10 Baby Products To Skip
When you’re a new mom (or a new mom to be) it’s easy to get caught up in the products that are “all the rage” at the time, or products that you think would be incredibly useful. I’m more than guilty, I have boxes full of useless baby stuff I never used. So I put together this list of 10 baby products to skip, based on my experiences.
Baby Products To Skip :
The Bumbo The whole time I was pregnant with Carter I really wanted a Bumbo. Thankfully I didn’t pay the $60-$70 retail price and bought one second hand for $30. Carter used it maybe once. I find them useless. Some moms find them handy for tasks like feeding, but by the time Carter was on solids his thighs were a little too meaty to fit in the seat. This made number one on my baby products to skip list. 
- Lamaze Spin & Explore The Sea Gym I thought this was the neatest thing and I searched everywhere for it. Turned out to be just another thing I never used. Every once in a while we would put Carter on the mat for tummy time but he was never interested in it – he liked the cheap one from Walmart the best (figures). The spinner is meant to help strengthen a baby’s neck while then spin around to the different activities. Carter had really poor and uneven neck strength for a while and I thought this would be a great way to help him but whenever I would lay him on the spinner it would seem like his air was getting cut off. It freaked me out. When he was as big as the baby in the photo, he had no patience for it and wanted to find something else to do.
Tommee Tippee Bottles After reading about how Tommee Tippee helps colicy babies when I was pregnant, I wasn’t taking a chance. I went down to Toys R Us and spent a lot of money on them. Athough I LOVED the bottles, what I didn’t realize was that they are a huge pain in the butt. They don’t fit most breast pumps, so if you want to pump straight in a bottle you have to buy the Tommee Tippee brand. They don’t fit in most sterilizers, again you have to buy the TT brand. Which whatever, those things were a pain but not the end of the word, what ticked me off the most was they didn’t fit in my diaper bag properly. Just 3-4 bottles with bulk up my diaper bag so much that I had issues getting other items in it. Not to mention cleaning and building a bottle is a pain. There are three additional parts you have clean and put together for a bottle. Would I call them a waste of money? No because I still use them now but I wouldn’t buy them again.
Scratch Mittens I thought these were the cutest things ever and they were a must have because baby’s nails are sharp. I never used them. Not once. If you’re that concerned, use some socks.
Bottle Warmer Again, with the Tommee Tippee Bottles I had to buy their special bottle warmer. I wish I never even bought one at all. In the beginning when I was using breast milk, it was handy as we would just take it out of the fridge and pop it in the warmer. As soon as we switch to formula it was a pain. There was nothing more heartbreaking then over cooking milk at 2 am. My husband liked it, and he even used it for heating up jarred food but I could live without. What I would do next time around is buy a bottle warmer for the vehicle, the kind you plug into the cigarette lighter. The only time I really needed a warmer was for road trips and of course that was never when I had one.
Glider Now I know this one is a hit and miss for most people. I used my glider very rarely. However, I know a lot of people who still use them to this day. The only time I used mine was either in a sleep deprived state to feed Carter (before I figured out I could go watch TV while doing so) or to use as a laundry hanger for his diapers.
Baby Towels Yes, they’re cute but they’re also thin and don’t keep your baby warm. I would use mine, but always had to resort back to our towels. Every time.
Shoes Carter had a lot of really cute shoes when he was a newborn. He never wore a single pair. Same goes for slippers. Whenever we did go out he had a sleeper on and was bundled in blankets. They were pointless.
Designer Outfits The first few months Carter lived in onesies and sleepers (and sometimes still does). Two piece outfits that didn’t zip or even snap were a huge pain. My $50 Baby Guess or Baby Gap outfits went to waste because he only wore them once or twice.
Play Yard/Play Pen The only reason I have one is because I was given one for a review. It’s a rare occurrence that it gets brought out (mostly for guests). It takes up space when traveling and most hotels have cribs you can use anyway. It all depends on your situation, but for me I would have never bought one. If you feel that it’s something you cannot live without and you absolutey have to have one…buy a cheap one. You probably won’t use the bassinet, changing table features that the fancy ones have anyway.
The Bumbo The whole time I was pregnant with Carter I really wanted a Bumbo. Thankfully I didn’t pay the $60-$70 retail price and bought one second hand for $30. Carter used it maybe once. I find them useless. Some moms find them handy for tasks like feeding, but by the time Carter was on solids his thighs were a little too meaty to fit in the seat. This made number one on my baby products to skip list. 
Tommee Tippee Bottles After reading about how Tommee Tippee helps colicy babies when I was pregnant, I wasn’t taking a chance. I went down to Toys R Us and spent a lot of money on them. Athough I LOVED the bottles, what I didn’t realize was that they are a huge pain in the butt. They don’t fit most breast pumps, so if you want to pump straight in a bottle you have to buy the Tommee Tippee brand. They don’t fit in most sterilizers, again you have to buy the TT brand. Which whatever, those things were a pain but not the end of the word, what ticked me off the most was they didn’t fit in my diaper bag properly. Just 3-4 bottles with bulk up my diaper bag so much that I had issues getting other items in it. Not to mention cleaning and building a bottle is a pain. There are three additional parts you have clean and put together for a bottle. Would I call them a waste of money? No because I still use them now but I wouldn’t buy them again.
Scratch Mittens I thought these were the cutest things ever and they were a must have because baby’s nails are sharp. I never used them. Not once. If you’re that concerned, use some socks.
Bottle Warmer Again, with the Tommee Tippee Bottles I had to buy their special bottle warmer. I wish I never even bought one at all. In the beginning when I was using breast milk, it was handy as we would just take it out of the fridge and pop it in the warmer. As soon as we switch to formula it was a pain. There was nothing more heartbreaking then over cooking milk at 2 am. My husband liked it, and he even used it for heating up jarred food but I could live without. What I would do next time around is buy a bottle warmer for the vehicle, the kind you plug into the cigarette lighter. The only time I really needed a warmer was for road trips and of course that was never when I had one.
Glider Now I know this one is a hit and miss for most people. I used my glider very rarely. However, I know a lot of people who still use them to this day. The only time I used mine was either in a sleep deprived state to feed Carter (before I figured out I could go watch TV while doing so) or to use as a laundry hanger for his diapers.
Baby Towels Yes, they’re cute but they’re also thin and don’t keep your baby warm. I would use mine, but always had to resort back to our towels. Every time.
Shoes Carter had a lot of really cute shoes when he was a newborn. He never wore a single pair. Same goes for slippers. Whenever we did go out he had a sleeper on and was bundled in blankets. They were pointless.
Designer Outfits The first few months Carter lived in onesies and sleepers (and sometimes still does). Two piece outfits that didn’t zip or even snap were a huge pain. My $50 Baby Guess or Baby Gap outfits went to waste because he only wore them once or twice.
Play Yard/Play Pen The only reason I have one is because I was given one for a review. It’s a rare occurrence that it gets brought out (mostly for guests). It takes up space when traveling and most hotels have cribs you can use anyway. It all depends on your situation, but for me I would have never bought one. If you feel that it’s something you cannot live without and you absolutey have to have one…buy a cheap one. You probably won’t use the bassinet, changing table features that the fancy ones have anyway.So those are my baby products to skip. What do you think?
If you liked this post, I highly suggest you read my Top 10 Newborn Must Haves. They’re the products that helped me get through my first year.
What You Said:
I asked my readers and the blogging community on what products they could have lived without and here is what they came up with :
- “A Bumbo. My son fell out of it, then that was the end of that.” – Erica, This Flourishing Life
- “Anything intended to keep the floor or table clean during feeding. It’s just not happening!!” Gena, Captain Fussy Buckets
- “The Johnny jump up. My son was terrified of it!!” Julie, A Year With Mom and Dad
- “A travel swing by Boppy. My kid managed to flip it over!” Kristin, Coupon Kristin
- “Diaper Genie – once it got full it sat and sat until someone emptied it and it still smelled awful.” Anne, Meglomaniac Mommy
- “We bought about 30 outfits for each size range. Summer clothes were too big to wear and never got worn. We somehow skipped 6-9 month clothes and a whole lot of it just never got worn. Never again!” Elizabeth, Frugal Mom Eh
- “A complete bottle with system with ALL the different nipple flows etc… For the longest time they never took a bottle and when they finally did…they HATED that kind. Sigh”. Kristen, Mudpies and Tiaras
- “A bottle warmer. It took way too long for the bottle to warm up, and my daughter just was NOT having it.” Amber, Beautifully Bella Faith
- “Bumbo, baby bullet, wipes warmer, other peoples advice.” Katie Rasmussen
- “I received a wipe warmer as a baby gift and never used it. It seemed inconvenient and I was concerned that the warmth and moisture would breed bacteria, and bacteria was the last thing I wanted to put on my babies bottom. I also never used baby powder because of adding unnecessary scents onto sensitive baby skin. If there was moisture present then I just used a dab of cornstarch in their diapers.” Corrina, My Picky Family
- “Burping pads or whatever they are called that are designed to fit perfectly over the shoulder when receiving blankets do the job just fine. Also designer label baby clothing is a complete waste of money, especially newborn-3month size when they only fit it for a max of 2 weeks.”Julie Paine
- “We bought a diaper wipe warmer and it just completely dried out all the wipes. It was a waste of money and wipes!” Ashley, Cute As a Fox
- “Blankets-you get so many at showers there is no need to buy an.” Sharon, Mom On Dealz
- “I bought a travel co-sleeper. After the first night, my son slept in a separate room. He was too noisy!” Laurel, Head Ant
What would you add to this baby products to skip list?
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I agree with most of them, but I used my glider all the time, as well as the bumbo and pack/play! They were lifesavers. My daughter had this issue of HAVING to sit up from a very early age of 3 months old. The swing wasn’t enough of sitting up. If she wasn’t sitting up she would scream constantly. I couldn’t hold her 24/7. We got a Bumbo and it solved the problem. She could sit up and be happy and I could have arms free for a few moments in the day. We never put it up high on tables/counters. Always on the floor. And they now have attachments that keep the baby buckled in, so It is so very useful for me.
And we traveled all the time, so the pack/play was a lifesaver for us.
I would however say useless was an individual bassinet in addition to the crib and pack/play. That wasn’t hardly used at all. I just used the small bassinet attachment that came with hte pack/play when she was an infant and then moved to the crib when she was too big for that feature.
I agree, Bassinet is a waste and I knew it before we even bought one so I found with the husband tooth and nail about it haha.
What I missed on this list: amber teething necklaces. They do not work on my son at all. Some people swear by them but I have had no luck.
The pack in play is a waste for me because if we travel, we go to my mom’s and she has one there 🙂
I have to be one of the disagreers on the glider. I use it every day with my 14 month old, and it got a ton of use with my older two as well.
Now the bumbo and mittens total waste.
We did use our pack n play downstairs (as all of our rooms are upstairs) for a while and use it for visitors and travel.
I agree with all but the pack-n-play and the rocker. Our glider is now in our living room for all to use. But each night I rocked my girls to sleep 🙂 As for the pack-n-play…we used it on all our camping trips!
Love this and I agree, shoes total waste they never fit on the width of my boys feet or they would fl off when he would kick.
these are neat products I still have the same glider we still use
Great list! I’d have to say the Diaper Genie. I know a lot of people like them but…I’m not a fan, and neither are many friends of mine. I find there are many easier ways to deal with diapers.
I agree with you on most of these, except the Bumbo. We loved ours! We used it quite a bit, as we’d put it on the table to feed the baby (our table sat in the corner so we could put her against the wall and watch her). We also used it camping – you need somewhere to put the baby down outside! We just bought a new playyard, but we only use it when we’re travelling, mostly to grandparents or other friends.
Great list. I would love to add something. The Diaper Genie did nothing for us. But my best friend swore by it! I guess we all have our favorite useless items. 🙂
That is a great list! We did actually use our glider all the time. It was in the room and I would nurse right before bedtime and nap time. We did use a Bumbo for a very short period of time. Our twin son had some developmental delays so it was recommended by the therapist for strengthening his upper body. He hated it and that was they only reason we ever used it. Once he didn’t need it anymore we got rid of it. Shoes were a total waste, same with the warmer!
I guess to each their own! I actually used many of those items on the list! DD1 still uses the bumble as a booster seat at my sisters house!
I LOVED my Bumbo, but we got ours from a friend…I didn’t even realize they were that expensive. I used it all the time with both kids. The glider was essential too….it was great for feedings or just for soothing the babies, especially at night. I’m totally with you on the bottle warmer though!
Its seems like the Bumbo is either you love it or hate it. I have also found most people love their glider 🙂 But yes, that warmer is a waste.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll share this post with my SIL, she’s having quadruplets!
I use my pack n play all the time. We spend a lot of time outside on the deck and I like to set it up out there so the baby can be near us. I bought it second hand for $30.
Warmers for anything: bottles or wipes seem a waste. I never used a bottle warmer. I just run the bottles under hot water. Even works on the road. As for wipes I had one for free but ater using it for one pack of wipes I never bothered to refill it. It was a waste.
A friend of mine had a wipe warmer and almost burnt down her house 😐
I haven’t used a wipes warmer for either of my kids but I know some moms of boys who said it drastically reduced how many times they got peed on during diaper changes – a cold wipe would make them pee. My son stopped peeing during changes after the first month or so but I know for others it lasts much longer. Proof that nothing works for everyone, and vice versa! I guess my advice would be not to buy too much of anything and nothing too expensive until you meet your baby and have a better idea of what they like. Better yet, borrow a friend’s item first to see if your baby likes it!
That’s a great idea. Every baby is different, but I did find what works for me so if I have another one I know what to do and what not to buy 😉
I love my bumbo great for letting lil girl sit up with daddy at his desk, or sits on table/counter for eating, sits on couch with me while I fold laundry and great for sitting on hall when I need to use bathroom since I’m not allowed to be out of sight! Love my playpen too, when older two get hyperactive its a safe place for lil girl to watch them, or when I’m doing crafts it’s great, no accidental burnt fingers from a hot glue gun or pricked fingers from reaching up to touch things also great if I’m baking a lot in one day can leave oven on between batches but she’s right there playing where I can be seen. Also I love a glider, its great for soothing colicky babies, armrests to support the weight and its relaxing to mom as well to unplug and unwind at bedtime or a late night feeding better than walking and bouncing and jiggling for my kids anyway. Also used baby mittens to keep lil fingers warm on cold days/nights depends what season baby was born in also saved us a lot of red marks on her face since she was a hands in face baby always rubbing or pinching her face with sharp lil nails.
Really does depend on your baby trust me!! I co-sleep and baby wear a lot so when baby gets bigger having containment so baby can be with me but not strapped in a seat was a must, daddy was not so into holding all the time so a seat she could sit up on and talk to him at his desk was awesome.
I have to disagree with most of this list. We used the glider, pack n play, and the bumbo all the time, though my son didn’t start using the bumbo until 6 months when I got a used one. My son is on the smaller side (he stayed in 0-3 month clothes until he was 5 motnhs) so we got MAJOR use out of all his clothes and I put shoes on him when we left the house with his outfits (I did not buy the shoes, they were gifts) and we got a lot of use out of the mittens but I would suggest only getting a couple pairs. I was given around 6 pairs and it was too much because they don’t get very dirty. On a final note, I swear by the Tommee Tippee bottles and I was able to put it in a normal bottle warmer with no problem. I have turned at least 3 other mom onto TT because their babies refused to take a bottle and after trying a half dozen different bottles the TT was the only one the babies took.
Isn’t it great how every mom has a different experience? I didn’t mind the regular TT bottles, but not the one style I first bought. The ones I were talking about were the anti colic ones, it had put a few pieces together every time I had to make a bottle. Fumbling at 2 am, caused me to get really frustrated with them. Plus I didn’t like how they didn’t fit in my diaper bags or first bottle sterilizer. Thanks for stopping by the blog 🙂
I got lucky, most of the things I have for my little guy were given to me. The bumbo never got used. He hated it and like your baby, no longer fits in the leg holes. I do have to say, though, I love my glider and pack n play. I do regret buying a walker though. I don’t know what I was thinking because there isn’t even enough room in our house for him to walk and it won’t go on carpet.
I think we get so excited that we like to have “all of it”. That’s how I was. I still have his pack and play (still haven`t used it) but who knows, maybe with the next one we will. I will buy another glider because I`m determined to put use to it lol.
I’d have to say I disagree with some of these. My daughter wore scratch mittens a lot when she was a newborn….I use the pack and play daily and I love mine I think we paid about 80 for it. I also use the baby towels and mine are not thin at all they are just as thick as my other towels…I could have gone without the bottle warmer but I only paid $20 and it was great for when I had no hot water because my hot water tank heater was broken and I still use it sometimes… I have a daughter who wears designer clothes almost daily since newborn so I have to disagree with you there as well.
I think it’s great to hear about other parents experience 🙂 I know other parents who used the scratch mittens and loved them as well.
I agree with all but the pack and play, we are always traveling so we use it all the time. On the other hand I have not used my glider ONCE and my daughter is 11 months old – and the diaper genie is a total pain and waste of money for the special bags it requires.
My baby boy is 2 months old, and already we have stopped using the wipes warmer…waste of time, but not money cause it was a gift 🙂 My husband and I are lucky to have received just about everything during our mult baby showers. The pack and play is his “c rib” for now, sleeps besides my bed so its very useful to me. bottle warmers are a waste for me as well, as he drinks his formula at room temperature just fine. At nanas house, however, baby has a formula keurig machine called a “baby breeza”. If you don’t know about it, save money and get one…best thing ever! Shoes are not needed, agreed…but they’re so cute 😉
I agree the shoes are so cute! I have a Tommee Tippee “baby Keurig” (there is a review somewhere on the blog). I have heard awesome things about the Breeza though!
I disagree with most of this.
Bumbo – we don’t have that, but got mamas&papas, use it eithe the tray for feeding all the time, used it in the bathtub as well to take a bath together.
Tommee Tippee bottles – amazing, come with formula containers, perfect to take out, fit in Avent bottle warmer and sterilizer, my baby would hold and self feed from those starting at 4m.
Scratch mittens – saved my baby’s face for the first couple months.
Bottle Warmer – we have Avent, use it all the time, it fits any bottle size, would be great if it had auto turn off timer, but still didn’t break when I fell asleep for 30min on the couch in the middle of night warming up pumped milk (which I discarded ofc).
Glider – I live in it. It’s the only thing that makes breastfeeding comfortable, also used for baby naps on my boob, rocking baby to sleep and as my dinner chair.
Baby towels – I use them, easy to swaddle baby in it after a bath or swimming pool.
I don’t have other products. I find that some outfits are really useless, especially 2pc and dresses. Also someone posted about Genie… come on lady, use the insert bags!
Those are all good points and I’m glad those worked for you 🙂 They just didn’t work for me. If I have another, I’ll probably buy another glider and give it another shot.
I actually love the TT anticolic bottles. I had a ton of the regular TT bottles and ended up replacing those with the anticolic version when my son started daycare because he’d suck down the bottles too fast and end up with terrible gas and reflux. They were cheaper than the Dr. Brown bottles and I knew he’d accept the nipple. I agree that the bottles are huge, but I like that TT makes an adapter that fits on the Medela pump so I don’t have to decant the bottles. I think the key is not to get a lot of bottles until you know which ones work for your baby.
Ring sling. So uncomfortable and hard to adjust. Made my own moby wrap that doubles as belly support and belly wrapping for this time around. So much better.
I didn’t use any of the baby carriers, however I would like to try again if I have another.
My baby hated the tommee tippee bottles and we ended up having to try 5 different bottles till we found one she liked. We do have a bottle warmer (munchkin brand) it is awesome, heats up bottles in 90 seconds. Pacifiers never got used, she hated them. We don’t use our baby towels either, it’s just easier to wrap her in a regular towel.
The Bumbo was a total waste for us and unfortunately I bought it new, so it cost around $70. My son has always been super active and hated being stuck in there, even at 3-4 months old (he was crawling at 6 months). I’m due in June with baby #2 so maybe this one will like it a little more and I can get a few more uses from it.
I disagree with the Tommee Tippee bottles though. Every other bottle we have purchased, the nipples leaked after a short time and my son was choking on the milk pouring out. These were the cheapest bottles and have lasted a long time for us.
We also did use scratch mittens a lot in the beginning, but like you’ve said, really you could just use some baby socks. It’s pretty much the same thing. At least the mittens are a minor expense unlike the Bumbo!
So true Heather! I liked the Tommee Tippee except for when I had to travel. They just didn’t fit in diaper bags properly and it was a huge pain for me.
I use my pack not play all the time she doesn’t try to get away as much when changing her diaper. I also have the main area filled with balls for her to play with. She rarely sleeps in it only on vacation (camping) or holidays at other people’s houses.
Oh a DIY ball pit with the pack and play sounds like a great idea!
I have to disagree with the wipe warmer, buy the refill packs, I personally like the ones that have the snap lid not the tape, throw it in the wipe warmer and boom the wipes stay toasty warm and wet! Helloooo…keep it inside the package so the moisture stays inside. The packages have never melted or burned and the wipe warmer stays dry
I loved the mittens because those nails are like kitten nails…ouch
I still use the bumbo, she loved sitting in it. Of course now I use it when I’m combing her hair and I need her to stay still.
I didn’t buy my daughters shoes until she was walking, she only puts them on when we go out. When she’s home just pjs with the non slip bottom and also the non slip socks. It helps to not put on shoes too early, they get to develop that arch. Even with her socks or pjs on she walks on her tippy toes…strengthening her muscles
I didn’t know about the development of arch! Good to know.Thanks Roxana.
Yes! I’ve read about it and my pediatrician told me about it. My hubby has flat feet and I didn’t want my daughter having that so no shoes for her until she was walking. You’re welcome