Bottle warmers, wipe warmers and pee pee tee-pees oh my! The market for baby items is flooded with everything you need – and lots of stuff you don’t. It can be fun to go shopping for your own little one, or even for a friend, but beware: just because it’s cute (or in the store) doesn’t mean you need it for baby. Here is a list of 9 things you don’t need:
1. Bottle Warmers: It sounds like a nice idea, giving baby a warm bottle, but let’s think realistically. What happens when you are out and about and your tiny bundle of joy is hungry and there is no way to warm the bottle? You are then stuck with an upset, hungry baby and on the hunt for an outlet to plug in the bottle warmer (because you take it with you everywhere you go right?) Wrong. Your baby does not know the difference between room temperature and warm.
2. Wipe Warmers: While we are on the subject of keeping things warm, this is another item you can cross off your list. Your mother never had one and I am pretty sure you survived the mere seconds it took to clean you up. Can the wipes feel cold? Sure, but as you read above, what do you do when you are out showing off your new baby and you don’t have your trusted wipe warmer?
3. Pee-Pee Tee-Pee: ‘A what?’ you say. This is exactly how it sounds. If you or your loved one is blessed to have a little bundle of ‘snips and snails and puppy dog tails’, this may be something you feel the need to purchase. But, let’s be honest: changing a baby is typically a quick process. There will be no finding of the pee-pee tee-pee before changing the little fella. Just learn to be quick and avoid the stream – just like generations before.
4. Scratch Mitts or gloves: I get it, we don’t want the little one to scratch his or her precious little skin. But let’s be honest, they fall off and when they are on, you can’t play with those tiny little fingers. Not to mention, they should be trying to move their new found parts, not be confined (even if loosely) to a mitt. So, just keep the new nails trimmed and the fingers free.
5. Expensive or name brand diapers and wipes: There are so many choices these days for cleaning and covering the baby’s bottom! Unless he or she develops a reaction to a certain diaper or wipe, it is best to keep it frugal. They do the same job as the more expensive ones: clean and contain.
6. Diaper Bag: Well, let me be clear, you do need something big enough to carry all the stuff the baby needs and some of your own (which you might come to realize is not quite as much as you thought). However, a distinct diaper bag is not necessary. You may prefer a stylish bag that is large enough to serve its purpose but does not scream ‘Hey! Look at me I just had a baby and have traded in my cute purse for this wipe-clean, plastic blue bag to let you know I had a boy!’ You are still you, you are just you as a mom. Should it be washable or easy to clean? Only if you want to use it more than once.
7. Diaper Stacker: I’m sure many women ask what a diaper stack is while looking at nursery bedding. A diaper stack usually hangs from the ceiling or wall and made of the same material and print as the bedding. It’s meant to house diapers where you change the baby, but a drawer will do just fine. Regardless of what you choose to use, you will have to restock it…regularly.
8. Swaddling Blankets: Newborns are used to being closed in tightly (the womb doesn’t allow for much stretching out, as much as they try!). At times, it can help to calm the baby or help to sleep if swaddled’. However, you do not need a special blanket for this! You will have plenty of blankets for baby and any one of them can get the job done if you know how to do it. Ask the nurses before leaving the hospital or watch a YouTube video (you can find anything on there), and you’ll be a swaddling pro in no time!
9. A fancy stroller: Let’s be realistic: when your baby needs to be a in a stroller, it doesn’t need to have all sorts of gadgets and make your coffee for you. It just needs 4 (OK maybe 3) wheels, a handle for you to push with, and preferably it has the wheels that move easily. Generally, you can get a car seat/stroller combo for a decent price. The infant car seat attaches to the stroller while your baby is still small and you just scored an infant car seat which you will need anyway.
Which baby items did you get that you ended up not needing? Let me know in the comments!
