I want to start off this post by saying although these baby items were a waste of money for me, they may not be for you. I’m simply sharing items I wish I hadn’t bought as a first time mom.
One of the most exciting moments during pregnancy (at least for me) was creating a registry. I walked into Buy Buy Baby for the first time and was amazed at how many baby things I “needed”. At the time I didn’t have any help from family creating a baby registry, so I just started scanning everything.
My situation was a little different than other’s. I don’t have much family around and I have very few friends- so I treated my baby registry as my shopping list. My baby registry was created when I was 12 weeks pregnant and I started to purchase my baby “necessities” shortly after.
Some of the items I’m sharing have been returned because I convinced myself I didn’t need it and could save the money for other things. Other items are still sitting in the back of baby’s closet collecting dust. Whether I never used the product or only used it once, here is a list of baby items that were a waste of money for me.
Baby Items That Were A Waste of Money
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No Scratch Mittens
I mean it’s a no brainer that this is a necessity. Babies’ nails grow so fast and with them not knowing how to control their hands, they’re bound to scratch their little face. I picked up a few packs of mittens, but no matter what brand I bought they would eventually fall off. I think the longest time Sebastian kept these on at a time was 25 mins.
Since the mittens were a miss for me, I tried other alternatives to keep Sebastian from scratching his face. One being socks- I had to buy them anyway for his feet, so why not use them as gloves as well?? Putting socks on baby’s’ hands worked so much better than the mittens. They’re a little tighter than the mittens but not too tight, and it’s near impossible for them to take it off. And because you already need to buy socks for baby, using them as mittens as well is a 2 for 1 deal.
Another alternative to the mittens was sleepers with built in mittens. The ends of the sleeves of the sleeper can be folded over baby’s hand and protects them from scratching themselves. If you’re worried socks are too tight or if they are too thick, sleepers with mittens are a must!
Socks and sleepers with mittens have worked so well for me that I probably wouldn’t buy the mittens for the next baby.
Swaddle Blankets
Now this baby item isn’t a complete waste of money. In fact, swaddle blankets were a staple the first couple of months. The only reason why it was a waste of money was because I bought enough for triplets when I was only having 1 child.
I loved the Aden By Aden + Anais swaddle blankets- I bought 8 of them. My son loved being swaddled so I thought I would get a lot of use out of them, but swaddling a baby was harder than I thought. Everytime I swaddled Sebastian he managed to get out of it.
A friend recommended the SwaddleMe blankets and said it was impossible for her son to get out of them, so of course I had to give them a try. And by try I mean buy 8 of them as well.
Here I am with 16 swaddle blankets and one child. I can honestly say 2 of the Aden By Aden + Anais and 4 Swaddleme blankets would have been more than enough for me. So for any new mom trying to figure out what is a necessity and what is a waste of money: swaddle blankets are a necessity but having more than 10 is a waste of money! Good soft swaddle blankets cost a lot of money- so put that money towards a pack of diapers.
Changing Table
I’ve been dreaming about my baby’s nursery since before I even met by baby daddy. By the time I created my baby registry I was ready to buy the whole furniture set for the baby. I picked out a crib, dresser and changing table set from Buy Buy Baby that cost more than my bedroom set. Luckily, I had an honest sales associate helping me out by saying the changing table will probably be the biggest waste of money out of all the baby items in the furniture section.
A changing table is great to have everything you need to change a baby in one location, but once baby outgrows it you have no choice but to get rid of it. I ended up just purchasing a changing pad to put on the dresser and it works just as well. There are a lot of dresser tops that fit the changing pad and has room for diapers and wipes- so if you still want the changing table look, this is perfect. Otherwise a changing pad on a dresser is the way to go. Without the stand-alone changing table, there’s less furniture in baby’s room and more space for him to play.
Ubbi Diaper Pail
I think a diaper pail overall was a waste of money for us. We live in a small apartment where Sebastian’s room is right near the kitchen. Although it was convenient to have a pail next to the changing table, it was easier for us to throw it out with the rest of our garbage in the kitchen where we empty the trash daily. Realisticly, it would take at least a week to fill up the diaper pail. Although it keeps odors locked in, the thought of having week old diapers in the room made me want to throw up. Also, the bag refills are so expensive for this pail.
If you live in a bigger home and you would actually get use out of a diaper pail, there are so many other cheaper alternatives. The Playtex Diaper Genie is a great alternative and is only half the price of the Ubbi diaper pail!
Wipe Warmer
I bought a wipe warmer because I thought it was such a good idea but my boyfriend convinced me otherwise. He made a point that although a warm wipe can soothe a baby when we are changing him, if he gets used to warm wipes he’ll throw a fit if we’re out in public when I don’t have one. With all the other things I needed to carry in my diaper bag, this wasn’t going to be another one. Without even giving this baby item a try, I knew it was going to be a waste of money so ended up returning it.
Dreft Detergent
As a first time Mom, I made sure to research EVERYTHING before giving birth. I read online that babies can be very sensitive to detergent so I picked up Dreft to be on the safe side. This stuff smelled soooooo good that I actually looked forward to doing baby’s laundry. My boyfriend always told me that it was a waste of money (can you tell he’s the frugal one?), but I convinced myself otherwise. It wasn’t until we ran out of Dreft last minute that I had to use another detergent for Sebastian’s clothes. After a wash with regular detergent and no side effects, I saved $20/month from that moment on. Turns out basic detergent that is dye free and odor free works just as well for baby’s skin.
Pacifiers
Another baby item that wasn’t a complete waste of money, but ended up being a waste of my money. I just went overboard and bought more than I needed. I now have two containers of pacifiers sitting on the top shelf of Sebastian’s closet that I haven’t touched in 11 months. And want to know the funny part? He only likes the pacifier we received from a hospital visit when he was 4 months old. I was told as a baby I hate pacifiers and like me, Sebastian also isn’t a fan. He’ll take one when he goes down to sleep but that’s about it.
Next time around I’ll definitely be cautious with how many I buy. Instead of buying 10 of the same kind (I was always told to buy multiple because they’re easily misplaced), I’ll buy two of a few different ones then see which Sebastian likes best. Had I done that in the beginning, I wouldn’t have $40 worth of pacifiers that were never used sitting in the closet.
Clothing
As a first time mom, everyone will tell you “don’t spend too much money on clothing because they grow out of it too fast” or “don’t buy baby shoes they don’t even need them”. Sure, you can survive the first few months without baby shoes and cute clothes- but if this is your first child are you really not going to buy the cute outfits and the tiny adorable shoes??? Negative.
I love clothes and I love shopping, so building my son’s wardrobe for the first few months was like a drug. I bought so much clothing for this kid that I still have 3M clothing with tags!! And for the shoes I can honestly say he only used one pair the first 4 months of his life- and it was only when we went out to dinner or visited friends/family.
Buying clothes for your little one is a hit or miss because we all have different experiences. I always heard not to buy NB clothing because it was a waste of money- they grow out of it in a week. I ended up giving birth to a baby who wore premie clothing for almost a month…
I also heard that you may go through 10 bodysuits in one day so it’s best to have a lot of them. The most bodysuits I went through in a day was 3. And for someone who did laundry at least once a week, 30 bodysuits in one size was a complete waste of money for me.
So how much should you get? I could have easily made it through the first 3 months with 8 sleepers, 15 bodysuits, 10 pants and 3 cute outfits for visitors.
Pack N Play
This baby item was a waste of money for us because we never go anywhere. I have yet to travel with Sebastian and our apartment is small. I can see why this item can be found on every “essential baby registry” post you may have seen- it’s a must have for those who travel often.
Whether you’re going to a relatives house or to a resort, this pack n play can be a life saver. Although you may be able to use a bed and border it with high pillows, you will feel so much more at ease knowing your baby is in a pack n play and there isn’t the slightest chance he can get out.
We got ours as a gift and used it only once. ONE TIME in a whole year. Can’t fully say this item is worthless, for all we know we may be traveling in the near future and will need this. But as of right now, not only is it a waste of money (had we bought it), but also a waste of space.
Bottle Sterilizer
I was told you need to sterilize baby bottles before using them, so I figured this was an item that I needed. After talking to a coworker who has 2 kids of her own about this sterilizer, she said she got one as a gift at her first baby shower and never used it.
Bottle Sterilizers aren’t too expensive but something that’s a lot cheaper is water and a pot! Right before giving birth I threw all our baby bottles in a pot of water and boiled them for 10 minutes. To dry the bottles I just put them on a drying rack I bought and they’re just as good as if they came out of a baby sterilizer!
If you’re a busy mom, I can see why you might consider getting this item. But realistically, how often are you sterilizing bottles? This baby items was a pass for us- a waste of money for sure.
Formula Dispenser
I wanted to get this thing only because it looks so cool and I love kitchen gadgets, but I couldn’t get myself to spend $200 on something I can easily do myself. The first three months we exclusively breastfed and then switched to formula as Sebastian started daycare. By the time we started using formula, I had such a good routine going that I didn’t see making bottles as a burden in my routine. To make things easier for me I kept the can of formula on our counter near the fridge, and kept a bottle of water out on the counter (I was lucky enough to have a baby that didn’t care for warm milk- room temp was perfect for him).
I think this baby item would be helpful if baby was on formula since birth because while you change baby’s diaper in the middle of the night this machine can whip up a bottle for him. Otherwise, I think this is a waste of money.
Bottle Warmer
Like I previously mentioned, I’m lucky to have a child that liked room temperature milk and didn’t care for it to be warm. This made being out with him super easy because I could just carry a water bottle in his diaper bag and didn’t have to worry about finding hot water. When we first gave him formula at home we did try warm milk, but we just warmed up the bottle by letting it sit in a cup of hot water. So this baby item was a waste of money because we don’t give Sebastian warm milk. Even if he did drink warm milk, being how easy it is to warm up a bottle in hot water I can’t imagine myself spending the money on this.
Baby Bullet
Not going to lie but I was really excited to have this when I got it as a gift. I was so excited for Sebastian to start eating solids that I devoted a day to meal prep not only my food, but his as well. I used this a few times until one day he was sleeping in his bedroom where I had left the magic bullet box (sadly we didn’t have enough kitchen space for this box), and used my ninja bullet to make his food.
IT. WAS. THE. SAME. THING.
You’re really only paying for the cute smiley face on this thing and the containers that came with it. I found it to be easier to just use my ninja bullet because it sits on my counter and I purchased a pack of baby food containers that work just as well! If this wasn’t a gift I would have 1000% returned it. This baby item is a complete waste of money.
Cart Cover
I still think this item is a necessity, even though it’s a waste of money for us. I received this as a gift as well and although this is great for when you’re out shopping, I just never needed to use it. Luckily anytime I needed to go grocery shopping my boyfriend was home and was able to watch Sebastian. And anytime I went to the mall or to the store, I just took my stroller and used the basket underneath for things (thankfully our stroller had a big basket). We keep this cart cover in the car just in case we do need it, but I have yet to use it. Once the virus dies down I can see myself using this now that Sebastian is a little older. But if you’re creating a baby registry or looking for baby things you may need, this isn’t it until after year 1.
Bath Water Thermometer
Used this thing once, now Sebastian plays with it as a toy. When you’re a first time mom, you want to do everything right. I’ve never taken care of a baby before so I was nervous to do everything from cutting his nails to giving him his first bath. I was such a nervous mess I actually looked up what temperature the water needed to be for his first bath! That’s when this thing came in handy.
I spent my maternity leave home alone while my boyfriend was working, so when it came to getting the bath ready for baby and getting him undressed, I found waiting for the temperature to be perfect to be a waste of time. I tossed this duck and went the good ol’ fashion route- sticking my hand in to see how warm it is.
My son is still alive and doing well.
Baby Blankets
I didn’t buy this either but like the other things I’ve received as gifts, I’ve never used it. Babies can’t sleep with them and he was always swaddled, so there really wasn’t a need for it until he got a little older. Ours is displayed over his rocker in his bedroom. They have so many cute baby blankets but sadly this baby item is a waste of money.
Bedding
Piggy backing off of the previous item, buying baby bedding was a waste of money for us as well. Baby’s can’t sleep with blankets and if you have it displayed over the crib side, it’ll need to come off when they go down for a nap. I was always told crib bumpers were unsafe so I was scared to use them (also didn’t find the need for it either). The only thing I used from my crib set was the skirt and the sheets.
You can find crib skirts alone for super cheap and I ended up buying a super soft crib sheet from Burts Bees that I liked more. I know we all want a well decorated nursery but there are other ways to make it look nice than with a bedding set you can’t really use. This item was also a waste of money for us.
Bassinet
The way baby’s sleep is such a touchy subject because everyone has their own opinions on it. We used a bassinet by our bedside and it worked amazingly for us. I don’t believe a bassinet was a waste of money, but the one we chose definitely was.
We got the Halo Bassinest and although it did the job, there are so many other cheaper alternatives we could have went with. Next time around if we don’t have the halo bassinet anymore (I’ve been trying to sell this thing for months), we’re going with the Arms Reach Cosleeper. For the fraction of the pric, you get the same amount of sleep you would if baby is in the Halo plus you get extra storage underneath. The Halo bassinet may look modern and nice, but was a waste money for us.
Doc A Tot
I’ve been going back and forth about whether to put this item on here or not. The only reason why this is on the list is because part of me feels guilty for spending $200 on a baby lounger when there are others that are the same exact thing for $50.
We used our Doc A Tot every single day and honestly if it wasn’t for this lounger I probably would have lost my mind during maternity leave. Is it a complete waste of money? No because I would say I got my money’s worth. Could I have gone with a cheaper alternative? Definitely.
Baby Cough Medicine
I can’t help but laugh at this item. My baby was coughing a lot when he was younger and I would give him some of this baby cough medicine. I swore it worked.
At one of his doctors’ visits I mentioned to the doctor I had given him the baby cough medicine. She just looked at me and laughed. Baby cough medicine is just pure sugar. I felt like the biggest dummy ever- I mean it makes sense since a baby is too fragile for real cough medicine.
This baby item is the biggest waste of money. If your child is frequently coughing, try a humidifier until you can bring it up with the doctor. The humidifier worked for us.
Once again, just because these 20 baby items were a waste of money for us, doesn’t mean they could be for you. I hope this list gives you an idea of what you may need for baby’s first year. Since October, I’ve been posting some of my baby must have items every 3 months. You can find those post below:
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