9 Baby Products You Can Live Without

Little Baby Girl

The baby stores are full of tiny, adorable items that help you and your baby adapt to the new world of parenting. There are literally thousands of products to choose from. Your head would start spinning if you considered if each item was worthy of your purchase. Check out this list of items you can pass up in baby land and save your money for items worthy of your financial investments.

  • Diaper genies and pails. While these can be nice at times, they are not a necessity. Diapers can easily be disposed of if thrown in a plastic grocery bag and then put in a trash can with a lid. There are also many stores that sell scented diaper sacks for extremely cheap. Keeping all the trash in one area will encourage you to empty it more often and keep smells and germs out of your comfy abode.
  • Changing tables. These are helpful to create a cute, organized area for diapering essentials. However, babies can be changed anywhere. Simply lay down the changing mat that comes in your diaper bag, a towel, or a blanket and change your little one. Beds, couches and even the floor can easily be transformed into a changing area.
  • Wipe warmers. Heated wipes are not going to be available every where you travel, but diaper changes will still be a needed task. Prepare your baby for room temperature wipes by choosing to opt out on a wipe warmer. To make the wipes less cold, simply rub them between your hands to create friction and heat. Wipe warmers also have a tendency to dry wipes out and therefore make them almost useless. Also, wipe warmers can cause wipes to become too warm and burn the baby’s skin.
  • Thousands of brag books. You want to remember your baby’s first smile, first word, first tooth and all his first milestones; but you don’t need to record them 28 times in 28 different brag books. Instead, invest in one or two and embellish them with lots of extras. If you are considering having more children, then it is also wise to not have an enormous amount of brag books for your first child. All moms become more busy with each child and have less time to spend on this venture. It may not go over well if your first child has 15 baby books but your other children only have one.
  • Video baby monitors.These baby monitors make it easy to track your baby’s every move. But,sometimes that is a little too much for new moms. Just knowing they can see their baby may keep them awake all night. Consider investing in a simple baby monitor. You will still be able to hear your baby’s breathing, cries and moving sounds. If you are uncomfortable about leaving your new bambino alone, let him join you and your hubby in your bedroom. Bassinets are an easy transport system for the first few months of life. Using a bassinet will enable you to switch the little one back to his room when you are more at ease with him rooming alone.
  • Expensive baby detergents. The skin of a baby is super sensitive and needs to be treated with tender love and care. However, some companies have taken advantage of this knowledge and have created their own scented, overpriced formulas. To help your family’s budget, check out detergents that are free from dyes and perfumes. You can also try sensitive skin formulas. Most of the time the only difference between the dye-free, perfume-free detergents versus the baby formulated detergents is the added baby scent. If you are on a tight financial plan, skip the overpriced baby detergent and invest your money elsewhere.
  • Bottle Sterilizers. Dishwashers do a fantastic cleaning and sterilizing job on bottles, nipples, sippy cups and pacifiers. No extra sterilization is needed!
    Sound machines. Newborns need to adjust to your family’s sounds. Bringing in artificial noise will only delay the process of adjusting to new surroundings and people. These machines are expensive and many times stop working after only a few months.
  • Bottle warmers. Bottles can be easily heated on the stove, in a sauce pan or in a bowl of warm water. These frugal friendly methods are often times quicker in the warming process as well. Just remember to pay close attention to the temperature to ensure the milk doesn’t become too hot for the baby to consume. Heat the bottle about 15 minutes before feeding time so there is enough allotted time for the bottle to cool down to a lukewarm temperature.

As you prepare your home and nursery for the arrival of your little one, don’t fret about all the things the magazines and baby specialty stores advertise that are “must haves.” he list of items essential for adequate baby care is a lot shorter than most mommies-to-be realize. Before you begin registering for your next baby shower, consider this list and mark off any non essentials. Don’t let things clutter your creativity in motherhood!

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