Top 10 - Unnecessary Baby Gear

As a companion to the "best of" baby gear.  I'm sure as soon as I publish this, folks will tell me how much they loved x and couldn't live without y.  So this is just my opinion.  I'm not telling you NEVER to buy the following, just that we lived without them just fine or we never used'em.

10.  Bottle warmers.  We got a great tip from friends to do just room temperature or cold formula from the get-go.  Warm is nice, but there's no research that proves baby needs it warm.  Plus, on those occasions when you're stuck away from the house and can't warm a bottle, it won't be the end of the world if your baby expects the cold stuff.  Plus, several brands of bottle warmers were recalled as fire hazards!

9.  On a similar note, we also managed without a wipes warmer.

8.  We thought we would love a dishwasher basket for bottles and accessories, but we were constantly fixing bottles, so we always just hand-washed with the help of a bottle brush.

7.  Name-brand formula.  For some babies with special dietary needs, you have to buy the spendy stuff, but I compared Similac Advance with the Costco version...identical ingredients but Costco is 1/3 of the price.

6.  Baby powder.  Most docs recommend diaper ointment instead, due to inhalation risks.  It's easier to carry and use too.

5.  Dreft.  We just used unscented detergent for a fraction of the price. 

4.  Crib bumpers and comforters.  We had bought a cute comforter, but they're considered to elevate SIDS risk.  We used it as a play quilt for the floor, but in retrospect, I should have saved the money.

3.  Baby Robes.  They are SO adorable, but I can probably count on one hand the times we used them.  By all means, keep one if you are lucky enough to score one at a baby shower, if only for the photo opp...but if you don't have one, you won't miss it.  The Nugget goes straight from his towel-down into his jammas.

2.  Hard soled baby shoes.  These are impossible to wrangle onto baby's feet and tend to fall off.  Newborns kick and flail a lot too, so you risk getting a nasty bruise while diaper changing or cuddling.  Since baby shoes are either strictly decorative or only to hold the socks on, ask for soft-soled "crib" shoes.  Crib shoes are typically less expensive, more comfy for baby, and easy to find second-hand in excellent condition (baby's not walking in them yet).

1.  Special "winky-blocking" equipment for boys!  We used a 99 cent cloth diaper to block way-ward sprinkles.