Gifts or purchases for the babies you thought you would love

I was thinking today how fast they're getting into new stages and growing out of things and I started thinking about the things we got as shower gifts we thought we had to have and would use all the time. Here's some of the things we have never used:

2 of the 4 carseat bases - and now I doubt they'll be in their carriers longer than another month so they really never will be used.

Pack n Play - we got 2. One for a bassinet and changing station downstairs and one for our bedroom so they could sleep with us. One hour into the first night they were moved into their cribs because I was jumping up (after my c-section) for every little noise. My husband slept on the floor in their room. And now they will not sleep in the bottom - thought it would be good if we took them on vacation. But I think I'll have to come up with a plan B if that happens.

Infant carrier - I could never figure out how to wear the thing and it just felt to me like the baby would suffocate or roll out - I don't think I got a very good one. Also never used that upright carrier - the Snugli or whatever.

Hooded bath towels - we have a TON! We barely needed 1/4 of them for as often as I do laundry. And they outgrew them a long time ago.

Mirrors for car - seemed like a good concept to see your baby as you drive - but we could never find a position to put it so we could see them - especially the one in the middle. There was no where to attach it and I think the one we got was too small. It's thrown in my trunk somewhere now.

We have TONS of lullaby CD's - and we always ended up playing the same one on repeat at night. Too lazy to go through the pile and try a new one.

We have like 8 teething rings - there's no teeth yet, so you never know. But so far they hate them.

I'm sure there's a lot more. It would just require me to get off my butt and go look...

 

That is funny-everything on your list we had for dd#1 but not for these two...I guess we figured it out the first time around
We do use the PNP when we travel.

 

Twin pack n play - Complete waste, a regular one would have been better and the PNP sheets would fit it!
Boppy pillows - Got 2 with 2 covers for each and rarely used them. I liked the newborn lounger and should have bought 2 of those.
Bottle warmer - too much trouble unless the start making one that will do two at a time
Snugli infant carriers - I'm not coordinated enough to get them in and out. Loved the sling though for colic help.
baby bathtub - We did better in the sink or on the big yellow sponge in the real bathtub.
Podee bottles - They never could get them to work, sounded great though! Maybe I should try again.

FWIW - I love my mirrors in the car, but I can actually see the babies. We also couldn't have done without the 4 carseat bases.

I'm sure there are more - I feel like we wasted so much money on stuff they never used or used for only a month and could have easily done without.

 

I'm with you on the infant carriers... I've never used them, considering what a pain it is to put them in their exersaucer I don't want to imagine putting them in those... Plus I have to push a double stroller anyway... I guess it would be nice for grocery shopping, but I have yet to find a place that has a cart where I would feel safe putting the baby seat on the top part... it's always very unstable.

Boppies... Mine always hated being in those.

For the pack'n plays, I never got any, although we did think it would be nice to have for vacations... now I'm not sure anymore!

 

Sheet savers. I didn't have much use for receiving blankets after the first month, as they were in Halo blankets. I knew nothing about Halo blankets until close to the time they were born! These are what I can think of off of the top of my head.

 

Bebe Pod seat- 60 bucks, and my guys hate it. I traded 1 in for the Bumbo, which seems to fit them better, but I think I'll just stick with 1 instead of 2 because neither of them love sitting in it.

 

We have a few things we never used

Bottle warmer - used once, was actually more inconvenient to me

Baby holder - we had two, also couldn't figure out how to put them on. Besides babies were always held by someone

Walker - they just sit in it, waste of space

Rain guard for the stroller - we live in Seattle, thought it would come in handy. Never took it out of the package.

Receiving blankets - we have a TON of these, was told we needed alot but we only used a few.

Teething toys and Fancy Pacifiers -They only use their Soothies for both the paci and teething toy.

Thats all I can think of at the moment

 

Baby Bjorn Carriers - we have two, and I thought we would be out and about on walks everywhere. Well, the babies hate them for periods of longer than 5 minutes at a time, and its way too hot to go trekking through the hills with two little people attached. Maybe they'll be better when they are forward facing, who knows. They are about $100 each and have only been used at home.
Baby Monitor - great for some people I'm sure, but I seem to have developed super sonic hearing, not that I need it. My babies have three volumes - loud, louder, and loudest.
Hooded Bath Towels - way too thin to dry them with, and I prefer to snuggle them up in a big soft fluffy towel anyway.

That's all I can think of right now, but am sure there is more. Oh, as a general thing, too many actual outfits for 0-3 months. Shorts with bows on them are cute an all, and I love putting DS in overalls, but 99% of the time they are wearing onesies, as they are much easier to dress them in, and they go through so many of them.

 

Diaper Genie complete waste of space never got it to work correctly, and it stinks. Plain trash can works just fine

 

Diaper genie

Wipe warmer

Net to go over the pack and play when outdoors

socks, socks and more socks--we bought tons and never really use them--they keep footed sleepers on the majority of the day

onesies

I could go on and on, but I tend to ramble too much!!!

april

 

Wow. Almost everything on the pp's lists I did use! PNPs were incredibly useful, the boppy pillows we still use, infant carriers (Bjorns) were AWESOME for taking the girls to parties and for air travel (keep 'em in the Bjorn and walk through security), and the infant carriers and my double sng was my life saver the first year. I guess YMMV!

Things that I didn't need/use much were:
1. Bumbo seat. I got one as a shower present and the girls didn't like it much. I used the boppy pillows to put around them and they had more mobility that way.
2. Rain cover for the stroller- we've never used it.
3. Cute baby blankets. I have drawers and drawers full of blankets. Any ideas what to do with them?
4. Infant shoes and socks. OMG we got some cute stuff for the girls, but it wasn't practical and they pretty much lived in sleep and plays the first year.

 

It must be such an individual things, I still use my boppies and hooded towels daily and love my diaper genie. And to the pp who couldn't get the babies to sleep in the bottom of the pnp, trying buying a mattress for it, it cost 20 bucks and made all the difference in the world for my babies. We keep one set up in my bedrrom so we can seperate them for naps, and travel with them all the time.

Things I never used:
snugli infant carrier
halo sleep sacks (footie jammies are warmer and cuter)
bouncy seats
travel swing

 

QUOTE(SMiLeD @ Sep 11 2008, 09:59 PM) [snapback]976143[/snapback]
And to the pp who couldn't get the babies to sleep in the bottom of the pnp, trying buying a mattress for it, it cost 20 bucks and made all the difference in the world for my babies.


I didn't know they had these, I'll have to look into them. Thanks!

 

Off the top of my head:

shoes and socks
changing table (we used the couch, floor, everything but the changing table which was in their room, which is upstairs from our family room)
velboa snuggler head/body supports
9000 receiving blankets (ok, not 9000, but at least 40...why did we not use the kiddopotamus ones from the very start?!)
500 blankets (again, not really 500...but probably 25)

However I loved (and still do) my boppies, pack & plays (awesome for spending the night at grandmas or on vacation!), diaper genies, extra infant car seat bases, hooded towels, bouncy seats, swings, mirrors for car and bumbos!!

Why didn't you guys tell me NOT to get the rain cover for my new SBS stroller?? I live in seattle too & thought I was so smart buying it 3 weeks ago!
I guess I will have to wait to see if it gets any use this fall/winter!

 

bottle warmer-didnt know the bottles didnt have to be warmed
travel bottle warmer
floppy seat- We use the stroller when we go anywhere
recieving blankets
pack and play-only used it for like the first month as a bassinet
baby bumpers-pedi said nothing in cribs
blankets-too many
sheet savers
boppy pillow

Such a waste of money wish i would have known i didnt need all these things...money could have been spent on diapers and wipes! <_<

 

Well I used lots of the things listed, but we never used:

bottle warmer
baby moniter
sleep positioners
crib divider (to keep the kids separate from one another)
Podees

 

QUOTE(j@a @ Sep 11 2008, 07:44 PM) [snapback]976221[/snapback]
Such a waste of money wish i would have known i didnt need all these things...money could have been spent on diapers and wipes! <_<


or burp cloths!!!!! I thought I had wayyyy too many...that was before I had my babies!

 

QUOTE(tamaras @ Sep 11 2008, 10:56 PM) [snapback]976241[/snapback]
or burp cloths!!!!! I thought I had wayyyy too many...that was before I had my babies!



i thought the same but the recieving blackets have come in handy for when i run out of burp cloths lol

 

changing table (always use the floor)
swings (they hate them)
bouncy seat (dont like this either)
play gym (they got bored with it quickly)
cute outfits (they live in carters onesies and pants- so easy! and the combinations are endless!!)
PJs that dont have a zipper or arent gowns- snaps are the stupidest invention unless theyre at the crotch on pants
baby towels (my gma made a baby towel out of a regular towel and a rag as the hood- its perfect to grow into and so fuzzy and warm!!)
pack n play
car mirrors
baby monitor (developed the famous super sonic hearing!!)
bottles other than dr.browns (still trying to find a home for the odds and ends)

im sure theres more but i cant think right now lol. i do know when i look at all the crap we dont use it pisses me off lol. im gonna post a link for this over in the expecting board, i know when i was preggo i would have loved this list!

 

I haven't used the sterilizer. It's in the box still. What a waste!!

I LOVE my boppy newborn loungers too. That would be at the TOP of the list for a post asking gifts or purchases we thought we love and DO love!!!

 

A couple to add:

* Those activity floor mats are a big waste of money at $60+ each. And SUCH a hassle to keep out of the way. A nice blanket on the floor with some toys worked way better for us.

* Definitely avoid baby shoes. One pair is all you'll "need" -- if you EVER even put those on. I bought multiple pairs, and then was given another 10 or so. They never even came outta the packaging. A waste at $20-$30 a pair!

* The Bumbo chair was wasted on us. Got it as a gift, but used it 3-4 times total.

The BEST stuff we bought:

* Bouncy seats with firm rails so you can easily carry babies in the chair from room to room. (I know you're not really supposed to do this, but hey... It's practical!)

* The Baby Bjorn was a great gift for us. I found it really easy to get the babe in and out.

* A baby mobile. I was *shocked* how much my first daughter loved the musical mobile. Not for sleep time, but for an "activity." It would give me a 15-20 break -- enough time to shower quickly, run a load of laundry etc. while she happily cooed under it in her crib. Perfect!

 

Hm. Clearly we have some differences in opinion.

I defintely AGREE that these are wastes:

Bottle warmers
Baby positioners
Wipe warmers
Burp cloths (used cloth diapers for this and still use them as dust cloths, buy the cheap all-cotton cloth diapers)

But DISAGREE in my experience about these things we used regularly:

Teething rings
Baby Bjorns (DH and I needed them for our fussy babies, we ate in them regularly )
Baby monitor (for naps, not night)
Bouncy seats (used ALL THE TIME!)
Changing table (worked for us)
Activity mats (loved ours!)


NEUTRAL about the Bumbo chairs. We liked them but didn't use them all that much really.

 

It's so funny to read the different things!

I agree with:
Baby Bjorns (although to be fair, I never even got one, but I have no idea when I would have used it!)
Baby Positioner
Podee
Baby Shoes
Halo sleep sacks
Baby Blankets (so many beautiful hand knit ones!)
Rain Cover for Stroller

Couldn't live without:
PNPs - I couldn't live without my PNPs. My parents take the twins overnight for us all the time, I don't know what we would do without them. Plus, we separate the tiwns for naps on the weekends, so one of them sleeps in the PNP.
Wipes Warmer- We still have our wipes warmer on their changing table, and we use it every day!
Activity Mats
Swings
Bouncy Seats
Boppies
Car Seat Bases (2 in my car, 2 in DHs) We both took turns dropping off and picking up at Daycare, so we used them.
Hooded Towels (Still use them today!)


Funny how all the kids are so different, and one thing that someone loved another person never used!

 

I could have lived without
Bottle Warmer
Wipe Warmer (although in the beginning they really liked it, I sold it 4 months ago)
Walkers (really thought i would use these more than I did)
Baby Bjorn carrier (dh used it but I hated it)
Monitor (my kids are so loud I don't need anything to amplify them)

I couldn't live without
Burp clothes (you can cut them up and they make great washclothes)
Hooded towels (I still use the infant ones)
PNP (great for the grandparents house)
Rain cover for my stroller ( I used it a lot in the beginning because it prevented people from touching them while in stores-it was flu season)
Receiving blankets (we still use these on occassion-you can always pack some in your diaper bag and use as a changing mat when out and about)
Boppy pillow (we still use ours and wish I had bought a second one)
Swings
Bouncy Seats (they use these EVERYDAY still they turn into toddler rockers when they are older)

 

I honestly think it totally depends on the baby. My twins are my 2nd go around so most of my stuff is leftover from my singleton. He had horrible colic and didn't like anything except the water running in the kitchen sink. I thought everything was such a waste of money except maybe his crib.

It's so different with my girls, they love everything! I have gotten used out of almost all of his old stuff. I couldn't live without the Baby bjorn or Ergo baby carriers (esp for the airport). I have never used a monitor until we moved and now our house is too big to hear them without it, I now have 3 monitors going at all times! I still never use the changing table, we use the floor. We couldn't live without our noise machines, they each have one in their room (that's 3) it really drowns out the other noise in the house.

I would suggest getting only 1 of each thing until you know who does/doesn't like it. I don't have 2 of anything I just switch them from different things throughout the day.

 

I totally agree with the shoes, my girls just kicked them off. I've only recently gotten them to wear shoes and it's only the Pedipeds, they won't wear "real" shoes.

We loved our sleep positioners! That's how we kept them on their sides until they were able to get into that position themselves. We didn't buy them until after they were born and we knew they wanted to tummy sleep so we comprimised by wedging them on their sides.

We use the bumbos as highchairs at my mom's house. If you have a home away from home where you plan to feed your babies the bumbos are good for that! If they were still at my house they would be getting no use though.

We love our boppy pillows, we still use them, that's what the girls lie on to take their bottles now that they are holding the bottles themselves.

We also love our walkers, the girls are in them right now, it's a great way to keep me clean and off the floor.

 

I think it is totally baby dependent. For us:

Complete waste:
Shoes
Miracle blankets - they hated them
Receving blankets - we needed about 4 (not 20).
Burp cloths - cloth diapers were much bigger and worked so much better
Bottles - other than Dr' Browns.
Podees - though maybe someday...
6000 stuffed animals
Teethers - won't touch them. Prefer cloth diapers wet & frozen
Bottle warmer
PNP - they hate it.

Things we loved:
Sling - one of them had colic and this was the only way to make it through the evening
Swings - we bought one, then went back for a second. During our 4mo sleep gone to crap phase they spent from 5am to 7am in them snoring away.
Bouncy seats - they lived in these the first 3 months. I loved that they were portable from room to room without waking them up.
Monitors - video and audio. House is too big - couldn't live without them.
Activity Mats - This is our primary play place which adds cushioning on top of tile. We also have a set that travels. They tend to wad up blankets and be on the bare floor in about 2 seconds (before they were crawling).
Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me's
Boppies - great for feeding, tummy time, and then sitting
Cube storage - who knew they would have that much crap

 

great post!
***all those sweet baby blankets if you are good at sewing you can sew them together to make a kid size blankie for your toddler/preschooler's bed My DS loves the baby blankets BUT they are just too small for him he still cuddles up to the only baby blanket my step mom made for him thats big enough to cover the bed
Another great idea if you dont mind cutting up some is make some little lovies for your DC buy some batter stuffing and cut out a cute teddy bear or doll shape-sew and there you go a sweet baby blanket lovie ***

For us i think we dont have enough stuff :lol: i agree 20 receiving blankets are a bit much but they are great for other uses especially those big spit ups! BIBS i need more bibs :lol: my DD can go thru 4 bibs during the morning time
we have 2 pnp -just took one down; one in the basment in dh office, 1 crib upstairs in living room and 1 crib upstairs in our room-we are covered
2 bumbo seats; bigger DD loves sitting in it and playing with the kick and play toys that need the baby to sit up
change table -lots of use of it when its downstairs by the crib!
2 different exersaucers=love it!
jolly jumper-love it! getting one more
toys that grow with your baby from birth to 1 yr are the best! fisher price is great with that
2 swings-one fisherprice side swing and one gracco back to front swing
DIDNT LIKE: the double carrier-still cant figure the darn thing out--BB is good when you need to carry one.
DIDNT need: i guess i got carried away in buying dresses in 0-3 mos stuff because now i have a whole closet full of them :lol:

 

Got 4 carseat bases, never used 1 of them.
Hardly used EZ-2-Nurse pillow -- I wish I'd tried nursing for a few weeks before investing in it.
Never used about half of the receiving blankets (we had a couple dozen).
Never used a lot of cute newborn outfits, but fortunately at least I returned a bunch to Baby Gap when the girls were 6 months old.
Had 2 (or maybe even 3) mobiles, hardly used them because the kids were never in their cribs until they were practically old enough to reach up and grab them.
Bottle warmer -- we tried to use it at first, but could never get the temperature right and finally decided it was faster to use a pot of hot tap water.
Sleep positioners, the babies rolled right off of them.
Baby Bjorns, we had two (plus a variety of other hand-me-down carriers) and hardly ever used them both at once. I did use one semi-regularly for getting the girls in & out of daycare. But it never really worked for us to actually wear the babies for any length of time.

ETA: But we used our rain cover for the stroller a lot. Not so much now that the girls are older, but we did a lot of walking during the first year (they took most of their naps in the stroller) and they didn't care a whit if it was raining. So we just suited ourselves up and went out in the rain!

 

Wow.. We did LOVE boppies, lots of blankies and onesis..

BUT WE DID NOT NEED/USE:

2 swings.. they were not swingers and NEVER were both use at the same time.

PACIS- bought a ton, used none..

Super Seat- Used it just a few times.

2 bottle warmers- never used both, used one a few times.

 

We too have a lot of receiving blankets. We use them to swaddle but they always get out. Am considering miracle blankets. I agree with pp - they are good for burp rags!!

Tons of 0-3 month clothes b/c the season is changing now and I'm afraid the stuff won't be warm enough.

I use my infant carriers and stoller to no end so I am ever grateful for those. We have tons of teethers, (lol - no teeth in sight) and many heavy blankets that I don't use now - but will in time.

I may be weird, but I use so many socks. My boys don't like their feet uncovered. Onesies and socks and we are set to go!!

I could live without two swings and bouncy seats, as one of mine "sorta" likes to swing and one "sorta" likes the bouncy seat, but I'm hoping this gets better as they are older.......

I totally agree that it depends on the baby!

 

It definitely depends on the baby it seems.

We actually really do use most stuff. Ours love the play mat/gym, bouncers, the swing, & their mobile. The boppy is used more for propping them up than nursing, but the EZ Nurse pillow is a must for us. I could totally use another cover though.

Someone gave me a bottle warmer. I had previously scoffed at how useless they seemed but I have to say I totally love it. We don't do bottles often but when we do it's quick and easy.

Love the Miracle Blanket and the Kiddopatamus are good too

Love our cosleeper and we constantly use our PNP on the 1st floor. For naps and most importantly for diaper changes. Really nice ot have everyone in 1 place.

Love our double SNG & our regular Baby Jogger Mini stroller.

Stuff We Don't Use/Would Change
--Zillons of blankets. Especially the handknit ones. I feel bad as people have clearly spent a lot of time on them but the babies get their fingers caught in them constantly. I'd much rather have a knitted sweater.
--the Onesies as outfits in the summer. We're in New England and I really needed more pants and long sleved onesies even in the summer.
--I also wish more people gave gift receipts with their gifts...I have a ton of summer outfits in the next size we'll never wear b/c it's getting cold.

 

Hardly used/never used:
EZ2 Nurse pillow - I bought 2, used them a little early on, but I just found them too cumbersome, and I could never find a good spot to stash them out of they way when not in use!
burp cloths - like pp's I found cloth diapers to be a better choice (and cheaper)
wipe warmers - I just hold the wipe in my hand for a few seconds to take the chill off
bottle warmers - we were done with bottles by about 6 weeks, and found it easiest to just warm with tap water
peek-a-block toys - we thought they looked cool and bought a ton for DD. I have yet to find a kid who plays with them without prompting!
changing pad (for dresser top) - we just change on the floor (or our bed :blush: )
sleep positioners - didn't use, because we co-slept for the first few months
shoes - I am only now (as the temps are dropping) starting to put them in socks and robees regularly


used frequently ("sanity-savers"):
- swings
- jumperoos
- miracle blankets
- activity mats/play gyms
- exersaucer
- baby bjorn (I don't like it, but my DH likes it when he baby-wears)
- moby wrap (my baby-wear apparatus of choice)
- crib mobile
- bouncey seats
- bumbos
- receiving blankets
- heavy, soft blankets (my babes were born in mid-winter)
- high chairs
- pnp's (used for naptime when they were really tiny, used for beds when we travel, and we are about to bring it out again, for uh, containment)
- double snap-n-go

 

I just read all of these & it amazes me how everyone is so different. I think it not only depends on the baby, but also the parent!

Our useless items:

Snugli baby carrier (used it twice & hated it both times, as did my boys)
Burp cloths (I had very spitty babies & even the 100 cloth diapers weren't enough for us!)
Thick, warm blankets (even in winter they were just too thick, but we're starting to use them now)
Socks (very few stayed on in the beginning, although now I'm finding brands that do)
Bottle warmer (we served 'em right out of the fridge)
Bottle cooler (I just put water in the bottle & packed the powder formula)
Portable Bottle Warmer (see above)
Podee bottles (mine never figured them out)
Nuby sippy cups (HATE them)
Changing Table (although, it was good storage)
25 pacifiers of varying brands (neither of mine took one)
Carters brand bibs (we used a LOT of bibs but these NEVER fit right)
Mobile (mine never really cared for it)


Things we couldn't live without:

Sound Machines
Bouncy seats (my guys LIVED in these)
Boppies
Stroller hooks (from BRU, great to attach bags, purses, etc)
Cloth diapers (as burp rags)
Bibs
Robeez/Pedipeds (as they got older since I couldn't keep socks on them in the winter...they wore these EVERY day they weren't in a footed sleeper)
Jumperoo & Exersaucer
Extra carseat bases for DH's car (how did someone say they NEVER used it? how did they buckle in their carrier?)
PNP (perfect for naps downstairs & now we use it for when we separate them for naps...we also have the PNP mattress from BRU)
Toy Rings (my boys were obsessed with these from very early on)
Crib soothers (mine LOVE to fall asleep to them & now that they're older, love to turn them on themselves)
Graco Duoglider (our FAVORITE stroller)

I'm sure there's a lot more but I'm tired & definitely having a hard time remembering back to the early months.

Just know that everyone's different. Experiment to find what YOU & YOUR babies like...don't listen to everyone else's opinions all the time.

 

QUOTE(nurseandrea02 @ Sep 13 2008, 03:05 PM) [snapback]978507[/snapback]
Extra carseat bases for DH's car (how did someone say they NEVER used it? how did they buckle in their carrier?)



Not sure if anyone else said this too, but we only used the two in my car (we got 4, only used 2). We hardly took them out the first few months, and now it's usually me taking them out - or if my husband is with us it's in my car (SUV, he's got a smaller car). They're only 5.5 mos and are approaching the height and weight limit in the carrier, so I don't forsee them really ever using the bases in his car.