Baby Cheapskate recently did a poll of readers asking what they thought were the baby items not worth buying. Interested to see what people thought, I read with great interest. Only to be shocked. Some of those items would be on my TOP 10 list! Now, remember, the question was “worthless”…not NECESSARY. The reality is that you don’t really NEED anything except something to catch poop in and something to feed them. In any case, here is the list, and my own commentary:
Top 10 Most Worthless Baby Items
#10 Diaper Pail (Genie and Champ) I disagree. The diaper pail is not cryogenically sealed. Smells still make it out. But, I cannot imagine how much WORSE it would be in a traditional trash can?! (Keep in mind I live in a 2 story so tossing them in the garage trash is a pain).
#9 Shopping Cart Cover Again, I disagree. Granted, it really only served a purpose for a few months…when Henry was younger, he would dive for that metal and plastic handle and suck and lick away. I fought with him continuously to sit up straight. It made grocery shopping miserable. And disgusting. Besides, my cover has little toys tethered to the cover, which means he had soemthing to play with that I wouldn’t be constantly bending over to pick up off the floor. We don’t really use it anymore now that he’s bigger and has less of an oral fixation, but it was golden for the time we did need it.
#8 Boppy Nursing Pillow Again, I couldn’t disagree more. I LOVED my Boppy! Maybe mom’s who don’t nurse are the ones who didn’t like it? Maybe it was just because my five pound peanut was so small I couldn’t rest him on my lap as he nursed?
#7 Infant Shoes Okay, yeah. This one is stupid. They fall off and the poor kid looks uncomfortable.
#6 Hanging Diaper Stacker I have one hanging right next to the changing table. Where else would I put the diapers?
#5 Bumbo Baby Seat Hmmm…I liked this. But, truth be told, it only worked for a couple of months. But, it was invaluable as I got ready for work every morning. If I was a stay at home mom I probably would have found it worthless.
#4 Baby Robe Agree. Super cute, but totally inpractical.
#3 Crib Bedding Set with Bumpers and Quilts I’m not convinced that bumper pads are evil incarnate the way some baby books portray them. You all know I have them. We have a quilt, but it’s not in the crib with him.
#2 Wipe Warmer Totally worthless. Never even had one, but can’t imagine why it would be so needed in California? How cold can those wipes get?
And the most useless thing of all?
#1 Bottle Warmer Agreed. But then again, I nursed. I needed my Boppy. :)
Tomorrow I’ll do my own version of the most useless baby items. And maybe even my absolute must-haves. What do you think about this list?
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Sorry, have to agree with the Useless list though I never had a shopping cart cover. Also useless to me: baby washcloths, diaper bag organizers, nursing bras, baby bath tubs, baby safety fingernail clippers and car seat neck positioners. I know there are more … can’t wait for your post!
i also totally, 100% agree with the list. (except for the crib bedding.) can’t wait to see what your list is! what a fun post!
hmmm… coming from a mom who can’t physically nurse, i wouldn’t say the bottle warmer is worthless. we used ours quite a bit to get our bottles to go from stinkin’ cold to slightly cold or room temp (i don’t think you need to give them warm formula all the time because then they won’t take it cold when you are out places without your bottle warmer). i like the boppy too, even for holding while bottle feeding (and i really liked it when i nursed for a few weeks). but it’s also great for helping them when they are learning to sit up.
diaper pail? wait until you have your next kid. with two kids in diapers, the pail was so stinky their room was miserable to be in. potty diapers ended up in random trashcans around the house, the diaper pail went straight to the garage (where it sometimes got filled with poopy diapers and those huge night time potty diapers), and a lot of poopy diapers went straight to the outside trash (no matter how far i had to walk). zeb would poop sometimes 5 times a day, and i still would walk it out or all the way to the garage.
this time around i’m using a breathable bumper instead of the traditional bumper. part of the reason is i didn’t have a bumper that matched the crib skirt, but i have to say i do get a tid bit frightened by all that bumper stuff. and the crib quilt i think is ridiculous because it never goes into the crib, and our kids go from crib to twin bed, so it never worked as a quilt. an extra blanket, maybe, but we had a ton of those.
sorry, but i think the shopping cart cover is useless too. oh, i had one, used it once, maybe twice, and thought it was so not necessary. sometimes i’d put a little blanket over the cart where the baby would want to suck on. otherwise a quick wipe of the cart handle and baby seat made me feel just as comfortable. and often the store would provide antibacterial wipes by the cart. and bending over to pick up toys, while annoying, is just, well, life!
i think a wipe warmer is totally lame. setting the kid up for too much comfort in life. :)
i love some of those useless things. we had a bebe pod (like a bumbo) and used it a lot. it was great when dillon would get frustrated because he couldn’t sit – and then when he could sit we would use it to feed him in when we were out at friends or family.
i used bumpers with dillon and he has the matching quilt draped over his rocker. his bed converts to a toddler bed so it will become the quilt for that – so it is so not useless.
got a wipe warmer as a shower gift – never used it
love the boppy – it was great for holding dillon close after my c-section.
and i loved the shopping cart cover. we used it all the time and it was great for use in the grungy restaurant high chairs :)
sorry, i too have to agree with the list, although, i did enjoy having the bumper pads in the crib. They provided good cusioning when the girls were little so they didn’t wack their heads on the wood slats while rolling over in the middle of their sleep!
This is a great informational post for mommies to be. Good idea.
I love my diaper pail. I put poopy diapers outside too, but pee-pee diapers still start to really stink in an open trash can. I suppose a kitchen type trashcan would be just fine though.
never had a shopping cart thing. I don’t have germ phobia, and a blanket works just fine for that chewing stage. And toys on rings click right onto the cart or your purse.
I didn’t use my boppy much for nursing, but I’m excited about it for him learning to sit. It didn’t work for tummy time, he would kick and face plant on the other side.
If you need a pair of infant shoes check out Bobux, but for everyday socks or bare feet are perfect.
I put diapers in the cupboard in my changing table.
Didn’t have a bumbo seat. I wanted one with Caedra. We were fine without one, but it would have been nice for those months when they want to sit, but can’t yet. I spent A LOT of time just sitting with her.
Baby robe – pointless.
I tried to put Caedra to sleep in her crib without bumpers. She smacked in head and got her chubby legs stuck between the bars all during one nap. I didn’t take them off again after that.
She uses her quilt now on her big bed, but never used it in the crib.
Wipe warmer! What are you going to do when you are out and about? I didn’t have one.
For the month that Caedra was on formula I used warm tap water to make her bottles.
Jacquelyn – what do you do without nursing bras? I suppose any non-underwire bra would be just fine and you could lift it up, but they are so unshaping and my nipples always show. I hate that. I love my Motherhood nursing bras.
Laura – I used a lightly padded demi-bra and I always wore a tank top with a shelf bra so I could nurse without uncovering my tummy. Nursing bras were always a hassle after the first month or so but everyone is different :)
nursing bras were a must for me! my boobs were so big, there wasn’t really another comfortable way for me to free them for nursing. and i loved my wipes warmer. it was a gift, i never would have purchased one. having 2 babies in the winter, i appreciated it when they were so teeny tiny and i had to change all those diapers in the middle of the night. fun list!
Let’s see…
10. Disagree.
9. Disagree.
8. Agree, but loved “My Brest Friend” (same basic idea, but it straps on for more security- looks dorky, but it works)
7. Disagree. Love Robeez- stylish, don’t fall off, and keep baby socks on their feet
6. Agree.
5. Agree. Wasn’t there a recall on those things awhile back?
4. Agree.
3. Disagree.
2. Disagree. Perfect for middle-of-the-night changing
1. Agree. I used the microwave (shhh! don’t tell!)