I’m laughing to myself as I write this because my “baby”, Eamon, just turned two a few weeks ago- I’ve been meaning to write this post for no joke almost two years now, I’m ashamed to say- just now “getting around to it”!
Ok, let’s dig in.
Assuming that if you’re reading this, you’re either already a parent, or are pregnant/expecting…with that being said, please remember that this is purely my opinion! No shame in your game if you registered for or used/didn’t use the items I’m going to discuss here; this is merely meant to be my helpful two cents on the subject, as a somewhat seasoned mom of two happy, healthy boys :), and someone who HATES extra stuff and clutter.
Hot take/factual statement: companies prey on the fear that first time parents inevitably experience. We figure that we have no idea what the hell we’re doing; we almost have no choice but to trust what others tell us that we “need” to have – but guess what? Babies need very little.
In fact, my favorite piece of parenting advice is this: humans have done a lot more with a lot less – people have been raising happy and healthy kids since the dawn of time without 937381020 items to complicate things. My second favorite piece of parenting advice: the more “crutches” you build into a baby’s routine, the more you have to wean them off of (for the most part).
So here’s my list of Things They Will Tell You To Register For, But That You Really Don’t Need:
1. A baby wipe warmer- we don’t warm our toilet paper; why would a baby need their wipes to be warm?! Nonsense.
2. A bottle warmer- heat a cup of hot water and but the bottle in – TA DA, it’s free! Or honestly, just give the milk/formula/breast milk to then cold! Both my boys never knew warmed liquid, and guess what- it didn’t matter.
3. A Mamaroo Swing – unnecessary. I know some babies like them, but really, all you need is a simple lay back bouncer and a stand up play jumper later on- at the end of the day, a blanket on the floor w some toys works just fine!
4. A video monitor- now I know, this one is kind of controversial. We used a plain old sound one for Nolan, for only about a few months. We didn’t use one at all for Eamon. In my opinion, they cause more stress and anxiety then they provide peace of mind- why must we hear every snore, sound, cough? I feel like they give us the illusion of constant control, when in reality, if you’re older than 30 like I am, video monitors didn’t exist … just some food for thought.
5. Infant toys – infants can’t even really play! They’re super happy with just random household items- Eamon’s number one fave toy in the house is STILL the pasta strainer!
6. A glider or rocking chair- if one isn’t in your budget or design plan or you just plain don’t have room for one- they’re totally not necessary. We had a very minimal one for Nolan (linked here) and didn’t use one at all for Eamon and the results were the same – you can make the rocking motion with your own arms/body for free haha!
7. Shopping cart seat cover – to be honest, I find these ridiculous- germs are part of life and really, these are just clutter. We were all raised by our parents throwing us in the cart with the actual cans and boxes of food and we turned out just fine!
8. Diaper bag- I fell for the marketing and had one for Nolan (cute, but unnecessary )- with Eamon I literally put a diaper, wipes and a bottle in a zip lock bag and threw it in my own tote and VOILA! Instant diaper bag.
9. Bottle drying rack- a towel on the counter does just fine!
10. Diaper genie- for both boys we just used a regular trash can and took it out at the end of the day – another totally unnecessary invention!
…and just like that, I’ve killed any potential collaborations with baby item brands 😂 #badblogger – but honestly I just cannot get on board with buying things just for the sake of buying things – hope this list is helpful to you guys- feel free to pass it on to an expecting parent who might need the reality check!
Xo,
Christine
thelittlegoldmix 