How much of this baby-registry crap is really necessary?

[eyesroll]

There have been three births among current and former co-workers in the last month, and I've checked out some of the registries.

Dear lord.

Granted, I've never raised a newborn (and my child-rearing experience is limited to sort-of stepparenting a preschooler)...but there's just. so. much. stuff on these lists. Most of the stuff, I understand -- car seats, blankets, clothing, toys. But some of it just eludes me...DU parents, can you shed some light on the necessity of this stuff? Or is it more a "we're registering for this because it doesn't take any additional effort to do so, and if someone buys it for us that's cool" thing?

Some of the less-comprehensible-to-me items:
• A $70 bottle sterilizer, with $20 drying rack. Do bottles really need to be sterilized so often that the expense and counter space of this contraption is worth it? (Again, I've never had a baby, but I've also never found it difficult or time consuming to boil water.)
• "Baby wash." What makes this stuff different from, say, mild soap? And what makes the $15 designer bottle different from (or better than?) the $3 Johnson's bottle?
• Just how germy is a shopping cart? A restaurant high chair? Are these things germy enough to justify a $40 cart/chair cover? Especially since you can't use the thing until the child can sit up on his/her own?
• A wipe warmer. Actually, two wipe warmers. One for home and one travel model. Are room-temperature or hand-warmed wipes somehow bad for the child?

And one item that makes perfect sense -- the roll-down sun shade for the car -- still makes me wonder: Were babies just that uncomfortable prior to the advent of these things? Or is this really a "make Mom and Dad" feel better thing?

(Oh, and as an aside -- I'd recommend against registering for nipple cream, if your co-workers will be buying from the registry. That's just a little too personal, I think)

Ah well...at least the diaper bags are pretty cool -- just normal backpacks and messenger bags (with diaper pockets and leak-proof lining), rather than pink-and-blue gingham monstrosities with embroidered teddy bears.

[Mutley]

1. I don't know about the rest of that stuff...

but shopping carts are very disgusting. You really don't want to know. :scared:

[eyesroll]

6. I used to work at Kids R Us, in fact, so I've seen my share of gross carts

But a quick wipe-down seems to do the trick (instead of requiring yet another thing to carry around).

[Mutley]

9. I worked at Kids R Us, too.

Hello fellow R Us family member. :rofl:

That's actually where I saw the worst of the shopping carts.

[eyesroll]

33. "Oh, don't worry about that spill, Munchkin, the lady will clean it up."

:grr:

[gollygee]

2. I didn't use bottles but my friends who did

just used the dishwasher.

The shopping carts are really germy, but I put my daughter in them anyway and just gave her something else to chew on that wasn't so nasty.

I never used a wipe warmer. I'd just warm it in my hand for a few seconds. I heard they're fire hazards.

Baby wash is milder and doesn't make the eyes hurt if it goes in them. I used the cheap stuff.

Nipple cream is too personal? LOL

[eyesroll]

4. I suppose I'm seeing nipple cream as too personal based on the person

who registered for it. :D

[Coventina]

3. As a kid, I would have killed for one of those roll-down shades

I have a lot of memories of misery in the back seat with the sun in my eyes. We took a lot of car trips.

[Left Is Write]

8. My parents bought a van after my brother was born...

A full-size van; this was before the age of minivans, and there were five of us kids.

Anyway, after a few too many too-sunny trips, my mother sewed curtains for the van. THAT was great.

[Left Is Write]

5. I would not have registered for anything you listed.

I registered with only one of my children, and that was under duress. My MIL really wanted me to register (and she's a very generous person also).

I didn't even have or want a changing table - a bottle sterilizer (I didn't bottlefeed the two youngest anyway), wipe warmer, and other contraptions would have been too much stuff for me.

Diaper bags are definitely cooler these days than they used to be.

My indulgence was a nice, heirloom-quality wooden high chair.

[miss_american_pie]

7. My two cents for what it's worth

I didn't use bottles, so I'm not sure about all that.

We use the $3 Johnson's.

I love the shopping cart cover. It sucks to have a baby get sick every week from the shopping cart germs. And sicne my kids were big, they outgrew the car seat carrier before they were able to sit up really well on their own and that cover helped cushion them in the cart.

Wipe warmers rock. You do not want to change a baby boy's diaper with a cold wipe in the middle of the night if you don't have to.

Some babies will scream if the sun is in their eyes. They probably weren't necessary before kids had to be strapped in a carseat facing backward for a year.

[eyesroll]

16. Hm...I didn't think about the cushion function. And good point about

the rear-facing car seat. I was born in '75, my sister in '78. and while I remember my baby sister in a car seat, I don't remember which way it faced.

[RubyDuby in GA]

10. As someone who just registered for all this kind of stuff and is due

on June 12th, I can tell you that I registered for each of those things and I only registered for them because I will use them. You don't realize just what kinds of crap you'll need until you're in that situation.

On a side note, I totally did not register for the nipple cream. What the hell were they thinking?

[eyesroll]

13. Fair enough...like I said, I've never been there.

Lord knows people would look at, say, my kitchen and wonder what I do with all the crap I use in there. (That's probably why I can't see getting a bottle sterilizer -- there's no room on the counter. :D)

Best wishes to you, BTW. :-)

And as for the nipple cream, I can muster two hypotheses...

1. They got scanner happy.
2. The dad registered for it, thinking it would be funny.

[RubyDuby in GA]

24. thanks!

I can see your two hypotheses, but I mean seriously...have they no shame???

I'm going to lay this one on the dad. There were numerous things in the store that my husband thought was hilarious until he got "that look" from me and let it go :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. apparently none of it. I have two children that have managed to survive

past infancy without any of the necessities listed above...

I have never filled out a registry wedding, baby or otherwise...
It's amazing how far I've come. ;)

Although wielding those little scanner things looks like fun. :hi:

[AirmensMom]

14. I agree with you, MrsG.

I've never filled out any registry either.

I'm showing my age here, but we managed with very little when our kids were babies. They wore cotton diapers and I wiped their butts with cotton washcloths rinsed in warm water. We did have a car seat, though, and the car windows were tinted.

:hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. Hey! Me Too! Only because I was dirt poor in 1990 when my daughter

was born and could only afford to wash and reuse everything. My son was a foray into the "modern". ;)

[AirmensMom]

21. We were dirt poor, too.

We borrowed baby clothes from a friend ... didn't have a darn thing! And we had to bottle-feed her b/c I was really sick. Even if we could have afforded disposable diapers, they gave her a nasty rash. We never used a playpen, didn't have a changing table (a towel on the rug worked just fine) ... you know how it was.

Our grandson had every trapping available. Then our daughter told us she was surprised she had wasted so much money on all that stuff.

[eyesroll]

18. I did a wedding registry, because I was expected to.

One of our registries was at a local home/garden shop (because my co-workers told me I HAD to register there, and they threw me a work shower), and we had to write down items and SKUs by hand.

As for a baby registry...not that I'm planning on it anytime soon...but I don't know whether I'd register or not. Assuming the baby daddy would be my current SO -- J's got a lot of stuff left over from his daughter, and short of a recall or damage during moving or storage, there's no reason a baby can't use a three-year-old, hand-me-down crib and high chair.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. There was a 8 year gap between my daughter and son.

Our relatives threw a surprise shower for us because I had gotten rid of everything thinking I was done. Ooops. :)

You are absolutely correct. We had a beautiful crib for my son and my brother was thrilled to receive it for Jacob.

[dolo amber]

12. I had like 5 bottles, a brush, and some dish soap

I never used any sort of sterilizing anything. Kids need to be exposed to germs. Their bums got wiped with room temperature wipes.

I will cop to having the sun shade though and yes, in Ruby's case anyway it was a necessity. She would wail like a banshee if we were riding around and the sun was in her face.

Are these first-time moms? That might have something to do with it...the newness, the gadgets, laboring under the false impression they *need* all this crap. After they realize most of this stuff is far more burdensome to deal with than just doin' it ol' school, the next kid they have will get stuff from the dollar store. :D

[eyesroll]

20. I think my dad got a sun shade when we were older, for road trips

It did keep the whining down.

J doesn't have one in this car.

H: "The sun is in my eyes."
J: "So don't look at the sun."
H: "Okay."

All three are, indeed, first-timers, so that may have something to do with it. (It also seems one of them registered for EVERYTHING that kid will need for the next three years, forgetting that the stores will still be there tomorrow.)

I can tell my dad is getting into first-time-sorta-grandpa mode, since we have to remind him that H does speak English, not whatever toddlerspeak my dad's attempting.

[DS1]

15. If women would just keep their mouths shut during delivery, none of

this stuff would be necessary/

/The Cruise

[eyesroll]

22. I wonder if you can register for a placenta fryer.

:scared:

[DS1]

30. Why pay for something you can have for free?

[lildreamer316]

23. Here you go:

1)there are plenty of cheaper sterilzers if you really have to buy them one; but my baby is 2 and we never had one.'s all good;I'd say this is pretty much unneccessary. The drying rack by itself; however, my be useful sometime.......but there are cheaper ones. Depends on how many bottles they go through; and how busy they are.
2)The Johnson's stuff is great. Sometimes I buy the more expensive stuff for a treat for my little one, but I use coupons.......
3)Again; there are cheaper covers for the high chair and shopping cart. and I do believe there is one that does both; but I'm not sure. Um; again; I personally have never used these; just a sanatizing wipe.......he's not dead yet!
4) I LOVED my wipe warmer!!!! Sorry to tell ya; this thing was a godsend; my baby was born two days before christmas. The newer versions are safer; but I got mine at Goodwill for 4 dollars and it was perfectly fine.

Oh; and the diaper genie is pretty cool too; although the other brands have better ones and the whole idea needs some improvement in general. A greener version would be an improvement.

Probably too much info for the fact you just wanted to rant; sorry.

[eyesroll]

25. Thanks for the info!

I got a diaper genie when I was 19, for a friend, and she loved it, but said the only problem was that it stank to high heaven when it was time to empty it.


Strange...my friend's baby (who was born in November '04) loves cold wipes. He yelps, but smiles and giggles. I guess all kids have their quirks. :D

[Ravenseye]

42. Our Diaper Genie sucked

It was much more difficult to effectively use than the Diaper Champ which we now have, and it eventually broke.

Diaper Champ much better.

[tigereye]

26. hmmm

• A $70 bottle sterilizer, with $20 drying rack. /We just put em in the dishwasher. Kid seems fine.

• "Baby wash." What makes this stuff different from, say, mild soap? /we used the Johnsons....no harm done.

• Just how germy is a shopping cart?/ I've actually read that exposure to germs means a better immune system for kids and fewer colds and illnesses. This obsession with germs seems pathological and foolish to me.

• A wipe warmer. Actually, two wipe warmers. One for home and one travel model. / My husband used to warm them on his arm since they are kinda cold.


yup, I'd say that was extreme. ;) I like the idea of baby slings and carriers and all that good stuff, though.

[eyesroll]

27. I like the slings...heck, I'd like one for H if she wasn't 38 pounds and

wiggly. It'd be easier to keep track of her in a crowd. :D

[tigereye]

35. mine outgrew it pretty quick

he was pretty big. Once he started walking he wanted no part of stroller or carrier or anything like that.

What, no leash? j/k

[Bridget Burke]

28. That's why all the baby stuff takes more room than the baby!

People here have pointed out that of these items are useful. Let's hope the registries are also used by close relatives & friends of the parents--these folks might really want to supply the big-ticket items.

Let's hope the lists also included some cheaper stuff.

[eyesroll]

31. It did...the nipple cream was $4! :D

Actually, it's not so much that the registry included big-ticket items (car seats, strollers, cribs), but that so much of it seemed like clutter. (Again, I think to my apartment, and wonder where we'd put any of this.)

[radwriter0555]

29. NONE of it. Absolutely NONE. It's all marketing and BS uber consumerism

at a woman's weakest.

My daughter managed just fine without a bottle warmer, a changing table, a bassinet, baby wash, baby shampoo, baby towels, a huge buggy, any of it.

We borrowed a crib, and she slept in a basket next to my bed when she was itty bitty tiny.

What the hell is nipple cream? A & D ointment works great.


It's just a big marketing racket.

[eyesroll]

32. I think I'm realizing my problem with some of this stuff -- it's designed

for one function only. (See: Alton Brown's take on "unitaskers.")

A bottle warmer only warms bottles, whereas placing a bottle in water microwaved or warmed on the stove doesn't require anything you don't already have.

[radwriter0555]

34. Yes, my entire life is multi-functional. I can't stand redundancy.

It's inefficient and a waste of money, space and time.

I can't STAND clutter and crap on the counters. I like things organized, in their place and clean.

The less I have to clean, the better.

[Left Is Write]

38. Lansinoh...

Frankly, I loved the stuff during the first eight weeks of my 6-year-old's life; she had a poor latch, and I was sore and miserable. After that, I never needed any more Lansinoh with her or her younger brother.

I'm the only person I know IRL who did not want or have a changing table. Changing tables are awkward for me, and I've never liked them. I'd rather change diapers on the floor or a bed.

[LaraMN]

36. Heh! New parents...

I sterilized bottles in the dishwasaher, or in a pan of boiling water on the stove.

Plain old three dollar baby wash works just fine. They're gonna puke on themselves ten seconds after you bathe them, anyway.

I had a wipe warmer. It periodically browned the wipes, and took up precious changing-table space. My four year old uses it for a jewelry box, now.

[LibertyLover]

37. I managed to skip most of the baby stuff

because we adopted and our little girl was 16 months old when we brought her home. I honestly think that much of is marketed for babies and toddlers today is just an excuse to guilt parents, family and friends into buying stuff they don't need. I will admit however that we recently tried Pediacare's nightlight and soothing vapors combination when the kidlet had her annual cold - it really did seem to help her sleep through the night. I can also definately see that a warm wipe on a male rather than a cold one is a good idea. And I really like modern backpack diaper bags. We are out of diapers now and only use a protective panty at night because the kid still sleeps very soundly, so we don't use it as much, but when we were doing the diaper thing, it was great.

[LeftyMom]

39. I managed to raise a kid with none of that crap

Here's what they really need:

-Some onesies and a few sleepers, in newborn and a few sizes up so they don't have to run to the store right away.
-Some gentle baby soap and soft washcloths. I'd go with the stuff at the health food store over Gerber, because it's gentler.
-Diapers. Either some newborn fitteds and covers or a few packs of disposables if they're going that route. Or a diaper service subscription.
-A baby carrier. Either a sling (I like the maya wrap style) or a baby bjorn works best. It's a lifesaver if the kid has colic. Also great for feeding, since she apparently wants to nurse.
-A really kick-ass carseat (this is the one thing where a lot of money really should be spent.) I'd either get a Grago Safeseat infant carrier model or start out with a Britax Boulevard convertible, because both will last longer than other seats in thier category.
-A stroller is the other thing not to cheap out on. I'd go with a McLaren or Peg Perego, the others really don't hold up as well.

BTW, the roll-down shades are a safety hazard should they hit the kid in an accident. A stick-on shade (basicly a piece of window tint) is safer and usually cheaper to boot. An infant seat will have a built in shade, though.

[El Fuego]

40. Just ignore the register and buy what you want

That's what I do, because I cannot stand being in a Babies R Us.

[Cathyclysmic]

41. I took a poll at work...

The baby wipe warmer is absurd. Now I realize being a first time mom(I'm assuming, by this list) is scary...but buying this crap will not make it easier. Go slap that mom for me, will you?

On edit...about the nipple cream. A co-worker of mine says they give you nipple cream in the hospital. Now you know.

[electron_blue]

43. Okay, I loved the wipe warmer & the cream

but you're right - I got all the cream I needed from the hospital. It was wonderful. Still, I'd be too embarrassed to register for either the wipe warmer or the cream. If I *did* register, I'd probably register for boppy pillows, Maya wraps, baby clothes, monitors, breast pump and diapers. The various diaper genies everyone gave us were worthless. Mostly, though, I'd be too embarrassed to do a baby register, period.

[evlbstrd]

44. Why, when my kids were little,

we didn't have, use or need any of that crap. Most of it wasn't even available. Kids are treated like porcelain.