Useless Products (things I never used)

jennjilljo

I saw quite a few people mention that they thought the registry thread was about what S+TMs didn't like or use. So here is a small list of things I found useless:

Wipe warmers
Bottle warmers
Dreft (I already use all free and clear, allergen free is fine)
Changing table
Portable changing pad (blankets work)
Swaddle sacks (DS hated being swaddled)
Sleep sacks (he liked free feet)
Comforters and bumper pads (they make cute pictures for set up but DS was much older before he started using blankets)

Anyone have anything else to add?

ambernicole06

Thank you for starting this! I was just thinking we needed this post

mandamoochie

Bumbo!

Fwiw- ds loved swaddle pods and still uses his sleep sack. But otherwise great list!

ordinary1

Yes to the bumpers!

Dreft

Sleep sacks 

Car seat covers that go behind the baby (such as JJ Cole bundle me) (void car seat warranty and isn't safe)

Baby spoons (we did BLW and toddler silverware was better)

Mittens (Annabelle tore them off all the time)

Shoes

Thin hats

ambernicole06

My SIL loves her baby wipe warmer but I've never heard of anyone else really using them she had all boys and said something about she felt like they didn't pee on her as much when they weren't startled with a cold wipe lol idk how true that is but I've heard her mention it before and she has used that going with all 4 of her boys lol

jennjilljo

@mandamoochie‌, that's why I added my reasons. Not all kids are against swaddling so that may be a "wait and see" item. We used the bumbo a lot. DS loved being able to sit up. I think some items are just more baby specific than others.

ordinary1

Be warned, girls can be also pee on you! My daughter has explosively shit and peed on my husband and I multiple times when she was a newborn. We thought we got lucky since we had a girl, but nope.

jennjilljo

@amamlamb‌. They make these things called peepee teepees that you put over the penis to keep them from peeing on you. I only used mine a couple times but they were effective.

ambernicole06

@jennhillhoite‌ I have seen those before! And I'm real mature and giggle everytime I see them haha! When I change her kids diaper *most of the time just pee ones* I just hurry and cover with a clean diaper lol it's like a race

@ordinary1‌ my sister has 2 girls and she has sent me pictures of explosive diarrhea all over her car door interior while she was trying to change a diaper lol I keep telling her she is trying to scar me for life!

ordinary1

@amamlamb The stories I could share...

lizzybean

Whoops! Made this exact post the same time as you did. Here is my list:

I don't recommend a travel system. I hated our Graco stroller that came with it. If you are planning to grow your family in the near future, check out strollers with the option to become a double. I have 3 strollers sitting in my garage that I rarely use. 

Don't stock up on a crap ton of bottles, especially if you plan to be a SAHM. And make sure you get a couple of different brands, sometimes you need to try a few before baby takes to one specific brand. I was so worried about having everything that we bought a big combo pack and DD took a bottle from DH maybe once every couple of weeks. 

It's all about your comfort, but we survived without a video monitor. 

A PNP with a deep bassinet on the top is a great asset for having the baby sleep in your room but not in your bed. DD slept in this for most of her first 4 months and it was awesome.

Check out a swing with a detachable swing seat. We have this one and when DD was brand new we would put the swing seat on the floor beside the bed at night. It can sometimes take them a little while to be comfortable sleeping horizontally on their backs. I know many people like the rock n play seat, but I was thrilled that this product was like 2-in-1!

I personally never used ANY burp cloths. We still have a cupboard full of them that were washed 2.5 years ago, folded, and put away. Get a few, but that's really probably all you will need.

Oh, and the newborns will only need onesies and stretchy pants for the first 3 months or so. Fancy little skirts, dresses, suspenders, jeans, etc. are not going to be practical or comfy!

HeyStVincent

Thanks for this list!  This is really helpful

ordinary1

I disagree on the travel system! There were times when Annabelle fell asleep in her seat and when we were out and about. I wasn't going to lug around the seat and didn't want to wake her up to wear her.

jennjilljo

@lizzybean‌ great minds think alike
The burp clothes, bassinet and outfits are great additions.

@ordinary1‌, I have so many shotgun blast stories from DS. According to my grandma is good luck so just attribute all your happiness to baby poop, lol. I love your list. The only thing I actually used that you mentioned were the mittens but that was only the first 3 months.

jaztastic

HeyStVincent said:

Thanks for this list!  This is really helpful

Really? These posts drive me nuts. For every item someone says they didn't need, another mom comes along and says how awesome it was to have. (Not just on here, but IRL too). The only thing universal I've heard consistently is a changing table, unless you get the kind that is actually a dresser with the pad on top.

lizzybean

ordinary1 said:

I disagree on the travel system! There were times when Annabelle fell asleep in her seat and when we were out and about. I wasn't going to lug around the seat and didn't want to wake her up to wear her.

Most car seats fit into most strollers, you just have do a little research and ask the sales people in the store. I just meant that the stroller that comes with the travel system is not usually that great. The wheels on mine jam up and go sideways when I walk too quickly with it!

I agree that I miss that baby car seat and being able to take it out of the car!

ordinary1

I know I'm the minority of this, but I love my changing table! Annabelle is almost a year and a half and I still use it!

jennjilljo

jaztastic said:

HeyStVincent said:

Thanks for this list!  This is really helpful

Really? These posts drive me nuts. For every item someone says they didn't need, another mom comes along and says how awesome it was to have. (Not just on here, but IRL too). The only thing universal I've heard consistently is a changing table, unless you get the kind that is actually a dresser with the pad on top.

That's true. This is a good venue for FTMs who are interested to determine if they want, don't want or would like to wait and see on an item. I think a description is helpful so others can understand why you didn't use it. *says the one who only put some reasons in*

ordinary1

I do suggest not buying a ton of diapers beforehand. Some brands don't work as well as others or baby might have a reaction to. It is also hard to guess size. I suggest stocking up at the hospital and then buying some once you get home.

MapleMomma

jennhillhoite said:

jaztastic said:

HeyStVincent said:

Thanks for this list!  This is really helpful

Really? These posts drive me nuts. For every item someone says they didn't need, another mom comes along and says how awesome it was to have. (Not just on here, but IRL too). The only thing universal I've heard consistently is a changing table, unless you get the kind that is actually a dresser with the pad on top.

That's true. This is a good venue for FTMs who are interested to determine if they want, don't want or would like to wait and see on an item. I think a description is helpful so others can understand why you didn't use it. *says the one who only put some reasons in*

I agree with both of these. As a ftm, I like reading/ gearing these, but I get so much conflicting information that its so confusing.

jaztastic

@jennhillhoite‌ agreed that the reasonings should be added.

psychobutthead

Also to add to what jaztastic said it also varies child to child. What worked with one kid might not work with another child you have.

dreamof2

I also love and still use my changing table. I have back issues and with all of the bending over to pick up baby, toys, stuff, I really appreciate the changing table.

I also have to disagree with the burp cloths. I can see this if you don't have a barfy baby but we went 4-5 every day for the first three months.

jennjilljo

@psychobutthead‌, great point.

@sarabell52‌, awesome list. I'm jealous of how well that is put together.

@dreamof2‌, I had dozens of blankets so I used them as burp clothes (it usually got on the blanket anyway) and I think it's important to consider why a particular parent may or may not need an item listed. I think this is a good sounding board for them to see items that they may want to hold off on or borrow and try before buying.

StephanieLBerg

According to my mother, I refused to use a pacifier. Apparently I preferred my middle and ring fingers on my left hand.

krispy83

I think the only thing that wasn't listed on here that we never used is the dishwasher basket for bottles.  We didn't have THAT many bottles and I found it to be easier to just hand wash the bottles and put them on a drying rack.  Plus our dishwasher is on the small side and we only run it every few days - if we ran it daily, it might have been different.

natsgirl12

I know people hate wipe warmers but here's how I use mine:

I fill it with warm water and then mix in aloe, candela oil, tea tree oil, and lavender oil. Then dip a reusable wipe in when I want to use it. I change the water as needed.

I do also use reg cold wipes (especially for poop) but this mix is nice nice on the baby's bottom. When you're in the hospital they tell you to just use paper towels and warm water. This is similar.

I'd never put actual wipes in the warmer but wanted to throw this out there in case people hadn't thought of it before.

natsgirl12

I don't get the need for changing pad covers. They're gross. You get pee and poop on them almost immediately. I say skip them.

Also don't stock up on a ton of diapers. Yes you need a bunch to start but as baby grows the sizes will change quickly (depending on baby) and then you have a ton of diapers you can't use. Most of the time of the diapers are leaking it's time for a new size.

Car seat accessories that don't come with the car seat or aren't approved to use with your exact car seat are a no no. Don't get them.

That's all I can think of for now.

rebecca20scherrer

I'm gonna disagree with the changing table!
I had a csection and that 15 dollar craigslist find was the best 15 dollars! It helped me not have to go crazy on my incision!
So with this baby we will for sure be using a changing table as well as a "blooming bath" for bathing as its the same sort of "bring the baby up saftey to my level" item

jmcgra06

Another pro-changing table - we have it behind our couch so we don't have to lug DD up for diaper changes. We could obviously change her on the couch, but it has a nice organizer underneath where we keep the diapers and wipes and it was only $40.

AF9211

ordinary1 said:

Be warned, girls can be also pee on you! My daughter has explosively shit and peed on my husband and I multiple times when she was a newborn. We thought we got lucky since we had a girl, but nope.

I wish I could love tit this 1000 times @ordinary1! So unfortunately true...

These lists are hit or miss to me. Some things that people found useless, my DD loved and we got a ton of mileage out of....and some things people swear by, DD hated.

Here's what worked & didn't work in our house (and I don't expect this list to be the same for DD2).

Useless to us:

Bouncy seat

Swaddlers (we just used the receiving blankets from the hospital)

Burp cloths (again, we used the ones from the hospital...best quality)

Crib bedding set (we used [still use] a crib sheet and crib skirt/dust ruffle)

Any type of bottle sanitizer/warmer/water purifier or dish washer accessories (I hand washed them all because I never run the dishwasher as often as the bottles need to be cleaned)

Baby towels (they never absorbed water...me & DD always ended up soaked)

PNP (we bought a mini PNP with a bassinet for DD to sleep in initially..she hated it and never used it as she got older. I do love a full size PNP for when they're older, though).

Changing pad/changing table (DD was changed on the floor or on the couch)

Baby shoes (DD's feet were so fat I couldn't smush her toes in them even if I wanted to)

Baby powder (is this weird??) Never used it on her...still haven't.

Things we sweared by:

Rock n play (first time she STTN...slept in it from 2-9 months) Wasn't really a great habit to start, but she slept & we slept so that's all I cared about.

Bumbo

Boppy

Snap & go stroller frame

Baby carrier (not a wrap, a carrier)

Better quality bottles (I followed other moms' advice I bought nice ones and cheap ones. The cheap ones ended up giving DD horrible gas because the nipple & air flow was too much even with the slowest flow nipples)

Baby swing that plugs in

Baby mittens (I was terrified of cutting DD nails and she was a scratcher...they were a lifesaver for us in the first few weeks until I got over it)

It's cold during the winter in PA, so DD lived in footie sleepers (zip up...easier for middle of the night changes) If we lived in a warmer climate, I'd go with onesies. I rarely put "outfits" on her unless we had some place special to be. 

Full sized PNP (DD would play in it for hours while I got housework done)

Nose bulb from the hospital (the ones from the store never worked as well for us)

Sorry this is so long!!

weansworld09

I like these posts! I know there will be lots of pros & cons to various products, but I enjoy hearing the reasons.
Also, there are some products I am not registering for as a result, such as a bottle warmer, bottle sanitizer, and a bottle set.
Thank you for the insight!

ordinary1

It isn't weird to use baby powder! It is the new recommendation to not use. The powder coats baby's lungs.

t8keepr03

I used a dresser with a changing pad on top and we used it for every diaper change and still use it. I am one who loved my wipe warmer and I have a girl. My daughter loved to be swaddled but since we weren't sure we only bought 1 swaddle. When we knew she liked it we bought more. This baby might not like it so we aren't going I buy gender neutral ones until we know he or she likes it. If it's a boy he will just have to use a girl one for a few nights.

The bumbo my DD hated.

We got so many diapers of all different brands. The only diapers she didn't break out in were pampers and up and up. So I just returned the other unopened brands to target with my registry and exchanged for pampers or up and up.

We also got a ton of clothes so I wouldn't buy clothes yourself until you see what people buy you. So many of them she didn't even wear. She is still in 12 month clothes at 13 months and we have a closet full until 24 months.

We preferred to use receiving blankets instead of burp clothes because they were bigger. When she would spit up a burp cloth wasn't enough. A receiving blanket we could use all day with no spit up.

foxslaw

G.d bless whoever put together this thread. I'm starting my registry tomorrow & am definitely going to scour all of these threads.

crash916

We love our changing table. It's on the top of her dresser. Also loved the pack n play with bassinet and changing table attachments. Another favorite was the muslin swaddling blankets.
I agree with others on the bottles. We tried 4 different ones before DD took one kind consistently. New clothes aren't necessary either if you're okay with second hand.

thejollyrancher

For me, the Diaper Genie was completely useless. I cringed at the thought of how long diapers sat in there (It holds A LOT--so if you like that aspect it's great). Plus the replacement bags were a truly unnecessary expense when I was already on a super tight budget. I gave the thing away and used good old grocery bags. (I prefer to get garbage in general out of my house ASAP anyway).

Also, I used my baby bath only once. I found it was such a hassle to set up and get ready (I think maybe I had a really lame one...). I used the sink when he was tiny, then brought him into the shower with me when he was a bit bigger. Once he was sitting up well he bathed in the big tub and loved it.

ETA: is diaper genie still even a thing?

MrsTucker2011

I vote yes on the diaper changer pad. We put it on top of the dresser witha non-skid pad underneath. I have back problems, so I still use it. I like to keep a cloth diaper later on top of the pad cover. DS had a sensitive bum, so I have to pat it dry each time before wrapping up. It also give me an extra layer I can just throw in the wash if there's a leakage or mess.

I think the pack n play is useless if you have a small house. We bought a convertible crib so it won't go into storage when he gets older. When he was a newborn we used the rock n play. A lot easier to move around rooms, and smaller to take to grandma's house.

Ducktale

I was gifted one of the jj cole bundle me, I thought it was a great thing! Now I see not so much? So how do you keep a newborn warm outside in the winter?

delaneykai

@Ducktale - I loved our bundle me.    Definitely not useless.

Keeping in mind that every baby is different, so some things will be useless to some families, but not to others, this is what we didn't use.

Bumbo- DD hated it

Portable changing pads- we just used a blanket most times

Bouncy seat- DD hated it

Bottle warmer (cup of hot water worked just as well)

Baby food making machine (my own cooking supplies and blender worked just as well)

Things that were essential to us

Swaddles

Baby Bjorn

Swing

Rock and Play

Pump and milk storage bags

JenniferHedrick

Someone mentioned a swing that plugs in. The ability to plug it in instead of batteries is a life saver at 2 am with a sick baby.

I found a neat invention that I'm getting called a baby Brezza. It makes bottles kind of like a keurig. It mixes the powder and water after heating the water. It all goes through a funnel nozzle into any type of bottle. I am adamant about not breast feeding so it is at the top of my list. No 2 am juggling of baby, bottle, water, and formula for this mom.

I personally love the chicco and combi stroller systems. They pack up to just bigger than an umbrella stroller. This made them much more reasonable for driving with in my Mini.

The boppy always stays high on my list. They are versatile and super handy.

I found baby bottle sanitizing important in some form. They warn against just hand washing. So I've always made sure there was some way to sanitize. They make all kinds of options for this.

Hope this helps...