There are SO MANY products out there for babies, and I feel like new parents are often really taken advantage of because many of those products are really unnecessary and quite pricey! Becoming a mom for the first time, I wanted to know what I actually needed and what other moms were loving and that is why I decided to write this post.
I do want to say that just because products did not work for my baby or me does not mean that they don’t work for others. However, I think that it is helpful to read multiple moms’ experiences so that you can have an idea of what tends to be a loved or hated item. For some of my product regrets, I am adding what I used instead and I hope that you find it useful!
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Too Many Newborn Clothes
My biggest newborn purchase regret is buying too many newborn clothes. That stuff is small but not cheap! I thought I would dress my baby up and take cute photos of him, but in reality (just like everyone says) your baby will only wear sleepers for the first couple of months. I have so many baby clothes that have not been worn and still have tags on them.
Nuna Stroller
Okay, so a lot of people may not feel me on this one because the Nuna stroller is actually quite nice and I do love the Nuna PIPA Lite Carseat that went with my stroller! It’s way lighter than most of the other car seats I tried.
However, I regret purchasing it because I wish I had a stroller that could turn into a double once we had another child. We knew that we wanted to have children close in age, and now that I am expecting our second I wish I purchased the Mockingbird Single-To-Double Stroller right away instead.
That is just something to think about if you are also wanting to have more than one child and have them close in age.
Baby Swing
I regret buying this baby swing because my baby hated being in it. But the thing is you never know until you have the baby. Some babies love it and some don’t. Mine did not and it just took up space in our living room.
Thankfully, we purchased a used one off of Offer-Up so it was not a huge investment for us, and I just gave it to my sister.
Instead, I have loved the Baby Bjorn bouncer and plan to use it for my second baby as well!
Lovey Stuffed Animals
These love stuffed animals are so cute! But in reality, my baby never used them and I did not keep any in his crib for safety reasons.
Also, you can’t just sit them on a shelf or dresser so honestly, I did not see much purpose in them.
I’m sure other moms love them but for us, they did not serve any purpose and just took up space.
Solly Baby Wrap
Some people love the Solly baby wrap and some people don’t. Also, you just don’t know if your baby will love being in it until he or she is born. My baby HATED being in it, and once he was able to sit facing outward we used the Ergobaby Omni 360 Carrier which used quite a bit!
When using the Solly Baby, I felt like my baby might fall out. I know that’s probably unlikely but because the material is stretchy, I just did not feel like he was secure enough in there. It’s also just really long and did not feel like the easiest thing to put on.
Too Many Muslin Swaddles
Honestly, muslin swaddles are not really for swaddling because they do not stay put. I did use them as burp cloths or to cover up when breastfeeding but I had quite a bit of them that just did not get used.
Instead, these are the swaddles that worked best for me:
Baby Shoes
Baby shoes are super cute, and fun but not very practical as they obviously don’t need them yet.
However, I did have a pair of knit booties that were handmade by a relative that we put on as well as a pair of these GoumiKids ones that I loved. I actually used them quite a bit over socks since they would stay on and help keep my baby’s feet warm.
Medela Hand Pump
Okay, so I know some people do like the hand pump but for me, I found it MUCH easier to just use an electric pump or a haakaa. It is much cheaper, but many insurances cover electric pumps so I would definitely look into that!
I just found this hand pump really annoying and it took a lot of time.
Baby Socks
Baby socks do not stay on. Instead of using baby socks, I had a pair of GoumiKids booties (as I mentioned before) and those really worked nicely. If we were going outside, I would still put on a pair of socks and the booties over them to keep his feet extra warm. So I did use baby socks once in a while but I do regret having so many of them.
Changing Table/Basket
I purchased a woven changing table basket because I thought it would look really cute in my baby’s nursery and we did use it a little in the beginning. But honestly, this is something I could have saved money on and went without. Once our baby was able to roll we stopped using it since it was no longer safe at that point.
For my second baby, instead of using a changing table, I will be using a mat like this one:
It will allow me to change my baby anywhere, and I could just wipe it down after.
Too Many Pacifier Clips
If you are going to offer your baby a pacifier, I do recommend getting a clip because you don’t want it falling on the ground all the time. However, I had like 5 of these which was completely unnecessary. I just thought they were super cute and was gifted some too. In reality, you only need one of these (unless you want to have a second as backup).
Although this is just my experience with baby products, I hope that this post gives you insight into what you may want for your newborn (keeping in mind that every baby is different).
If you are a first-time parent, I want you to know that you really don’t need that much for a newborn, and for a lot of products, you can find a cheaper version that works just as great! Not having the name-brand stuff is not going to make you any less of a mom, but will really help your wallet!
