I try not to have regrets. But when it comes to money — especially when I things because I thought I needed them, only to find out they were completely unnecessary — I have regret every time. Here are the things I bought when I became a new mom that were absolutely useless. Learn from my mistakes. Don’t buy these things.
#1. Wipes warmer.
Please, for the love of God, don’t buy one of these. They keep your wipes warm for exactly the amount of time it takes to remove them from the warmer and get them to your baby’s skin. They’ll be cold the moment they touch him.
#2. Cloth wipes.
Listen, I loved cloth diapering my babies. I liked feeling like I was doing something environmentally conscious. But cloth wipes where where I drew the line. I was doing my part with the cloth diapers. The cloth wipes were hard to keep wet and were inconvenient to clean and prepare. It was just too much work for an exhausted new mom.
#3. An abundance of newborn onesies.
It’s true that you need a lot of onesies for your newborn, but you don’t need as many as you’re trying to buy right now (trust me, I learned the hard way). Your newborn is going to outgrow those onesies so fast. You need, at maximum, seven.
#4. Burp cloths.
Take it from an experienced mom of two — you’re not going to use the burp cloths. First of all, most of them out there are too small. Your baby’s spit up is going to go in unpredictable directions and the burp cloths are just insufficient. Second, you’re going to end up grabbing for wash rags and kitchen hand towels instead. It’s not that burp cloths can’t come in handy; it’s just that they’re an expense you don’t necessarily need.
#5. Those super expensive diaper pails.
You know the ones. Yes, they sound great in theory, but you won’t use them. You’re going to find yourself inconveniently changing diapers everywhere but where the diaper pail is set up. You’ll also find that you are incredibly impartial about what kind of bin you deposit diapers into when you have the smell of newborn poop hitting your nostrils.
#6. Newborn toys.
I honestly don’t know why the baby industry makes newborn toys. Your baby is not going to notice anything but your areola or the nipple of a bottle for a good while. Besides, you’re going to enjoy just staring into your new baby’s face way more than shaking a rattle at her anyway. Save the money on newborn toys and put it toward more diapers.
#7. Infinity Nursing Scarf.
I found this contraption absolutely useless. I stayed constantly hot when I was breastfeeding, so wearing a scarf around my neck made me super sweaty and uncomfortable. Then, getting the damn thing unwound and turned into a nursing cover was a giant pain. To boot, my babies hated it. It trapped in too much body heat — completely unbreathable. My babies and I did much better with the apron-style nursing covers that I could pop on and off (and eventually no cover at all).
#8. Multiple diaper bags.
And I am saying this as the owner of an international diaper bag brand — you do not need multiple bags. I know you think you do. I did, too. Diaper bags were my passion, and it was my love of diaper bags that prompted me to design and manufacture my own brand of them. But the truth is, eventually all that diaper bag packing, unpacking, and repacking is going to wear you out and leave you overwhelmed. Life is so much less complicated when you have one diaper bag that stays always stocked and ready.
#9. Changing table.
Friend, believe me when I tell you that you are going to be changing 99% of diapers on the floor. If not on the floor, then maybe on your bed or couch. Changing tables are expensive, they take up a ton of space in your nursery, and frankly, you just don’t need them.
#10. Baby food blender/processor.
Unless you have a strong interest in making your own baby food, you can skip this. You’ll read a lot of blogs about how making your own baby food is healthier, and I’m sure it is. But when you are an exhausted mom, you’re most likely not going to want to spend your precious time making something that you could easily buy. These days, there are enough high quality baby foods to choose from that can fit whatever dietary goals you have for your baby without having to make it yourself.
Don’t get sucked into the compelling marketing from baby brands. You just don’t need as much stuff as you think you need for a newborn. They are surprisingly simple, and highly resilient. Save your money for things that you will use daily, like diapers and wipes. That money will be much better spent.
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