It is possible to have a baby on a budget. However, buying things that you DON’T need is the perfect way to break the bank. Today I’m sharing 5 baby items I would not buy again.
Even though I did a ton of research to figure out what items I would need for both of my babies before they were born, I still made a few purchases I ended up regretting. Every person is different and while I didn’t use or like the following items much, others may feel like they are must haves. It’s important to do your own research, consider your lifestyle, and make wise purchases.
5 Baby Items I Would NOT Buy Again
1. Bouncer
I think this is just personal preference for each baby. I received one at my baby shower with my first son. He was never really a fan of the bouncer seat, but I decided to keep it just in case our second child enjoyed it. When Ben came along and didn’t care for it either, I sent it straight to the consignment store.
It’s so hard to know what your baby will like before they are born. If you are trying to decide between a bouncer and a swing, I suggest investing in something like this:
It’s a swing/bouncer combo
. The seat can be lifted off and moved around the house. We purchased this for Ben with gift cards from our baby shower. It was one of our favorite purchases. Even though we didn’t use the bouncer as a bouncer, it was a nice, safe place to set him when we needed both hands free for a few minutes.
2. Crib Bedding Set
Oh boy, oh boy. I’m going to hear it from my husband when he reads this! When my first son was born, I just HAD to have this crib bedding set to go along with a sports theme I was doing in his nursery. It was probably the biggest waste of money I have ever spent in my life.
Not only can you not use the quilt because it would suffocate baby, but the bumper pad was also unusable because the APA came out that they are a suffocation risk as well. The only thing I purchased that was useful was the crib sheet. I would have been much better off to just purchase the $10 crib sheet and call it a day!
Live and learn! For Ben’s nursery, I made all of his bedding for about $10 by stacking coupons with sales at Joann Fabrics.
3. Umbrella Stroller
The main reason I don’t like umbrella strollers probably has a lot to do with my height. I’m 5’10” and umbrella strollers (at least the ones I’ve used) seem to be made for people under 5’6″ or so. When I push one around, I always feel hunched over. I also tend to feel like I’m going to trip over the back wheels because there is not enough room for me to walk.
I would rather just use my full-size stroller or carry my baby in a carrier like our Tula. I know some people love their small umbrella strollers because they are so compact and an easy to travel with stroller. However, I felt like mine was a waste of money. I’m very happy I purchased ours used at a garage sale for $5!
4. Full-sized High Chair
For Caleb, I had a full sized high chair. It functioned just fine, we just had a very small dining room and it was just one more piece of furniture to take up space. It was purchased at a yard sale and, after Caleb was finished with it, we sold it and made back 100% of what it cost.
With Ben, we received a space-saver high chair as a gift at our shower and I LOVE it so much! It can be placed in one of our chairs and not take up much space at all. It’s also small enough to transport when we visit family if need be!
5. Dreft Baby Detergent
My mom purchased me a large container of Dreft baby detergent before Caleb was born. I meticulously separated his clothing from ours for the first few weeks thinking he needed Dreft for his sensitive newborn skin.
However, we were using ALL free and clear for our clothing. I’m not a big laundry sorter. (My definition of sorting laundry is separating into two piles: clothes and towels/sheets. Seriously. That’s it!) Making sure all those teeny tiny baby clothes were separate from mine and my husbands was getting old. A few weeks after he was born I decided to just try out the ALL detergent on his clothes.
And you know what? It was just fine! After reading online, I found that ALL free and clear worked just as good for babies as Dreft for about half (or less) the price. Ever since, I’ve used ALL free and clear on all of our laundry without any problems!
And because I like to share as much information as possible and tend to go against the grain at times, here are 3 items that most will tell you not to buy, but I COULD NOT live without!
1. Changing Table
Yes, I know that most people will tell you to just put a changing pad on a chest of drawers and call it a day. However, I could not disagree more!
My mom and dad purchased us our crib and changing table as a gift when I was pregnant with Caleb and I’m so thankful they did! My babies are wigglers and rollers. Ben started rolling over at 7 weeks and now that he is 7 months, it’s the first thing he does when we lay him down on the changing table.
Our changing table has about 4″ rails all the way around it. When Ben rolls over the rails stop him and keep my husband and I from having panic attacks 7-8 times each day. We would never leave him alone while changing him, however he is quick! In the time we would reach down to grab a diaper, he could easily roll off if the rails weren’t there!
While changing tables are not 100% necessary, the $100 ours cost from Target has been worth every penny. Plus, we have used it 7-8 times each day for over 3 years so far and will continue to use it with any future children. Even if we just donate it when we are done having children, I know I will never see it as a wasted expense.
2. Wipes Warmer
Maybe this is because I use cloth wipes and would feel differently if we used disposables 100% of the time. Both of our babies have hated having cold wipes on their little bums. Plus, wipes warmers are a great place to store soft cloth wipes damp!
We received ours as a hand-me-down from a family friend. I don’t know if I would go out and pay full price for one, but I would definitely purchase one used if ours went out. I love our wipes warmer and use it every day!
3. Diaper Bag
I know it’s become the vogue thing to go without a diaper bag or use a smaller more purse-like bag in it’s place. However, I need as much space in my diaper bag as I can get.
And I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to have to put a poopy diaper in my purse when I’m out and about and no trashcan is in sight! Yep, those wipeable, sealable diaper bags are definitely worth the expense!
This just goes to show you that what some people love, others think is a waste of money and vice versa!
Do you have any baby items you regret buying?
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