So last week when I shared a few of my favorite baby products I was asked if there were any products that I really didn't use. Yes and YES. Holy cow, I feel like with baby products they make you think that you need everything and that it has to be the best and most expensive thing out there. So not true. Here are a few things that we totally didn't need and what we use instead of them.
||1. Baby bath|| We live in an apartment and so we wanted to stay away from having a ton of huge baby items that we had to store. I'm so glad that we didn't get a baby tub. Instead I would go for either a baby bath sponge or a folding mat, we just slip it into our sink and then fold it up when we're done. They are both super inexpensive and can be stored extremely easily.
||2. Wipes Warmer|| I had quite a few people swear by their wipes warmer to me and so we ended up getting one but guess what, warm things make babies pee...on you. Every time I changed Jocelyn's diapers she would pee on me when I used warm wipes, I couldn't figure out what it was until we had to switch wipes because she was so sensitive. When we started using cold ones it magically stopped. So yes, wipe warmers made the whole diaper experience way more difficult then it needed to be.
||3. Diaper Genie|| My sis in law passed this little piece of info on to me and I am SO GLAD she did. Instead of paying tons of money for the dumb diaper genie refills we just use good 'ol zip loc bags to put the diapers in. No smell and no expensive refills!
||4. Bassinet|| Matt and I got a little Pack n' Play bassinett and I really regret it because in the beginning weeks when she was getting up every hour I had to get out of bed to even really see her because the bassinett had deep sides that I couldn't see into. Instead looking back I would do a co sleeper like this or something like this that can be moved around really easily.
||5. Changing table|| I looked at a ton of nursery furniture when I was decorating and they are all so overpriced. Instead of getting a changing table I repainted a dresser that I found at a thrift store and then put a $20 changing pad on top of it. It works perfect, I have all of her clothes right underneath for blowouts (because lets be real that happens like at least twice a day) and all of her changing stuff on the top and it only cost me $40!!
***okay so I just though of one more that's not in the pic above. I would totally skip out on a monitor. For me at least I got serious mommy radar after I had Jocelyn and I can hear her little grunts before she even starts to cry from our bedroom at night. If I had a monitor too I might lose my mind. She's always close enough for me to hear really well and I had no idea how easily I got accustomed to being tuned in to her. So yes, monitor is a no go for us:)
I agree...they aren't "musts"
ReplyDeleteAgreed! We also live in an apartment and I'm so glad we didn't get this stuff. It is already cramped as it is. We did go with a video baby monitor (Foscam) and use a free baby monitor app on our iPhones. It is SO nice to know it is secure through our wifi and we also like being able to see if our babe has his arm stuck in the slats or something/if we really need to go in there.
ReplyDeleteAh! Thanks for making this list!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I usually see posts posts that shows what someone needs (or, its their wants). I am usually left wondering if I would accidentally get something I dont need whenever this time comes for us!! Also, we live in a tiny apt so the folding mat is a great great idea!! xo
ReplyDeleteWe have a video monitor and it saved my sanity. I LOVED it, but that was because we had lost a baby to SIDS about a year and a half before our son was born so for us, that WAS a must.
ReplyDeleteWe also used an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper with our son and it was worth every red cent. I LOVE that thing and he slept in it until he was almost six months old. It was fantastic!!!
Good share. The baby monitor is more useful when she is a little bigger so that you can go outside the house during naps, I like to garden and maybe sit outside at night to have a couple drinks with the neighbors or friends.
ReplyDeleteWe never used a baby monitor either. I agree that the pack n play isnt that great for those weeks when baby is still in the bedroom with you, but you'll appreciate having it when you travel and things like that!
ReplyDeletePaige
http://thehappyflammily.com
A pack and play is not really for everyday use. We used a real bassinet for each of our boys for about three weeks and then into the crib in their own bedroom. For baths, we bathed our kids in the sink until they could sit up by themselves then we just put them in the tub. I found the baby tubs awkward and bulky.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin had one of those Diaper Genies, and that thing really stunk up the place when she changed it. We just put a regular trash can in their nursery. I had a changing table and didn't use it except to store things. Finally, I don't get baby wipe warmers. The baby wipes for sensitive skin that we used had grapeseed oil and smell sooo good.
See I really like our Diaper Genie and our baby bath. Also the monitor. If I'm awake and the TV is off I can hear her but if I'm asleep, I cannot hear her over my husband's fan. The monitor is the best. I also like to peep her to see that she's awake and not crying sometimes during the day.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the swing was our worst purchase.
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