And What to Get Instead
All new Moms need help with our newborns - this is true.
When we first find out we are pregnant, especially for the first time, what do we do? We immediately register for all the adorable clothes and latest baby gadgets that we think we will need.
Being a new Mom is such an exhausting time! Who has the time and money to waste on baby registry items they DON’T need? New Moms; that's who!
I have gone through different baby products with my babies and I am here to tell you the truth about what baby items were a waste of money so you can leave them off of your baby registry.
One of things that happens in your home when you become a new Mom, is your house begins to fill up with all of your baby's stuff. It seems like it multiplies!
Read here for HOW to SURVIVE the FIRST WEEK with your NEWBORN
To help the baby toys and gadgets and diapers and clothes to NOT take over your house, these are the baby registry items you’ll want to skip on!
Being strategic about your baby registry is one of the best ways that you can save time and money.
Changing table
Honestly, you can do without this.
Yes, it looks cute and matches the beautiful crib, and it's a piece in the sweetly color coordinated baby room.
You will get YEARS of use from a regular dresser instead. You will spend a LOT of time changing your infant on the couch, and the floor. TRUST me.
You will not feel like walking upstairs to the nursey for every sigle diaper change. There are a lot of them. A LOT.
Get a newborn basic: a changing pad, and place it on top of the dresser! This works just as well! Ensure that you purchase one that has the safety straps and never leave baby unattended.
Purchasing a dresser from the get go will save you money in the long run and also provide a staple for baby's nursey as it transforms into a toddler and kid room.
Baby Shoes
Baby shoes are the cutest shoes imaginable. Positively adorable!
But, will you actually use them? The truth is, it is VERY unlikely!
Unless you have a VERY EARLY walker (under a year old), they will not wear hard soled shoes like tennis shoes or baby running shoes.
I repeat: they will not.
The one time they might will be for 15 minutes for a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter family picture. And then you will take them off.
Let’s face it, getting a baby dressed is a process and once you have them all ready, the last thing you want to do is mess around trying to get shoes (especially with laces) on, only to find out that they have kicked them off one minute later.
The better item to include on your baby registry would be soft soled moccasins.
These moccasins for babies are so versatile, great to help keep their socks on, and I found them to be wonderful for those early days of pulling themselves up and standing.
A Freestanding High Chair
There are much better options than a chair that takes up space in your kitchen.
Those huge high chairs are unnecessary!
Large high chairs can be heavy to move around but they also take up way too much space when it’s something you only use for the first year.
And you will need to figure something else out when you are away from home travelling, or eating with baby in a restaurant (those uncomfortable wooden restaurant high chairs are not great).
Do yourself a favor and get one of these space saver chairs instead!
It will save you time and money as a new Mom to have ONE high chair instead of different options for at home and restaurant/travel. Not to mention saving space if you do not have a massive kitchen to work with.
Wipe Warmer
When I was pregnant with my first baby, and I saw this at the store, I thought it must be a real problem to change a baby with a cold wipe. What kind of mother would I be if I did that?! The horrors.
After he was born, the wipe warmer sat in the box in the back of his closet. If I found that it seemed chilly or drafty in the room, I just blew on the wipe for a moment to "warm it up".
You very likely won’t need this!
When your baby has a blowout diaper, you won’t have time to warm up her/his wipes! You won’t even be thinking about it!
If/when my babies had a diaper rash, we used a warm washcloth, and to be honest, if it was a blowout situation, I would just throw it out after.
The thing that made the BIGGEST impact on my babies' health during diaper changes was using a good quality wipe.
These Bamboo ones are simply the best. They are gentler and larger than cheaper brands.
Find Bamboo Baby Wipes I Recommend HERE
Baby Powder
I don’t think I ever used this once on my babies!
I got a small bottle in a baby shower gift and I actually ended up using it for dusting power on me because I liked the smell.
I did not use it during any diaper changes ever.
As I mentioned before, if I thought there was a skin irritation, I would just change with them a damp wash cloth or high quality wipe.
Even if I thought baby needed some "drying out" with a bad diaper rash, I would just sprinkle a bit of cornstarch as I was worried the scent from the baby powder would irritate them more.
Honestly, with my babies, I found we could never go wrong with Penaten cream for rashes.
A Diaper Genie
Are they still selling these?
This is basically a trash can for your nursey, that you have to buy special bags for.
And it is bursting full with dirty diapers.
I don't know, it just seems a bit gross to me. And EXPENSIVE to keep buying those odd sized bags.
Even if I walked all the way upstairs to the nursey with one of my babies for a diaper change, I would just carry the dirty diaper and chuck in the nearest trash can.
If it was especially dirty, I would just put it in a doggie poop bag and chuck it in the trash.
Those little doggy bags are WAY cheaper and they mask the smell. It worked great for us!
Save money and space in your baby's nursey!
A Swing
A baby swing is one of the most expensive items that you can buy for a new baby.
Here is the honest truth: MANY BABIES don't even like them!
These swings can cost hundreds (if not thousands!) of dollars and if your baby does not end up liking the baby swing, you will have wasted money on that.
If you are thinking of getting a swing, wait until your baby is born and then try to borrow one from a friend who has kids and TRY it out first.
Not to mention, these things are huge. They take up a lot of space in the room that you set them up in, and there are not easy to move.
Better? A bouncy seat! Bouncy seats are portable: you can move them from room to room. They typically have vibration effect that can be soothing to baby, and they are MUCH cheaper.
Here are some good options for typically UNDER $50:
HERE are some other Bouncy Seats I recommend
Baby Blankets
Yes, baby blankets and receiving blankets are useful and you will need these but DON’T put them on your registry. You will get these no matter what!
Seriously; I think I received ten baby blankets after my baby shower! I didn’t know what the heck to do with all of them.
Yes, you will use blankets but people will get these for you, so do not waste your baby registry space for these.
AND if you have a baby that has reflux or spits up all the time, you will go through SO MANY of these, just grab some second hand ones at a thrift store and SAVE MONEY.
And that’s it for my list!
I hope this helps you decided which baby registry items you need, the baby registry items you can skip on, and hopefully reading this gives you some ideas to save SPACE and MONEY.