With that being said, obviously this is a subjective list since everyone's needs differ and what works for one parent (or baby), might not work for another, but overall, when I think about the baby items that are useless or a waste of money, these one's make my list.
1. Burp Cloths: Totally unnecessary. For starters, they are too small and 10 times out of 10, the spit up is going to roll farther down your shoulder than the burp cloth covers. I'm all for multipurpose items and I found that receiving blankets thrown over your shoulder did a much better job of collecting spit up.
2. Change Table: A piece of furniture that baby will outgrow doesn't make sense to me. Buy a change pad and place it on top of a dresser. Or, change your baby on the couch or the floor, which is what I ended up doing most of the time. Great way to prevent baby falling too!
3. Wipes Warmer: I know, I know, it's a great idea! And I have friends who loved theirs. But I so rarely changed diapers in the exact same spot that the cost of one just doesn't seem worth it. And my son survived without one. Plus, do you really want to accustom your baby to only having it's butt wiped with something warm? What happens then when you aren't at home? Skip it. Babies all over the world have survived cold wipes.
4. The Pee-pee Teepee: These were passed on to me from a co-worker as a bit of a joke gift, but at first I was like, these are genius! No. Just a complete novelty item. First of all, you aren't going to pull them out every time you go to change a diaper. And if you do happen to remember to, if baby does pee, then you've just added another thing to be washed. Also, I never once was peed on...it's pretty easy to gauge when your baby boy is about to pee and a washcloth, wipe or the diaper that is still underneath the baby will suffice.
5. Sleepers that go over the head: Why would anyone think these are a good idea?! It's hard enough dressing a wriggly, screaming baby, let alone getting them into a sleeper that only goes over their head. Throw in a poop explosion and you'll be cutting that thing off with scissors!
6. Diaper Genie: Everyone tells you you need one. And I agree to an extent. The first few months of baby's life, you go through a butt load of stinky diapers so it's nice to have a closed system to contain them. BUT...I still found the smell to be unbearable once you have to empty the diaper genie. And don't even get me started on how expensive the bag refills are for them!! Once I ran out of my refills with my second hand diaper genie, I stopped using it. I'd rather take the garbage out twice a day then spend good money on garbage bags.
7. The Bumbo: You either love your Bumbo or don't. I definitely thought it was one of those "must have" items, so I picked one up second hand. My kid hated it from the beginning and after reading some articles on how it forces your baby into unnatural positions, I knew it wasn't for me. No judgement on mom's who love theirs, but I think a bouncy chair or the floor provides a better option!
8. Shopping Cart Cover: Do you really want to drag another baby item along with you wherever you go? No, you really don't. I get it, you want to keep your baby safe from germs, but I'm of the camp that exposure to germs isn't always a bad thing. And I bet 9 times out of 10, you'll forget to bring the damn thing into the store with you anyway. If you must, give the handle and seat a quick wipe down.
9. The Baby Bullet: I will admit, years before I had my own kid, I thought the Baby Bullet was so cute and I wanted one. But the reality is, a Magic Bullet or any high speed blender for that matter, will do the trick. Plus, it will also make adult sized portions so you won't need to store two different blenders.
10. The Snoogle: OK, technically not a baby item, but I'm throwing this one in anyway. My first pregnancy, I bought the regular Snoogle and hated it. When it was time to switch sides I was laying on, I'd have to flip the whole thing over, but I'd have to lift the covers off the bed first. Way too much work. And I found it uncomfortable on my head. This pregnancy, I decided to try the Snoogle on Steroids, aka The Back 'N Belly Body Pillow. It was definitely comfortable at first, but then I didn't know where to put my arms! Threading one underneath the pillow made it fall asleep and I didn't know where else to put it. That thing, along with the cover for it, was freaking expensive so I returned it right away. Two king-sized pillows, or body pillows to support my hips did the job just fine!
Come back tomorrow to see what my top baby items are!
Parents out there - what baby items did you find to be useless or overrated?
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