There’s so much to do, decide and think about when you’re expecting your first baby, including trying to figure out what you’re going to need. When you’re standing in the store trying to register for your baby shower, looking around at all the gear, bottles, diapers and clothing, it can be overwhelming. Not only does all that stuff take up a whole lot of space in your home, those price tags add up quickly.
According to research from “Parenting” magazine, middle-income families in the U.S. spend around $12-thousand on the first baby year. It only goes up every year after and that’s not even counting any money you put into your baby’s future college fund. To help parents avoid buying anything they don’t actually need, “Which?” magazine surveyed 2-thousand moms and dads and came up with a list of the most useful new baby items, as well as the least useful.
Top 10 Most Useful New Baby Items
- Stair gate
- Audio baby monitor
- Electric steam sterilizer kit
- Diaper bag
- Video baby monitor
- Baby sleep sack
- Digital ear thermometer
- Microwave steam sterilizer kit
- Baby bouncer or rocker chair
- Changing table
Top 10 Least Useful New Baby Items
- Door baby bouncer
- Baby bathing bowl
- Manual breast pump
- Crib mobile
- Bumbo seat
- Diaper stacker
- Swaddling blanket
- Baby harness
- Diaper trash can
- Fabric sling or baby carrier
Source: Your Tango
Scott's Thoughts:
- I think they got a couple of these wrong. You don’t need a stair gate until a baby is crawling, but you would use a baby sling or carrier for a new baby.
- Most useful gift for me when my kids were little were diapers. Lots and lots of diapers.
- I think usefulness depends on the baby and the parent. Different things for different people.