Eight things your baby doesn’t need
photo by trenttsd
New parents can have a tough time being frugal. There are so many baby products available. Some are easier to do without than others. Whether or not a baby product is useless is debatable. But you can adopt a few frugal strategies to save money, such as buying some used baby items and putting the word out that you’ll accept hand-me-downs, borrowing items and delaying purchases for items that aren’t needed immediately, such as highchairs.
One reader, Karen in Kansas, shares: “I recently went shopping for a baby gift, and I couldn’t believe all the stuff we did without. Mostly because it wasn’t available. Here are some words of wisdom from the ‘Household Searchlight Homemaking Guide’ from 1937. It was good then, and even better advice now. ‘Supplies for the baby: Do not permit good judgment to be influenced by the sentiment of having a baby. There are so many cute things to buy that it is a temptation to fill the baby’s wardrobe with nonessentials. Dozens of the cute things are 100 percent impractical. Do not forget that babies grow rapidly.’”
What baby items do you think are unneccessary?
Here are a few suggestions for items you can substitute easily.
CHANGING TABLE: A baby can be changed easily on a bed, couch or even on a clean floor. A changing pad can be helpful, but a towel or receiving blanket works fine, too. Some parents argue their back hurts from standing and bending over. You can sit on a couch, floor or bed to change the baby.
DIAPER-DISPOSAL SYSTEM: You don’t need diaper sausages. If you use disposable diapers, simply place soiled diapers into a plastic grocery bag and toss it out immediately. Better yet, use cloth diapers at least part of the time.
SHOES: Babies don’t need shoes. They’re nothing more than something to keep parents busy as the baby repeatedly kicks them off. These can wait until a baby is walking. For colder months, simply use socks and booties.
BABY DETERGENT: Select scent- and dye-free laundry detergents, and make certain that baby clothes are rinsed well. Most babies will not have any type of sensitivities that require special baby laundry detergent.
LOTIONS AND POWDERS: These are not needed on baby skin. Babies only need to be clean and dry. A small container of A&D ointment should last a while to help with any mild rashes or irritations.
DIAPER BAG: Diaper bags are often too small to fit everything you need or have too many small compartments. You don’t need a special bag. A backpack, tote/messenger or duffel bag you have at home already will work fine.
CUTE OUTFITS: Think practical when it comes to clothing. Avoid buying too many outfits, especially those that button in the back or only on the shoulder. I often wondered who created them. Babies are most comfortable in sleepers, and they’re easy for parents to change. A couple of public outfits are plenty.
MOBILE: They’re expensive, and most keep babies awake. Often, the mounting brackets don’t work well on all crib rails. You can make your own mobile, too. Simply use an embroidery hoop or a dowel. Hang small toys with ribbon, and suspend it from the ceiling.
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You forgot my favorite useless baby product…a wet wipe warmer!
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While I agree with most things on the list, I do think a changing table is a good investment. Even just a changing pad on top of a dresser with a diaper organizer is better than nothing. A changing table is not absolutely necessary, especially if you have to watch every penny, but the first few weeks and months at home with baby are crazy enough without having to search for everything you need to change baby at 2am. We were very pinched for money when our baby was on her way, but still found a reasonable changing table within our budget (part of a nursery in a box set). It was a lifesaver to have everything right at hand for diaper changes, temperature taking, etc.
I agree. We just change our baby on the floor and keep all the baby changing needs in one spot. I also agree with no wipes warmer…waste of money and electric.
I also think the baby bedding sets are a huge waste of money. If your crib rails are no further apart than the bottom of a pop can you don’t need a bumper and you are not supposed to use blankets. All you need is a tight fitting crib sheet with is recommended to reduce the risk of SIDS.
These are absolutely nonessential items. We have three children and we realized how much money we wasted when we had our first, on items that got very little use because we didn’t need them. If you are a healthy adult, getting down on the floor or couch or even a table with a towel shouldn’t be to hard. If it is, I would say that you aren’t in shape. Also, hold off on buying things like thermometers, bulbs, and pampers. Usually these things are supplied by the hospital when you deliver the baby.
As far as blankets and bedding are concerned, I agree with Amber wholeheartedly. They are not necessary. Too much fluffy stuff in cribs increases the risk for SIDS. We purchased sleep sacks for our children and these always provided enough warmth.
One thing I bought that some people might find unnecessary is a car seat carrier cover. All of my kids were born in the winter and I loved that cover.
Sometime between baby #3 and baby #4 I decided that MOST baby stuff is unnecessary, including a crib. Babies sleep much better close to their mothers, and there is plenty of evidence that doing so reduces the risk of SIDS because mom’s breathing acts as a “pacemaker” of sorts for baby’s breathing. When baby starts trying to roll over, they can be placed in a pack and play for naps and before mom goes to bed. But there is no need for a crib AND a pack and play. I prefer the pack and play because it’s portable.
Strollers also become unnecessary if you get a good comfortable baby carrier such as a wrap.
You don’t need a breast pump if you’re home with your baby – 4 babies exclusively breastfed, and I’ve never needed one.
The only things babies need are mom, clothes and diapers – and even the diapers are disputable in some circles
[...] Sara Noel from Frugal Village, took on this topic for her newspaper column Sunday: 8 things your baby doesn’t need. [...]
I guess this is the reason people have baby showers. We have everything on that list, and we didn’t buy any of them. It was all purchased for us as gifts.
I agree that many people receive items for baby showers. But not everyone has a baby shower. I didn’t.
One key facet of frugality is that waste at any cost (even free) is still waste. Of course, this list is simply my opinion. Some people will definitely disagree and have products they love. But as a society, we’ve become conditioned to believe we NEED items and many are nice modern conveniences, but if parents are looking to save some money, these are a few common items they can mark off the baby list to help them budget.
I agree with the changing table. We bought one second hand for just $20 and I only use it 50% of the time. I’m actually considering reselling it to make more space in the girls room. I love having a baby swing! Glad it didn’t make the list
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Great advice. The must-haves that I used: Stroller with detachable infant car seat, crib, little bath tub…not the one with the incline, but just a small plastic tub. You could substitute a storage tote. I put it inside the regular tub and my daughter used it for two years. We also used it outside when it was hot. I bought a 12 pack of wash cloths and used them for burping. Clothes were given to me. I didn’t buy any of them.
I agree with the list, as well as the add-ins from fellow readers. The “baby” industry is a HUGE moneymaker because most new parents just panic and think they need everything that’s pushed at them for their little one. My daughter used her co-sleeper until she was a year old (it converted to a pack-n-play) so the crib in her room was pretty much obselete. Thankfully it too was a hand-me-down….
Good article.
We have the Bum Genius also and they have been great, though the velcro tabs can roll. We change them on the floor, one place upstairs and one place down with some supplies waiting for us.
My wife uses her Maxpedition bag as a diaper bag if she really needs to carry much at all. It’s just a multipurpose bag that carries whatever we need. A bunch of “special” bags is a waste in my opinion.
We too received many of these things are baby showers, many of which are sitting in storage or were never used. Instead of traditional baby showers, where people end up with so much that they think they need, but really don’t, we have encouraged more creative showers, with more relevant gifts or something entirely different.
Personally, I would have loved to receive a collection of cloth diapers at a shower. Those are not cheap upfront, especially when you are not sure how it will go, etc., though they have a ton of long term value. But things like that are things that parents often come around to later, after all the gifts have been opened and forgotten about. But while they are not cheap, they are a fraction of the cost of what is usually spent for baby showers.
Bottom line, if you have a friend who is pregnant, consider sharing with them some more practical, useful and frugal options for things like baby showers, etc. Don’t be mean or to blunt, especially if this is a first child. Remember that so much of this stuff is really more about the parents. But if you can help them to understand a few basic realities, and show them how much money they can save (money they can then spend on something they will really wish they had in 6-months time), you will be doing them a favor.
As a side note, my wife found a great resource online for trading, selling, etc. cloth diapers. She is not here right now and I can’t remember the name (sorry bout that), but the point is, if you are wanting to try cloth diapers, consider trading first, and if you have to buy, then buy used. We were able to test out a number of brands and let me tell you, most didn’t cut it. Fits, quality, and so forth all vary. Of course, your child’s “opinion” matters too. By bartering and trading and buying used, you will save yourself a lot of frustration. It’s very annoying to buy a whole supply of something only to find that they just don’t work.
(You’d think they paid by the word. Sorry.)
Dan´s last blog ..Hopefully by now you have read, The Revolution: A Manifesto ,…
If you don’t use the cloth diapers for the baby, you can use them for dishcloths, etc. We have a whole bunch that they never used for me, and I use them for cleaning. They work great for drying my hair as well. Old Curity diapers seem to be more absorbent than new Gerber ones.
Instead of a “changing table” I bought a dresser and put a changin pad on it. That way it will be used when gets older too. Lotion is important with my son because he has sensitive skin and he often gets dry skin so the doc said lotion him up!!
I agree with special baby detergent being unnecessary. This is my first child so you live and you learn but I think travel systems are unnecessary because they are so expensive and bulky- I hate using them so it just sits in the car. I agree with the mobile being unnecessary- my son didn’t like it… and it didn’t fit on his crib properly so we didn’t keep it on there long. We do not use diaper cloths for diapers but we buy them used (only ones in very nice condition) and use them for burp towels. Another waste of $$ to me are hooded towels.. my son hated the hood part so i could have just used a regular soft towel and saved $$.
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