Budgeting for baby: Here are the most useless items parents buy

When baby comes budget goes. It’s a universal truth. Expecting parents have deep pockets of irrationality because, somehow, our brains are short-circuited; no matter how sensible you spend otherwise. Penny-wise, pound foolish, baby crazy.

I’ve been there, it’s scary, and a few years down the line, the realisation dawns: Babies don’t care about Pinterest-perfect nurseries or where you bought their blankie. Only you do.

Baby number one is usually the most wallet-challenging. That’s probably part of the reason the nine months leading up to welcoming your first child into the world are so unforgettable. And most of the purchases were completely unnecessary, over the top and the consequence of clever marketing and salespeople that know exactly which buttons to press. And you’d think that by baby number two common sense would prevail. But not so much.

Big-ticket items gather dust

When we expected our first son, the shopping was intense. And some big-ticket items purchased then still hang around in storage now, unused, while others, like the multi-purpose cot set, serve as storage spaces for stuff. Yet, we thought it was a great buy at the time.

A stationary cot with drawers for baby’s bedroom is particularly useful. It’s set partner, a day-bed contraption with a slide-down side for moving baby around, a waste of money. The salesperson showed us how the sides slide down and how the daybed can be repurposed as a little bench when baby ages. It didn’t work out that way, despite it seeming like a fantastic idea at the time.

This, especially since you’d already purchased a premium-priced camp-cot that served the same purpose. And of course, baby ends up sitting or lying on the couch with you, anyway. Potential saving missed: R800 to R3 000.

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The dreaded R7 000 breastfeeding rocking chair was delivered, occupied a corner in our lounge and now collects dust elsewhere. Yet it seemed like such a bargain and a great idea at the time.

But the chair is uncomfortable, the seat is narrow, and regrettably, I have since realised that a La-Z-Boy recliner, which would have been a great addition for watching rugby, was and remains cheaper and more comfortable.

Mountains of blankies and plushies

Then there was the mountain of blankies, plushies, and glass feeding bottles that were sold as unbreakable but shattered at first drop in the kitchen at home. The baby sand pit cost a pretty penny but was so poorly made that it died a death before baby number two arrived.

Then there are the name-brand, cute outfits and booties that new parents collect. Infants grow so fast that it’s a pointless exercise in overspending. There is no utility in premium branding your baby. It just hurts your credit card. One or two booties, outfits from cheaper outlets. That should be it.

Overspending, I realised, does not make anyone a better parent, just a bit of a sucker. And none of us are alone.

Parents on Reddit shared their mountains of unnecessary purchases they made before or just after their babies arrived. Top of the list were expensive baby bathtubs. While they looked cute, most parents ended up bathing their babies in the kitchen sink or in a shallow bath. Fancy swings and bouncers, often with built-in music and motion settings, were also named as bulky dust collectors.

High-end carriers and wraps

High-end baby carriers and wraps also made the list. Parents said that they ended up spending hundreds on branded models, only to realise that cheaper or second-hand ones worked just as well and were often more comfortable.

Designer nappy bags, often sold as the ultimate in baby-ness, were also a common regret. These looked great in the mall but became impractical in practice, especially when juggling a newborn and a pram. Backpacks or basic totes ended up doing a better job.

Other parents notched up regrets about fancy outfits in newborn sizes. Instead of designer newborn sets, parents who posted now swear by footed onesies. The kind that everyone ends up in as a baby. A few summed it up best and suggested that babies need extraordinarily little to be happy, and the rest is just marketing.

The best investments are a nappy fund, a baby wipe fund, and a baby monitor. Most of all, what a baby really needs besides food, shelter, and a warm snuggle blanket is love – not stuff.

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