Useless preggo, toddler, and baby stuff...

[Dreamer_D]

I thought it might be helpful to have a thread where people can list the types of child and baby stuff that they bought or received as gifts but that they thought was actually a bit of a waste of money. Maybe it will help some new moms planning their registries etc. Sort of the opposite of TGal''s useful products thread!

Let''s try to remember though that one man''s trash is another man''s treasure

, so if you want to share a common product or item you thought you could do without, maybe keep in mind that someone else may actually like it when you express your opinion. Please share reasons why the product didn''t work for you, and perhaps what you would have done instead.

Me first:

I wish I had saved my money on crib bedding. It looks cute before hand and is really fun to pick out, but it is expensive and I never used it, especially the bumpers, because of SIDS risk.

Instead, I would have bought just a dust ruffle to hide the mechanics of the crib, some nice flannel sheets, and a mesh bumper.

I also would have saved my money on the swing. In the end, Hunter didn''t really care about it at all. Better to have waited until he was born and then gone to try them out to see if it was a useful product.

My list si short because of the other tips I picked up from BTDT moms, so I avoided many uneccesary purchases! Hopefully, other moms can add their suggestions here so that they are all in one easy to reference thread!

 

[D&T]

My first DD loved the swing and the jumperoo... My second, not so much

my first DD could care less about mobiles, but my second Loved it. So we''ll be saving our stuff for the next kid in case the next one actually is more like my first DD... oh when I thought I knew what my second might like, I was completely off.

 

[neatfreak]

1. Diaper Genie, etc.-waste of money. Use a sealing trash can instead.
2. Expensive crib bedding
3. Expensive bottles (unless your kid needs them because of reflux, etc.)
4. A ton of newborn sized "outfits" and real clothes.

 

[D&T]

Date: 7/7/2009 6:01:30 PM
Author: neatfreak
1. Diaper Genie, etc.-waste of money. Use a sealing trash can instead.
2. Expensive crib bedding
3. Expensive bottles (unless your kid needs them because of reflux, etc.)
4. A ton of newborn sized ''outfits'' and real clothes.

totally agree with the diaper Genie, had one, then tossed it out, we now have the diaper Champ - which does a better job, but I''d just use plastic shopping bag that you get from the grocery stores to seal the dirty diaper smell, works great and free... goodness we won''t be investing in any of those thing anymore.

 

[packrat]

Shoes. They do complete an outfit, and are pretty dang cute on a baby..but not so much practical.

I didn''t use the little no-scratch hand cover things either. The elastic on them is loose, so if you have a kid that moves their arms a lot, they fall/fly off..I used socks. Looks goofier than all get out, but it works way better. If we went places, I made sure to use the fancy socks haha.

 

[Haven]

I don''t have a baby, but I have a story for your thread:

We went to one of those gigantic baby stores to buy a baby shower gift for a good friend, and were completely overwhelmed by the long list of registry items. I had no idea what any of the items were, and DH definitely didn''t have a clue. We asked an employee to help us out, and she could tell we were flustered so she said something along the lines of "Don''t worry--you really only need about one per cent of the crap in this store. Everything else is just part of the machine that is the baby industry. Most of it is totally useless."

Ha!

 

[D&T]

Date: 7/7/2009 7:32:25 PM
Author: Haven
I don't have a baby, but I have a story for your thread:

We went to one of those gigantic baby stores to buy a baby shower gift for a good friend, and were completely overwhelmed by the long list of registry items. I had no idea what any of the items were, and DH definitely didn't have a clue. We asked an employee to help us out, and she could tell we were flustered so she said something along the lines of 'Don't worry--you really only need about one per cent of the crap in this store. Everything else is just part of the machine that is the baby industry. Most of it is totally useless.'

Ha!

lol..that's great, honest employees.

 

[Blenheim]

Haven - that''s hilarious!

We have more than I was expecting, as we tried to be rather minimalist in what we bought!

Swing. And we even did the "right" thing here - we waited until he was here and then tried him out in one. He really liked it for the five minutes he was in it, but it turns out that he''ll never stand to be in it for more than 5 minutes. I guess the lesson here is to try out this type of equipment for more than just 5 minutes - maybe borrow one from a friend and try it out for an afternoon?

Clothes... In retrospect, I would have just wanted some onesies and baby legs, plus a couple dress outfits. Maybe some sleepers if he was born at a different time of year. We almost never use pants that don''t have snaps in the crotch, as we find them a pain to get on over a cloth diaper and so they complicate diaper changes. He screams nonstop if we put a hat on his head and generally stops the moment it comes off, so I''d forgo those as well. Oh, and the socks that don''t stay on right. We never used the newborn mitts and never had a problem with scratching.

I''m probably going to get excommunicated from the newborn thread for this one, but we just sold our snap and go stroller because we hadn''t used it once. We kept feeling like we should use it because it''s a "must have", but couldn''t think of a time that it worked better than other options - I don''t use it on walks because it''s just easier to handle three dog leashes if he''s in an Ergo or Moby, it doesn''t make sense in a grocery store as we need more space for groceries than the basket, and if we''re just popping in and out of the store DH sees carrying the car seat as less work than unfolding the stroller. Maybe if it were me popping in and out of stores by myself, it would be a different story - DH definitely has more upper body strength.

Arms Reach Cosleeper just became an extra nightstand. We''re now using it for naps, but we have a crib as well that would serve the same function and so honestly this turned out to be unnecessary. I would have just planned to sidecar a crib to the bed instead.

There were several things that we were given but that we haven''t used for safety reasons. Wipe warmers can be a fire hazard, those car mirror things can become loose and fly in an accident, and those car seat toy bars need to be taken off the car seat whenever it''s in use in the car for similar reasons. I''m probably a bit more paranoid than some people on these, but I work in insurance so I tend to see the worst case scenario.

 

[pennquaker09]

Diaper Genie. I get sick thinking about it.

 

[Pandora II]

Here''s a few of mine:

Muslins - I''ve switched to terry nappies as burp clothes instead as they''re softer and actually absorbent whereas the muslins just don''t seem to do the job!

My Brest Friend feeding pillow - now this is fantastic and really comfortable to wear... but Daisy prefers to just sit upright on my knee to feed rather than lie down, so it was only really useful for the first 4 weeks. If you had a preemie or a baby that likes to lie horizontally to feed then it would be great.

Bouncy Vibrating Chair - a 10 minute wonder where Daisy was concerned. Other people''s children seem to really like them...

. A swing would have probably had the same effect but just cost more so I''m glad we didn''t go there. Ditto in that we tried it out and she liked it in the store for the 5 minutes she was in it (didn''t like the others we tried) but it hasn''t turned into a 30 minute lifesaver...

Dresses - I was given a load of dresses as presents and frankly D. looks hideous in them. I keep trying them on her and taking them off again. I think they look nice once they get to a year upwards - but as tiny things they look so much nicer in onesies, rompers and sleepsuits. I was the opposite from Blen on the newborn clothes - I didn''t buy any as I was assuming they would be too small, but when she was born I had to go out and buy some newborn sleepsuits as the 0-3 months were WAY too big.

Scratch Mittens - Useless and most sleepsuits have them built in anyway. She also hates hats...

Bibs - I have gazillions and rarely use them, I just stick the terry nappy under her chin - also breastfeeding they don''t seem to need one the way they do with bottles. No doubt I''ll need lots once she starts solid food - but off the bigger, all-covering kind not ickle pretty ones!

Carrycot - I didn''t actually buy this for the stroller, but only because Daisy was born in May and I reckoned it would be too warm. Turns out it was a good thing as she hates to lie flat and not be able to see things, so even though our stroller has a lie-flat option we''ve only used it for 10 minutes before realising that it needed to be tilted to stop the screams! It was very expensive so I saved loads of money!


Of the things that others have mentioned that they don''t like that I do:

Arm''s Reach Co-Sleeper - I have the mini version and it''s fantastic. I have very little space in our bedroom and it fits perfectly. The pockets on the sides are really handy for keeping burp-clothes, nappies etc. I did buy another coir & wool mattress to put on top of theirs as the one it comes with is really hard. I did have to have it made to measure as the Arms Reach aren''t standard size - probably so you have to buy their expensive and not very nice sheets. I bought normal crib sheets and they fit fine and feel much softer and nicer than the ones it came with.

Car Mirror - I have one that is very securely attached with straps and as Daisy is awful in the car and screams for hours non-stop it is a godsend as otherwise we''d be stopping every 10 minutes so I could check that there wasn''t something wrong with her.

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 7/8/2009 6:55:54 AM
Author: Pandora II

Bouncy Vibrating Chair - a 10 minute wonder where Daisy was concerned. Other people''s children seem to really like them...

. A swing would have probably had the same effect but just cost more so I''m glad we didn''t go there. Ditto in that we tried it out and she liked it in the store for the 5 minutes she was in it (didn''t like the others we tried) but it hasn''t turned into a 30 minute lifesaver...

It''s a 10 minute wonder here too... but 10 min is enough time to take a shower or fold the laundry or shovel down a meal, while 5 min isn''t really.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Question about Diaper Genie/Diaper Champ . . .

When the child is eating solid foods, is a metal trash can with a lid enough to contain the smell?

Baby Bargains says that the new model of Diaper Champ destroyed a good thing, and that now it''s messy and smelly. Instead they recommend the Diaper Genie despite its need for its own refill bags. So that''s what I registered for but no one has bought me anything yet so I can change it. I''m just worried that six months down the road I''ll wish I had something that contained the smell better.

 

[gailrmv]

We have the diaper genie elite II and I am VERY happy with it. It is supposed to be an improvement over the previous models. The refills are not that much of a pain. They last a long time! Smell is so far 100% contained except when emptying it. I would not have been as happy with an open trash can. This works much better for us.


Our waste of $ was getting two infant car seats. We really just needed one plus the extra base.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Bottle warmer. USELESS!!!!

Bouncy seat - Miller hated his.

Snap and Go or those bucket baby seats. Miller used for such a short period of time and just preferred being right in the stroller. Depends on the baby though.

Big monster high chairs - I ended up using most the time a little travel high chair that fit on a chair.

 

[D&T]

Date: 7/8/2009 8:34:49 AM
Author: phoenixgirl
Question about Diaper Genie/Diaper Champ . . .

When the child is eating solid foods, is a metal trash can with a lid enough to contain the smell?

Baby Bargains says that the new model of Diaper Champ destroyed a good thing, and that now it''s messy and smelly. Instead they recommend the Diaper Genie despite its need for its own refill bags. So that''s what I registered for but no one has bought me anything yet so I can change it. I''m just worried that six months down the road I''ll wish I had something that contained the smell better.

I''ve had both, the first one diaper genie three years ago, its a pain in the bottom, hated to have to use something other than my normal tall kitchen bag, and having to tip the bottom to get the garbage out when the scissor twist wouldn''t cut through all the way sometimes, anyways, the smell still came out. I have the diaper champ and love that I can use my tall kitchen bag, however, its shaped in a subtle "A" with the bottom being wider than the top so its annoying when you are having to pull up the garbage through a smaller opening at the top than the bottom especially when you pack that thing really full. The odor is still noticeable for me, even when I put all the dirty diapers in other plastic bag before I drop it in there. In the end, I would just nix it altogether for our next child. Use a normal trash can, and just put all the dirty diaper in the grocery store plastic bag that you get anyways for free Tie it a couple of times and toss it in the trash. Works just the same imo.

 

[curlygirl]

Swing - returned it unopened. It''s a lifesaver for some but we didn''t have enough room for it so didn''t even bother trying.

Co-sleeper - returned it unopened. We had a pack n play and that was all we needed.

Wipes wamer - why???

Fancy expensive bedding sets - completely unnecessary.

Cutesy outfits, shoes, accessories - wasted on a newborn. Stick with basic onesies, zippered sleepers and gowns that are easy to remove. Buy the nice clothes in bigger sizes for when they''re older.

Stuffed animals and toys - they don''t use them until they''re older and they just take up space.

Mesh feeder - neither one of my kids liked this, I just cut up fruits into bite sized pieces and let them work their fingers.

 

[MustangGal]

The swing we bought Kyle he hated after the first month, but it kept him in a flat position. My sitter has one that sits up and he loves it

The Baby Trend jogging stroller we picked out as a travel set. After 2 months the front wheel malfunctioned. I got the company to replace the fork, but they told me not to unlock the wheel on any uneven surface, including side walks (which totally defeats the purpose we bougt it for...). And the second base for the infant seat. The one we have can go in any car wihtout the base, and we hardly use DH''s truck with the baby, so the second base was a complete waste.

4oz baby bottles. By the time I found the bottle that worked for him, he started eating 5 ozs at a time

Tiny t-shirts! At that stage you''re picking them up so much that t-shirts just ride up to their arm pits. My sister got me several cute ones, but I never put them on him they were such a pain.

 

[atroop711]

diaper genie and wipe warmer just a waste

 

[TravelingGal]

Hee, this thread makes me chuckle. I''m surprised so many bought baby bedding because that''s the one thing I keep seeing the BTDT moms saying is a massive waste of money. Guess it''s too hard to resist?

I didn''t buy much for the kid, so there''s not a lot I regret. If it''s anything, it''s the few dresses I bought - a total waste for a girl in her first year. I also will never buy shoes in "advance" again for her first year because my kid still is not walking and some of the shoes just didn''t fit her right.

Amelia didn''t care for the bouncy but loved the swing. Thankfully, I didn''t buy either of them.

Oh, and I tried a lot of diaper bags. Anything that is messenger style and not easy access I didn''t like, the main offender being the Fleurville Mothership.

I also hated how many sippy cups I went through to find one she will drink from, but I am not sure how I could have prevented all that trial and error.


Blen, TGuy never used the SnG either. He would rather carry the carseat into the store. I agree, if you have your DH with you to do errands, you don''t really need it. But as a mom who did everything on her own, I still say the SnG is a livesaver!

 

[curlygirl]

TGal, the bedding thing kills me too every time I see people posting pics of these beautiful sets. I got a cheapy set from Target that I absolutely LOVE!! I would never spend extra money on that stuff when it can be put to much better use--like DIAPERS!

And you mentioned another thing that I forgot: diaper bags. I hardly ever use mine anymore and I have like 3 of them.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/8/2009 12:02:00 PM
Author: curlygirl
TGal, the bedding thing kills me too every time I see people posting pics of these beautiful sets. I got a cheapy set from Target that I absolutely LOVE!! I would never spend extra money on that stuff when it can be put to much better use--like DIAPERS!

And you mentioned another thing that I forgot: diaper bags. I hardly ever use mine anymore and I have like 3 of them.

I got yellow jersey sheets for $3 each and a green mesh bumper., plus a couple of white ultimate crib sheets. The bed looked ugly but it served its purpose. I don''t even have a dust ruffle thing to hide the mechanics of the crib (which was a hand me down, but a quality crib.)

I love the diaper bag I eventually settled on, my Not Rational Hansel. I use it for travel and business too! Currently I have 4 diaper bags and am really only meh about one of them.

 

[MustangGal]

We did do the bedding set, it was a cheapie but decent looking one from Walmart. I am using the bumpers, but will be removing those soon since he''s starting to try to pull them off the crib! And we actually do use the diaper genie. It was a freebie from another mom that never used it...

I am happy we just borrowd a cradle through, we moved him to the crib at 4 weeks, packed the cradle up and sent it back to my mom.

The one diaper bag we picked out has been working well, but it''s actually a diaper backpack, and I can even fit my little puse in it so I don''t have to cary 2 items.

 

[qtiekiki]

I am with you, Tgal on bedding. M just got sheets, but I also don''t think bedding sets are cute. I just think it looks like it over-cluster the crib.

There isn''t really anything that I regret buying b/c we bought very little to begin with. We never bought infant seats, so no snap and go either. Didn''t get a swing or bouncer.

Oh I lied... There is one thing that didn''t get a lot of use. The bassinet that we bought for the stroller; M just outgrew it so fast. I don''t regret the purchase, but just wished that we got more use for it. We''ll use it for baby#2.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I forgot about Stuffed toys and T-shirts! I didn't buy either but they are useless as gifts. People really like buying babies stuffed toys

I am going to donate most of them to charity when we move, the people who gave them will never know

Also ditto the messenge style diaper bag. Although I really like being able to put my diaper bag over my neck/shoulder with the one long strap, the overhanging part is SO ANNOYING when I am trying to get things in and out. I would much prefer a zipper opening on the top with lots of outside ouches. TGAL I checked out the one you like, and it is great but too expensive for me

 

[D&T]

diaper bags- had five, never used them as much as my diaper Columbia backpack - love it! agree with the bottle warmer.. I thought I would never buy one, i did for my 2nd DD and now its useless.

 

[Mandarine]

Thanks for this thread!!! It''s so helpful, specially as I''m in registry hell!!!

I feel great about my decision on bedding after reading this!! I got a super great deal on the bedding for the boys from Target....I think it was like 39.99 each set!.

A friend of mine is spending over $500 in ebdding...it''s just insane!. I thought I was being a bit cheap-o...but now seeing that you all think it would be a waste, I''m even happier with my sets!.

On the diaper pails, I get mixed reveiws...a few of my friends have the diaper dekor and love it!...I guess it''s one of those things that depends on the person.

I also love knowing what things the babies out grow fast...so thanks everyone for posting!

 

[sbde]

great thread dd!

baby snowsuit: luckily we got it as a present and didn't spend anything on it, but even though we had a january baby we never used it once. just used the bundleme in the carseat whenever we went out. we literally just put the snowsuit on him ONCE and took some pics in it because we felt the need to at least use it once.

re: baby shoes and bedding: i do admit i got both and to tell you the truth i'd do it again. definitely wouldn't get shoes for newborn sizes but i love how baby shoes complete an outfit (now that j is almost 6 mths old) and the adorable bedding i got from pottery barn kids makes me happy whenever i walk into the nursery haha

like blen, the arms reach cosleeper is not getting much use but the pack and play we have downstairs definitely gets used during daytime naps and diaper changes. i think this is mainly because of the fact that it's nice to have something downstairs in the living area and isn't really a reflection on one product being better than the other.

pandora: just wanted to let you know that those bibs will become very useful in the coming months when daisy goes through her drooling phase. i hadn't used mine at all and then all of a sudden i was going through 3-4 a day when J was 4 months old!

luckily J loves the swings, bouncy chairs, exersaucer and playmat/gym so they're getting a ton of use.

eta: fancy clothing for babies 3 months and under was a waste. J lived in onesies and footed sleepers for the first few months and anything else was just a pain to get on and off with their wobbly heads and didn't look all that comfortable for the baby!.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/8/2009 12:47:06 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I forgot about Stuffed toys and T-shirts! I didn''t buy either but they are useless as gifts. People really like buying babies stuffed toys

I am going to donate most of them to charity when we move, the people who gave them will never know

Also ditto the messenge style diaper bag. Although I really like being able to put my diaper bag over my neck/shoulder with the one long strap, the overhanging part is SO ANNOYING when I am trying to get things in and out. I would much prefer a zipper opening on the top with lots of outside ouches. TGAL I checked out the one you like, and it is great but too expensive for me

DD, it is pricey for sure. I thought it was stupid to spend that much money on a diaper bag. Well, color me stupid! The bag style started out as a regular handbag, I think, but got used as a diaper bag by some (maybe celebs) that she threw in a matching diaper changing pad in leather (how stupid is that?), stuck on a paci and threw in a bottle and called it a day. The bag retails for $600 but I got mine for $295 during their sample sale, which they have a couple of times a year. Still, very pricey for a bag but has been totally worth it.

I''m probably the lone person who loved the bottle warmer. While I would NOT advise spoiling your kid with warm bottles, I consciously chose to do so out of sheer guilt since I am one of the very few women whose milk never really came in. A friend who found it useless gave it to me so that was nice. I still use it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/8/2009 1:12:33 PM
Author: sbde
great thread dd!

baby snowsuit: luckily we got it as a present and didn''t spend anything on it, but even though we had a january baby we never used it once. just used the bundleme in the carseat whenever we went out. we literally just put the snowsuit on him ONCE and took some pics in it because we felt the need to at least use it once.

re: baby shoes and bedding: i do admit i got both and to tell you the truth i''d do it again. definitely wouldn''t get shoes for newborn sizes but i love how baby shoes complete an outfit (now that j is almost 6 mths old) and the adorable bedding i got from pottery barn kids makes me happy whenever i walk into the nursery haha

like blen, the arms reach cosleeper is not getting much use but the pack and play we have downstairs definitely gets used during daytime naps and diaper changes. i think this is mainly because of the fact that it''s nice to have something downstairs in the living area and isn''t really a reflection on one product being better than the other.

pandora: just wanted to let you know that those bibs will become very useful in the coming months when daisy goes through her drooling phase. i hadn''t used mine at all and then all of a sudden i was going through 3-4 a day when J was 4 months old!

luckily J loves the swings, bouncy chairs, exersaucer and playmat/gym so they''re getting a ton of use.

eta: fancy clothing for babies 3 months and under was a waste. J lived in onesies and footed sleepers for the first few months and anything else was just a pain to get on and off with their wobbly heads and didn''t look all that comfortable for the baby!.

Ha, that''s what I was told too (I have a ton of bibs I got as gifts - the cloth ones are useless for feeding - I only use bumpkins bibs for that) but Amelia NEVER drooled. I thought it was weird because I assumed all babies drooled. Not mine. It was kind of cool because her cute outfits weren''t ever covered with bibs, lol. However I think drool is good...doesn''t saliva help ward off bacteria in the mouth or something? Drier mouth = more cavities? My mom neither my brother nor I ever drooled and we have to be meticulous about our teeth or it''s cavityville. I would rather have Amelia be a drooler if it meant having the teeth of steel her father has!

 

[D&T]

I got a food mill by baby step from my MIL - never used it, still sitting in a box.