Biggest waste of money...

[Loup89]

It's so easy to get carried away buying baby things especially as this is my first. Although we've not bought a lot yet I just wanted to see what you all thought was a complete waste of money or just not needed? You go into all these baby shops and they make it seem like you need to buy the entire shop!
I also have this worry that if I buy newborn baby clothes I'll have a big baby that wont fit into any of the things we have.

 

[Jslyn9996]

Really all I needed was diapers, clothes, swing. I did use a boppy.

I really like the gowns. And the gowns can be 0-3 months and still work so if you get a few of those and a few newborn pieces you love you should be ok. My son was little though and in newborn for a month so I was glad I stocked up. Also you don't really dress them uptoo much when they are tiny so pajamas and gowns are great. (And I love zipper pajamas because the buttons get old fast!) sorry kind of off tangent. If I think of anything else I will comment again

 

[Gizzyy]

Stalking!

 

[MaMaRed1012]

You are going to find a wide variety of what one mom classifies as needing or was helpful.

Place for baby to sleep. Crib, bassinet, etc.

Way for baby to eat. Breast, formula, bottles.

Clothes for baby. Onsies/vests, sleepers. Get comfy things although jeans and dresses are cute---they aren't that comfortable compared to footed sleepers.
Blankets and/or sleep sacks.

Diapers. Either disposable or clothes and wipes if you will use them. Also if you are using disposables don't buy tons right away---the fit might not be right for baby or sometimes they can have an allergic reaction and need to change brands.

Some people like having a swing or a bouncer. I think if you have one you don't need the other.

Baby baths---some people like them and others prefer to bath baby with themselves or in the sink. But you will need some baby shampoo and lotion, etc.

I find that the worst item I was given was diaper wipe warmer. No need for it as they are room temperature and my 3 previous babies never minded. I also did not like the diaper genie (granted I got like the first model 16 years ago with my oldest) but this time I will be cloth diapering.

Other items that are nice to have around but easy to get at a 24 hour shop would be gas drops, tylenol, pacifier, etc. But again you don't have to have to bring baby home but nice at 2 am when needed.

Changing table. Again not needed---some like it and some just change on a pad on the floor. I got one this time only to keep the nursery a tad bit more organized as I will stack cloth diapers and wipes on the shelves. Never had one with the other kids.

Remember that lots of things you don't need right away---high chair, walker, etc. Those can be picked up later. It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement for baby shopping. I know that I already have. LOL

Good luck and congratulations!

(Sorry I went off on a tangent on what was needed...LOL)

 

[jenniferannex]

Shoes! Baby shoes are a complete waste of money in my opinion, yet it's soooo hard to resist them when you see them in the shops as they are sooo tiny!
But they never stay on and it's hard to get them on the baby!
Booties on the other hand I loved!! Kept my DDs feet all nice and snug and stayed on!

 

[jenmcn1]

I wouldn't bother with highchairs, or a bumbo seat for baby or even toys.... In the first few months the only things I used were a bassinet, onesies/sleepers, diapers, a Moby wrap to wear baby (not a baby bjorn), a boppy pillow to breast feed, and that's about it! oh and of course a car seat!! One thing that I had given to me, was a bouncy chair, that baby can lie down in, which was a lifesaver if I needed my hands free. Oh and something totally not related but in preperation for baby.... Freeze a ton of meals down before baby arrives! Healthy freezer meals will come in handy for the first few weeks

 

[Loup89]

thanks ladies, this is exactly what I needed. I know everyones different with opinions but need some ideas of what not to buy to keep my bank balance happy!
I have to say I have never even heard of wipe warmers! haha.
I think it's the clothes I need to be sensible about, shoes and little outfits are mega cute but probably not practical.
Freezing meals idea is a good one, I'll have to get my husband on that one nearer the time no point having a chef in the house and not making use of his skills lol.

 

[catty]

I spent £100 on a cute bed set. Now hes in his cot all he has is a sheet and his sleeping bag. That was such a waste!!

 

[Loup89]

I've noticed how expensive bedding is, I was actually quite shocked.

 

[mrsc81]

Clothes - buy just a few, you never know what the weather is going to be like, It was snowing at the end of March when my LO was born. I bought several sizes up in advance and we had such hot weather in the summer she lived in just vests, so a lot of the clothes were unworn.

 

[mrsc81]

Yes bedding, just buy sheets, I'm using the bedding set duvets I bought as play mats She use's a sleeping bag, just a sheet on the cot.

 

[Gizzyy]

That's what I'm planning on doing just having baby sleep in a sleeping bag. I already have one but I need to get one suitable from birth

 

[xdxxtx]

I personally don't think I bought anything that was a waste, but I do think that certain things are a huge waste of money... A bedding set, when a baby only needs a fitted sheet and preferably a *breathable* bumper if you choose to use one... But those SETS are so pricey! I can't believe people buy them. I spent a small amount of change and got 3 fitted sheets to rotate and a breathable bumper, which have lasted through 2 babies so far.

 

[catty]

My bed set ended up being recalled as it had buttons on it so I ended up getting my money back once I realised I wouldnt use it. Only problem is his entire room was the same theme.

I didnt really have any total wastes , smal things like baby creams and bath wash etcas lucas is allergic to everything and I only use prescribed creams. That wasnt really a waste though as its not that pricey and I could use it on myself although I probably wont.

 

[Alyssa Drough]

My DD is 4 weeks old and she's worn an actual proper outfit once. The rest of the time she's just been in vests and onesies.

Also, this being my first baby - we've been bought so many outifts by various family members. She's got more clothes than me and we've hardly had to spend a penny, but she'll easily outgrow them before she has a chance to wear them all!

We use our changing table all the time - but that's us.

I use a baby bath at the moment but only cos it was £5.

I've already packed some stuff away to go to a charity shop cos I know they'll never get used - a few pairs of tiny shoes and loads of little hats that got bought for us. I've only kept a couple of hats for going outside in the cold.

 

[Misscalais]

Honestly there's nothing I bought that I didn't use. I tend to make big babies so we only buy a few clothes until after bub is born.
I did have a sling ( mil bought ) that I found too awkward to use so that was probably the biggest waste of money normal baby carriers are much easier/comfortable for me to use.
All mums will have an opinion on what they though was a waste of time and what wasnt so it's kind of hard to decide lol! I have a change table that's also a chest of draws. I lovey change table and used it everyday for at least the 1st year with my boys. People will say they are a waste of time cause bub will roll off etc. it's common sense you don't leave baby on a high area by themselves. So we've never had a change table accident.

 

[Bexivillian]

We had alot, despite our insistence we got brought tons of stuff we asked not for by other people. Baby pink was the worst, we are not baby pink people, cotton wool had a ton of that, pretty sure its still in a cupboard somewhere. Baby jean. Babies do not need jeans or leather shoes. Things we brought ourselves that wasnt needed.... baby bath, top and tail, baby toys, bouncer, I brought an expensive travel system that apart from being a bonus crib was not worth the money. Playmats, she hated, much prefered a soft blanket. Manual breast pump... completely put me off pumping at first.

 

[Starry Night]

For us it was a swing. I know a lot of moms swear by them but my DS HATED it and didn't get over that hatred after repeated uses. We just returned the swing and got some other things instead. I also never used a swaddler that I was given. I did my own swaddling with receiving blankets. And I ended up not using the sleeping bags. DS slept with a small, thin fleece blanket.

This time around I'm going to avoid getting as many frilly/dressy outfits as I did with DS. Well, with DS most of those outfits were gifts from showers so I made an effort to use them all at least once. but it was a shame that so many only got worn once. We attend church every week so I do want/need a nice outfit for each size but I've learned children only need 1, maybe 2 nice outfits (it case the first gets pooped on so you have a back up to bring along). And grandparents and aunties/uncles often end up getting those anyways.

 

[SRTBaby]

Expensive clothes, jeans etc. They mostly live in sleepers and onesies
Shoes, now that is a waste of money, i bought a lot for under 6 months and i never used them

Diaper genie- tried using it once, ridiculous we put it up on sale the same day
Diaper or drink warmers, when the baby is crying you don't have the 5 minutes to put the drink in a warmer.
I can't remember the rest but i know we sold a lot of the stuff we had within the first few months.

 

[lovelylaura]

I 2nd the cot set, we paid £100 for that and i dont think we used anything once they were in the cot. I would wait to get swings as some just dont need the motion so thats £50 saved. We didnt really get anything we didnt use tbh, but we didnt get tonnes just use common sense. Once we were shopping in kiddicare and saw an automatic stirrer for formula! £10 they wanted too! just the usaul shake will do