What baby/child product do you think is overhyped to the point of annoying you?
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Anonymous
We had a Bugaboo Donkey because we had twins and it was absolutely the best stroller ever. It's the only one we used, from birth to four when we stopped using strollers. It turned on a dime, could be used for running, and fit through every single door I ever tried. I was often out with my kids alone and never had any problem opening a door, holding it open, and maneuvering the stroller through it. I can't speak highly enough about that stroller, and I didn't buy it because it was a status symbol. Just saying perhaps you shouldn't judge everyone who has an expensive stroller. |
Anonymous
| A wipes warmer. Do people who use those never leave their house? It's not like it's portable, right? So do you just not change your kid if you're not at home and near your wipes warmer? |
Anonymous
| I mean, it all depends on the kids and your lifestyle right? My first baby loved a carrier, my second would SCREAM HER HEAD OFF every time we tried to confine her, my third loved it. We got a Vista because we live in NYC and walk everywhere but if I lived in the suburbs I'd probably get something else. We travel a lot so wanted a small stroller too that would not fall apart but if we didn't, I'd get something cheap, etc., etc. |
Anonymous
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Agree on city mini, I hate mine. Mostly the lack of storage space.
Mamaroo. Just kind of pointless. Those saying the snoo are nuts. That thing was worth its weight in gold. |
Anonymous
I never called it a must-have, but I did order a rock and play when my kid was about a month old and it was a lifesaver. My kid would only sleep in a carrier or if one of us was holding her when she was that age. I remember the day the rock and play showed up, my husband came home from work and I was in the kitchen putting dinner together and our baby was in the rock and play napping and he just looked at me like "OMG THIS IS AMAZING" and I was like "I KNOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT" but silently because we didn't want to wake her. Also, while I don't attribute this to the rock and play, around the same time was when she finally started sleeping functionally at night (not through the night, but like she could eat and then go back to sleep, instead of needing to be held/rocked all night). If you have a really challenging newborn sleeper, you get why something like that is life changing. But I didn't even know what a Bumbo was until this thread. I have no idea what it is really even for! |
Anonymous
| Can't stand any baby carriers. |
Anonymous
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This thread is bringing back so many memories! I was super overwhelmed during my pregnancy (sick family member, job stuff, friend stuff, and oh yeah -- pregnancy stuff!) and felt totally lost doing my registry. All those lists of must-haves were confusing. Some of it seemed obvious (a stroller) but other stuff was so specific that it felt random (a nose Frieda). And yeah, then you get all the people saying "You HAVE to get this, we would have died without it" but, it's like a very specific swaddle blanket and you think, "Really?"
That said, I also didn't appreciate the people who were like "Oh you don't need anything for a baby! Put it in a cardboard box on the floor, get a box of diapers, wrap it in an old t-shirt, and you're fiiiiiine. People stress out too much about this stuff!" Anyway, my overhyped items: co-sleeper, diaper genie, newborn sleep sacks. We were told we HAD to have all of these but then did more than fine without any of them. I think at one point my mother tried to buy us multiple diaper genies because she thinks you need one for every area of the house. We kept a small metal trash can with a lid near the backdoor for diapers, and then emptied it daily. No smelly diapers in the house at all, all without spending $200 on diaper genies. But put me in camp carrier. I had four (a moby wrap, a boba, a sling, and another one I forget the name of) and we used them constantly. Our kid loved carriers. |
Anonymous
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Uppababy Vista. So big and bulky. Everyone recommended it, I hate it. Funny enough I bought the YoYo when I thought I would be traveling and taking the subways in NYC (before COVID). Once things got locked down I couldn’t justify the expense so I returned it. But I have to say, it was an absolute delight compared to the Vista. Small, light, and easy to get in and out of car. Maybe I’ll buy the cheaper Mountain Buggy Nano for my car or something because the Vista is driving me insane.
Mixed reviews on the Keekaroo. Nice that it wipes clean but baby seems to hate it. I like ergobaby but haven’t tried any others. Water wipes are bullshit. I fell victim to a lot of the “must have” baby crap My number one favorite is my Little Bot Ofie Play Mat. One in the nursery and one in the living room. I thought the baby bjorn bouncer would be a rip off but baby seemed to love it so I’m a true believer. Boppy lounger was great in the early days for a place to put the baby. Breast friend feeding pillow was annoying. |
Anonymous
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I'm still stuck on the PP who said that they didn't use a crib or a stroller. Like, what? Anyways....
For us: -Pacifier. Kids just never took them. With DS1, we freaked out because so many people promised it was essential for self-soothing. But he figured it out. -Cloth diapers. Adherents swear they're "so easy" to use, but I find it much easier to throw away a disposable diaper. -Any kind of "bouncer." People swear by various brands. We had one, our kids never liked it. (I distinguish the Rock and Play as a "rocker," which one of ours did really love.) -Pouches. I do not understand what a baby food pouch does for you other than give you something that you want to wean your kid off of (if you're just handing it to them, not using it to load puree onto a spoon or something). -Dock a Tot. I honestly do not know what this product is supposed to do for you. |
Anonymous
I also hate the Vista and do not understand its ubiquity among parents in the city. It is so annoying to maneuver and takes up so much space everywhere you go. Have you considered selling your Vista (it is incredibly easy to unload a used Vista because, again, people are super into it for mysterious reasons) and just getting a more versatile midsize stroller? We use a Citi Mini (NOT the GT, which I agree is too big) and it's kind of the perfect middle ground -- small and lightweight enough to haul around without too much trouble, but also roomier than a travel stroller. I think it's the perfect city stroller. |
Anonymous
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Anything related to purees/making babyfood. After 2 kids, I really feel like the default should be babyled weaning, with purees only if you want to/need to. I wasted so much time making babyfood and spoon feeding it to my first baby. My second baby did babyled weaning out of laziness, and it was SO MUCH EASIER.
Travel systems/infant car seat. I'm not really annoyed with the travel system, per se, because I see a lot of people like it, but it annoys me that every pregnant woman assumes she needs one and puts a ton of thought into it, and many of them probably don't. |
Anonymous
| Any expensive high chair. the ikea antilop or that little fisher price “space saver” one are each about $20 and work perfectly well, are easy to clean. No need for a big fancy expensive one like the Boon or Bloom. |
Anonymous
| Professional newborn photos. They’re so cheesy and they all look the same. |
Anonymous
| not the activity itself, but the word: "baby-wearing" |
Anonymous
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Bjorn bouncer. I was obsessed with getting one of these as a first time mom and it was just... fine? A cheap bouncer would have totally done the same thing. I’m glad it was a gift but a little embarrassed someone spent that much money on it.
But I will defend the magic of the Snoo forever. |