9 Popular Products that You Can Scratch Off Your Baby Registry

_{This post may contain affiliate or referral links, meaning I may earn a sales commission at no extra cost to you. Please see my full affiliate disclosure here.}

Right when that line shows up on a pregnancy test the daydreaming begins. Is it a boy or a girl? You start to wonder if it will have your hair and his eyes. Oh, and the cute baby things! You want to buy ALL the baby things!

Then you start to create a baby registry, which is a bit of a rush. You add everything under the sun to your brand spankin’ new baby registry because it seems like a good idea or looks cute. It’s tempting, I get it. Baby stuff is full of too much cute.

The dark side of baby stuff is that it also creates clutter. Lots and lots of clutter. Your living room is probably going to look like Babies R Us exploded even under the best of circumstances. While I know it’s hard, trust me, girl, try to resist the unnecessary items that will probably just collect dust, take up valuable closet space, and ultimately end up being donated to your local Goodwill. We’ve all been there and I can’t tell you how many new or almost new baby products were donated or sold to Once Upon a Child when we were getting ready to move. So many tiny, cute things that were a must-have at the time.

Of course, these are only one mom’s opinions. Just keep in mind when building your baby registry: your baby’s needs are very simple; keep your baby registry simple, too.

This post contains affiliate links. 

1. Car seat accessories

Buntings, head supports, toys, seat protectors, or any other aftermarket accessory for your car seat. Leave them all off the list. Not only are they unnecessary, they are not recommended by car seat experts and manufacturers. At the very least they could void your car seat’s warranty; at worst they are a safety hazard. A general rule of thumb is that if it wasn’t made by your car seat manufacturer for your particular seat then it’s not okay to use. Instead, use blankets instead of buntings, loose soft toys, and the head support that comes with your seat. 

2. Crib bumpers and comforters

I know. Those crib bedding sets are absolutely to die for, aren’t they? They can turn a cold, bland nursery into something cute and even enchanting; except that they’re no longer considered safe. In fairly recent years it’s come to light that babies shouldn’t be in a crib with loose blankets and bumpers that can restrict air flow. Resist the temptation and opt for an (admittedly less cute) breathable crib bumper instead. 

3. Changing table

Call me crazy I guess, but I never saw the point of a changing table. Sure, they look cute in a nursery but they are used for such a short time and take up too much space. Instead, try a changing pad with a cute cover on top of a low, wide dresser. 

4. Baby food maker

You don’t need a fancy appliance to make baby food. Honest. They are only good for that one task and beyond that, they just take up valuable space in your cabinets. All you need to make baby food is a pot or saucepan, water, a blender and/or food processor, and ice cube trays. 

5. Diaper stacker

They’re very cute and can look adorable in a matching nursery, but they’re not necessary or even practical. I had one for each of my sons and I didn’t use it either time beyond the first pack of diapers. It’s much easier to keep your diapers, whether you use cloth diapers or disposable, in a cute basket or drawer.

6. Baby detergent

I have always washed my kids’ clothes in the same detergent as everyone else since I tend to use detergents free of dyes and fragrances anyway. Unless you have a child with an allergy of some kind, chances are that they will be fine with their clothes being washed in regular detergent. 

7. Bath water thermometer

Super cute but it’s just one more thing to clean and put away. I had an adorable turtle thermometer that I think I used three times. After a little while, I tested the water temperature by dipping my hand in the water and making sure it was a little cooler than my bath water would be. 

8. Baby Bathtub

I may get some strange looks for this one and I know there are people who may disagree with me on this. However, I found it so much easier to fill the bathtub with an inch of water and lay my baby in the tub. While the tub itself was convenient, baby tubs take up a lot of room in the bathroom or a closet and are used for a very short time. Once they can sit on their own, I think it’s easier to bathe them in the sink. 

9. High chair

Yup. You read that right! Unless you have a large kitchen or can find a high chair that folds virtually flat, they take up a ton of room. A space saving high chair that straps onto a regular kitchen chair will be just fine for feeding your baby. An added bonus is that a lot of strap-on high chairs turn into booster seats that your baby can use as he or she gets older. 

What baby items did you think you needed only to discover later that you could have done without it?