STMs: Best and Worst Baby Purchases

whatabout2ndbreakfast

Stolen from May 2018 because I thought this was a great idea! I thought the STMs could chime in here and give some perspective to those working on baby registries/planning baby gear/budgeting. 

What are the top 3 BEST things you bought for baby? Why?

What are the top 3 WORST things you bought that were a total waste of money and why? 

kmalls

Best: Rock N Play, Summer Infant Swaddles, quality changing table 

Worst: Halo Bassinest (most expensive dust collector EVER). I honestly can't think of another product that we bought that was just BAD. 

fishsticks-n-custard

Best: I'm going to copy @kmalls Rock'n'play, Swaddles, but our changing table was a hand me down so I'll go with Spectra S2 pump (that thing is friggin amazing).

Worst: Halo Bassinest (just no, no, no) Wipe Warmer and Mammaroo Swing (it's not horrible, just not worth the price tag). 

whatabout2ndbreakfast

Best
1. Bumbo - once DS was ready to sit I really loved that thing. I had one with a little tray so we sat him on the table when we started feeding him and it was great
2. Pack and play with the bassinet 
3. Those baby outfits that are like little sacks - soooo easy to change a diaper at night

Worst
1. Boppy. Pillows worked way better for me while I was struggling with breastfeeding
2. Clothes with snaps on the legs - why. Why are there so many snaps!?
3. Expensive crib set. I didn't even use the bumpers and we didn't use the thicker blanket either. So the only thing that got use was the sheet.

8bithearts

Best: rock n play, baby carrier of some sort (I prefer ring slings), Chicco nextfit 

Worst: wipes warmer, bassinet, footed sleepers (my kids have long legs and big feet and grow out of them quickly)

BarefootContessa

This is so funny.  I think opinions will vary greatly because what works for some will not for others.
Best: Rock N Play, Mamaroo Swing, Boppy
Worst: Bumbo (rarely used), my breast friend pillow (preferred the boppy) and snap closure sleepers (they are horrible to try to fidget with in the middle of the night. I much prefer the zippered ones, I just zipped with my fingers on either side to ensure baby's skin didn't get nicked.)

sapphires-and-diamonds

Best: Pack n Play with bassinet & changing table, Rock n Play, bouncer

Worst: Carrier (he HATED being in a carrier), outfits with snaps (why do these exist? Save yourself, ladies - zippers only), wipe warmer

sparklingdiamond

Best: Pack and play with the newborn insert thing.  We had him sleep in the pack and play next to the bed for quite a while.  The rock and play was also handy.  Also the swing.  He loved that.

Worst: We got a wipe warmer as a gift, but we didn't use it.  I can't think of anything that I just absolutely hated.  What ended up being useless is the changing table for his room.  We just didn't end up using it.

ekendall09

Best: phil and teds lobster highchair, mamaroo, our carriers (tula, moby and ergo are ones i've used and liked)
worst: baby socks (all of them), ear thermometer

dirtyboots

So my son was not of the norm so my answers are going to be different.

Best: Carrier (Ergo- for hiking/extended periods of time.  Hot sling-for shopping trips/ events. Trim, fast, and easy to use), Doorway Jumper (he LOVED it), a jogging stroller (I walk 20-25 miles a week so a stroller that doesn't have hard wheels and jerk at every sidewalk crack is nice) 

Worst: Moby wrap, Swaddles, Pacifiers

My son hated being swaddled or constrained from the moment he was born. The midwife tried swaddling him for me and he screamed until he was out. We tried it multiple other times with the same result. Same with the Moby, too constricting for him. Pacifiers I bought every kind available and he never took to one. 

ladythrice

Best:

Rock N Play
Tula SSC (we still use our tulas with DS and he's almost 3)
Spectra Breastpump and Freemie pump parts (life-changing)

Worst:

Boppy Pillow- I hate Boppy Pillows, I don't understand why they are so popular. I got a random nursing pillow off amazon for DS and we loved it. I bought a Boppy too to have an extra pillow and it has literally sat on the floor by the kids toys only ever being used by the kids. Its HARD and not pliable. They are awful. (I think brestfriend pillow is another awful nursing pillow...)

...I'm struggling to think of something else but I can't. When I was pregnant with DS, people always included bottle warmers in the 'worst' list but I disagree so much! We used the crap out of our bottle warmer... and I saw a helpful tip on another post on this board about using it to warm a peri bottle post delivery and I'm going to be all over that shiz this time around!

dan0081

@peppersmith22 Thank you for adding this discussion! So helpful for FTM. I just bought a boppy today (it was $25 off), and it sounds like there are mixed reviews. It'll be good to try it out, and if it's terrible.. at least it was cheap.

sapphires-and-diamonds

dan0081 said:

@peppersmith22 Thank you for adding this discussion! So helpful for FTM. I just bought a boppy today (it was $25 off), and it sounds like there are mixed reviews. It'll be good to try it out, and if it's terrible.. at least it was cheap.

I really liked the Boppy. My cousin gave me her My Brest Friend and that one was fine too. I kept one upstairs and one down. 

pghren

 So I got a cheap knock off boppy a few weeks ago, is it the brand or the general style that people don't like? 

whatabout2ndbreakfast

@allowachick I personally just didn't like the boppy for breastfeeding because of it's shape - I did better with regular throw pillows. But then I also really struggled with breastfeeding to begin with so I think that's one item where it really depends on your personal preference. 

irenejean

I think there are going to be a lot of different answers because all babies are different, but here's my list

Best:
Halo Bassinest - we loved this thing and LO slept in it great until we transitioned to the crib at 4 months.
Rock N Play - we used this for daytime naps only.
Swaddles and Megic Merlin Sleepsuit - DS loved to be swaddled, we used the halo swaddle sleepsacks until he was 3 months and then switched to the Magic Merlin sleep suit from 3 to 6 months. These things were great for us.

Worst:
Mamaroo - DS liked forward and backward swinging movement and the mamaroo just does variations of side to side and up and down swinging.
Tummy time pillows - DS actually preferred being on the normal sized boppy pillow for tummy time. we had a small tummy time pillow and he hated it.
Cloth diapers - I had really good intentions of cloth diapering with DS, really, really good intentions. I bought a bunch of newborn and size 1 cloth diapers and had them ready to go, but the hospital sent us home with some disposable diapers, and between the postpartum hormones, anxiety, lack of sleep, and stress, we never used the cloth diapers. And to be honest, we have a hard enough time keeping up with laundry without having to keep up with cleaning diapers too, that I think we're just going to stick with disposables.

mountainsmama

My top three (eh, more than three sorry):
1. Sleep Stuff: Love to Dream swaddles (my baby liked to have her arms up / chew on her hands, this was a game changer for us), Magic Merlin sleep suit when she was bigger; Woolino sleep sack (it's giant but fits little babies too so we still use it now at 17 mos)
2. Pillows: I loved the boppy lounger to have a place to set her down and the Breast Friend pillow for nursing
3. A good glider! I spent SO much time in there - still do.
(and a bonus - Wubba Nub Pacifiers!)

Don't buy:
1. Bottle warmer - we just fed her cold milk from day one. So much easier.
2. I'm eh on the bouncer we got (the fisher price jungle one that everyone seems to have). She only liked it for about 10 mins at a time and it took up a ton of room.
3. An expensive high chair. Little kids make such a disgusting mess, I would have been mad if I spent $300 on a freaking high chair. Just get one that's easy to clean.

ngolimento

Best:
1) Madela nipple shields (not the ones for during feeding. Rather for between feedings in the first couple of weeks).
2) Boppy
3) A nice stroller with a click-in car seat.  SO worth the money.

Worst:
1) Any piece of clothing under 3 month size.
2) Vibrating bouncy seat (just made DD scream)
3) A changing table.  DD outgrew it too quickly.

ladythrice

@mountainsmama I agree on the glider!!! One of the best purchases we made. For DS we used an old recliner in his room, it was okay, but free and already ours so we made do. For DD we bought a really nice glider from BBB and it has been worth every penny. Bonus? When we're doing using it for the kids it'll make a nice armchair for our room, living room, or basement family room!

@ngolimento a quality stroller is something else I agree with. Spending money on a good stroller was worth it for us!

ekendall09

Third the glider.  I have DDs and spent alot on it and its still in amazing condition.  I went with Little Castle brand and customized the fabric.  Worth it in my opinion! I spent many a night nursing and falling asleep in that chair!

kmalls

mountainsmama said:

My top three (eh, more than three sorry):
1. Sleep Stuff: Love to Dream swaddles (my baby liked to have her arms up / chew on her hands, this was a game changer for us), Magic Merlin sleep suit when she was bigger; Woolino sleep sack (it's giant but fits little babies too so we still use it now at 17 mos)
2. Pillows: I loved the boppy lounger to have a place to set her down and the Breast Friend pillow for nursing
3. A good glider! I spent SO much time in there - still do.
(and a bonus - Wubba Nub Pacifiers!)

Don't buy:
1. Bottle warmer - we just fed her cold milk from day one. So much easier.
2. I'm eh on the bouncer we got (the fisher price jungle one that everyone seems to have). She only liked it for about 10 mins at a time and it took up a ton of room.
3. An expensive high chair. Little kids make such a disgusting mess, I would have been mad if I spent $300 on a freaking high chair. Just get one that's easy to clean.

Slightly disagree with this one. We bought a Stokke Tripp Trapp for DS and it's freaking AMAZING. With all the bells and whistles (adapter for seat + seat cushion + tray) is was about $350, but it's slim, grows with the baby, easy to clean and DS loooves it. He's 2.5 and has no issues using it. It'll transition to a regular chair when he's ready. Can't recommend this enough. 

...that being said, we haven't bought one yet for DD because $350. That's f'ing insane. 

ekendall09

kmalls said:

mountainsmama said:

My top three (eh, more than three sorry):
1. Sleep Stuff: Love to Dream swaddles (my baby liked to have her arms up / chew on her hands, this was a game changer for us), Magic Merlin sleep suit when she was bigger; Woolino sleep sack (it's giant but fits little babies too so we still use it now at 17 mos)
2. Pillows: I loved the boppy lounger to have a place to set her down and the Breast Friend pillow for nursing
3. A good glider! I spent SO much time in there - still do.
(and a bonus - Wubba Nub Pacifiers!)

Don't buy:
1. Bottle warmer - we just fed her cold milk from day one. So much easier.
2. I'm eh on the bouncer we got (the fisher price jungle one that everyone seems to have). She only liked it for about 10 mins at a time and it took up a ton of room.
3. An expensive high chair. Little kids make such a disgusting mess, I would have been mad if I spent $300 on a freaking high chair. Just get one that's easy to clean.

Slightly disagree with this one. We bought a Stokke Tripp Trapp for DS and it's freaking AMAZING. With all the bells and whistles (adapter for seat + seat cushion + tray) is was about $350, but it's slim, grows with the baby, easy to clean and DS loooves it. He's 2.5 and has no issues using it. It'll transition to a regular chair when he's ready. Can't recommend this enough. 

...that being said, we haven't bought one yet for DD because $350. That's f'ing insane. 

If you have a counter I highly recommend one of the clip on chairs.  I never bought any other highchair because we didn't have a ton of space and it worked great for us.  Some of them don't clean easy but I loved ours! (its one of my top 3 items)

ladythrice

ekendall09 said:

kmalls said:

mountainsmama said:

If you have a counter I highly recommend one of the clip on chairs.  I never bought any other highchair because we didn't have a ton of space and it worked great for us.  Some of them don't clean easy but I loved ours! (its one of my top 3 items)

We got a clip-on as a gift and use it all the time! It's great for traveling.

jbn999

Best:
1.  Sleep sacks- my DS absolutely needed these to help fall asleep after we stopped swaddling him.
2.  Dr. Brown Gia Nursing Pillow- it was firmer than another nursing pillow I received and was perfect for getting my DS in just the right position to nurse.
3.  Baby Shusher- weird invention, but totally helped calm my DS.

Worst:
1.  Mamaroo- the movement just didn't seem natural or fluid enough.  The sound quality was awful.  My DS just didn't care for it.
2.  Pacifiers- my DS never liked them and we received a ton of them.
3.  Arm pad to put on the car seat carrier- it was too bulky and uncomfortable to use.

whatabout2ndbreakfast

Oooh I forgot about our white noise machine. That thing was awesome for DS.

mountainsmama

@kmalls  The trip trap is the one chair I almost splurged on - I love the look and the ability to grow with the kiddo!

Like @ekendall09 @ladythrice , we went with the clip on counter top high chair because we eat 95% of meals at the kitchen island. Love it!  Had to add a plastic protector mat on the floor though. I was excited when my little started eating solids, for like a month, then I realized what a freaking mess they make!

kaymaroo

Best: 
Moby wrap carrier. When he was 6+months I preferred the Infantino Flip, but the Moby will always be my favorite because of the awesome newborn snuggles.
Rock 'n' Play
Boppy pillow. Worked great for me for BF but also as a pillow for baby to lie on for short periods (while supervised) when he was tiny and I just needed to set him down for a minute.

Worst:
Pack 'n' Play. So cumbersome to set up or haul anywhere. For travel I just brought the Rock 'n' Play, which wasn't any harder to pack.
Too-small diaper bag. I ended up wanting a HUGE one to bring everything I needed.
More than one thick blanket. I am in a relatively warm climate, so even with a winter baby it wasn't necessary at all. This may obviously be different in different areas.

pghren

@mountainsmama floor protector! Brilliant! What kind did you get? 

psuxray07

Best:

1) Swing
2) Noise Machine
3) Diaper Genie

**Bonuses: Peepee Teepees for boys (yes, they worked - only the larger ones made with terrycloth), arm and hammer dispenser/bags for in the diaper bag for throwing away Poopy diapers at people's houses, etc)**

Worst:
1) Pacifiers (son never wanted them)
2) Anti colic bottles 
3) ?? I can't think.  

ladythrice

+1 for a sound machine.... both kids have one!

sapphires-and-diamonds

psuxray07 said:

Best:

1) Swing
2) Noise Machine
3) Diaper Genie

**Bonuses: Peepee Teepees for boys (yes, they worked - only the larger ones made with terrycloth), arm and hammer dispenser/bags for in the diaper bag for throwing away Poopy diapers at people's houses, etc)**

Worst:
1) Pacifiers (son never wanted them)
2) Anti colic bottles 
3) ?? I can't think.  

Yes to the bold. Love these. 

rbbabe2b

This is a fantastic post! I never had a wipes warmer but always wanted one. But it seems that nobody was impressed so I think I'll skip that this time around as well.

Best:
Baby swing. I don't remember the brand but it was the only way my 2nd would sleep.

Swaddling blankets. Not the cheap tiny ones but the big ones that are still useful when the baby is bigger than a newborn. My mom made me a whole bunch.  I don't think I could have had enough of these. My girls loved to be wrapped up for sleeping. It would calm them down immediately.

Honestly it's been so long I can't even think of a third. Haha. Those two things saved my life I think. 

Worst:
Change table. I mostly just used it to store crap on. I always found the floor easier. Especially once they start wiggling.

Bassinet: I only used it for about 2 months and didn't have them sleep in my room after the first few weeks because I would wake up every time they moved. Even if they were still sleeping! A crib would have worked just as well instead of wasting money on a bassinet. I might get one of those portable camping style ones that fold up this time for travelling.

Diaper genie. Maybe mine just didn't work properly but I never found it very useful. It was super annoying to empty and I preferred just putting the diapers in a bag into the kitchen garbage. My kitchen garbage gets changed almost daily anyway so nothing stays in there very long. 

psuxray07

@sapphires-and-diamonds  me too!  I got them for my friend's baby shower bc  I love them so much, lol.  And I only found them by chance on my own when baby shopping for DS

mountainsmama

@allowachick Best $9 I ever spent! this one is pretty large so we fold it in half and use as a half-circle under our kitchen island.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TOKRSZM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ladythrice

The Diaper Genie is just one purchase I've never understood. I'm curious if anyone here loves theirs? We bought one for BIL/SIL as a gift way back before we were thinking about having kids, they wanted one in the worst way. Flash forward a few years and that thing has always grossed me out. Granted, it doesn't stink or anything, I just don't like the idea of dirty diapers hanging out in the bedroom for an extended period of time. We just put diapers in the trash and take it out daily.

ashnbubs

Best: 
Rock n play
White noise machine
Swaddles
(Notice a trend? Anything to get LO to sleep!!) 
Worst: 
Bumbo seat- for some reason the position the seat put my DS in made him spit up every time so we stopped using it. Also his thighs we just too fat! 
Forehead thermometer- so inaccurate and never gave consistent measures 
Fancy bedding set- all you can really put in the crib is a sheet for the first 12 months or so, so don't waste your money. 

ladythrice

Also, add me to the club that spent a pretty penny on nursery/crib bedding (crib skirt, changing table pad, custom curtains, decorative pillows etc). Waste of money... made for a pretty room though! We do still use the curtains so maybe not a complete waste of money...

codingchildhood

I didn't actually buy this (won it from a contest some blogger was running), but it was amazing and I will be buying one this time around: Miracle Blanket. Some kind of wrap/sling/buckle carrier is a lifesaver, especially if you have a clingy/colicky baby. My daughter was a velcro baby, to the point where I couldn't even put her in a stroller without her completely losing it. Diaper rash cream. Don't wait to buy it till you need it, because chances are, the time you'll most need it is 2am.

Worst: Cute outfits. They were more of a PITA than they were worth.
Bottle warmer (though this was because my picky kid refused a bottle).
Stroller.

ngolimento

ashnbubs said:

Best: 
Rock n play
White noise machine
Swaddles
(Notice a trend? Anything to get LO to sleep!!) 
Worst: 
Bumbo seat- for some reason the position the seat put my DS in made him spit up every time so we stopped using it. Also his thighs we just too fat! 
Forehead thermometer- so inaccurate and never gave consistent measures 
Fancy bedding set- all you can really put in the crib is a sheet for the first 12 months or so, so don't waste your money. 

Yes on the expensive crib sheet hate!  In my last birth month group, some chick bought 700 dollar Egyptian cotton bazillion thread count sheets, and I almost died from falling out of my chair.  If you really HAVE to buy 700 dollars worth of crib sheets, buy a bunch if extras and donate them to an orphanage or women's shelter.  

amandalb12

Best - rock n play, hand held pump (i have a normal pump but i kept a cheap little hand held one in my car in case I forgot to bring the big guy and it saved me many times) and the peanut changing pad. So much easier just wiping it down after changing than worrying about covers and what not, one more... long sleeve onesies that have the flap to go over the hand so your kid doesn't claw his eyes out.

Worst - baby food maker. Think I've used it once. Bumbo seat, my kid was too big for it so we never used it. PJ's with buttons instead of zippers. Anything with buttons instead of zippers.

okayrunner

Best: Ring sling, rock n play, and white noise machine. We needed those to survive.

Worst: fancy bed attachment co-sleeper, stroller, and baby food maker. He wouldn't sleep on the hard surface, we have yet to use our stroller and he's 3, and the baby food maker was a gift still in the box.