Most useless piece of baby kit ever?

[Schulte]

I personally thought those toddler helmets they sold on the Apprentice were the most ridiculous and pointless product I have ever seen. But I also can't believe anyone would seriously consider buying one of those mesh things for weaning that you put a piece of fruit in so baby can chew on it without risk of choking. I mean wtf? So what do you think is the most unnecessary piece of baby kit ever?

Oh dear, I have bought so many of these things over the years
My nappy wrappers best use was as a door stop! I had the mesh feeder thing and I couldn't get the banana out of it after the very first use so was never used again! Top and tail bowl - unused. Also had a travel bottle warmer which was some gel filled thing with a dot that you had to push to activate the warmth (!) however it had always set itself off before I needed it and was therefore useless - sold it at a boot sale.
I am however now liking the look of the baby strung over the door harness...would that be unfair to a 2 year old ?

I would go with the top and tail bowl - why, do you not have a sink in your bathroom??

We were quite tight economical with our baby puchases, so I think the only thing I didn't really use was a baby boiuncer which doesn't fit over our doors properly.

Re the mesh feeder things, someone on my postnatal thread has a baby with a severe cleft palate, and she swears by the mesh feeder for him

Things I bought but barely used:

baby monitor
changing bag
rucksack for toddler with lead/reins attached

Baby monitor! Don't get me started on those! Ours NEVER worked, either couldn't get a signal at all or had bad interferences - sounded like we had to listen to aliens communicating out there in space. We live in a tiny house so it was completely superfluous anyway, as I could hear the babies perfectly well without it. £50 down the drain!

Can I say, in defence of the t&t bowl, that we change nappies in dd's bedroom rather than the bathroom so yes, we do have a sink but it's too far away from the changing table

AND it has a cute picture of a giraffe on!

baby bath in the top of the change unit - useless. Used a washing up bowl instead.

Baby bath that fits over the real bath = fantastic. Still use it now to limit the area of the real bath that DS can use, and to keep the toys etc. in.

duck thermometer for the bath - never used it (a gift)

Well the baby monitor will make a great toy for my dds one day...

SwaddleMe Useless thing the wrap over bit for the chest never worked as unless you could move quicker than baby you had an arm waving out of it and the bit for the legs is so wide baby just brings there legs up and ta-da free and kicking legs.

Also any baby toiletries as I bought one of those johnson baby boxes which I still haven't finished using in 3+ years (notice I haven't) both DDs have/had excema so need prescription creams/bath additives/shampoos.

I'm umpteenthing the nappy wrapper bin. We use it without the cassette, so a normal bin with a lid would have been just as good.

I do use my top and tail bowl loads as we use reusable wipes. I have the water in one side and toiletries neatly in the other side.

Baby towels. No good for a big baby.

All the organic products I bought which turned dd into a rashy mess.

One of those baby's memory books. Still sat under coffee table gathering dust.

I actually rate the bumbo and have bought another one for number three (from Ebay natch) but mine are skinny so it lasts them a while.

My worst buys would be the tummy tub- was too scared that DS would drown- although we've got some lovely photos of him in it.

The door bouncer thing- he just span round and round and it took the paint of my wall

Oh yeah, the door bouncer. DS would just hang in it, never actually bounced. And it took two people to get him into the bloody thing.

bottles never bought any hurray for breastfeeding

Baby bath
Nappy Wrapper
Travel system (£300 down the drain)
Top and tail bowl (just used those little ones from Ikea).
Slumber bear (terrified DD not tried it with DS)
Bottle drying rack
Stand for moses basket
Disposable breastpads (ouch)
dressing gowns and slippers for babies under one (yeah, thanks for those IL's)

Quite rate the bumbo, up till they can sit anyway so used for about 2 months a time.

Don't have, but agree total waste:
Mesh feeder thing
Bottle warmer (erm, hot water in a jug not good enough?)
That ridiculous toilet thing!

Best buys were cot top changer, ergonomic bath seat, baby towel from Ikea (huge) quinny stroller, wooden highchair and loads of muslin squares.

Ohhh I loved my mesh thing for DS i used to put ice cold melon in it for when he was teething.
Nappy bin was a big waste of money. So was baby bath and bumbo.

nappy wrapper bins are really good!!! i cant believe everyone thinks they are rubbish i love mine, its very handy

No-baby baths are good, I still use mine for my large 9mth old DS and put him in it in the big bath- it saves water!

I bought the nappy wrapping thing and have had to jack it in because the cassettes are so bloody expensive.

Cot bumpers- What is the point of them if you put your baby to sleep with his feet at the end of the bed?

Cot mobile- Never used it as I put DS in his cot to sleep not to be entertained.

We also had the mesh bags for teh dts, it was the only way of getting fruit into them when they didn't want to be spoon fed mush anymore but wouldn't pick up anything slimy or wet to the touch.

Cot mobiles and baby baths. Useless.

Baby nose clear, sucking snot out of the baby's nose?!! What a waste of money it was!

www.babyworld.co.uk/information/reviews/product.asp?id=343

wet wipes

wet wipe warmers

nappy wrappers

mrspickles - I still remember ds screaming when I came towards him with the snot tube, think it has traumatised him forever!

Oh mumblemum I had a top like that and my friend had the backpack pump arrangement. Both of us were failed BFers and so we had to express our milk full time for our babies. I know you only meant it light heartedly but spare a thought for those women going through it now - I know of at least 8 women who have done it in the last year or so - and they are heroines really.

oh yes the swaddling wrap as well, it was like trying to get an uncooperative ds into a straightjacket!