Nursey Non-Sense: Too Many Baby Products Are Unneeded

From the moment you find out you are pregnant, you begin to dream about your child and their life to come. You plan out all of the little details, consider hundreds of names, make monthly trips to the doctor. But among all of these things is a very daunting task, one larger than most others: Setting up the nursery. In most cases hours will be spent painting, assembling, decorating and perfecting. In the end, it's a babies dreamland. But have you ever stopped to think of the practicality of some of the things in the room? Here are three things that made my list of unneeded baby products.

The Changing Table

Ask any seasoned parent what piece of equipment they could have easily done without, and the majority will answer the changing table. It's an easy sale, seeing how it usually matches the adorable crib you have picked out, and is on top of shelves or cabinets to store things that won't fit elsewhere. But in all reality, will you ever use this nursery addition? Chances are you will, although you quickly find it a pain, and not worth all the effort. It's an uncomfortable feeling to have a squirming baby on top of a table, even if they are strapped down. And its also a bit awkward to change a diaper standing next to baby, we'll leave that to the times when we have to change a diaper on a changing table in a public bathroom. In our house, the diaper changes quickly moved from the table to a folded blanket on the floor. Much more comfortable and in my mind, safe. Next time, we will be skipping the changing table.

The Diaper Genie

So many guarantees that babies diapers won't stink up the house, won't fill up your trash can. The Genie and like products seem like great products, something every parent should have, but do they really work as well as most buyers expect? According to most parents, they don't. Although you may be successful with getting the genie to properly wrap the diaper, the fact is the smell manages to escape even the tight twist in the bag. Another issue was the cost of the "special liner". After a while, purchasing these on top of your normal garbage bag supply adds up. Most parents recommend just using the trash can. Easier and less expensive.

The Bassinet

Although I will admit my child did actual use her bassinet twice, to me that isn't enough to justify the amount of money we spent on it. We went all out - picked out the perfect one, with vibrations for baby to fall asleep, soft music to calm her, and a nightlight to see in the dark without waking her. But all in all, it was a waste of money. First off, the size would be the biggest issue. My daughter outgrew hers before 3 months, not that she slept in it much before then anyways. The vibrations stopped after 5 minutes, which was well before she was in a deep enough sleep to stay in dreamland, so that left one of us in the room, waiting for the vibrator to stop so we could quickly restart it. She usually woke up slightly at the pause, so we would spend close to an hour doing this every night, and then she wouldn't end up sleeping in it anyways. The nightlight was fine, and we used it a few times, and the music was not a nuisance. Just didn't do anything a CD player couldn't have done. If you are going to spend money on something you want baby to sleep in, something smaller then a crib and may fit into your room, spend it on a co-sleeper or a playpen. A co-sleeper is a much better way to get your baby to sleep, and a playpen can be used well into toddler hood.

So, while there are many products aimed at newborns and their families, this short list goes to show that some things aren't what they seem. When setting up your babies nursery, or shopping for a new arrival, remember to think practically about the product you are buying. Just because it's on the shelf doesn't mean it is always useful!