Last week I took note of some our best investments in baby supplies. Bang for our personal buck, we used those items substantially in each child’s infancy. This list comprises the opposite. I could go on and on (and on…) about all the items we never needed but let’s stick with the big stuff. At this time in pregnancy, many families are putting together their registry. A few things we absolutely did not get our money’s value out of include:
Receiving blankets: To be fair I must disclose we use these daily still. I cut them into 9×9 squares and serged the edges. They serve as napkins and small, thin towels as hankies or for small daily messes. Our babes were born too big to swaddle in them and we prefer the muslin swaddle options due to softness and thinness (great in the warm south especially). I know some will cut these and use as cloth wipes for diaper time. Again, I found them inferior as they did not absorb water well and mostly slid poop across baby’s bum instead of cleaning it off.
Glider: We heard so many wonderful things about the glider. We spent an afternoon sitting in chair after chair at two different stores and invested in the more expensive glider with a higher back. At almost $400 I wish we’d just invested in a living room recliner. The gliding function seemed to wobble over time and was difficult to tighten. Once our first son was mobile the spindles on the glider proved more of a hazard for him to put his hands and fingers into, potentially causing harm. He was able to easily undo the latch that stabilized the chair still. The cushions also seemed flat far sooner than what our investment deserved. As a nursing mom and c-section mom, I did like having a footstool though.
Activity mat: I think these are hit or miss with babies. We tried using it with both boys because, well, someone spent a solid fifty bucks on it. It seemed rude to not try the toy in spite of the boys having no interest. I know other people love theirs for tummy time. We finally parted with it to another family interested in trying it out. We figure a blanket, a few small toys, and this baby’s brothers may be all the entertainment she needs while on the ground.
Clicking the infant carrier in was a handy feature, but the small plastic wheels only did great on very smooth concrete or in places like the mall, a place we visit about twice a year. Again, not very useful. Interested in returning to an active lifestyle we purchased the jogging stroller and never looked back. We found the larger wheels of the jogger worked great for durability and smoothness of ride on all services and at all speeds. Many joggers recline to accommodate a newborn baby or infant seat (beware of need to keep baby’s neck and head stable if using for jogging purposes in early months and know that not all joggers are newborn friendly).
More than one stroller: By 6 months in we had too many strollers. We had the very light-weight, inexpensive one to have in the car “just in case.” We literally never used it. We found ourselves gravitating to wearing baby instead. Then there was the stroller that worked specifically with the infant carrier.
Quilt/crib skirt/bumpers: The quilt hangs on the wall mostly for the consolation that we did not waste all of 100 dollars on this nursery package that served us no other use. Bumpers are dangerous. Just a few sheets are all we needed and a couple of different weight blankets.
Fancy gates: We have one gate that we used maybe 10 times in 4 years of parenting two children. We don’t have stairs or animals or things we need to prohibit our children from overall in our house which may be a factor for others. Instead of gates we made our home profoundly kid-friendly. We have few breakable items, all up high.Furniture is secure to the wall and child-friendly. If we need to corral a kiddo for any length of time we utilize the crib or swing for a couple of minutes.
Nosefrida: Maybe my kids just weren’t that sick. Maybe I’m heartless and don’t mind watching my kids feel discomfort. I never used any bulb sucker or any fancier version over the course of the first two children. That said, neither kiddo had more than the common cold until well over age one. Time will tell with #3.
Fancy baby bath and clothing: We were too focused on just making it through the night to worry with lotions, potions, bath thermometers, and cutesy bath rags. As we stayed mostly home for the first few weeks of life (months really), we had almost no need for outfits that involved jeans or shoes and mostly used onesies, shirts, and a few layette gowns. Beyond the 3 months size, we only needed one or two “special” outfits to make it through that first year.
Annie is a mom of two boys, ages two and four. She enjoys the finer things in life, like compression socks and a full night’s rest.
