Unnecessary Baby Items 2010-02-25 09:00:00

What's the Newborn Item You Regret Purchasing?

February 25, 2010

When a mama-to-be strolls the aisles of a baby emporium for the first time, everything looks enticing. Armed with friends' recommendations and the latest issue of Consumer Reports, a pregnant woman thinks she knows exactly what she needs. But, once the lil one arrives and the new mom gets in her groove she is likely to find that some of the items she swore she would need are not perfectly suited for her tot.

When expecting my first child, a car seat manufacturer had just introduced their latest and greatest infant seat. It claimed to hold babies up to 30 pounds and sure that I was going to give birth to a giant I quickly registered for it. What I didn't realize was that a car seat that holds such a big baby is bound to weigh a ton itself, and once you add a baby, it is virtually impossible to carry more than a few feet.

What is the baby item that you regret buying?

32 Comments

2 years 43 weeks

I regret several things: 1) Medela breast pump (I paid $325 for it) and I had no choice, but to use a baby formula from the day one. Since I opened the box, I could not return it. 2) Peg Perego Uno transformer stroller (I paid over $400 for a new one). I love this stroller and I think that Peg Perego makes some of the best strollers, but I should have bought a preowned one (in good condition), since we only use it in a backyard. I have another Peg Perego Aria stroller that I use all the time because it is so lightweight, compare to Perego Uno. 3) Baby Bjorn carrier ($70). My daughter hated it, so we could not use it. 4) Avent bottles sterilizer 5) In car Bottle warmer 6) Bumbo seat (I've heard they were great and I bought one for my daughter as well, including a tray). We never used it. Waste of money. 7) Pacifier thermometer

Livvy-P 2 years 51 weeks

I regret a few things: -Registering for the travel system. I didn't use the stroller after my daughter was 6 months old - it was too heavy to lug in and out of the car. I would have preferred the Snap n Go, and then the Maclaren for a lightweight stroller (I love my Maclaren). -My sling - my son outgrew it so fast, it was useless for me. Also, my husband loved the Baby Bjorn, but I couldn't stand it. This time around (with #3) I'm going for the Ergo. -The highchair. I did use it alot with my daughter, but when I had my son, I got the Fisher Price Space Saver. In a word, it's wonderful! Since #3 was a wonderfully pleasant surprise, I'm going to have to buy another one - we got rid of/donated/gave away almost all of our things! -All clothes that are 0-3 months. Maybe a couple packs of onesies, but that's it. Babies grow so fast! Right now I'm trying to learn from my previous mistakes and only get what I need. My kids loved the swing, but I don't want to spend a ton of money on that again, so I think that I'm going to get a portable one. Also, definitely getting the bouncy seat. I'm going to take it as it comes, and not buy a ton of stuff before. I have my Pack n Play, which is convenient. Now I'm just trolling websites, figuring out what I should/shouldn't get. Does anyone have a feeling about the Ergo baby carrier?

pixiedusk 3 years 1 week

dont have any regrets with my purchases YET.. hehe... i dont have a lot of purchases cuz im... asking around first on what to really buy... i know i still have to buy bathing & sleeping stuff..... but i want to use 2nd hand stuff... cuz im drain in the money dept....

KarlaTrotman 3 years 7 weeks

I almost threw my back out with the darn baby bjorn.

3 years 8 weeks

The warmers were just not worth the trouble. My 2nd son was born in Buffalo in January so i thought he was going to need a wipe warmer and bottle warmer for the house and the car but the wipe warmers dried all of the wipes and the bottle warmers took forever. Not worth it. Also the pacifier thermometer because my son didnt like pacifiers. The swing and the bouncy seat were both wonderful and the bumbo seat was somthing I would recomend to any new mom.

3 years 9 weeks

My sling. I really wanted to carry him, but he hated being in his sling. I switched to a Pikkolo soft frame and he loves it! But, how was I to know he wouldn't like it unless I tried it. So, I can't say I regret the purchase. It just would have been nice if I had held onto my receipt. And I wish I had a different car seat/stroller. I didn't get to choose mine. My SIL bought it without my knowledge, so I'm kind of stuck with it. It's nice- don't get me wrong. But my baby was big and the car seat weighs a ton, so I never take it out of it's base. And the stroller is huge. I can't complain too much, though. They were free and the seat does go up to 35 lbs, which is nice. I just would have chosen differently if I was doing the shopping. I wouldn't have picked a travel set. Rather, go with a quality car seat and then find a stroller that is easy to push and fully reclines. I'd rather have two pieces I find convenient and practical than two pieces all matchy-matchy. Baby doesn't care if they match; why should I? I do enjoy my wipes warmer, but that was a gift, too. I wouldn't go spending money on that. I haven't had a problem with my wipes drying out and baby seems to like the warm wipe. I've learned to view all the accessories as "trial and error". Different things seem to work for different babies. Because of this, I've found craig's list and local resale shops to be great! You can buy stuff (i.e. exesaucer, jumperoo, swing) much cheaper and if you don't use it, resell it! You don't end up losing near as much money and you can figure out what your baby prefers.

3 years 9 weeks

I regret buying a baby Bjorn, My baby was 9lbs 10oz when he was born and he grew too large for the Bjorn very quickly. I use a moby wrap now, I wish I would have gotten the moby wrap when he was born (21mo now) or an ergo.

3 years 11 weeks

Thank you everyone for sharing and I would love to read more. I am a poor first time expectant mother and dont know what I need to spend the little money I have on. It helps to know what is useful and what is not worth it.

3 years 12 weeks

I hate my Bugaboo stroller! When my (now 3 year old) daughter was born I used the Graco snap n go system for the first three months, but at three months decided to upgrade to the Bugaboo. It is so heavy, forget about getting it in and out of the car easily, and once the kids can snack, the lack of a tray is just ridiculous. Not to mention the basket isn't big enough. We ended up using the GRaco Metrolite instead. Now we have a second baby and we bought the skateboard and my daughter doesn't want to stay on it, not to mention that it's not good for long walks, and it's too cold for her to be on the skateboard. I have spent sooo much money trying to get the Bugaboo to work and I HATE it. I have a Double Bob stroller that I love.

snowysakurasky 3 years 12 weeks

we use the ergo baby, a basic cotton bjorn that we got used, and a sling too (well, only I use the sling, and not that often, but its alright) i prefer the ergo and the hubby likes the bjorn. the nicest thing about the ergo is the infant insert that they just improved- so you can wear your newborn even at 7 pounds! keeps baby warm too....

snowysakurasky 3 years 12 weeks

the crib for my 2nd one! i feel that we could very safely (and MUCH more comfortably) be cosleeping on a kingsize mattress on the floor (but with the crib we dont have room) she is actually a great sleeper but i'd still prefer a bigger bed

amandachalynn 3 years 12 weeks

Awesome! Thanks so much for the tips.

3 years 12 weeks

amandachalyn, I've worn all 3 of my babies and I love it! We use an adjustable ring sling because it can be used by anyone-it's not size specific for the adults or babies and can be adjusted to fit babies of all sizes and shapes, plus can be used for at least 4 different carries! I recommend checking out www.rockinbabysling.com and www.upmama.com they are both adjustable ring slings and have great pictures and instructions on useing the carriers. I've used my ring sling from 1 day old through to 3 years. My last baby was an early December baby and my oldest was in kindergarten and we had to walk about 6 blocks 2X a day to drop off and pick up for the bus, and there's lots of snow here, so I'd just strap baby onto my front and off we'd go! I know lots of people think that the slings don't give enough support, but with the adjustable ring slings, each rail can be adjusted independantly, so they really are versitile! Everything from a side lying position, to a chest to chest snuggle, to kangaroo, hip and back carries. Make sure you stay away from the "bag style" slings though! They're the one's that have been all over the media for causing infant deaths because of improper placement of baby and them getting their air supply cut off. So long as baby is placed properly, all is good! I've never found I get uncomfortable in mine unless I don't put it on properly, which can happen with any carrier. Because I sew, I ended up just making my own by getting the proper rings from slingrings.com, and they also have a few links to some really simple patterns. Hope this helps and good luck!

3 years 12 weeks

I disagree with the poster who didn't like the Bugaboo stroller. I love it! So light and the cutest thing ever. I get a million compliments on it when I take Joey out. The only thing is that, yes, you have to take the baby from the carseat to the stroller and it IS somewhat expensive at $800-$900 - but you will feel so much more stylish :)

amandachalynn 3 years 12 weeks

I regret the knock off baby bjorn. I don't remember what brand it was, I bought it for about 30 bucks at target. The thing hurt my back and it was so complicated! It took me 10 minutes to strap the kid on when I was by myself. I really love the idea of wearing the baby, and I'm wondering if any of you have used the sling. Did it work for you?

3 years 12 weeks

The bottle steamer. Found out later that the dishwasher works just as well and is a lot easier to use. Still couldn't talk my mom-to-be friend out of it, though. She's arguing with me about its necessity. I'm thinking, "Um, which of us has actually gone through this before?" Ah well. I don't regret buying a high chair, crib, or changing table, but a trip to IKEA last year showed me that I didn't have to be so fancy and expensive with it. Simpler would've been MUCH better.

jenni5 3 years 12 weeks

Peg Perego rocking high chair.....seemed cool when we registered for it but the rocking feature was so useless. Hot Sling....kiddo grew out of it so quick and it always pulled on my neck or back the wrong way. I'm half/half on the wipes warmer. Great for our cold winters but the stupid pads inside dry out so quick and the bottom wipes always end up dried out and brown. Car/Travel bottle warmer. If it didn't take 20 minutes to get a bottle barely warm it would have been great.

little miss x 3 years 12 weeks

Our Svan highchair. Although aesthetically appealing, the next time around I'm going to look for an easy-wipe down model with a GIANT tray. Why do companies even PUT fabric on highchairs? As if we don't have enough laundry to do!!

3 years 12 weeks

A Maclaren Volo stroller-- while it's ultra-lightweight, the wheels touch the canopy when you fold it up, leaving a dirty mess when you re-open!

starbucks 3 years 12 weeks

Haha, goldiecar. We got tons of shoes as gifts and I never put shoes on her! They're so bad for those little feet, and completely unnecessary!

3 years 12 weeks

The Quinny stroller & Mico-Cosi carseat. The carseat is a pain to buckle, really small for the baby, difficult to attach to the car base & stroller. Just an overall pain- can't really trust the grandmas to use it properly (because difficult to attach), but I don't want to return it yet because we've all bought bases for our cars and our baby will grow out of it and need a convertible seat soon. Also- I wish we hadn't received so many newborn & 0-3 month buntings & coats. We use the Bundle Me now (baby is 4 months), and it is SOO much easier getting her in & out of the carseat (which she hates) without having to force her into a coat (which she also hates). And the amount of newborn shoes & clothes. It's just too sad watching her grow out of the cute stuff before she's had a chance to wear it a few times.

goldiecar 3 years 12 weeks

Karenelise--You really hated the spa bathtub?? I LOVE it. Only, my 9 mo just learned to splash... The clawfoot (yeah, sounds luxurious... NOT!) was just too hard to reach into with a C-section... Bad purchases: the Boon baby food holder in the spoon thing (only works with overly pureed food), those stupid baby food holders that you're supposed to put homemade baby food in (they don't shut... I just use an ice cube tray), the million of homemade/knitted blankets, NEWBORN SHOES (I mean, really?? What was I thinking?!?!?). Best purchases: Beaba (it's freakin' amazing!!!! SO easy to make baby food), white noise machine, BumGenius one size cloth diapers!!

katiekat 3 years 12 weeks

I regret buying a glider that does not recline, a Phil & Teds AND a Burley (should have just gone for the Chariot!) The space saver high-chair (once it was in booster mode, it was too tall to push under our table) I disagree w/ pp's re: the heavy infant seats. We have the Peg (30/30) and though can get heavy when they're big having the OPTION to leave them in their seat was wonderful! You don't have to do it, the car seat can stay in the car just like a convertible, but boy was it nice when I had to make quick stops...much easier than unbuckling and re-buckling her in her seat!

schnappycat 3 years 12 weeks

The Boppy was pretty useless to me. I only BF for a few weeks and didn't even really like to use it then, so it remained largely untouched. We also didn't really use the swing because my son hated it, but I'm hoping the second one will use it some.

3 years 12 weeks

MissSushi, as someone who's been baby wearing with all 3 of my kids I wish you the best of luck! We love it and I can still carry my almost 4 year old if I chose. (My kids are light weights though so that helps.) I also wish I'd have had the travel size swing and the travel size playpen! The exercauser was a staple with all my kids, they all loved it and it was a sanity saver for me. I do wish we'd have had the bassinett with our 1st though. We used it for camping and for keeping baby in our room for the first while when we had lots of company because of a death in the family, and because all our babies were winter babies, it was very nice to not have to leave the bed to tend them in the night. Also better for heating the house because we could close off vents in other rooms to heat only the ones we needed. Like I said before, my kids were lightweights, so the newborn clothing was essential for us as they stayed in most of it until 2-4 months. I love hearing how everyone has loved/hated different products! Kids are so very different and like so many different things it's nice to know that everyone else has the list of what they really wish they hadn't bought!

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32 Comments

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