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When you’re pregnant, it’s easy to get carried away and buy everything, right? It only takes a quick Google – suddenly you have a list of 7 million mostly unnecessary baby items that (you think) you absolutely must have for your baby.
Some things are obviously needed, like a cot or a crib for sleeping and a Mixx stroller or similar to get you out and about. But the rest of it?
Put the list down. Trust me. You don’t need even half of that stuff.
I know this, because I bought most of those things and didn’t use them. To help you avoid the same mistake, here are my…
Top 5 Most Unnecessary Baby Items!
I think it’s safe to say that this is most definitely not a sponsored post (although I have used some affiliate links for the items that I did use and love)!
I’m not saying that these items aren’t loved by some people. I know that lots of people swear by them and it’s OK if you disagree with my list. I just don’t think they’re really necessary. Your money would be better spent elsewhere.
Baby baths
We bought a baby bath for the twins and used it… Twice. Once for each baby. After that, we decided it was easier for the babies to come into the bath with me of Mr Becca (one at a time) or to use Angelcare Bath Supports, which were much easier to use and meant we could bath the twins at the same time.
I can’t think of a single situation where a baby bath is really necessary. If you only have a shower, and don’t want to take the baby in the shower with you, bath them in the sink – much more convenient than a baby bath, a better height for your back while supporting baby, and free! Plus cute photos of your baby in the sink! And don’t get me started on fancy top and tail sets. Bowls! They’re just bowls. Top and tail sets are the king of unnecessary baby items.
Baby seats
We bought two of the Mamas & Papas Baby Snug seats, complete with activity tray (which the twins did enjoy)… and barely used them. By the time the twins were able to support themselves enough to use them, they didn’t want to be restricted in a chair and they just played with the activity tray on the floor. We did use them, occasionally, for the twins to eat in when they started weaning, but they’re very expensive for something that isn’t really necessary. I will say that I prefer these to Bumbo seats. The leg holes are a bit bigger (especially when you take the foam bit out), so if your baby does use it, you’ll be able to use it for a bit longer.
Expensive highchairs
We bought two fairly expensive highchairs (everything is expensive when you’re buying two of them). We sold them not long after we started weaning. They took up so much space, were hard to clean (lots of little nooks and crannies) and the twins mostly used them to watch Baby TV (don’t judge me). The IKEA Antilop highchair is much cheaper and easier to clean. And you can get cute cushions and seat covers for them, too. Alternatively, we bought Chicco Pocket Snack booster seats (often on sale, depending on how fussy you are about the colour). We could attach these to any chairs, which was great in restaurants, and we still use them on our dining chairs now.
Swaddling…. gizmos
Swaddling is a bit of a contraversial subject, I know. Some people swear by it, others say to steer clear… but whichever way you look at it, all the fancy swaddling blankets/pods/sleeping bags are completely unneccesary baby items. A regular baby blanket or a large muslin will do the job just fine and – if your baby doesn’t like it – you’ll have a wonderfully useable blanket or muslin. If you buy an expensive zip up swaddle bag thingy (I can’t remember the actual name of it, but I wouldn’t recommend it anyway) and your baby doesn’t like it… well, then you have a useless swaddle bag thingy and a baby that looks like an angry caterpiller…
Baby shoes and fancy outfits
I’m not talking about buying shoes for an older baby who isn’t quite walking on their own yet (although that’s unneccesary, too, in my opinion) and cute outfits for special occasions. I’m talking about those tiny little baby shoes, for babies who aren’t at all mobile, and fancy outfits for every day use. For babies who throw up or poop on everything.
Obviously, this is a personal choice and dressing your baby up is not doing to do them any harm (in fact, nothing on this list will harm your baby). But it is completely unnecessary. I don’t know about you, but I definitely prefer to be in my PJs all day… and babies can actually get away with that! And babygrows and sleepsuits are so cute! So, why not make the most of not having to buy expensive clothes while you still can? I promise, you’ll make up for it later.
I’d love to hear what unecessary baby items you wish you’d never bought! Or maybe you bought some of the items on my list and wouldn’t have swapped them for anything? Comment below to let me know.
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We used our baby bath until my daughter was 1! We used a Schnuggle bath, my son who is 4 likes to shower, so he could shower and I could bath her at the same time. It made bathtime so much easier and quicker. IKEA Antilop is the best highchair ever! Biggest waste of money was a fancy nappy bin!
Nappy bins would have been number 6 on my list! It’s a bucket! Just buy a bucket ?? I don’t think I’ve seen schnuggle baths. I only have experience of the big standard baby baths lol. I’m glad you made good use of yours! ?
Honestly, I swear by my baby bath. It adjusts as baby grows and she sits safe in it. I agree with the other items listed!
Ooh, what baby bath do you have? Ours was just a bog standard baby bath and it was like trying to bathe a slippery squid ? the angel are seats worked much better for us, in terms of safety. But we didn’t try any of the more fancy baby baths x
Boon SOAK Newborn to Toddler Bath Tub, there’s a piece on the bottom that is basically an adjustment seat so a newborn can lay back. It adjusts to infant and then toddler. I use a pebble bath mat in the tub and it keeps it from slipping around.
See, now that sounds useful!
Totally agree, Ikea Antilop highchairs are amazing! We were lent one of those fancy reclining fabric type ones and honestly the Ikea one we have now is so much better and easier to clean.
I’ve literally only just bought my 15 month old baby her first pair of shoes because she started walking, no need before! And they only cost me £3 in the sale so really happy with that!
I loved how pretty our highchairs were, but they were so impractical and a complete waste of money! We didn’t buy shoes for the twins until they could walk properly on their own either. “Poor” Alice was barefoot until after 18 months ?
A useful post for first-time parents. I think people get swept away with buying anything and everything for babies.
Rachael | https://rachaelstray.com
Thank you ? it’s so easy to get carried away in the excitement of it all!
Here’s one for the list, Moses Baskets! Complete waste of money, ours was hardly used. They can’t be used for long, just like toddler beds.
Definitely agree with the Moses baskets. We bought wooden cribs instead, which were a bit bigger, but the twins only used them to nap in downstairs, and usually in the same crib, so they were a waste of money too! We bought cotbeds, although one wasn’t used until it was time to turn it into a toddler bed. Having two in the same room, the toddler bed size is perfect for us x
I agree with all these! Our baby bath soon ended up being used to mix cement in so at least it was put to good use! Although, when I did use it on the odd occasion, I placed it in my Moses basket stand to save my back! It was a perfect fit and meant I could bath the children in the bedroom, and pop them straight onto a waiting towel on the bed!
That’s a great baby bath hack! (The Moses basket stand, not the cement. Although that’s a good use for it too!)