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Want to know the most unnecessary baby items that most people add to their registry? Leave these items off of yours to save yourself some frustration and money.
When you are making your first registry, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed. I depended on “must have lists” online and based my decisions almost entirely off of which items had the best reviews. There are a few things I learned along the way that I will definitely make sure to do differently with the next baby.
There are a few things that are important to consider when making your registry. The first is how much room you have. Babies need A LOT of stuff and we didn’t have much room, so finding ways to be minimalistic was so important for me. 2-in-1 items are my saving grace. If you have plenty of space, absolutely go crazy. If you are limited, you may be overwhelmed by all of the baby stuff everywhere in an already overwhelming time.
Another thing to consider is money. Even if it’s not your money being spent, you could eliminate some unnecessary items, and replace them with ones that would be helpful, or items your baby could use when they are older. It will still end up saving you money in the long run.
I cannot even begin to count how many times I have heard the phrase “it goes by so fast”, so I hate to say it again, but many of these very expensive items only lasted me about three months, and I have a tiny baby. (I’m talking “10th percentile for weight and not even on the chart for height” tiny). If you have a bigger baby, or even average, you’ll be putting them in storage or selling them on marketplace in a couple of months, and shaking your head at all the money wasted.
It’s okay to opt for more affordable items. I went through 5 diaper bags before I found one I love, so I can’t imagine buying one of the $200 ones in the beginning and then hating it. There are definitely some items you don’t want to go cheap on, for safety reasons, but some of these items just felt unnecessary and wasteful in the end.
This post is about the most unnecessary baby items that you should leave off of your registry.
Most Unnecessary baby items:
1. Mamaroo
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Mamaroo. It was one of my “must have” items on my registry, but after my son was born, I only used it a couple of times. The problem with the Mamaroo, that I never thought of beforehand, is that you have to keep it plugged in. I know this sounds super obvious, but I just didn’t think about it. Unfortunately the cord it comes with isn’t all that long. If you are anything like me, you will probably move your swing/bouncer around your living room and kitchen about twenty times a day. When it has to be plugged in, and within a short distance of an outlet at that, it really isn’t convenient or practical. I always ended up opting for my classic swing or bouncer instead.
If you do decide to get it, I would recommend investing in a much longer cord that is compatible with your model. Or to plan on just keeping it in one spot. I had postpartum anxiety and wanted eyes on my newborn at all times. Leaving them across the room or in the living room while I made dinner just wasn’t working for me and $250 is a pretty hefty price for something you might only use a couple of times.
2. Foldable Wooden Gym
This thing is so beautiful and so aesthetically pleasing. I set it up in the corner of my nursery and it looked so cute there. I couldn’t wait to let my baby lay under it and look up at the pretty clouds and wooden rings. Unfortunately this thing never left the corner.
Babies simply do not care about aesthetics and soft pretty colors. When they are little enough to lay under these play gyms, their vision isn’t fully developed. They love contrast, so I would recommend looking for something like the Tiny Love Black and White Play Mat. By the time they can properly see the soft pretty colors, they are not spending time laying under a play gym. They are on the move and want to explore EVERYTHING. If you like the way they look and want it for aesthetic purposes, absolutely get it. This is the only one I put on my registry, so I ended up buying a different one later. I wish I would have saved my space and money.
3. Jolly jumper
I didn’t actually have this one on my registry, but a friend gave hers to me because her daughter hated it. I was so excited because my son LOVES to jump. Sadly he wasn’t a fan of this either. There are no toys around it or fun things to look at while he jumped. He got bored after a couple of minutes. He totally preferred the jumperoo style activity centers where he could jump, spin, and grab at toys. The frame of the Jolly Jumper took up so much space too. It was difficult to store anywhere without completely disassembling it.
4. Floor Seat
I honestly hardly used the floor seat. My son hated it and the toys on it didn’t interest him at all. It wasn’t until he had already out-grown it and my sister was making her own registry that she sent me an article detailing the dangers of floor seats such as the bumbo or the Sit-Me-Up. Not only have there been several recalls due to injuries from babies falling over or out of these seats, but they can also cause developmental issues. Babies who spend a lot of time in the floor seats can experience developmental delays. It can keep them from properly developing their muscles and core stability.
If you are a fan of these floor seats, they are okay in moderation. Just make sure to safely buckle your baby in and supervise them at all times. Never put a baby on a soft or elevated surface, and don’t keep them in the seat for a prolonged period of time. Make sure to check the safety guidelines of the model you buy for further safety information.
5. Separate Swing and Bouncer
I don’t know how I missed this, but when I was making my registry I had no clue they had two-in-one baby swings and rockers. For those of you who haven’t seen these, it is a baby swing with an easy to remove seat that converts into a rocker. GENIUS! I had two separate seats that just took up more space than necessary.
I definitely recommend getting one that vibrates from the seat itself. The rocker I had vibrated and the swing I had did not. My son was very easily soothed by vibration, so this was a bummer. Some of the two-in-one swings have the vibration feature in the swing, not the seat, so you’d end up with that same problem.
6. Mirror Without Swivel Support
The mirror I added to my registry was one that just strapped directly to the seat. It had no way to adjust the angle or direction it was facing. What was I thinking? I couldn’t see my son at all, and I tried everything to position it where I could see him. It wasn’t happening. Mine went in the donation bin and I bought this one instead that had a swivel mount for easy adjustment. I later upgraded to this baby monitor camera and did away with the mirror all together. It is such a huge improvement and it is surprisingly affordable.
7. Baby Clothes
When it comes to baby clothes, people don’t care what you want. They will buy the tiniest, cutest thing they can find with a matching hat that your baby will only wear long enough to snap a picture. People LOVE baby clothes and typically they will buy for themselves, not based on what you need or ask for. My son rarely wore an outfit more than once. There were many, many outfits he never wore that I put in storage with the tags still on them. Though I am so appreciative of everything my friends and family bought me, it felt very wasteful to me. Less is more when it comes to clothes. On the next go around, I will beg people not to buy me clothes and I will take care of that part myself.
8. Baby Bullet
Okay I truly do love the Baby Bullet. It is adorable, but I literally used it one time. When I made my son’s pureed food, I made a couple of months worth at once and froze it all in the little containers. By the time we got through that, we were on to solids. It sat in the pantry for a few months and then I finally forced myself to put it in storage. It felt like such a waste of money and plastic.
Even if you plan on making your baby’s food fresh every few days, the baby bullet may not be your best option. I had a lot of trouble getting the food to blend, and I am a pro with a blender. I mean I worked at a smoothie shop for years when I was younger. Using a food processor first helped to get everything broken down really well. Then you can move it over to the baby bullet for easier blending.
You could save a lot of time by just using whatever blender you have already or buying a high quality one that you can use for years to come instead. They sell the storage containers separately so if you can’t resist those cute little smiles, just grab a couple packs of the storage containers instead and save yourself a lot of extra effort and money.
9. High Chair with Removable Cushions
High chairs can be SUCH A PAIN to clean. The high chair I registered for is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. It was already set up at my baby shower and I remember saying “I can’t get over how nice that high chair is” about twenty times. A couple months into using it, it looks like a total disaster. You have to take off the removable cushions every time you clean it. The seat cushion doesn’t stay in place anymore and I’ve basically given up on it all together. There are so many nooks and crannies that are impossible to get into that are always caked with old food. It’s nasty.
I recommend going with something as simple as possible, like this one from Amazon. It can fold up too, which is a huge bonus because I am constantly shoving my high chair around to get it out of the way.
10. Car Seat that Doesn’t Rotate
When we were picking out my son’s second car seat, we scoured the internet for reviews and “Top 10 Car Seats” lists. I landed on a Britax one that had great safety ratings and reviews. I didn’t have an issue with my car seat at first, but my mom babysits my son while I’m at work, so she bought one for her car too.
She got the Evenflo Revolve 360 rotating car seat. The first time I put my son in it, I had instant regret about the car seat I bought. I am telling you, this is one of the best things that has ever been invented. It makes it a million times easier to get your baby in and out and to make sure they are safely fastened. They are a bit pricey, but worth the money in my opinion. I will never buy any other kind of car seat for my kiddos.
11. Baby Mittens
You definitely want to keep babies fingernails covered because they are sharp and can scratch them easily. Unfortunately the mittens don’t stay on for more than a few minutes and it is super frustrating! I swear by the onesies and pajamas with the fold over cuffs like these from amazon. They are so much easier and work a million times better!
There are plenty of other items I didn’t end up using. My son is lucky enough to be super spoiled by his extended family, but I end up putting two or three totes of baby stuff in storage each month for the next baby, much of it unused or unworn. I will be much more purposeful with anything I buy going forward, and try to reuse everything I can to avoid waste.
These are the things that I found to be completely unnecessary baby items! What items did you end up disliking that you put on your registry? Did you LOVE any items on my list? Comment below!
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James says
Love your articles!!
Mike Westerfiekd says
I wish I had come across your blog sooner! Great blog post and I can so relate to so many of the items you listed. Looking forward to the next one!
נערת ליווי אילת says
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