What Not To Buy, Baby Edition - Kayla Aimee Writes

So I gave you my opinion on all the baby gear I DID like. Now I’m going to tell you what not to ~~wear~~ buy. I’m like the Stacy and Clinton of baby stuff. No I’m not.

But seriously, I always find it helpful when people post what didn’t work for them so that I don’t waste my money on it. So here are all my thoughts. Well, not all of them. Y’all could not even handle that crazy.

First of all, take the baby registry checklists with a grain of salt. I was looking at one that said a must-have item for the nursery was a ROOM THERMOMETER. Do you want to know how you can tell if it’s too hot or cold in your kid’s room? STAND IN IT. Are you cold? Probably your kid is as well. Are you hot? Maybe turn on a fan. You do not need a room thermometer to tell you this. Same goes for a bath thermometer. You do not need one of these. Just stick your hand in the water.

So, without further ado, here is my list of “Stuff That Did Not Work Out In This House.” Probably none of these brands are ever going to sponsor a post on this blog now.

1.) Sophie The Bleeping Giraffe – Scarlette would not take to any teethers. Or frozen washcloths. Or popsicles. Or anything that might have kept her from gnawing her own hands off. Everyone swore to me that Sophie The Giraffe was a miracle teether that no baby could resist. We were buried under hospital bills at the time and Sophie The Giraffe cost EIGHTEEN DOLLARS and in a moment of desperation, I bought her. I carried her home like she was the Holy Grail of teethers and presented her proudly to Scarlette. Who promptly threw her on the floor and never touched her again. Nothing I tried could get Scarlette to even HOLD that thing, let alone put it in her mouth. She dug it out of the toy box about a month ago and walked around the house laughing while she squeaked it. I bought her the world’s most expensive squeak toy.

2.) Zo-li Gummy Stick Baby Gum Massagers – Another teether that had rave reviews but did not work for us. Mainly because Scarlette kept getting confused and sticking the non-teether side in her mouth and then gagging on it. Also, we discovered she had an oral aversion and these things HURT when you bite down on them. I know this because I tried it out. I can only imagine that if you have NO TEETH it probably feels like chewing on a razor blade.

3.) Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder – This is one of those mesh bags that you put fresh or frozen fruit in and your baby is supposed to hold the handle and suck on the food through the mesh. First of all, it looks disgusting. Second of all, all Scarlette ever did was mash it around on the tray of her high chair. Or in her hair. Or down the front of my shirt. She never put the mesh part in her mouth. This is another thing people swore would work and maybe it was just my baby and her oral issues because it was a huge fail over here.

4.) Mrs. Meyers Diaper Balm – This stuff was terrible. The liquid was all separated, no matter how much we shook it and so a bunch of watery oil would run out any time we tried to use it. I finally gave up on it and switched to the All-Natural version of the Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.

5.) Lanolin Nipple Cream – I know, some people swear by it but my lactation consultant told me to first try just rubbing extra breastmilk on the cracked and painful areas. I swear it worked. I did that after every pump and any time I had issues . I quit using the cream because the breastmilk worked so much better and faster.

6.) Bumbo Seat – So, obviously we had one of these. Here is a cute picture of Scarlette in it. And we actually used and liked ours because Scarlette had low tone and couldn’t sit up by herself until she was about ten months old. So for us, it was really helpful. But most people I know are only able to use their seats for a really limited period of time because the leg openings aren’t very wide so the babies don’t fit in it for long. We had the version with the tray and it was a huge pain to get the tray on and off. So while I found it helpful for our physical therapy needs, I think that a boppy would suffice for most everyone else. I probably wouldn’t register for it but would wait and see if it seems like something that would work for you because it’s pricey for something that you only use for a couple of months.

7.) Baby’s 1st Aid Kit – I mentioned before that I did not like the pre-fab first aid kits. They were full of filler items and not of the best quality. I ended up keeping the case and making my own first aid kit by picking out individual items. Here is a link to some of my recommendations. I would register for things like thermometers, safety clippers and medications individually rather than a full kit.

8.) Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowls – Sure, if “Stay Put” means “Never Actually Properly Suctions To Anything And Constantly Ends Up In The Floor.” I hate these bowls with a fiery passion. Plus, the lids don’t stay on. That’s a fun thing to discover when you pack a bowl of sweet potatoes in your diaper bag.

9.) Munchkin Click Lock Straw Cups – WHO CAME UP WITH THESE? Because I do not like that person. I can not get them open and shut without assistance from my husband, which is awesome when I’m home alone with a baby. And they leak. I had a coupon to get them free and I am glad I did not spend actual money on them because I got rid of them.

10.) Big Equipment That Isn’t Multi-Purpose – Don’t buy a high chair AND a toddler chair AND a booster seat. Buy a high chair that converts to a toddler chair and a booster seat. Don’t buy a swing and a bouncy seat. Buy a swing that converts into a bouncy seat. This means you’ll have less things taking up space in your house and when your house is covered in Duplo blocks, you will be thankful for this.

And that is the end of this series! Thanks so much for reading & sharing! Feel free to add your unloved items in the comments so everyone can learn from one another ♥

*This is all personal opinion. No one sue me, k thanks! I didn’t like these things but obviously other people do. Some affiliate links are included in case you totally decide to ignore my advice. If so, you can click the button below to read my affiliate disclosure.

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