Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Take it or leave it

Awhile ago, my dear friend Chloe at My New Life as a Housewife asked me to write up a post on what items we found we didn't need after Aubrey arrived and which items we can't live without.   It's funny how you think certain items are SO important when registering, but when the little one arrives, you hardly even look at it, let alone use it.  So I'm going to break this down into two posts.  This one will be on items we got but totally don't need:


1.  Diaper stacker  - we have this cloth organizer that we have hung on her closet door where we are supposed to store our diapers. It's cute, and it matches the items in the nursery perfectly.  When Aubrey was first born, I diligently took the diapers out of the package and stacked them in there, but that got old.  I could hardly keep up with the amount of diapers she went through, and the last thing I wanted to do in the middle of the night was get a diaper from that thing.  So I have the plastic sleeve out of the package sitting on the changing table so I can just grab one in the middle of the night.  I haven't used that diaper stacker hardly ever.


2.  Big, fluffy blankets - We didn't really ask for these or register for them, but everyone gave us a nice, soft blanket.  The big ones, not the kind you use to swaddle.  They're so wonderfully soft, and honestly, I would love to cozy up with one of them and do that from time to time.  However, Aubrey really has no use for them.  You can't really put them in the crib for the SIDS risk, and they're not helpful in swaddling.  I much prefer the receiving blankets.  They're so much easier to manage and take with you, and they are perfect for covering her in the car seat or swaddling.  The others just sit in a bin in her room collecting dust.  Who knows?  Maybe as she gets older she'll get more use from them, but not right now. 


3.  Stuffed animals - I know these are well-intended, but a newborn has no use for those.  Or the toys that are given.  She's only just now noticing things, but she has so many stuffed animals I have nowhere to put them.  Again, with the SIDS risk, they're not to be put in the crib so they just sit. 


4.  Dresses and hand-knitted sweaters - We got SO many of these.  I hung them carefully in her closet, thinking she'd wear them, but honestly, just recently I went through her newborn clothes and put them away, and I was so sad at how many items she never ever wore, especially these items.  I find the sweaters hard to dress them in anyway because they're too bulky when you're trying to strap the kiddo in the car seat.  Plus, babies spit up.  You need something that's easy to clean, not something that is dry-clean only. 


5.  Hamper for nursery - This might be just me, and others might use theirs but Aubrey's clothes usually just get tossed in with our laundry.  She has this adorable hamper in her room, but we never use it.  It looks cute, though!  Maybe as she gets older, but right now, with how much laundry she has, I don't have time to do more loads of laundry than I already do now. 


6.  Mobile - We have one of these in her crib to match the other decorations in her room, but I'm not sure how much she even notices it.  She spends her days at daycare, and when she goes to sleep at night, I'm not sure even looks at it.  On weekends, we are bad parents and let her sleep in her bouncy seat or really wherever she happens to fall asleep.  So she doesn't see much of it during the day, and honestly, mobiles are pretty pricey.  I'm not sure if this purchase was a necessity. 


I'm sure there are others I should be listing, but these are the main ones that come to mind.  I'm not saying that this is a universal thing.  Some people out there may use one or more of these items.  But T and I didn't really find much use for them.  I hope this helps, Chloe!  Or anyone else who is expecting or planning for a baby.  I'll be back soon with the items we can't live without!



7 comments:

  1. I totally agree although I think you will eventually find use for at least a few blankets and the hamper is a must to grow into too. Someday sooner then you realize that little pipsqueak will be tossing her clothes all over her room and you will encourage her to use it. Or you will at least round up the dirties and throw them in there. It's not to say I do a separate load for the girls I just like the laundry basket to gather it all in :) My least favorite was the hand knitted sweaters, they always look awkward and you get this extra guilt when you don't want to use them because someone slaved away making it for you, ugh! Oh and I HATE stuffed animals! Everyone gets the kids one, then they are all "special" just more clutter in my mind. I'm constantly trying to downsize them.

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  2. That's so interesting - I love reading lists of the things you end up not needing!

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  3. Thanks for writing this up! I love reading what people say they needed and didn't need, especially now that my little girl will be here soon :)

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  4. We didn't get too many things that we haven't used, but I think the crib set (fitted sheet, bumpers, blanket) was pretty useless, besides the sheet. We don't used the bumpers or the blanket, but I think the blanket will get some use when she's bigger. Also, everyone says you need a Boppy nursing pillow, but I never used it when I was nursing. Now, the Boppy newborn lounger, that was a lifesaver!

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  5. Funny how I never used these items I got, same as you, but everything except for the mobile got used by Sprite when she became older. The pretty unusable clothes actually became a wardrobe for a teddy bear and the rest of the items were pulled into other uses like the diaper organizer for her figurines. That became TinkerBell's hide out until she busted the bottom panel. :-)

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  6. We had a mobile, but it was almost never used--the baby only slept in the crib at night and the rest of the time he was with me. Thankfully we were given the one we had.
    I used a basket for the baby laundry--then I could just throw a load in when it got full. But then I do laundry for us about every two weeks so baby laundry got done more frequently.

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  7. Save the stuffed animals, they will definitely get played with in a few years. I still have a HUGE box of Jude's baby blankets, half of which we never used. I keep thinking I should find some fabulous craft project for them, like a quilt or something. But some of them are crocheted, and I can't imagine how I'd sew that into a quilt!

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