Gifts or purchases for the babies you thought you would love

This would be a great link to post on the Expecting Forum!! i don't know how to do that.

It seems to really depend on the baby and probably your lifestyle too.

Things we never used much of:
socks and shoes (6 pairs of socks would have been enough, we have about 30)
bumbos
receiving blankets (we used these for 3 weeks til they could break out of them)
onesies (funny everyone else likes them!! Ours pooped through to them all the time and they were harder to take off if under other clothes)
real clothes 0-3 months (they lived in PJs)

Things we used all the time
thin zip pjs
little cheap washcloths
bibs
exersaucer (1)
swing (1)
EZ 2 nurse pillow
wipes warmer (when they were little especially, they would cry with the cold wipes)
Kiddapotamus swaddles
Kiddapotamus Snuzzler for BOB
BOB
Snap N Go
PNP for travelling, also for my parents' house for naps
Co-sleeper (for first 4 months)
White noise machine machine
Play mat (for first 6 months)
teether toys (they love to suck on/chew)
bouncy seats (2)
newborn lounger (would have used 2 but had 1)

 

Podee bottles
Burp clothes
Rain guard for Duoglider
Bunting Coat from baby Gap very cute and looked so cozy but I was afraid to put them on while in carseats.
Bumbo chairs my boys HATED them
Bottle warmer
Sleeper gowns
Snow Suit but that was after they were one, I thought they would need them.
Sleep positioners
Sleep Sacks
Playpen

My fav things were my boppies and bouncers they loved them.

 

QUOTE(DeniseT @ Sep 11 2008, 03:11 PM) [snapback]975558[/snapback]
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...


We only had one PNP. We still have it. It comes in handy when traveling & when we have company with small children.
Try using the lullaby CD's in your vehicle while driving & you want them to calm down. I've found instrumental music really calms my boys down.
The teething rings will start wearing out/breaking once they actually have teeth. Plus you'll want some for your vehicle, house & diaper bag. You'll probably lose a few too so they will come in handy.

Here's a couple of mine:
Diaper Genie............We went through so many diapers we just threw them directly into the garbage in the garage. It got filled & emptied often.
Bottle Warmer..........We fed formula at room temp so we never used it.

 

I registered for everything i could think off under the sun - you know what Everyone tells you you need- well, i had a very generous shower and did get just about everything, However....once i was home, i started to think and realized i didn't need 1/2 that stuff, so back to the store it all went. I didn't wash everything rightway... maybe i washed 4 towel, 4 blankets and that was it... once the babies arrived i realized what was enough and what was not!!!
Luckily i made some reallly good decisions.... I figured if i needed it down the line i'll go out and buy it.

If you have things that are still in packages or like new - try either try to return them to the store or sell them on Ebay or Craigslist...

 

It's funny because what one person used the heck out of, another found useless. I'm not sure how much help these lists are. People gave me piles and piles of burp cloths, infant bibs, and receiving blankets and then my 2 didn't like being swaddled and didn't spit up so they went unused. I also didn't use my Maximom very much at all.

The EZ2Nurse was the best gift ever. We used a swing but I never wished I had 2, we used the bouncy seats like crazy, and loved the activity gym for the floor (they'd lie there together kicking the bars and making the toys shake grinning ear to ear). I mounted a car mirror to an unused LATCH point and could see them both just fine so they do work for some people. Since we didn't swaddle, they wore (and continue to wear) sleep sacks. 2 PNPs (or one PNP and one Original Cosleeper, to be exact) were ESSENTIAL for us. I used them to grab a shower, to travel, and just to bring along when visiting friends who don't have babies.

To each their own.

 

I never used those incline sleep positioners (my babes just slid right down seemed unsafe)
Wipe warmer
Bottle warmers
swaddling blankets
sheet saver
tons and tons of clothes all you need is onesies
Twin nursing pillow (I just propped them up on regular pillows)
However I loved my podee bottles for the first twins I took care of and am trying to get G and T used to them

 

Rain guard for the stroller - How often do I go for a walk when it's raining?

Side-by-side stroller - this was actually used for a year but it was a waste of money because I only used it for walks. My tandem was much better for errands and shopping.

Gliding baby seat/rocker/bed thing - It was a baby bed/bouncer thing that glided front to back and side to side. Used it a couple of times and then returned it. It was huge and the swing worked better.


I got lots of use out of some things other people didn't like me 2 pnps, Boppy, Bumbo baby seat, multiple baby carriers, and especially my Podees.

 

Things I hated --- Diaper Gene, Bumbos (never used), Bottle warmer (never used), Bottle props (never used), the Avent nipples with the 3 various flow rates (babies hated it).

thinks I loved ---- zippered sleepers, socks from Oshgosh only, 2 different exercausers, toys that transform into an older toy, leap frog table, Moses basket, infant to toddler rocker, just a single pnp with a bassinet and change table,

 

The extra car seat bases, peewee covers that I thought were sooo cute, the expensive crib bedding (sheets are the only thing needed), a million receiving blankets, a million outfits, and also a portable blow up tent with mattress that I thought was awesome, but have NEVER used!!

 

I had a mirror, but when my cousin was in a car accident with her infant, the only damage done to the baby was from the mirror flying off the back and hitting her in the face so I never used it.

Things I skipped with my first two babies:

Wipe warmer - just held the wipe in my hand a moment before using it.

Sleep positioning form - Just used a rolled up receiving blanket.

Fancy breast pump - I rented three different kinds and none worked. The only one that worked for me was the cheapskate manual pump from the hospital I received to express after an emergency surgery when my daughter was two weeks.

Walker/bouncy seats/activity gyms - I was way too active, we were always on the go. We had one play mat that received some use.

Any book or music or video club - always costs more money than you think, and my babies used the ABC Sesame St book collection for teething, not learning ABC's.


The two things I found invaluable:

Baby sling - I was very active and the sling was the kind that went from infancy to toddlerhood. It also had a built-in drape that made modest breastfeeding in public very easy.

Cloth diapers - even if you use disposables, cloths are perfect for burp rags, cleaning, changing pads, etc.

 

Its definitely interesting to see the difference's in opinions!!

Things I NEVER Used, or Didn't Like...
My sterilizer
Swings
Bottle Warmer
Regular Boppy Pillows
Overhead Play Mat's
Mesh Feeders
Duo Glider (HATED it!!)
Podee Bottles

Things I couldn't Live without
My Boppy Newborn Loungers (Don't know what I would have done without them!!!!)
PNP (I have 2 and I use them all the time!)
Formula Mixer
Bouncy Seats
Jumperoo/Exersaucers
Swaddlers

Thats all I can think of right now...