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When I was pregnant, I spent hours researching baby products.
I read reviews, compared registry lists, watched videos, and tried to figure out exactly what we’d need once our baby arrived.
Some products ended up being worth every penny.
Others?
Not so much.
Looking back now, there are definitely a few baby products I regret buying. They weren’t necessarily bad products—they just weren’t the things that ended up making the biggest difference in our everyday life.
Every baby is different, and every family has different needs.
These are just the baby products I personally regret buying and what I would choose instead if I were starting over.
1. Baby Shoes
This one still makes me laugh.
Someone gifted my son a cute pair of baby shoes.
I put them on him once so I could take a picture and send it to the person who gave them to us.
Within minutes, he kicked them off.
And that was basically the end of our baby shoe journey.
For many newborns and young babies, shoes are more adorable than practical.
They’re cute for photos, but they weren’t something we actually used.
What I’d Buy Instead
Instead of spending money on baby shoes, I’d put that money toward comfortable zipper sleepers, quality socks, or a good sleep sack.
Those were things we used constantly.
2. A Dedicated Nursery Changing Pad
Before my son was born, I imagined I’d do every diaper change in the nursery.
Reality looked very different.
I changed diapers on the bed, on the couch, on a blanket on the floor, and wherever we happened to be.
Some parents absolutely love having a dedicated changing station.
For us, though, I barely used the nursery changing pad.
What I’d Buy Instead
I’d focus more on creating convenient diaper-changing setups throughout the house instead of assuming every diaper change would happen in the nursery.
A diaper caddy stocked with diapers, wipes, cream, and extra clothes ended up being much more useful for our everyday life.
If you’re building your newborn setup, you may also find Diapering Essentials for Newborns helpful.
3. Too Many Newborn Clothes
Tiny baby clothes are adorable.
I completely understand the temptation.
But once my son arrived, he spent most of his time in simple zipper sleepers.
Between diaper changes, spit-up, and frequent outfit changes, convenience mattered much more than cute outfits.
He also outgrew newborn sizes surprisingly fast.
On top of that, we received lots of clothing as baby shower gifts.
If I were building my registry again, I’d register for fewer outfits and more practical everyday essentials.
If you’re unsure how many outfits you actually need, I share a more realistic breakdown by size and stage in How Many Newborn Clothes Do You Actually Need?
4. A Large Collection of Bottles Before Baby Arrived
One thing I learned quickly is that babies have opinions.
Sometimes very strong opinions.
Before my son was born, I had no idea which bottles he would actually like.
We ended up having the best luck with Dr. Brown’s bottles and Philips Avent bottles, but every baby is different.
If I were doing it again, I’d start with a few bottles from one or two brands before buying a large collection.
It’s much easier to buy more later than to end up with bottles your baby won’t use.
What I’d Buy Instead
A small bottle assortment.
Give your baby a chance to show you what they actually like before investing in a large collection.
5. Too Many Baby Blankets
I registered for a couple of nice organic cotton baby blankets.
Then the gifts started arriving.
Handmade blankets.
Keepsake blankets.
Baby shower blankets.
Soft fuzzy blankets.
Somehow we ended up with an entire blanket collection.
Don’t get me wrong—I appreciated every single one.
But if I were doing it again, I’d probably register for fewer blankets because there’s a good chance you’ll receive several as gifts.
What I’d Buy Instead
More burp cloths.
I honestly don’t think it’s possible to have too many burp cloths.
6. Multiple Swaddles Before Knowing What Works
Every baby is different.
Some babies love swaddles.
Some babies hate them.
Some babies prefer one style over another.
Before my son arrived, I didn’t really know what would work for him.
Looking back, I’d probably start with one or two options instead of collecting several different swaddles before birth.
It’s impossible to know what your baby will prefer until they’re actually here.
If you’re trying to decide whether swaddles are worth adding to your registry, you may also find Best Swaddles for Newborns helpful, where I share what actually worked for us during those first few weeks.
7. Too Many Hooded Towels
We received several adorable hooded towels as gifts.
Some even had little bear ears.
They were incredibly cute.
But we ended up with far more towels than we realistically needed.
We loved them and used them, but five baby towels was definitely more than enough.
This is another category where I wouldn’t go overboard while building a registry.
What I’d Buy Instead
A few quality towels and washcloths instead of building a large collection.
What I’d Buy Instead
Looking back, many of my favorite baby products weren’t actually things I prioritized while building my registry.
Several of them were items I ended up purchasing after my son was born because we needed them immediately.
Some of the products that became daily essentials included:
- burp cloths
- sleep sacks
- a diaper caddy
- a stroller fan
- a baby carrier
- a nursing pillow
- a baby lounger
Looking back, many of these products weren’t expensive, but they ended up making a much bigger difference in our daily life than several of the items I originally prioritized.
Ironically, several of these became some of our most-used products, yet they weren’t priorities on my original registry.
If you’re still building your list, my guides to Newborn Sleep Essentials for Better Nights, Breastfeeding Essentials for New Moms, and 12 Best Baby Products for Newborns can help you focus on the products that tend to get used every day.
One of My Biggest Registry Regrets Wasn’t for Baby
One of my biggest regrets wasn’t actually a baby item.
It was not adding enough postpartum recovery items for myself.
I spent so much time thinking about what the baby would need that I didn’t spend enough time thinking about what I would need after birth.
Looking back, I wish I had added things like:
- postpartum pads
- nursing pads
- comfortable pajamas
- recovery supplies
- a giant water bottle
- breastfeeding essentials
Postpartum recovery can be physically demanding, and many of those supplies add up quickly.
If you’re building your registry now, don’t be afraid to add things for yourself too.
Taking care of Mom is part of taking care of Baby.
For a full list of products that helped me during recovery, read Postpartum Essentials for New Moms.
Final Thoughts on Baby Products I Regret Buying
If I could rebuild my registry from scratch, I’d spend less money on some of the products above and more attention on the products that actually made everyday life easier.
The baby products I regret buying weren’t necessarily bad products.
Looking back, these are simply the baby products I regret buying because they didn’t make the biggest difference in our daily life.
And honestly, that’s what I’d focus on if I were building my baby registry all over again.
If You Enjoyed This Article, You May Also Like:
- 10 Baby Registry Mistakes: What I’d Do Differently
- What I’d Leave Off My Baby Registry Next Time (And What I’d Add Instead)
- Baby Registry Must Haves: Real Essentials You’ll Actually Use
- Newborn Essentials for the First 3 Months
- 10 Baby Registry Items No One Tells You About
- 15 Things I Didn’t Know I Needed as a New Mom