5 things you don’t need for a new baby

With all the information out there insisting parents need so much stuff, here’s a list of things you don’t need for a new baby.

Here’s the thing about parenting: only you can decide what’s right for your family. There are so many voices out there and they’re all eager to explain to you why their point of view is the best point of view.

But here’s the other thing about parenting: you can quickly become overwhelmed by the

Things You Don’t Need For a New Baby

shoes

Tiny babies and cute shoes don’t mix. Not only is it nearly impossible to find shoes small enough to fit a newborn, but the shoes rarely stay on, either (I guess that’s because they’re often too big). Baby feet are unnaturally skinny and they just aren’t meant to wear shoes.

In my opinion, until your baby begins to walk, shoes are superfluous. With all the adorable socks, leg warmers, and booties available, shoes that will fall off- or be pulled off by baby- are an unnecessary purchase.

cute newborn-size outfits

Here’s the thing about newborn size clothes: many babies don’t even need them, ever. And for the ones that do, it’s a brief period of time when baby is still so fresh that you aren’t really leaving the house anyway. That means those frilly dresses and denim overalls are wasted on pretty much everyone except your Instagram followers.

While I definitely think splurging on an adorable coming-home-from-the-hospital outfit is a fun idea, the rest of your newborn clothes might as well be onesies and sleepers, if you buy any at all. Save the cutest clothes for size 0-3 months and up.

toys

Sure, it’s fun to buy toys for baby, especially when you want her to have things to “open” on Christmas. But, speaking from my own experience, toys are not a necessity until baby is closer to a year old. For the first several months, babies are mostly content checking out their new world, especially if they have a mobile above their swing or bed, or if they spend time on a play mat.

Once they become more mobile, babies are fascinated with whatever they can get their hands on. For mine, even when they had access to toys, household items like kitchen spatulas, washcloths, and plastic cups were much more interesting. This is especially true if your baby has older siblings. When my daughter was an infant- and even now, when she’s three- big brother’s toys were far more appealing than any of her own. She instinctively knew what things were his and those were the toys she went after.

all the baby holders

When it comes to places to put your baby, there are plenty: bumbos, swings, bouncer seats, boppys, cribs, play yards, plus a few options I’ve probably never heard of. Not to mention the arms of you, your spouse, siblings- both yours and the baby’s- grandparents, friends, etc. You get the picture. When you’re not holding baby, there’s an endless supply of alternatives.

You don’t need them all. Of course you need a few options, and it’s up to you to decide what choices your space and preferences allow. But you don’t need all the possible baby-holding mechanisms. Do some research, get recommendations from trusted friends and family, and buy the few options that you feel will get the most use in your household.

baby bath gear

If the baby aisles at Target are to be believed, babies require their own special washcloths, towels, robes, loofahs, tubs, and toys, all just to be bathed. That’s not true.

The truth is, grown-up cloths and towels work just as well, the kitchen sink is perfect for bathing baby until he can sit up, and I promise you he won’t be scarred later in life because you didn’t provide a loofah, tub toys, or a bathrobe to your six-month old (although, yes, you can see my the photo that I did in fact get my six-month old a bathrobe, and I’m thinking that might be the part that scars him).

The one part that Target got right in the baby bath aisle is the shampoo and body wash. Baby really does need his own, so go ahead and spring for an all-in-one no tears version.

I realize there are a lot of baby items, like wipe warmers and swaddlers, that many parents would agree are unnecessary. My goal in writing this post was to identify five things that many parents, especially first-timers, might not think about not buying.

What do you think of this list? What did I leave out? What did I include that you disagree with?

Don’y miss my list of what you really need for a new baby.

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