Remember my article about the things people told me before I delivered my first child? Here it is in case you missed it: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me To Buy For My First Baby (+ A Self-Care Checklist For Anxious New Moms)
In that article, I listed down 5 baby products I think are must-buys for your newborn.
I mentioned how I’m quite fortunate. I found some golden nuggets to take away should I ever have another child after much trial and error with different products.
But what about baby products NOT to buy?
In the previous article, I shared the good stuff. In this article, I highlight the 5 baby products I wish someone told me NOT to buy! Mistakes were made but fortunately, lessons were learned, and I’m sharing them with you.
5 Baby Products NOT To Buy For Your Newborn
Fancy bassinet
This is a toughie because a bassinet is one of the first things your little one sleeps in, so you want it to be the “best”. But keep in mind that they are only there for such short spurts of 3-hour sleep sessions. Also, babies grow out of bassinets quite quickly!
If you are planning to sleep train, your baby might be out of the bassinet and in a crib as early as 4 months old. If not, they’ll surely physically outgrow the space by the time they are 6 months old.
My best advice for a bassinet? Get a hand-me-down! I love baby thrift shops for this – they always seem to have an overstock of baby bassinets. Alternatively, go for a lower cost bassinet.
The one below is the one I had for my son and I absolutely loved it, until he outgrew it in about 4 months, of course.
Jogger System with Carseat
Okay okay, let me be honest. When I first put this on my Amazon baby registry, I was super proud of myself for scoping out such a great deal. A car seat AND a cool jogger stroller? SCORE!
Well…. maybe not…
The car seat served well to bring the newborn home safely. But my baby quickly outgrew it thanks to his long dangling legs.
And the stroller saga only got worse from there. It was super bulky with no proper storage space in our house. Our vehicle trunk is angled so the big chunky wheels would not allow the trunk door to close. If we did manage to somehow get the stroller in the trunk, it left no room for anything else.
Oh, and 3 months into it, we had to find an air machine to fill the tires because they work like actual bike/car tires.
I had other moms tell me that the jogger strollers are not the greatest idea, I wish I had listened.
Baby-Specific Detergent
Picture this: you wash your clothes weekly. You throw them in the wash, throw them in the dryer, and out comes clean clothes. Repeat.
But do you have pee, poop, and vomit on your clothes? Maybe after a REALLY fun night … but usually not.
Now, imagine your baby’s clothes. They are SOAKED in pee, poop and vomit. Everyday! Would you think you need a sensitive, more gentle wash for that? Or a detergent that actually gets those clothes clean?
There you go, another baby product not to buy or add to your registry!
I washed my baby’s clothes with the same gentle dye-free, allergen-free detergent I use for the rest of my family and it works just fine! It will work for your baby, too.
Fancy Baby Bouncer/Swing
This may be just a MY baby thing, but the baby swing was one of the least used and most expensive baby items I purchased that I wished I didn’t.
My son slept/napped in this thing for maybe less than a handful of times in his life. It’s also clunky and not fun to move from one place to another. I don’t think babies need that many different environments to nap.
Wired Pump
Moms, you don’t realize the significance of this until you’re tethered to a wired machine by your nipples for 20 minutes, like a cow, only to realize that you left your phone in the next room.
Yup, it’s happened. Multiple times. And it’s no fun.
Say no to wired pumps. Getting a wireless breast pump was a GAME CHANGER, ladies. Make sure you explore all your options for insurance-covered and corporate benefits-covered pumps and pick the handsfree one! You can actually WALK around and DO THINGS as you pump.
Want to level up some more? Go wireless. Pumping on your drive to work without anyone knowing. How cool.
There you have it, baby products not to buy, especially if you’re a new mom!
Let me know if you have any mom-friendly products or self-care tips to share.
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