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Georgia Babies
MSquires100
member
What are your "must haves" and "total waste of $$" items?
MSquires100
member
So being a new Mommy-to-be the whole registry thing is definitely a bit overwhelming, but I'd love to get advice from the experts 
From your experience what are some of your "must need items / I couldn't live without" and "total waste of money items / don't bother registering for". I've been doing plenty of reading from the Consumer Reports Best Baby Products and also Baby Bargains, so I've got a pretty good start, but MAN there's a lot of stuff out there for babies!
I would definitely appreciate the advice! TIA ladies!
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Re: What are your "must haves" and "total waste of $$" items?
I would be lost without my bouncy seat and Boppy. And early on, I would have been lost with out my Kiddapotamus swaddler thing. Oh, and I love BabyLegs.
As for things not worth the money, I don't know that I've got anything like that. We've used or will be using everything we got for Button.
Crib bumpers were the most colossal waste of money for P. We took them off really early on.
She wasn't a fan of the bouncy, but I think it was bc it didn't recline enough, so get one with plenty of recline. By the time the sit up better, they outgrow the bouncy anyway. Our monitor broke after a couple months but since our house is small we rarely used it anyway. I plan to register for a video monitor for this baby.
my favorite things were:
swaddle-mes, ultimate crib sheet, bouncy seat that is large enough that will last the baby til 9 months, gum drop pacifiers (at Northside hospital, but you can get them online cheaper), BOB stroller (best stroller ever)
Wastes were:
all the bibs (we only used a few and the plastic ones that wipe off are the best), receiving blankets--only needed a few of them, travel system--I wuld suggest just getting an infant car seat and a snap and go stroller. Put your $$ towards a nice stroller that you will use once the baby is out of the infant car seat.
My must haves were onesies with built in cuffs. Mittens were so hard to keep on a newborn so it was nice not to worry about them scratching their face.
I also love our Primo tub, Boppy, Medela Pump. I also loved the Bouncie coz I can put him in one while I took a shower. He also loved the Jumperoo once he was able to hold his head up.
My waste was the diaper genie. I hated pushing my hands on it so I ended up throwing it away. I think I'm going to purchase a champ for this second baby instead. My son wasn't a big fan of the swing so we didn't used it much.
Ditto this. I wished I purchased a snap and go and then used my BOB and umbrella stroller as he got older.
+1 on the travel system stroller. I forgot about that since we used ours ONE TIME. I hated the travel system we got. We bought a BOB Revolution and the car seat adapter and used that (still use it - so proud of my preggo mileage!). I got a Maclaren for shopping trips but we don't shop so that is not getting used much either. A BOB Revolution Duallie is on my "MUST HAVE" list for #2. We're still keeping the BOB Single. However, both DH and I run and go to the park ALL THE TIME. We love to take P, so it definitely gets used. If you don't jog or you like the mall then get another stroller instead.
Must have: Boppy, Swing, Bouncey Seat, high chair that straps onto a chair, first years carseat.
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Waste: Diaper Genie, ?infant carrier type car seat.?
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Good luck with your registry, crazy huh??
We never used a diaper genie, poopy diapers go straight to the garage garbage cans. We have never had a smell problem. We also have never used our changing table, we changed him on the floor, couch, bed, etc and he hates the changing table now.
He loved his swing, bouncy seat and I loved our moby wrap and bjorn.
As you probably know everyone is so different on this. Here are ours
Best Money/Loved:
~ultimate crib sheets - these are awesome esp when your baby gets sick in the middle of the night. Its a lot easier to change then the sheet esp when the bumper is on (we've always had the bumper on the crib)
~boucny seat - we had 2 (one upstairs and one downstairs). It was great to put him in when I needed to get something done or take a shower. We use the one upstairs to hold the towel then after his bath we put him in it to dry him off and wrap him up. Still using it.
~bobby pillow - I used mine from day one and we still use it for him to take/hold his bottles himself. It was great to BF since I had a c-section and it keep his 10lb body off my incision.
~PISA - I got every cent worth out of this and loved it. It was super easy to clean and use.
Waste/hated:
~infant tub - we've always used the bathtub with this yellow foam thing from target. It's easy and doesn't take up room.
~swing - thankfully we borrowed it form a neighbor b/c Bailey HATED it. He screamed the whole time he was in it
~infant carseat - for us this was a waste. Bailey has been in his marathon since he was 8wks old. He HATED his infant seat and he was to heavy early on for me to carry him in it. I got a babyhawk to wear him in when we went to stores or out and about.
Totally forgot, our video monitor was the best money spent. I love that thing. We got this one:
https://www.buy.com/prod/wireless-baby-monitor-color-camera-kit-w-pan-tilt-infrared-night/q/loc/111/212794392.html
We also had an Angel Care monitor which I loved those first few months. It let me sleep and not worry as much about him.
Fisher Price something or other.
A lot of things are just based on you liking it and the baby liking it. Derek hates the swing and would scream every time we put him in it. Same thing with the exersaucer. I wouldn't buy too much of one thing, be it diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. because baby might not like what you buy and you'll be stuck with it.
Must haves:
Gerber cloth diapers to use as burp cloths
Pack N Play with bassinet feature
Bouncy seat
Good breastpump if you plan on BF
Boppy
Playtime tummy mat
Wastes:
Wipes warmer
Bottle warmer
Crib bumpers
We didn't use our Boppy much at all, but LOVED the Boppy Newborn Lounger. Must haves for us were FP bouncy seat, sleep sacks and bibs and blankets galore, breast pump, shopping cart/high chair cover, we liked the foam bath mat thing and the baby tub. We used the baby tub for about 10 months. We liked our diaper champ and use it still. You can't leave stuff in there for long, but it did seem to help with the smell. I will probably get rid of it soon. Loved the crib soother and mobile that plays classical music (can't remember what it is called). We loved our exersaucer, jumperoo thing, and floor play mat.
Wastes for us were the Boppy brand bouncy seat and swing. DD hated both of those. Our travel system was a waste - we got the Chicco one. I loved having an infant seat. I will probably get the metal frame thing to hold that next time (can't remember what they are called). The huge stroller was just too much. It was fine when she was really tiny, but as soon as she could, we have used the umbrella stroller I got at Big Lots for $25. The only benefit to the larger travel system stroller is you can pile more stuff under the seat. I regret getting the FP Rainforest high chair. It is hard to clean and just huge. It's also very brightly colored. I did use it when DD was little b/c it reclined, but now we just use a travel booster seat attached to a regular chair. I loved my moby wrap and wish I had purchased one sooner. The inexpensive Infantino one was fine too. I didn't like the peanut sling type carrier. I wish I had gotten a video monitor and will next time. I am fanatical about checking on DD when she is sleeping to this day. Our crib bedding was a waste. I wish I had listened to people and now I would be buying cute toddler bedding. We used the bumper for a couple weeks. We use the quilt now some - it was so stiff and bulky I had to wash it many times to soften it up. All we used was receiving blankets and fitted sheets.
For us:
Must haves - Bouncy seat (we got a Maclaren one that vibrates or you can rock it), Swing (Fisher Price Papasan Swing), Large blankets for swaddling (you can steal a bunch from the hospital if you're delivering at Northside. Otherwise just make sure you get some big ones because the smaller ones make it hard to swaddle), My Brest Friend (for breastfeeding), Medela Freestyle Pump, Sling and/or Baby Bjorn, Summer Video Monitor
Didn't bother - Wipe warmer, bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer (used the Medela steam sterilizer bags)
I'm sure there is more but I can't think of it right now...
Mommy to Abigail Elizabeth (11/4/11) and Brady Jasper (7/2/09)
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I thought this was a great post
https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/30031989.aspx
Must haves have been Kiddopotamus swaddler and Miracle Blanket for swaddling; they both worked better for me than the rest; lots of bibs b/c DS has reflux and if we didn't keep a bib on him 24/7, we'd be changing his clothes constantly; My BreastFriend pillow SAVED me in the beginning when getting established breastfeeding; Lansinoh nipple cream if breastfeeding; there are also little pads you can get to lay in the crib/bassinet under their head if they spit up alot...it keeps you from contstantly having to change the sheet from it getting wet
I didn't use the swing; DS hated it. Also didn't use all those baby socks b/c they never stayed on his feet; we also got WAY too many clothes. DS hasn't worn half of them.
Must-haves:
Waste of $$:
That's all I can think of right now
Abigail Taylor 09.18.2008
My turn!!!
Must Haves:
Cloth diaper burp cloths, gumdrop pacifiers (available at New Baby Products), Arm's Reach Co-sleeper, babylegs, FP Bouncy Seat, Ultimate Crib Sheet, Infant-Toddler bathtub with sling (the blue one with teal padding), the First Years Bottle rack (I think it's that one - circular 2 levels), actual cloth diapers (I HATE Disposables, but I use them when traveling and babysitters) - Fuzzi Bunz, Prefolds, Covers, Kissaluvs; My brest Friend Pillow, little einstein neptune gym, infant seat and SNG, Inglesina Zippy, rocker/recliner (Best Chairs are awesome!), a swing that goes fast (mine is battery operated, and we use it pretty often and have NEVER changed the batteries that came in it - got a consignment for $20)....I have more stuff if you are breastfeeding, but I don't want to overwhelm. I also use a trash can for diapers. We have a Graco iVibe Monitor and we like it. If I had a video monitor I would constantly be watching it and never sleep. The lullabye collection CDs...i think it's an 8 pack or something. Also, some kind of baby carrier..my faves are moby wrap, mei tai, maya wrap, and hotsling (in that order). At least 3 of those are available on BRU website. I bought 2 of mine there.
Not needed:
Dreft (free and clear is just as good), the foam bathing pad thing....i'm sure there's something else, but we didn't get 1/2 of our registry.
So far for me what has been a waste has been the changing pad. I usually use a blanket and change her where am at which is usually the bed. Not once have i use the changing pad.
Its really hard to make this list because some people will say, "I can't live without my infant tub" and some will say, "the infant tub is the biggest waste of money". Its really trial and error. If you buy something make sure you know what the return policy is. Because some of its gonna have to go back. Or just borrow it until you find out if your baby likes it and then go invest in it.
For what its worth, I never understood the infant tub. I never bought one. We had a bear shaped sponge in the sink until she outgrew it, then got a mesh recliner that sat in our tub. But filling a small tub with water and setting it in my tub boggled my mind.
Also, I never understood "throwing away" diapers in the nursery. Our diapers go in a diaper champ with lives in the garage. At this point, we stopped using the diaper champ and they go into a very small trash can that we line with a shopping bag. It gets emptied and put into the big trash can every day. No matter what anyone tells you, those diaper disposal systems DO SMELL.