Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Baby Registry. Part Four - Fails.

There were a few things that I registered for, got, and didn't need.  There are a few things that Babies R Us thought I should register for that I didn't see the need for.  These are the things that were/would be a waste of money for us.

1. Swing
    We have this swing in another pattern (Catalina, like my pack 'n play).  Tillie never really liked it. At all.  Some kids love swinging, but she never did.  Sometimes I wonder if I had a different swing she may have liked it better.  I've heard good things about the swings that can swing from side-to-side as well as front-to-back, like this one.  Some swings have wall plugs as well as batteries, which is another thing to look into.  (We loved the owls on our swing.  Also, it was pretty cheap.)  There are some kids who will only sleep in their swing.  Tillie did that probably all of 4 times.  I did use it often for a photo prop.  It was a good angle to lie her in to get a cute picture of her outfit.

2. Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump
    I think it's obvious why this wasn't necessary for me.  I got nothing when I tried using it.  I had heard good things about this one from my breastfeeding class.  Since I was mostly going to be staying home, I didn't think it would be necessary to get an electric pump.  I had planned on pumping just so I could go away for an afternoon or so.  Mine is packed away, with hopes of breastfeeding success with future kids.

3. Bedding Sets
    Bedding sets are adorable, but they include so many things that you can't/aren't suppose to use.  I decided that this was one major area to cut costs.  They're pretty expensive and have quilts and bumpers.  Bumpers aren't recommended due to SIDS (some people still use them, I'm just too cheap.  They're so darn cute, though!)  Quilts can't be used in bed, but some people hang them up as decoration.  Tillie's room is so tiny that wasn't an option.  I bought a plain white crib skirt and a few few coordinating sheets.  Sometimes they have diaper stackers.  Yeah, I don't think I'd take the time to move diapers to the cute hanger after about 2 months.  The only problem is that it's sometimes hard to find sheet and crib skirt separates.  I've very happy with Tillie's room now, though -- it's my favorite room in the house.

4. Crazy Diaper Pail
    We mainly use cloth diapers, so I just use a regular trashcan with a lid and a waterproof liner.  We used the same thing with a garbage bag before the switch.  Smell was never a problem.

5.  Dishwasher Basket
    This seems like a great idea in theory, but I never machine wash my bottles.  I need them again before it runs.  I finally packed the basket up with the newborn things in the attic because I was sick of it taking up space in my cupboards.  I'm sure some people love it, but it seems like most people I know hand wash bottles.  Am I wrong in that thought?

We never went overboard in our baby (gear) buying, so that's about all of our fails.  Was there anything you bought that was a total dud?  Let me know!

6 comments:

Amanda said...

It must completely depend on the baby, both of mine loved the swing (but only until about 3 months old). We did hand wash bottles when we used the drop-ins (with Jocelyn), but Addy would not use those bottles and we had to buy the Dr. Brown Bottles (that cost a small fortune for ONE bottle) and then we used the dishwasher as we were told it was more sanitary?!?

I am now wishing that I had one of the dishwasher thingys because we have lost many valves for the sippy cups to the heating element in the bottom of the dishwasher.

I did use a bumber pad, and I still use the diaper hanger.. it is TOO cute to stop using it. But thats because it hangs in our bathroom and the girls bedroom is on the 2nd floor (where NO one ever goes).

Our biggest waste of money was the pack-n-play and extras to go with it. While we have used it, we only used it once a year, when we went on vacation... still not worth it.

Unknown said...

With Anthony I had many "fails" , tried not to repeat them with Ellie, but still had a few with her. The biggest fail for us was registering for and getting the Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer. We had a dishwasher everywhere we lived, so really this was useless. Took up a TON of room as well.

Anonymous said...

We got our swing used and it is a cradle swing that goes side to side - he loves it and still uses it. He took naps in it for a few weeks, too.

I love our dishwasher baskets - but that's because I use them every night to wash my pump parts, not bottles. =) I don't use it for my bottles just because I want to fill them at night instead of in the morning.

Our only fail was the Boppy, but we got it used. Never was able to breastfeed and use it for that, and only sat him in it a few times.

Laura Ingalls wannabe said...

I had a horrible time with a manual breast pump, too. I had/have an overactive letdown, and I still couldn't get much from it. A cheap Evenflo battery-powered model works so much better for the occasional bottle for us. Just thinking about using the manual pump makes me want to cry.

Every so often I'll use our dishwasher basket to do a mass sterilization of pacifiers, but it's useless for us for bottles. We only run our dishwasher once a week, so we'd have to own tons of bottles.

(I'm probably going to steal this post idea.)

CMC said...

Love this post series!

Bummer that Tillie didn't love the swing, Harper loved hers - I don't think we would've made it out of the first couple of months without it!

Definitely agree with you about the manual pump, we got one for free at the hospital and I was like "oh great, this is perfect!" and it was such a pain! I ended up buying a double electric Ameda (which i LOVE) but by the time I got it, my supply was pretty much unrecoverable. So now I have it for baby #2.

We're about to retire the Exersaucer too. It's been sitting in the corner for a few weeks now, H has no interest in being in it anymore - she's to go, go, go these days!

Love all the pictures, that one of Tillie swaddled in the laundry basket is precious :)

Miranda said...

Fails for us included the dishwasher basket. I am old school and hand wash all bottles and sippy cups, baby wipe warmer (i never saw a point in those), convertible crib (you think you are saving money but have to pay for the extra parts to change it to a big bed). We never used a changing table. I don't have a boy but I think the Peepee Teepees are goofy. Just put on the diaper. And one thing I found useless big time was huge unwanted stuffed animals. I loved them at the hospital but come on don't go buying second hand stuffed animals by the dozen. I still throw those away.