Modern Mama Life

Baby products you think you need, but actually don’t

The most exciting part about pregnancy is the part where you get ready for the baby. When it comes to preparing for the baby, most parents tend to go all in and buy everything thinking that they may not have time later. A lot of the baby products you may think you need, but it can wait a couple of months.

When I was pregnant, I spent hours researching baby products. I watched nursery tours, my instagram feed was filled with videos of “What’s in my hospital bag?” videos. I felt like I needed everything! When reality hit, I realised that a lot of the products I thought were “must-haves” were just collecting dust or I ended up using them only once or twice. In this post, I’m going to share with you, all of the things you don’t need.

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Table of Contents

Every baby is different

Before we begin, remember that every baby is different. What one parent may swear by can be totally useless to another. This post is not about telling you things you shouldn’t buy. Its about warning you against some things that are being marketed as products you absolutely must-have.

Baby crib/Bassinet

Its not necessary to have a baby crib for a minimum of 6-8 months. You could consider a bassinet when the baby is newborn, but they will outgrow it within a month or two so thats totally upto you. Our baby is almost 5 months now and refuses to sleep any place other than our bed. During the first few weeks, he refused to sleep in his bassinet either.

Changing table:

You can use the bed to change your baby lying down so the table is unnecessary. Although you will need a waterproof changing mat to put under him incase of accidents.

Baby bottle sterilizer

If you can steam baby bottles in boiling water, you do not need to purchase a sterilizer. Though they are an easy option, they consume a lot of space, and are a little expensive.

Bottle warmer

Although this is a really nice and convenient product to have, you do not need it. All you need to do is dip the bottle in a mug with hot water for a few seconds to get it a little warm. My baby seemed quite happy drinking milk at room temperature.

Cloth Diapers

I’d heard a lot about babies getting rashes because of constant use of disposable diapers so I decided I would try and use reusable cloth diapers as much as I could. Well, he didn’t have rashes but the amount of laundry sure did increase. Eventually I gave up and switched back to using the diapers from Pampers which had the aloe vera rash protection feature. I would recommend those for sure.

Wipe Warmers

A lot of parents tend to think this is a great idea. Babies tend to get used to whatever you use on them regularly. Also, most of the time the wipe warmer dry out the wipes.

Too many clothes

Newborns grow very fast and are mostly indoors for a couple of weeks after birth. I would recommend buying minimal clothing for the baby preferrably from the newborn section. Opt for clothes that are easy to put on and remove like these zipper sleepsuits. I made the mistake for buying size 0-3 months for my baby which did not fit him until he was about two months.

Shoes

No matter how cute they look, babies wont be using them for a minimum of 8 months, so it can easily be skipped.

Bath Thermometer

All you need to do is dip your elbow or your little finger in the baby’s bath to check the temperature, there’s no need for a thermometer.

Excessive toys

Before becoming a mom, I thought babies needed a lot of toys. Well, the truth is that for the first 3 months, babies are not very responsive. Babies tend to be fascinated with basic household objects, anything new that catches their eye. A wooden spoon, measuring cup, water bottle, tv remote. They don’t need expensive toys.

Baby Products you actually need more of

If I could go back to my pregnant self, I’d tell her to spend more money on these products instead of the ones listed above. These products are the ones you will get really good use out of.

Diapers
Wipes
Burp cloths
Extra bedsheets
Good quality glass feeding bottles

Babies are simple. If you think practically, babies need very little. The baby industry is excellent at creating the urgency to buy baby products. When it is your first pregnancy, sometimes you can easily fall for it.

The memories you’ll have of your newborn won’t include any products or accessories. They will involve tiny yawns, sleepy cuddles, skin-to-skin contact wherein both of you are learning how to survive this new life.

If you are preparing for a baby, buy only the basics and keep it simple. You baby will not remember the sophisticated gadgets, it will only remember your love.

Hi, I’m Rita 👋

Mom, blogger, and creator of Modern Mama Life. I share practical tips on motherhood, pregnancy, home life, gardening, and everything in between.