Waste List (for baby registries)

This is a follow-up to yesterday's must haves.  I'm going to let you all in on the things that were not worth the moo-la for our family as far as baby needs go.

My friend Lorin, who has a 2 month old, had a special request for this and I am always happy to oblige a new mom.  When Dane was still little enough that late-night feedings were a part of our lives, I remember thinking that I wished people would update their facebook statuses more frequently or that there was more news I was interested in to keep me entertained during those long hours.  So, here's to you, Lorin & Sammy!

1.  Diaper Pail/Diaper Disposal Systems - This was never a good idea for us.  Even though the products claim not to let any stench loose, I could and can always smell if someone has one of these in the nursery.  And since I was not fortunate enough to breastfeed and my milk-protein-allergic kid had to be on the $30/can formula, I am super happy that we never bought one.  (FYI - for those that don't know, the stinky stuff in the purple can makes your kid's poo smell like old dirty fishtank.)  We take the poo diapers outside immediately. This has never been an issue for us.  The pee diapers used to go out immediately too, but now they make the shorter trip to the trashcan in the pantry.

2.  Changing Table - My husband would probably disagree somewhat on this one.  He's a tall guy and I'm sure that the height of our "changing table" probably bothers his back sometimes.  Honestly, I think they're great if you have the room and the money to spend, but we wanted to save space and money.  We had my mom recover an old hope chest to coordinate with the nursery colors, bought a curved changing pad, and voila - changing table!  There was a short couple of weeks when I rethought this decision and considered buying a clearance changing table, but I'm so glad we didn't.

3.  High Chair - Again, this is one of those things that you might find very useful but we chose to save money and space by doing without.  For less than $30, we got this wonderful booster seat that is easy to clean and portable.  It straps on to one of our kitchen chairs, so we don't have a bulky highchair to lug around.  The tray comes off, so once Dane was old enough to eat from a plate, we began just pushing him up to the table.  The tray now lives in a closet.  We like that it feels so much more like a family dinner with your kid actually at the table with you.  Jamie has a seat similar to this one.  It has the advantage of a recline feature, which is nice for when your child learns to bottle feed his/herself.  It does have the disadvantage of having a cloth cover, but since it's machine washable I don't think that's a deal breaker.  It straps to the chair the same way our booster seat does.  I think either purchase would be a winner.

4.  Activity Mat - Dane hated this.  We had the most adorable version that played the sweetest music and even had little relaxing light shows, but all Baby Einstein's efforts were lost on Dane.

5.  4 oz. Bottles - Seriously, what was I thinking??  In no time, your child will be eating more than these bottles can hold, and really, what's so hard about putting 3 ounces of formula in an 8 ounce bottle?  It's not like it saves any significant amount of fridge or diaper bag realty.  I still can't believe I fell for that one.  Well played, Playtex.

Again, I hope this helps anyone prepping for a sweet delivery in the near future.