We’re in the last stretch of getting ready to welcome our third kid - and this time around, there’s a heck of a lot less ‘stuff’ laying around (aside from the pile of absolutely adorable baby clothes that I found on Zulily). Since this isn’t our first rodeo, we’re sticking to the basics, the things we need - like a great carseat, a bassinet for our bedroom and a very lightweight and compact stroller that’s easy to use on weekend trips and vacations.
There’s so much baby ‘stuff’ that you don’t really need - and so many things that just get in the way - so this time around, here are some of the things that you might read on that ‘internet list of things you need for a baby’ that you don’t really need.
Baby Bathtub | We’ve never, ever owned a baby bath tub. From the time the girls were newborns, we found bath time to be not only a great time to bond with Dad, but for the most part from early, early on we showered with the kids - because it’s faster just to bring them in the shower with us (be careful they’re slippery little things) or to use the kitchen sink and to skip the baby bath tub.
Baby Towels | Towels, it’s likely that you have them in your house. You don’t need special ones for baby, because they’re not even as fluffy as your real towels, and you’re ‘real’ towels are big enough that you can already make your kids a hood out of them.
Scratch Mittens | Another one of those things that we never really used. We filed the girls’ nails from early on because clipping their tiny hands was a terrifying thought - and skipped those mittens that looked like they were going to get lost as soon as you brought them home.
Bottle Sterilizer | We’ve already got one of those - it’s called the heat cycle or dry on the dishwasher. Plus, who needs more stuff on their counter?
Changing Table | Unless you are going to go to the baby’s room to change the baby every time you’ve got to change them, this one is a big skip. Considering that we had one with Olivia and it was one of those things that we never used - it makes it on the ‘skip’ list. We did however, use the changing pad, but took it off of the table and brought it downstairs. The second kid? A blanket does just fine.
Bath Thermometer | Really? Just stick your hand in the water. You should probably be able to tell if it’s too hot without a cute floating duck in the water to let you know it’s too hot for an infant. This just falls under the ‘use your common sense’ category.
Nursing Cover | Skip the big tent contraption looking thing (but a nursing cover was a must have the first time around for me!) and go with a versatile scarf, like a Vinyasa scarf from Lululemon. You get the coverage, you get a piece of great fabric in patterns cozy for winter layering and you get a scarf that works perfect as a stroller blanket, in a pinch.
Wipes Warmer | Even the first time around, we received one of these as a gift and promptly exchanged it for something more functional, diapers. Warming the wipes is gentle, luxurious even, sure - but another one of those ‘gadgets’ that’s going to take up valuable space in your home - yup, that too.
What are some of the things that you skipped over the first time, second time or the third (or more) time around?
Just week I looked at my Lulu a scarf and said how perfect it would be as a nursing cover. Expecting baby #1 in a few months and love to find out what not to buy, there is so much out there now!
I’ve never used any of those except for the change table (borrowed from my sis-in-law which we still use for our son), and the baby towels (they were gifts).
I find a lot of “baby items” are either a novelty or a waste of space. It helped to have friends with kids so we could mentally take notes and see what would work best for us, and go from there!
I should add, with my first I didn’t have a change table. We used a dresser with a pad on top, and we’re planning on doing the same for my second but we ended up borrowing my sister-in-law’s change table.
The change pad on top of the dresser was the best decision because it still serves a purpose after diapers are done 🙂
Also, convertible cribs are awesome too. You don’t have to worry about what bed to get later on, and as a double bonus you can embarrass your kids by telling them they are still sleeping in a crib!