DE-INFLUENCING: Mom & Baby Products I Didn't Need or Use

Because you don't actually need *all-the-things* to be a great parent.

Welcome to Moments & Mirrors! 🤍 Moments & Mirrors will unfold as a collection of stories and reflections drawn from my own experiences, with the hope that they inspire ideas for my daughters to inherit and individualize. So glad you are here, friend! 💌

---

My generation is in the weird spot where we grew up alongside the introduction of social media. It means we’ve also been lucky enough to have all the trappings of social media swirled into *already massive* life-changing moments. Weddings, new homes, motherhood. Spend ten minutes scrolling and you are sure enough to find ten products you “absolutely need” - being recommended to you by a stranger, based on an algorithm, in exchange for $$$. Fun! Right? (Please tell me you sense the sarcasm).

I’m earnestly trying to change my relationship with social media, and a large motivating factor is so that I stop getting sucked into spending money on things I never wanted in the first place. Before I make a purchase I try to ask myself one simple question: Why am I buying this?

As a new mom, I remember late night scrolling often during late night feedings or panic-google-searching the second I had a question and/or doubt. Instantly, I was flooded with product recommendations.

I learned the lesson to stop turning to the internet and to start turning towards either: 1) my actual friends and family with experience or 2) my own intuition.

While there have been some baby products that are great and I can sing to the high heavens about, that’s not what I really want to do here. I’m not here to add to that oversharing. Instead I want to share things I never used or needed, or just needed less of, during my first year of motherhood…in, I guess, my attempt to ~de-influence~ you.

NOTE: All babies are wildly different. What works for one may not work for the other. So always take anybody’s personal experience, including mine, with a grain of salt. :) And don’t stress yourself out too much in the trial and error processes of motherhood.

1. Wipe Warmer

This was something I Amazon Prime’d in the middle of the night after changing a diaper and thinking my daughter was a little fussier than normal. I got it a few days later, and realized that fussy-diaper-change was a one-off, and likely not as big of a deal as my sleep-deprived myself made it out to be. I didn’t find myself actually using it. It stayed in the box, and thank goodness I didn’t just immediately set it up. We were able to return it.

2. Bottle Warmer

My kid did not care one bit if milk was warm or cold. I know some babies are pickier than others, but I think it helped that we had never even introduced the option to her. She was either having milk directly from nursing, or pumped and in the fridge (and eventually made from formula). She never seemed to react to any of it differently. For awhile, we had tried timing it to pull it out and let it get closer to room temperature, but then realized she’d take it straight from the fridge. It was nice to skip some of the mental gymnastics you go through in those first few months.

I encourage you to experiment with your baby before just assuming they need something a certain way.

3. Sophie the Giraffe Teether

This teether is everywhere and it blows my mind that it’s over $25…for your baby to chew on. There’s so many other options your kids will like…they actually will just want to chew on anything pretty much. Whether that’s the purpose of the item or not! (lol)

4. Baby-Specific Towels

Okay these are freaking cute, so I get buying them. And if they make you smile, please buy all the cute animal-headed-fuzzy-cute towels! But I have to confess that after we awhile, we just started using our normal towels to dry baby off after bath time and they worked just as well. Because a towel is a towel, friends.

5. Bottle Sterilizer

Part of me understands this because it takes something off your to-do list by cleaning your bottles vs handwashing them. But we never had one of these and it never felt stressful to me. I never thought “I wish I had one!” We sterilized items in boiling water ourselves, which honestly is pretty quick and simple. It was a plus that we weren’t having yet another item take up any counter space too - a win for my minimalist, anti-clutter heart.

6. Vitamin D Drops & Gripe Water/Gas Drops

I bought both of these and they are still sitting on my daughter’s dresser…never used. I read about babies needing Vitamin D drops and, of course, as an anxious pregnant person bought them. But we never used them and my baby is mostly happy as a clam. We did take her out in the morning, in attempts to help regulate her circadian rhythm - which was free! It was nice for her to get some gentle, natural sunlight.

As far as gas drops, we may have gotten lucky here! Our baby didn’t struggle with gas. So I get it if other moms may swear by these to help ease any discomfort in your little one. I guess my advice here, similar to above, is to maybe not proactively purchase. Just wait and see what your little one actually needs.

7. Dishwasher Basket

We hand-washed bottles and breastfeeding equipment so frequently in the early days that not much made it into the dishwasher. This sat under our sink for months. And then when we did start dishwashing bottles, we just loaded things on the top rack. Dishwasher baskets are not expensive by any means, but we’ve never used it.

8. Fancy Newborn Outfit Sets/Newborn Swimsuits

Let me start with this: buy a few fun outfits because it’s fun and you deserve fun in the newborn days! But take it from me - do not go overboard. It breaks my heart how many newborn clothes my daughter never wore because she spent so much of her time sleeping, cuddling with me in comfy-cozy clothes. In hindsight, I wish I would have focused more on those buying types of items! We also didn’t ever take her to a pool as a newborn, despite being born in the summer, because our pediatrician recommended not putting sunscreen on her skin yet and it didn’t seem worth the risk for us.

Don’t worry - dressing them up is just as month fun when they’re a little bit bulkier/taller :)

9. Changing Table

Just get a dresser that can be used after the baby days and put a changing mat/pad on top. You don’t need an entire separate piece of furniture in the room.

10. Baby Shusher

This might be controversial because people love this dang thing, but we never had it. And we were just fine. Babies are going to cry and need soothed, no matter what. You don’t need a *specific product* to do so.

---

AGAIN - EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT. I cannot say it enough!

So yes, I’m sure some of these products are things people loved. But it’s so easy to get swept into being convinced you *need* something when you don’t.

Would some items be a nice-to-have, maybe? Sure. But stay true to what works for you, your budget, your family. Don’t proactively purchase too many items. Focus on actual necessities/safety items - diapers, car seat, etc. Don’t be afraid to get things secondhand - there is SO much on Facebook Marketplace!

Your baby’s biggest need? You. Trust your judgement first.

That is all for now, friends! Hope you enjoyed this post! If you’re a mama, I’d love to hear products you did love or you thought were overhyped. In a place where it isn’t being said for a paycheck! Feel free to share in the comments :)

Now Playing: This new, liberating Maren Morris song that really resonates with how I’m feeling lately. It’s *chefs kiss*.