Five items that your baby will NEVER need and one he will
Save money and don’t ever buy the following for your new baby…
- Diaper wipe warmer! Seriously people. Your baby can take the cold wipes.
- Walker - most aren’t consider safe, and a walker can actually halt natural walking abilities.
- A baby lamp in the nursery: Frankly, I’m sort of against pastel animals and baby bottle decals of any kind in a baby’s room. If your baby won’t think an item is cool after the age of two, it’s a waste of money to put it in the nursery. Buy a real lamp.
- Baby comforter: Your baby shouldn’t be sleeping with a comforter, it’s not safe. A baby comforter is simply decoration for adults, but not necessary.
- Baby powder - I had a friend who recently had a babe, and she got so much powder in gift form, she could have opened her own baby powder company. Baby powder is dangerous. Babies have been known to die from inhaling it. Don’t buy it, don’t use it on your baby. Use it yourself if you like, but not around your little one.
An expensive item you will need:
I was a VERY thrifty baby mama. So thrifty that I barely bought anything that was traditionally baby minded. However, one of the items I talked myself out of, I wish I hadn’t.
The changing table. I thought it was a useless waste of money. You can change a baby on the floor, or a table, or the sofa, and so on. Newsflash - you can change a baby anywhere, but after a year of this your back will hate you. I bent over to change Cedar in so many low places that my back was seriously sore by the time he was one. At that point a changing table is a waste of money.
Here’s what I’d do if I had another baby; I’d buy a dresser, but a good one, and put a diaper changing pad on top of it. This way I’d have the dresser to use for changing the first year, and for clothing later on, so it would still be a smart purchase. I couldn’t do this with Cedar, because the dresser we bought him was too tall.
This might be a more expensive, because in my experience, used dressers are tough to find used, especially dressers that won’t fall apart while a baby is on top. If you can find one used or in your home, then use it; just make sure it’s very sturdy.
What other items will a baby never need? I can think of many.
[image via Jennifer’s personal collection]
Tags: Baby Savings, bad baby items, changing table, save baby money, save money on baby itemsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Baby Savings
11 opinions for Five items that your baby will NEVER need and one he will
Annette
Jul 13, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I’ve had four babies and never once have needed a bottle, artificial nipple, or any of the related paraphernalia. Breastfeeding is easy, healthy, frugal, and “green” and help is free from your local La Leche League. While I know this might not be practical for a mama who works outside the home or who has health challenges, for most women, breastfeeding baby is a great way to save thousands of dollars.
Helen
Jul 13, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Baby walkers are actually ‘illegal’ in a lot of countries!
I actually think baby food is a huge waste of money. I could buy a whole bag of carrots and get 30 meals out of it for the same price as 2 or 3 bottles of baby food!!!
Connie
Jul 13, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Yup. I never bought the changing table either. We were lucky enough to have an old table we didn’t use though, so it worked out ok because it folded down to the right size.
Other stuff a baby does not need? I agree with the baby food. A food processor works wonders, and the baby doesn’t get all the preservatives from the ready-made food either.
Montgomery
Jul 14, 2008 at 11:56 am
My philosophy is very similar to yours. I had a changing table with my 1st baby and it fell apart before he was two. I used a sturdy, low dresser with my other 4 babies. It became a game, to do without all the “necessities” offered at Babies-R-Us. It’s amazing how much stuff people buy for new babies!
Susanna
Jul 14, 2008 at 1:48 pm
A while back, a friend of mine put together a list of “baby needs and don’t needs” because so many friends were asking her for advice. I wish I could find it now - the page has gone 404. I do remember that a wipe warmer was on there.
I don’t think you need a diaper genie. We had 2 regular pails lined with plastic grocery bags - one for disposables and one for soiled launderables. The pail is small, so you had to empty it before it stank.
I also never needed all the baby lotion I got as gifts and free samples. I think most of it is still sitting in the back of the medicine cabinet.
The one thing I really did need and that I’m glad I splurged on was a good sling. You don’t realize how helpful it is to be able to carry your baby hands-free until you find yourself in a situation where you need to do just that.
Anita K
Jul 14, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I agree on many of htese points! “Madison Avenue” has become in charge of our nursery outfitting.
I wold caution that anyone who wants to use a dresser to be sure to secure th changing pad to the top of the furniture (I used velcro that was adhesive on the back)
I think a wipe warmer for reusable cloth wipes IS necessary as it also serves to keep the wipes wet. Cloth diapers and wipes save tons of money and environmental waste!
Melinda Gustafson Gervasi
Jul 15, 2008 at 4:40 pm
We are expecting our first child in a month, and I am amazed at how much junk is pushed on new parents these days. What shocked me most were the bumpers. Earlier this year the federal government issued a warning that they should not be used because of the SIDS risk. Yet, they are all over the store, and new parents still spend $100+ because “they are cute”. Bumpers are not necessary, may cause severe risk, and will never enter our nursery. It is great to see other parents who are skeptical about baby products!
Jennifer
Jul 19, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Annette - I write a baby blog, and I always talk about this. Breastfeeding is cheap and green; and of course so healthy, what’s not to love. I was in college FT when Cedar was a baby but with a pump we did just fine when I couldn’t take him with me.
Helen - yup baby food is insanely priced. We made most of ours homemade and organic for less than jars.
Jennifer
Jul 19, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Susanna - I didn’t think we needed a diaper genie either, so I didn’t get one, but eventually we did. I think it’s better to get the kind that uses any old bag though - my friend has one like that, but they weren’t around when I had Cedar. I splurged on my sling too - now my best friend is using it for her baby.
Anita K - I just used washcloths, no wipes, and kept the washcloths in a container with water, no warmer and it worked fine.
Melinda Gustafson Gervasi - yeah, there’s a big push for all sorts of crib items you shouldn’t have. I didn’t even have a crib so it wasn’t an issue.
Thrifty Karen
Jul 21, 2008 at 3:03 pm
We bought the curved changing pad and put it on top of a dresser. I don’t know how people live without changing tables or the pad thing we had. Some people tell me they change diapers on the floor. No thanks.
I did need a wipe warmer, especially with my youngest. He would cringe and jerk away from the coolness of the wipes.
You’re right, though. There’s a lot of stuff out there that parents just don’t need. You can always spot a first time parent in the baby section, especially if they have a scanner in hand. lol
Penny Pincher
Jul 22, 2008 at 8:46 am
By the time I had my 3rd child, I was that much wiser and his changing table is indeed a changing pad on top of a dresser. The one thing I needed was a sling-it replaced the swing, bouncy chair, walker, bumbo, etc. and it folds flat!
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