The most pointless baby gear item/shower gift...

pinottoparenthood · December 2013

What was the most pointless item or gift that you purchased/received for your baby? Something that is still gathering dust somewhere and that you never used?

I was unloading the dishwasher yesterday and saw a package of bottle brushes in the back of the cabinet. HA! Like I seriously thought I would be washing bottles by hand! Fat chance... Now I am just thanking my lucky stars that I didn't get the "bottle drying rack" and all that jazz to clutter up my kitchen. The dishwasher baskets, on the other hand... best purchase ever!

What about you guys? What were you led to believe you "needed" that turned out to be pointless for you?

ChicagoBroad26 · December 2013

I cleared most of the pointless crap away after Ava was born. But I think we still have 1294574 baby blankets that are sitting around collecting dust.

JSS1002 · December 2013

For ME -- I know other people love this -- the Moby wrap and Ergo carrier. Big baby, giant boobs, plus size mama....couldn't really make this stuff work... the Bjorn, on the other hand, was awesome the few (5-10) times that we used it.

Diaper stacker.

Diaper genie (I felt like I needed a PhD to figure this f'ing thing out, we just use a normal trash can)

Fuzzy warm cute changing pad covers (It took one diaper blowout to figure out that fallacy of that adorable thing)

Wipe warmer (dumb -- and so funny,because I have one mama friend who SWEARS by it, and one who said "Hell to the no")

One very disappointing swing that SHOULD have been awesome, but LO never took to it, so we ended up replacing it with a more traditional swing that we still can't get him out of. :-)

Bumpo - I think he sat in it twice, although I know my mom used it a lot with him when we went on vacation

Most of the newborn clothes that I recieved/ bought - he was 8+ lbs, so wore those for about ten minutes

Ohhhh, i feel so knowledgable for next time ;-)

JSS1002 · December 2013

melandjames14 said:

. I, on the other hand, have never used my dishwasher basket and use the bottle drying rack more regularly.

I use my drying rack all the time-- but I wash everything in the dishwasher... so I guess the microwavable sterilizer is another one I didn't need. Oh - also - bottle warmer. LO likes his bottles cold, and in the beginning I just would plunk the bottle in a large cup of hot water to warm up.

Mommymorticia · December 2013

My dad bought me some disposable bottles. He said, "You can never have enough of these!" I never needed them.

All babies are different. Torrin never cared much for the normal, chewy or water-filled teethers and he always fought the baby swing. We maybe used it for a month for naps but all together the teethers and the swing were kind of a waste of money. They were gifts though! I will never tell SOs dad he never liked it! On the other hand the bouncy seat was irreplaceable for us. He LOVED that thing. I cried when he became to big for it.

TradeMama · December 2013

I use my bottle brushes daily... But I wash by hand before they go in the dishwasher. I also use changing pad covers, etc... Pretty much everything mentioned above. I think it depends on your baby and lifestyle.

I didn't use baby shoes until he was in a size 3.

MKC12/22/2006 · December 2013

Newborn clothes. DS was 8 lb 6 oz so those were needless!

BellaBean76 · December 2013

Mama & papas chair (similar to bumbo) G is super tiny and by the time she fit initial without slipping around she could sit on her own.

Mommymorticia · December 2013

Oh yeah, I forgot about the bumbo. He could never fit in it comfortably when he could hold his head up enough. I guess it's for smaller babies.

Sol1790 · December 2013

A $38 miracle swaddle blanket after 2 weeks old she never liked being swaddled. So that was pointless. And agree with PP I never used the diaper genie.

smiles21866 · December 2013

Love the diaper genie, bottle brushes, bumbo, newborn clothes he used for almost 3 months.

The bouncy he hated. The Johnny jumper thing he never liked. And tiny baby socks. They never stayed on and he grew out of them bc of his gigantic feet.

Lhyacinth888 · December 2013

Diaper genie does come in handy when babies start eating meat or all solid foods.... unless you just throw diapers outside. It gets stinky... just saying...

MsAmeera25 · December 2013

I LOVE my diaper genie, love my wipe warmer, love my bottle warmer and my LO wore newborn until he was 3 months. Only thing we didn't use was our bouncy seat LO preferred the swing . He also doesn't sleep in his crib so that was a waste.

Lhyacinth888 · December 2013

Mommymorticia said:
Oh yeah, I forgot about the bumbo. He could never fit in it comfortably when he could hold his head up enough. I guess it's for smaller babies.

Funny enough my almost 3 year old can still squeeze his butt into bumbo. He uses it more than DD.... lol.

Lhyacinth888 · December 2013

I would have go with the bottle drying rack. Had I not been able to bf I might've used it more. Oh and pacifiers... DD just looks at them.

24ladybug · December 2013

Did not need. Swing, baby bjorn, dishwasher containers ( might use when more into sippy cups), tons of random bottles, tiny bibs, tiny socks, bamboo material breast pads (love bamboobies)
Love bottle brush, diaper gene, fuzzy changing pad cover, wipe warmer, teethers
Best thing ever boba carrier!

Meggs2559 · December 2013

pinottoparenthood said:
What was the most pointless item or gift that you purchased/received for your baby? Something that is still gathering dust somewhere and that you never used?

I was unloading the dishwasher yesterday and saw a package of bottle brushes in the back of the cabinet. HA! Like I seriously thought I would be washing bottles by hand! Fat chance... Now I am just thanking my lucky stars that I didn't get the "bottle drying rack" and all that jazz to clutter up my kitchen. The dishwasher baskets, on the other hand... best purchase ever!

What about you guys? What were you led to believe you "needed" that turned out to be pointless for you?

Lol. I'm the opposite. I actually wash all my bottles by hand so I've gone through a ton of bottle brushes. The dishwasher rack is collecting dust. Along with all the various sized nipples for bottles. We still use level 1. Not sure if that's wrong of us.

Love our bottle warmer, baby food maker and deko diaper trash can!

kgs0505 · December 2013

I also handwash all our bottles. my dishwasher just doesn't get them cleaned well enough.
i have too many blankets, but most are handmade, so i can't part with them.

JSS1002 · December 2013

Oh yeah - baby food maker / steamer. My high end blender / food processor / immersion blender and steamer worked about ten thousand times better!

JSS1002 · December 2013

Lhyacinth888 said:
Diaper genie does come in handy when babies start eating meat or all solid foods.... unless you just throw diapers outside. It gets stinky... just saying...

We throw the really bad ones outside but I could never figure out the genie well enough To make it easy enough to work right... Probably doing something wrong but it was just a hassle.

AnnieJar · December 2013

Even stuff you find useless this time around is worth hanging onto if you'll have more kids. All babies are different and I also think that parents needs change too depending on your older kids and what they are up to when you bring a new baby home.

Things I used with my first but not my second: bottles and cleaning paraphernalia, moby, pacifier, washable cotton breast pads, graco travel system stroller.

Things I used with my second but not my first: bjorn, sling, swing, sippy cups with the little nipple-like tops (first went straight to straws), cloth diapers, exersaucser, snap'n'go. (Most of these things I had with my first but either he or I didn't like these things but they have worked for DD).

sapphire021 · December 2013

I wish we had more newborn clothes, baby girl came home at 5lb 4oz so we were in preemie clothes and diapers then newborns until 3 months.
What we didn't use/need were the 20+ pairs of newborn shoes and endless tiny socks. She never liked her bouncy seat and used it maybe twice without crying. The jumper though is the best thing ever.

danuli8 · December 2013

My pack and play is still in the box. Never used it.

The Rock and Play, however, was incredibly awesome. We used it all the time until he started sitting up.

ARJ6511 · December 2013

I actually haven't run across anything that has been pointless yet. I didn't ask for a wipes warmer or anything like that because I know they breed bacteria, so I didn't want one anyway.

I loved the bunny bouncy seat. I don't think we would have survived the newborn days without it. And now, she is obsessed with her bouncy gym.

CrazyMary77 · December 2013

Bags to sterilize bottles in the microwave. Thick fuzzy blankets. Small bibs (we just used burp cloths). Baby carriers.

We actually use our wipes warmer! Makes the MOTN diaper change more pleasant for LO I think, not as stimulating. Whenever LO stops waking in the MOTN, we'll probably stop using it.

tondraluv · December 2013

Brayden's thighs were always to big for the bumbo so that was pointless. And the wipe warmer just makes wipes cold by the time they make it to his arse.

pinottoparenthood · December 2013

I just remembered... we had a bajillion tiny baby hats, but since he came home in April (and we are in NC), he never wore any of them. By the time it started to get a little chilly, he had long outgrown all those hats!

hatroopes · December 2013

Bottle warmer, changing pad covers (we use the disposable ones when she has a blow out), nursing pillow (made nursing awkward), nursing cover (I just use one of her blankets), pacifiers (I have a thumb sucker) and most of the baby soaps/shampoos that we got at the shower. Life-savers were the swing and rnp. ETA: sorry for the formatting, on iPad!

ceamac0127 · December 2013

pinottoparenthood said:
I just remembered... we had a bajillion tiny baby hats, but since he came home in April (and we are in NC), he never wore any of them. By the time it started to get a little chilly, he had long outgrown all those hats!

OMG the hats. I swear we have like 30 hats

JBDamonM · December 2013

Swaddle me blankets......never used them and washed and removed tags before her arrival like an idiot! I didn't get a wipe warmer because I didn't want LO getting used to warm wipes and we've never had an issue - despite my sister yapping nonstop about how I HAD to have one. @JSS1002 - you described the diaper genie in this house to a tee. I hate it. Also to the PP who mentioned nipple sizes - we are also still using level one. No idea if that's an issue or we should switch but all signs point to it being ok.

snok83 · December 2013

We too never used the baby hats, mittens (so they didnt scratch themselves) or shoes. My daughter really never took to the pacifier which is okay because now we don't have to worry about taking it away. She also didnt care for her Jenny jumper. And I never used the breast pillow that clips around ur waist much either.

We are Definitely keep hold of everything though for our 2. Never know what they will like. I know some items our DD grew into and 1st didn't like but loved later on.

smiles21866 · December 2013

cece2682 said:

Regarding nipple size- from what I understand, babies our age can handle a level 3 nipple (what I use) starting at 6 months. It allows them to get their milk without working so hard for it. Not sure why you wouldn't move up in size so they can have a little faster flow. I would think that would be frustrating for them.

We had to move up in nipple sizes because he kept collapsing the nipple. It was super frustrating for him and for us. Once we went up to a size two, it was perfect. No more collapsing and happy baby!

JSS1002 · December 2013

smiles21866 said:

cece2682 said:

Regarding nipple size- from what I understand, babies our age can handle a level 3 nipple (what I use) starting at 6 months. It allows them to get their milk without working so hard for it. Not sure why you wouldn't move up in size so they can have a little faster flow. I would think that would be frustrating for them.

We had to move up in nipple sizes because he kept collapsing the nipple. It was super frustrating for him and for us. Once we went up to a size two, it was perfect. No more collapsing and happy baby!

This is what happened with us too ,but that was long after I was done nursing... so he'd fully adjusted to the bottle and wasn't going back and forth. He's on 3+ now and I think it is almost time for sippy cups because he's collapsing those now. Piggie.

Sol1790 · December 2013

JSS1002 said:

smiles21866 said:

cece2682 said:

Regarding nipple size- from what I understand, babies our age can handle a level 3 nipple (what I use) starting at 6 months. It allows them to get their milk without working so hard for it. Not sure why you wouldn't move up in size so they can have a little faster flow. I would think that would be frustrating for them.

We had to move up in nipple sizes because he kept collapsing the nipple. It was super frustrating for him and for us. Once we went up to a size two, it was perfect. No more collapsing and happy baby!

This is what happened with us too ,but that was long after I was done nursing... so he'd fully adjusted to the bottle and wasn't going back and forth. He's on 3+ now and I think it is almost time for sippy cups because he's collapsing those now. Piggie.

I feel kinda stupid because I did not know when the nipple collapsed you had to move up. We are on size 2 medium flow. She is formula fed. And it is sooo frustrating when she is eating and the collapsing happens every 3 sec. Going to buy next size up.

Meggs2559 · December 2013

LO is formula fed now but the nipple never collapses. Should I try level 2 anyway?? He doesn't get frustrated during feedings and we've never had a problem. Sorry if I sound dumb. I'm curious now if I should switch!

pinottoparenthood · December 2013

cece2682 said:

LO is formula fed now but the nipple never collapses. Should I try level 2 anyway?? He doesn't get frustrated during feedings and we've never had a problem. Sorry if I sound dumb. I'm curious now if I should switch!
I would, why not? I switched him to the appropriate level when he reached the age for it or I noticed it was taking him longer than normal to finish bottles.

Personally I would just keep him on level 1 if he is happy and everything is going smoothly. Like Grace said, I think letting them drink the bottle more slowly gives them more time to realize when they are full/have had enough.

ToAoShesha · December 2013

Little hats and shoes.... Def pointless

We still use size 1 nipples and won't be changing. A woman's breast never changes so the bottle doesn't need to either. You want them to eat slowly... If your nipple is collapsing you just need to loosen the neck of the bottle... It's on too tight

If it is working for your baby I would let it be.

JSS1002 · December 2013

pinottoparenthood said:

cece2682 said:

LO is formula fed now but the nipple never collapses. Should I try level 2 anyway?? He doesn't get frustrated during feedings and we've never had a problem. Sorry if I sound dumb. I'm curious now if I should switch!
I would, why not? I switched him to the appropriate level when he reached the age for it or I noticed it was taking him longer than normal to finish bottles.

Personally I would just keep him on level 1 if he is happy and everything is going smoothly. Like Grace said, I think letting them drink the bottle more slowly gives them more time to realize when they are full/have had enough.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

JSS1002 · December 2013

ToAoShesha said:

Little hats and shoes.... Def pointless We still use size 1 nipples and won't be changing. A woman's breast never changes so the bottle doesn't need to either. You want them to eat slowly... If your nipple is collapsing you just need to loosen the neck of the bottle... It's on too tight If it is working for your baby I would let it be.

I don't think that is necessarily accurate - if I loosen the bottle, it leaks all over. YOu can do whatever you want, of course, but if your kid is bottle fed and therefore there aren't nipple confusion issues, it makes life a lot easier to not have the nipple collapse. Your human nipples are not made from collapsible silicon. :-)

JBDamonM · December 2013

Ok - so in honor of beating a dead horse. I'm thinking it's a good idea to change the size of the nipple because I think it may help her get ready for a sippy cup..... No?!?!?

pinottoparenthood · December 2013

JBDamonM said:

Ok - so in honor of beating a dead horse. I'm thinking it's a good idea to change the size of the nipple because I think it may help her get ready for a sippy cup..... No?!?!?

I still don't think it's necessary. We use a straw cup with Rhys (I read somewhere that they're better but now I don't even remember the details). He has been drinking out of it just fine. We have these: https://www.diapers.com/p/playtex-first-lil-gripper-straw-trainer-cup-7-oz-176528?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=PX-423&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=1364113432&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=PX-423&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}

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