attaches to the table itself, and this is fine from 6 months until the time she will no longer need anything, apart from a booster (which she wont use, prefers to stand on our chairs than use anything really!)

Changing table, and I speak as someone who has a cs! Totally pointless, and I dream of dropping bricks onto it. Nappy wrapper, never used even once...I just thought whats the point? (Was a gift)Oh yes, bottle warmers too. How completely pointless.

Having said all that, I did use my moses basket loads, and the baby bath too.

We bought a swing when dd was around 4 months as well. I have to say we wish we had bought it sooner as it was a godsend! DD would sit in it and be amused for ages meaning i could get on with other things.

A baby changing bag really?

I would put that as essential, i have used mine, and still do since 20 month old dd was born!

I stole my DH's rather great Aminal laptop bag for the changing bag, has lots of compartments to organise food/nappies seperately/creams/toys/bottles/keys. Very handy, he could use it without feeling daft, and we already had it, so free!

i luved plastic baby bath and bottle warmer.
used baby bath for ages.
bottle warmer was used upstairs @ night to heat nighttime bottles

Is the fabric bath support that little thing with a wire frame and a towel sewn over it? I bought that for £8 recently - figured it's cheap and looks safe... That is the one thing that TERRIFIES me... bathing a newborn baby!!! I have nightmares about it nearly every night.

definitely agree re the baby bath. The seats are much better.

As for ridiculous sun parasols. So annoying when you kept bashing people in the street and the baby isn't shaded from the sun anyway

expensive bulky travel systems

Like Josephina I still have bottles of baby lotion stuff that people bought and we never used-DD is also 4

But it doesn't need to be a special changing bag - any old bag with a changing mat inside it will do. they charge the earth for these special bags for no good reason.

I found any toiletries for baby useless at first - best to buy those when you actually need them. We are still working through the free samples we got in hospital (DD 18mo!!)

Cot bumpers/padded blanket sets. Look lovely, but bumpers are a SIDS risk at first and too easy to climb on later on. Can't say that DD ever hurt herself on her cot anyway.

Baby bath also not used here but I have friends who swore by them.

If I could have my time again I would buy nothing but the bare essentials at first and then just get anything extra as I went along. Bare essentials are vests, sleepsuits, a outer layer for outdoors, changing mat, somewhere to sleep, sling, bedding, something to mop up sick ie. burping cloths/tea towels/muslins and a car seat as far as I can remember from the v. early days. DD was 8 weeks before we bought a pram, and about that before we "needed" a playmat. Also we got given loads and ended up with a lot of duplicates.

Expensive chicco highchair, i swapped it for the £13 Ikea one that my mum got for her house which was alot easier to clean and use.

Baby toiletry box, still sitting in my wardrobe with lots of unused products after 2 years.