admin I wanted to put together a list of baby items you don’t need because becoming a first time parent is all around an overwhelming process and with all the information out there telling how you should prepare for your special little addition to your family or in this case what you should buy can only exacerbate things.
Being a first time mom, I fell into all the little gimmicks and bought a lot of things that I just didn’t need. It’s easy to do with all the persuasive advertising that is out there and when you just don’t have the experience of being a parent and really knowing what is useful and what is not.
The best preparation out there in my opinion is the advice from mamas who have been there and done that, so below are a list of things I simply did not need. The less clutter the better especially when bringing a newborn home for the first time. I hope you can learn from my experience and bonus–save a little money along the way.
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Shoes
Don’t get me wrong shoes are oh so cute but when babies can’t walk yet, it just becomes more of an annoyance for baby and the parents. Shoes get kicked off almost instantly. They aren’t functional when baby has a blowout and you are scurrying to get baby out of their clothes. Not to mention, they can be pricey. Save all the shoe buying for when baby can get some use out them.
Baby Mittens
This is an item we didn’t need a lot of. We had a few too many pairs and ideally only used them in the first few weeks or so. They are definitely useful in the beginning when you aren’t ready to trim baby’s nails yet but once baby figures out they can take them off it just becomes more of a nuisance. They rarely stayed on and eventually my husband and I said heck with it. I would recommend buying maybe a few and that’s it. What I will say is, the sleepers that come with built in mittens are way more practical and efficient because they stay on and that way baby doesn’t scratch their face overnight.
Swing
This is definitely one that really depends on the baby. Our son, Luke, just was not a fan of the swing and I know a few other mamas whose babies’ were the same way. He didn’t like being on his back maybe because of his acid reflux so as much as my husband and I tried to get him to like it, he would last a few minutes before wanting out. I would say hold off on this one before baby arrives or if you want to try it out don’t spend too much money on a fancy one until you know for sure it works for baby.
Baby Sunglasses
These are adorable and easy to fall in the trap of buying but they are just like the shoes, they never stay on and ends up being more of a nuisance for parents and baby.
Cotton balls and Q-Tips
So I actually put this on my list of things to buy before our son arrived because a list I found on the internet told me to get them. I haven’t found any use for them in the least bit. It has been under our sink for over a year now just taking up space. Working for an ENT, I guess I just stay clear out of poking and prodding my son’s ears with things and if water got in his ear I would use a towel to blot it out.
Toys
Okay, so I will admit. I LOVE buying toys for my son. However, most of them he will play with for a second and get bored with it. Some toys are wonderful and have some use but bottom line babies just love normal household items. I gave my son a wooden spoon and he played with it for a while and still plays with it. He also loves the remote. I would say do some research on toys before buying them and don’t go crazy buying a ton. Babies get stimulation from just about anything so get creative and have some fun.
Hooded Towels/Baby Robes
We received a couple of them for our baby shower but never really used them all too much. They are so cute and I wanted to use them more but truth is my son always tried to rip them off his head. It was fine when he was a newborn but still didn’t use them often as most are so thin. We honestly used our bathroom towels for our son more than we used the baby towels. As for the baby robes, we do bath time before bed so it is always a quick dry and on the sleepers go.
Specially made detergent for babies
This is one I fell for being a first time mom. Us mamas want the absolute best for our babies so of course I wanted to make sure we had detergent that was sensitive for my sons skin. My husband laughed at me and talked me out of it. Instead, we bought detergent that was sensitive and hypoallergenic for all of us. So that way we can use it too. It was more efficient and cost effective.
Hand and Face Wipes/ Booger Wipes
Another gimmick I fell for. For the longest time I was buying hand and face wipes which don’t get me wrong I loved but they pretty much had the same natural ingredients that the butt wipes had. So I decided it was more cost effective and just easier to only have to use and buy one brand of wipes. Wipes can literally be used for any and everything but being a first time mom I just felt weird using wipes that I wiped my son’s butt with on his face. Now I know that was me just being overly paranoid for my first baby. The booger wipes we just never used.
Wipe Warmer
I thought I needed this. But babies do not care if the wipe is cold or not and honestly they do not know the difference. We survived just fine without a wipe warmer.
This is purely from my experience being a first time mama. I know that what works for some does not work for others. So any other experienced mamas reading this post, feel free to comment below and add some more to the list. I am always up for updating the list to help first time mamas out. Remember, we are all in this together. <3
Check out my post on Must Have Baby Items For All Stages that made being a mama that much easier. I couldn’t live without these baby products and is definitely worth spending the money on.
