Having a new baby is exciting and expensive. There are essentials that every family must buy – diapers, wipes, food, clothing and a safe place to sleep. Then there are baby gear items that companies push, claiming they will make baby happier and give mom and dad pleasure at the same time. Here are five baby gear items that cost a lot and give back very little to baby, mom or dad.
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Complex Stroller System – You can find very complex, luxurious stroller systems with an infant seat, bulky stroller, cup holders, shopping basket and more. The bells and whistles may seem nice, but the $200 + price tag is far too much for baby gear. An infant seat is a safety must have, but the stroller system is not. There are frames for infant car seats that sell for $60 or less that allow the infant car seat to snap in place to create a simple stroller.
Boppy Support Pillow – The Boppy is a huge hit with many parents. Some parents would even list the Boppy as a must have piece of baby gear. Boppy pillows sell for about $40 a piece – too much money for a simple pillow. Pull the pillows off the bed and prop them all around baby.
Warmers (Bottle and Wipe) – You have to love the fact that baby gear companies want baby to feel comfortable during a diaper change, but the wipe warmer is a piece of baby gear you simply will not use for long. Babies sleep through the night by 5 to 6 months and that wipe warmer, if it works that long, will be trashed or donated. Bottle warmers are an even worse buy. This baby gear item can take 15 to 20 minutes to warm a bottle and there are few babies willing to wait that long for a feeding.
Diaper Genie – The Diaper Genie is a ridiculous baby gear item. After shopping at the local grocery store, there are more than enough plastic bags just sitting around. Instead of trying to keep up with the expensive liners the Diaper Genie uses, why not reuse the grocery bags, tie up the poo and throw it away.
Bumbo Baby Sitter Chair – There is something wrong with a baby gear product that forces baby into a position their body is not physically ready for. The Bumbo Baby Sitter Chair support babies up to 22 pounds in a sitting position when abdominal control has not fully developed.
There is essential baby gear and outrageous baby gear. Sometimes, parents love these baby gear items or the idea of the baby gear more than baby. They say time flies when babies are growing up and that means outgrowing these expensive baby gear items very quickly.