Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cloth diapers and wipes (I spent a small fortune on all things cloth related with my previous kids)
Swaddling blanket I had cotton cellular blankets for swaddling - very useful!
Lansinoh Essential!
Onesies Used lots of those
Old fashioned burp rags/cloth dipes And those, baby had mild reflux so lots of spitting up and vomiting
Ergo carrier and Maya wrap Had a sling but only used it a handful of times, did my back in
Medela PIS (with #4 since I primarily pumped during the first 5 months)
Socks for going out
Play mat Just used a blanket
Cart/organizer to keep diapers and other necessities in I just kept them on the bench next to the changing mat
Car seat would have loved one of those wheeled ones!
Footed sleepers Very necessary once I stopped swaddling as she always wriggled out from under her blanket
Baby toiletries
Boudreaux Butt Paste
Weleda baby products
Papasan swing
and that's all I can think of at the moment.
Useless:
Crib
Nursery furniture
Strollers (rarely used it with #2 and 3)
Baby shoes before they could walk
Wipe warmer
Bottle warmer
and most everything else.
Also really liked my changing mat that slotted onto the cot once my baby was a bit older and I wasn't washing her in the sink anymore.
I was given a used white crib...I bought a new mattress and bedding.
High chair was free, also. Restaurant was changing them out and I happened to be there on the day this happened (and they knew me).
Had an umbrella stroller, and a sturdier stroller... both used a lot. Both baby shower gifts.
I bought a swing because my son loved to be in constant motion and loved swinging. I even found a fabric swing (like the kiddie ones at the parks) that I hung outside. He loved them both and got a ton of use.
My favorite item was the changing table. We made it! We found a white metal cabinet (4' high, by 3' wide, 2' deep) in a friend's garage and I cleaned it up really nice. Then we found a piece of plywood and cut it down to a comfortable size for me, and screwed the wood on top of the cabinet. I went to the fabric store and bought a package of cotton batting and a really cute animal vinyl fabric and covered the top and then stapled it to the bottom of the wood. Didn't bother with restraining straps because I never intended to (and never did) leave my son alone on top of the thing. Stored all the cloth diapers and other essentials below. I used it until he was out of diapers.
Then we took the top off and my son used that cabinet for storage until he was 21 years old. (He would still have it today, but I didn't feel like moving a ton of furniture from AZ to OR.)
Oh, forgot about the awesome walker I found at a thrift shop. Instead of a plastic tray, it had an angled vinyl covered thick padding across the front. My son loved leaning over the front and racing around the house. He loved crawling, but the walker was a lot faster.
I think our babies thrive on whatever we have for them. They need clothes, food and love... anything beyond that is just for show.
I'll tell you what has been a terrific product for our girls. When they came to us as babies I bought heavy terry hooded bath towels. One is a yellow duck and the other is a green frog. I have no idea who the manufacturer is and when I googled hooded bath towels for kids I saw a zillion entries.
The thing is they are STILL USING THEM every day and they are now 12 years old.
And of course they get washed frequently. I've never even had to make a repair. It is so funny to remember wrapping them up out of the kitchen sink in those towels and today seeing their long pony legs sticking out of them . We've bought them other nice towels. Even gave them Lands End towels with their names on them but they still want to use the duck and the frog. Money well spent.
Most of the list makes sense, except I disagree with the water thermometer thing. Good ones have an audible alarm to let you know when the water gets too hot, which is something you may not be paying attention to. For example, if you set the temp for the spout, then walk away to get the kid ready, the temp may change. And if you don't remember to check it before you put the kid in, their little bottom will be the first thing to let you know. Also, some of the newer tub designs use a constant flow of water and, as such, should probably have some way to monitor it.
We're big fans of both the Diaper Genie and the swings. Both have been great products that served their purpose.
One thing I would add to the list is any device that's designed to put/keep your child asleep that has a does not have a means to continuously play. We used to use a white noise generator that maxed out at 45 minutes. It was such a pain to constantly keep an eye on the clock and have to sneak into the nursery to reset it. We finally bought one that will run all night. Now, whether she really NEEDS the device is another issue entirely, but the wife thinks so and I learned a long time ago to pick your battles, so......
Cloth diapers and wipes (I spent a small fortune on all things cloth related with my previous kids) Disposables all the way!!!
Swaddling blanket--just used blankets to keep them warm--hated to be "swaddled"
Lansinoh--NO idea what this is
Onesies--had a LOT of these
Old fashioned burp rags/cloth dipes--still use these for dusting, etc. but they are a bit ragged after over 20 years of use
Ergo carrier and Maya wrap--NO idea what these are
Medela PIS (with #4 since I primarily pumped during the first 5 months)--loved my Medela
Socks for going out--socks for keeping their feet warm
Play mat--we had the floor with toys
Cart/organizer to keep diapers and other necessities in--used a cardboard box in the living room
Car seat--everyone needs these
Footed sleepers--loved these
Baby toiletries--kind of a necessity
Boudreaux Butt Paste --used cornstarch
Weleda baby products--NO idea what these are
Papasan swing--we just had a regular baby swing
and that's all I can think of at the moment.
Useless:
Crib--hardly useless--they slept in it every night
Nursery furniture--dressers are kind of handy
Strollers (rarely used it with #2 and 3)--couldn't have left the house without a stroller
Baby shoes before they could walk--but they are so CUTE!!
Wipe warmer--LOVED THIS
Bottle warmer--didn't use one
and most everything else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by no kudzu
I'll tell you what has been a terrific product for our girls. When they came to us as babies I bought heavy terry hooded bath towels. One is a yellow duck and the other is a green frog. I have no idea who the manufacturer is and when I googled hooded bath towels for kids I saw a zillion entries.
The thing is they are STILL USING THEM every day and they are now 12 years old.
And of course they get washed frequently. I've never even had to make a repair. It is so funny to remember wrapping them up out of the kitchen sink in those towels and today seeing their long pony legs sticking out of them . We've bought them other nice towels. Even gave them Lands End towels with their names on them but they still want to use the duck and the frog. Money well spent.
We loved the hooded bath towels too..
We traveled a lot (and still do) when the kids were babies and the best thing I found was a bottle that had a straw-like attachment so they could have a bottle in the car. I could put the bottle in their car seat (before they could hold the bottle) and the straw attached to the nipple so they could have their bottle while I was driving. It was especially nice with twins!!
huh? why is baby warmer a waste of money?! We live in a very cold place and mine was born in mid-Dec. Without warm wipes to wipe her bum, she would have shivered.
huh? why is baby warmer a waste of money?! We live in a very cold place and mine was born in mid-Dec. Without warm wipes to wipe her bum, she would have shivered.
Some people just like to be judgey and sanctimonious towards other parents. What they found useful is fine..but heaven forbid someone has a different view...and might find wipe warmer useful.
Some people just like to be judgey and sanctimonious towards other parents. What they found useful is fine..but heaven forbid someone has a different view...and might find wipe warmer useful.
Lol...you are so right.
I was also thinking about designer cloths and quite frankly about everything on the list. If one can afford it, I simply dont see how its a waste of money to spend on them. "if one can afford it" and "like" it being the key. Now, ALL the products in the list have the very same explanation.
Obviously since the baby has no purchasing power, these are products meant to make the parents happy.
Your point? It's the parents who are taking care of the babies. You use what works for you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stored all the cloth diapers and other essentials below. I used it until he was out of diapers.
