Okay, so I noticed that awesome thread about all the must-haves, and it made me remember some of the must-nots. I'm sure we've all purchased some sort of baby item thinking it was genius, only to find it was a waste of money. Here are mine:

1. Avent Microwave Sterilizer. Okay, so I bought it thinking I had to sterilize after every use. THEN they change the rules to you only need to sterilize once, after you buy it... hmph. It is now a dust collector on top of the fridge.

2. Bottle warmer. I breastfed, and if I needed to warm up any frozen milk, I ran it under warm water. The bottle warmer wasn't always accurate, and a couple times I got the milk too hot. The running hot water worked best for me, and kept me from walking away and forgetting.

3. Nursing cover up. Looked great in the picture, till I got it home and realized it had some sort of wierd way you were supposed to "install" it on yourself... I never did figure it out, and I never used it. Blankets worked just fine, and you usually always have one nearby.


Also, big note here: If you don't need to make a bunch of bottles ahead of time, think about just making them as you go! Then you can adjust the temperature of the water before pouring in the powder mix, and whoola! Perfect temp, short time . Another thing I did was carry around pre-measured packages (make your own with zip lock baggies or small storage containers) and bottled water. Then if I was out-and-about, I just poured it in the bottle and shook.


Anyone want to add their own pearls of wisdom on things you really don't need?

I can definitely agree with you on the bottle warmer~What a waste I think I used it a couple times and either the formula was too cold or hot.
The infant tub~I don't think it's a waste,it's important for the first few months.
My father went out and bought this infant spa thingy which at first I thought was really cool,It has a shower and thermometer right on it all for the low price of 50$(Can)and you can usually find a basic tub for 20$.I thought it was a waste the shower was finicky(try fixing a mini shower extension while holding the newborn..lol)and this wonderful shower took half the tub,he was constantly squishing his little toes on it. I would suggest go basic and not high tech with the tub,it's a waste of money;my son has been having his baths in the big tub since he was 6 months old.

I agree with not needing the Avent microwave sterilizer. I bought it because I wasn't sure the tap water in our area (we live in Mexico) would get things as clean as I would like, but I've only used it a handful of times. Since we don't have a dishwasher and two kids, I have a LOT of dishes to do every day and this one, albeit small, step is the easiest to cut out of the daily routine.

The Bumbo
I had pretty much no use for it. I think Charlie sat in it 4 or 5 times and only because we had one.

Bumpers
They are just too dangerous.

I used my Avent sterilizer all the time! Like, 15 times a day. First time mom - paranoid. For the first year, I hand washed everything (never in the dishwasher) and always sterilized. I also used a bottle warmer quite a lot, but then figured the right time in the microwave (gasp!) which was much faster for my screaming baby.

Things I didn't use:
- Changing table / pad. Way easier to drop a blanket on the couch or quilt on the floor where ever we were at the time of changing.
- Bumbo. My DD hated it, too constricting on her I think. And once she was able to sit up on her own she would scream and arch until she fell out of it anytime I tried.
- Crib mobile. Darn thing cost me $45 to match the nursery decor and she never once showed any interest in it.

Changing Table-You have to arch or something to change the baby,and it hurts your back.

I disagree about the Bumbo-Our 1 year old is tiny, and she loves it! When we go to a restraunt, we sit it on the table, put the tray on, give her her "treats"[Gerber Fruit Puffs and Yogurts], and she sits there fine! When she was younger, she sat in there and played with her toys.

We have a kid's desk that was given to us for a changing table, we bought the pad. The perfect height, at least for my 5'2".

Manual hand pump. Yeah right.

Diaper Genie. Get it only if you can afford a $6 trash bag each week. It does keep the smell contained, but can get pricy. I just rigged a trash bag in there, tied it around the top and go. Tie it off and open the bottom to throw away.

Our front carrier never worked (the backpack for the front thing). By the time I got strapped in and wiggled the baby in we both had broken a sweat and she was screaming. Not pleasant in a grocery store parking lot. But I think I bought the cheap one.

I agree with you guys on the change table ...I never used mine either(I put it in the closet and use it as another storage shelf).
I also agree with the diaper genie (those refills get pricy)but I bought the diaper champ,it also works quite well to keep the odor in and the best part is it takes regular kitchen catchers/garbage bags!

Great thread!

Like many others here, my daughter didn't really like the Bumbo seat.

Completely unnecessary, unless you live in the arctic: a diaper wipes warmer. My mama bought it when my daughter was a newborn and we used it for about a month. Meh.

Jessica I was told to take the wipe warmer off my registry. Thank Goodness I did.

One other thing I thought of was the sling I bought. It worked ONCE. He fell asleep perfectly in it one time. I tried 4 or 5 times after that and he just cried more.