I recently had my second child. I live in a 4 bedroom house, so it’s not small, but let me just tell you – it feels that way with the amount of toys, dirty diapers, swings, burp cloths, swaddles and, oh yeah, kids I have lying around. When you’re home with a new baby, cleaning and decluttering become paramount. Pointless since I have an almost 3-year-old who destroys the house in 30 seconds flat, but paramount nonetheless. So, in an effort to help you keep your home a little less cluttered too, here is what you don’t need for baby.
Blankets
I’m not saying don’t register for any blankets, but you will likely end up with way too many blankets and quilts. We had them gifted to us, plus I think we ended up with four or five handmade quilts. My son is almost three and still doesn’t sleep with a blanket. All he sleeps with is a lovey blanket which – FYI new parents – is a Godsend! Not all kids are into them, but mine is. I had no idea what these things were before I became a parent, but they are my son’s WORLD. It’s most likely the reason we were able to take his pacifier away as early as we did. He never missed it, but I’m pretty sure he’ll want his lovey ’til he’s in college. Not sure what that’ll do for his dating life, but for now it’s great.
Bibs
Someone told me to register for a lot of bibs. First of all, getting kids to wear any bib can be hard. Traditional bibs, to me, aren’t the best choice. They need to be laundered after every meal and I don’t have time for that. We use one… I repeat ONE bib for my son. With something like this you wipe it off after each meal and you’re done. For drooling, bandana bibs seem like the best choice for catching the drool that seems to never stop coming.
Newborn clothes
I’m not saying don’t get any newborn clothes, but they will be in 0-3 months size in no time and quickly jump to 3-6. Ruffly, poofy, embroidered, bow tie ensembles are adorable for pictures, but since we can’t take babies out in the world until after they’re vaccinated, don’t stress about it. Or borrow or buy clothing second hand! FYI: My son never wore newborn clothes and barely wore 0-3 or 3-6 month clothes. It wasn’t until 6 months that I thought he really started getting some wear out of his clothes.
Books
Again, I’m not saying don’t buy your kid books, but you will likely get SO many. Just buy the ones you really think you’ll need or if they have sentimental value. As a baby my son loved this book series and continues to like them today.
The Bumbo Seat
We registered for this, but barely used it at all since the leg space wasn’t big enough for my son’s thighs. They grow so quickly and he was getting stuck. So it’s either slather his legs in butter and hope for the best or invest in this instead. If you can borrow a bumbo from a buddy or buy one for cheap on craigslist, then give it a try!
So what DO you need for baby?
I’ll keep this simple.
- Something to eat: formula if you need it and/or breast pump and bottles.
- Something to wear: diapers and footed pajamas. Zippers are best. Reversible zippers are even better. Plus wipes.
- A car seat: no explanation needed.
- Some place to sleep: I borrowed a bassinet from my friend to save money.
- Patience: I haven’t heard of any I can borrow from a friend, but please let me know if you have extra to spare.
What items did you get for your baby that you realized you don’t need? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
You do not need a breast pump and bottles to breastfeed. In fact those are more likely to get in the way of successful breastfeeding. You also don’t strictly need diapers or wipes. Plenty of babies around the world do without. A bassinet is also unnecessary. Most humans since the dawn of time and even today, except in Western countries, sleep like all other mammals do–with their mama.
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