We’re approaching nine months with Pooky, and I can’t believe we’re only three months away from her turning one. I’m not sure where the year went. It’s been quite a life changing three-quarters of a year, though. One that’s transformed our lives for the better . . . definitely. It’s probably more accurate to say that this parenthood thing . . . this baby thing . . . well, it’s taken over our lives.

I remember thinking I wasn’t going to be one of those people who had a baby and then, all of a sudden, their house turned into baby central. I knew I was going to have baby stuff, but I insisted it wasn’t going to take over the house, and I certainly wasn’t going to be tripping over it all the time. I think we did pretty well the first few months, but the older she got and the more active and interactive she got, the more it became her house, and we (her parents) just happened to live in it with her. It was a gradual expansion, but I have to admit that every single room in our house now is Pooky’s room.

It seems appropriate, then, for me to think about baby stuff I definitely didn’t need. Well, I definitely didn’t need almost everything. It’s more appropriate to say these are items I didn’t find useful or care for very much.

1. Receiving Blankets - These are those thin, flannel-like, (usually square) blankets that are often sold in packages of four or so. Pooky wasn’t a big baby, and even so, receiving blankets were just too small to do anything with except to use as a burp rag or cloth to wipe off things (and cloth diapers are definitely better at this). We got so many receiving blankets, and they were very nice; I just wished they were bigger. What’s up with these 30×30 sizes, and then when they advertise them as being bigger than the usual receiving blanket size, it turns out they’re only a few inches bigger. Someone was smart enough to make us a couple of receiving blankets that were quite large but still thin enough not to be too bulky. We used these like mad those first couple months while the rest of the pile of blankies continued to be folded up nicely in the closet organizer.

2. Diaper Wipes Warmer - We didn’t get one of these, but I was seriously considering one just because . . . well . . . just because. I’m so glad we didn’t get one. It would’ve been another item taking up more space, and I hear terrible things about them (dries out the wipes, annoying, etc.). The thing about diaper wipes warmers is that you’re going to eventually not have one around when you’re wiping baby’s bum, so why not get baby used to doing without one.

3. Bouncer - Pooky was one of those babies who loved her swing but hated the bouncer. Did we really need both? Probably not. Even though she has only spent a few minutes in her bouncer, we’re still planning on keeping it around since it’s the Fisher Price Infant-To-Toddler Bouncer/Rocker, and she’ll probably enjoy it as a rocking chair when she’s a bit older.

4. Too Many Onesies - One of the things I kept hearing from other moms over and over again was to stock up on onesies. Well, I definitely stocked up on onesies. We had so many 0-3 month onesies that she didn’t even wear half of them before she outgrew them (and she was in 0-3 month clothing for about 3.5 months). I’m not sure what I was thinking, but it turned out all she really needed was about 5-7 onesies at a time that fit her since I did the laundry at least once a week.

5. Crib Bedding Sets - You know those crib sets with a sheet, skirt, blanket, and bumper that costs up to hundreds of dollars? They’re totally unnecessary because 1. for prevention of SIDS, you’re not supposed to use a bumper (we use a mesh bumper to avoid Pooky’s limbs getting stuck between the slats), 2. the blanket that comes with those sets are more for wall decoration than actual use (because babies aren’t supposed to sleep with blankets either), and 3. it’s much more cost effective to just buy the sheets that you like and maybe a bed skirt and then be done with it. That’s really all you need, and all that you’ll end up using. We made the mistake of purchasing a crib set and currently, we use the sheet and bed skirt, and the rest is in the closet.

Check back when Pooky turns 1 in a few months. I’ll post a list of my favorite baby items at that time.