6 Baby Products You Don't Need To Buy

November 19, 2010, By 57 comments

6 Baby Products You Don't Need To Buy

Congratulations, you’re having a baby. Now before you and the missus go hog wild setting up the nursery and getting cribs built and paint colors chosen, sit down and actually think about what it is you need.

It’s a baby, that’s all.

Lots of people want you to believe you need a grocery list of accessories to get the job done, but babies are actually not very fussy and don’t require much. Trust me, I know.

Her are six things everyone will tell you that you need, but really don’t.

1. Diaper Genie - It’s basically a litter box for your kid’s bedroom that you don’t need. It’s VERY easy when you’re done to wrap it up and toss it in a garbage can in the bathroom or, if it’s ultra toxic waste, roll it out into the bin in the garage. It gets even better once they’re past the “tar” stage. You can roll out the clumps into the toilet and toss the rest of the diaper in any can - no smell.

2. Wipe Warmer - We keep the wipes in the top drawer of our change table, not in the fridge. They’re room temperature, just like everything else in the house - including your baby’s butt. Do you pre-warm your toilet paper? Wipes are baby toilet paper, room temperature is fine.

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Comments (57):

Molly A. I totally disagree with the first 2 items. I have twin girls and the Diaper Genie works great and totally hides the smell. The wipe warmer is the best thing ever! My babies definitely like the warmer wipes rather than the cold ones. I would highly recommend giving a wipe warmer as a shower gift. - 10/21/2011
Beth L. As for smelly diapers- as soon as the baby's poo became more of a solid consistency, I started emptying the diaper contents into the toilet. Wrap diaper up, put it in trash, no smell (or at least not nearly as bad as a full diaper). Before that, being breast fed it really didn't smell bad. - 10/01/2011
Diane K. I don't agree with you 100%. First of all, wipes should be warm. They are more comfortable for the baby, just as they are for the adults we use them on in the hospital. Second, instead of disposable diapers, why not reusable diapers. Saves money and is good for the planet. - 09/30/2011
Tina B. There are so many unnecessary items - baby stores (Babies R Us, etc.) are chock full of crap that you don't need. It's a complete racket. A wipe warmer is ridiculous - how many times are you going to change your baby when you are not at home? Are you going to take a portable wipe warmer with you wherever you go? Doubtful. The designer diaper bag - agreed - not necessary. A bag of some sort (we used a backpack for our twins) is useful with a changing pad. The Diaper Genie - could take or leave that - handy iniitally - but once the diapers get beyond "newborn" stage, it's more annoying than anything else. The Boppy - also ridiculous - regular pillows work even better. Bottle sterilizers - just use the dishwasher. Covers for shopping cart seats - dumb, you just end up taking the crap on the cart home with you. Better - just wipe off the handle where your little one(s) will inevitably put their mouths. One thing that we found that is a definite necessity, however, is found at Home Depot...Blue Tape - the type for painting. Use that to affix to the table, the paper coloring placemats that restaurants hand out to keep kids entertained. Saves the adults from having to continuously pick them up off the floor. LIFESAVER! - 09/28/2011
Pamela S. I agree with the person(s) who said "it depends on your situation," because it really does. A person does need some kind of backpack or diaper bag, but not an expensive designer bag, to carry the various items needed for the baby. However, if a loving group like "the soccer team" gave a designer diaper bag, use it and enjoy it!! Also, if you do use bottles for feeding, the dishwasher is just fine when they need cleaning or hot soapy water. If you use formula, the best advice given to me was to use the dry baby food and carry it in one of those small plastic containers. It was cheaper that way. A diaper genie is good, however, after the first six months we just started placing the soiled diapers in the lined trash can and when it was full out the door it went. Did not have a wipe warmer. We traveled quite a bit with our young one when she was a baby and two of the best items for us was some kind of light weight stroller and a "pack and play". My husband always was saying whoever gave us the "pack and play" gave us the best gift. Our baby did not sleep with us, because we wanted to make sure we didn't roll over on the baby. So, again it really depends on a family's situation. The best thing to remember is to enjoy each moment, because those moments fly by very fast! And don't sweat the small stuff!! - 09/25/2011
Sarah M. I hated my diaper genie and also thought the wipe warmer was useless. It dried out the wipes and became wasteful. I think I used it for the first week and that was it. As far as the diaper bag I agree you don't need an expensive one but a bag of some sort is definitely a necessity! My favorite one was the one I got from the hospital because it had lots of outer and inner pockets to stash things, and it had a separate zippered area that I used as my purse so I didn't have to carry an extra bag. - 09/08/2011
Bob S. Does anybody proofread this stuff? Who decides this pap is noteworthy? If a baby’s body is at room temperature, something is very wrong. Either the room is close to 100° which could be child abuse or the baby is stone cold and likely dead. Not that a wipe warmer is needed. Not even the wipes are necessary. A wash cloth or paper towel run under hot water works just fine for a final wipe. And how does the author say a diaper bag is not necessary, and then turn around and say he has a diaper bag? True, his is a back pack. But having a bag of whatever type or size is critical so a parent can run out the door and know he has the necessities on hand. Those necessities will vary depending on whether it’s going to be a quick trip to the store or an all day outing but unless he has very big pockets, a diaper bag in whatever form is a must have. Oh, and a special back of the hand to the author for outing his ungrateful self for demeaning the gift his wife’s soccer team’s gave. Hope he already has everything he needs for the next kid because the smart ones will forget to contribute the next time around. - 09/03/2011

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