When Ellie was born five years ago, I walked into every baby store like it was my job. The perfectly staged displays, the Instagram-worthy nursery setups, the promises that this specific gadget would make my life so much easier… I bought into all of it.
Fast forward two years to when I was pregnant with Milo, and I had a completely different mindset. I knew what actually worked and what ended up gathering dust in the garage next to Matt’s tools.
By then, I’d learned that babies need surprisingly little, and that most of the “must-haves” on those registry checklists are really just nice-to-haves. Or in some cases, never-use-at-alls.
So if you’re staring down a baby registry right now feeling overwhelmed, or if you’re a second-time parent wondering what you can skip this round, this one’s for you.
1) The fancy diaper pail with special refills
I’ll be honest, when I was pregnant with Ellie, I registered for one of those diaper disposal systems that required proprietary refill cartridges. It seemed genius at the time. You’d twist the dirty diaper into its own little sealed compartment, and supposedly the smell would just disappear.
The reality? We spent a fortune on those refills. They ran out constantly, and when we forgot to order them in time, the whole system became useless. By the time Milo came along, we’d switched to a simple pedal bin with biodegradable bags, and it worked just as well for a fraction of the cost.
Your nose adjusts faster than you think, and honestly, taking diapers straight to the outside bin every evening became part of our routine anyway.
2) Wipe warmer
This purchase still makes me laugh a little. I genuinely thought Ellie would be traumatized by cold wipes on her delicate skin. So I bought a wipe warmer and kept it plugged in on the changing table for exactly three weeks.
Here’s what I learned: babies don’t actually care about room-temperature wipes. And creating an environment where your baby only accepts warm wipes becomes a problem the first time you need to change them anywhere else.
Plus, as parenting experts have noted, keeping wipes warm and moist creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria… not exactly what you want near your baby’s skin.
With Milo, I never even considered it. Room temperature wipes from day one, and he’s been perfectly fine.
3) Newborn shoes
They’re adorable. I’ll give you that. Those tiny little sneakers and mary janes are impossibly cute, and I bought way too many pairs for Ellie.
She wore exactly zero of them.
The American Podiatric Medical Association actually recommends keeping babies’ feet unrestricted during their first year because it supports natural development. As researchers note, shoes and booties can inhibit normal growth and movement in infant feet.
With Milo, I stuck to soft-soled moccasins for special occasions and otherwise let his feet be free. He didn’t walk until he was ready, and when he did, we invested in one good pair of first walking shoes. That’s it.
4) Specialty baby detergent
I used to buy the expensive baby-specific laundry detergent, thinking regular detergent would irritate Ellie’s sensitive skin. Then one afternoon at the farmers’ market, another mom mentioned she just used free-and-clear detergent for the whole family.
Game changer.
You don’t need a separate baby detergent. Any fragrance-free, dye-free option works perfectly fine and costs significantly less. Plus, you can throw everyone’s laundry in together instead of doing separate loads, which saved my sanity during those early exhausted weeks with a newborn.
When we transitioned to more natural living after Ellie’s eczema flare-up, I started making my own laundry soap with washing soda and castile soap. But even before that, regular free-and-clear detergent worked great.
5) The elaborate baby swing
We received a fancy motorized swing as a gift for Ellie. It had multiple speed settings, nature sounds, a mobile… the works. It took up half our living room.
Ellie tolerated it for maybe two weeks, then decided she hated it. Every time we’d put her in, she’d cry within minutes. Meanwhile, a simple bouncer we’d picked up secondhand became her favorite spot.
By the time Milo arrived, I knew better than to count on any specific piece of gear. Some babies love swings; others don’t. We borrowed a bouncer from our babysitting co-op and let him decide what he liked. Turns out he preferred being worn in our ring sling anyway.
The lesson? Wait and see what your actual baby needs rather than buying everything in advance.
6) A mountain of newborn clothes
This might be the biggest mistake I made with Ellie. I bought and received so many cute newborn outfits—tiny jeans, little dresses, coordinated sets with matching hats.
Most of them never got worn. Ellie lived in sleepers for the first three months, maybe longer. They were practical, easy for diaper changes, and comfortable for her. Plus, babies grow so fast that she was in 0-3 month sizes within weeks.
With Milo, I kept exactly five newborn sleepers on hand and a handful of 0-3 month options. Everything else I borrowed or bought secondhand as needed. Our local Buy Nothing group became my best friend for outgrown baby clothes.
Now when friends ask what to buy for new babies, I always suggest sleepers in the next size up. Those actually get used.
7) Bottle warmer
Since I breastfed both kids, we only occasionally needed bottles. When I was out teaching art classes at the community center and Matt gave Milo expressed milk, he’d just run the bottle under warm tap water for a minute.
That’s it. That’s the whole system.
A bottle warmer takes up counter space and requires cleaning. Warm water from the tap works immediately and costs nothing. Even for parents who bottle-feed full-time, most find that room-temperature bottles are perfectly acceptable once baby adjusts to them.
8) Baby food maker
I had grand visions of making all of Ellie’s baby food from our garden vegetables. I registered for a specialized baby food maker that would steam and puree everything perfectly.
I used it maybe four times.
Turns out, a regular steamer basket and a basic blender (or even just a fork for soft foods) work exactly the same. And honestly, by the time both kids were ready for solids, we were doing more baby-led weaning anyway… offering them soft pieces of what we were already eating rather than pureeing everything separately.
The baby food maker collected dust while our hand-me-down blender got daily use making smoothies, soups, and the occasional batch of baby puree when needed.
Conclusion
Looking back, I wish someone had told first-time-parent me that babies need far less stuff than the baby industrial complex wants you to believe. They need love, comfort, food, sleep, clean diapers, and safe places to be… that’s really the core of it.
Everything else? It’s nice if it works for your family, but it’s not essential.
When Matt and I talk about possibly having one more baby, I already know my approach would be completely different. I’d wait to buy almost everything until after the baby arrived and we could see what they actually needed. I’d borrow more, buy secondhand first, and trust my instincts over marketing claims.
The money we didn’t spend on unnecessary gear for Milo went toward our yearly camping trips and funding our garden expansion… experiences and sustainability that actually matter to our family.
If you’re preparing for your first baby, please don’t feel pressure to buy every item on those overwhelming registry checklists. Start with the absolute basics, see what your baby responds to, and add from there. You’ll save money, reduce clutter, and probably feel a lot less stressed.
And if you’re on baby number two or three? You already know. Trust what you learned the first time around, and give yourself permission to skip all the things that didn’t work… no matter how cute they looked in the store.
