Baby Gadgets You HATE « Back to Group Discussions

[kitchensqueen]

When we were putting together our baby registry and deciding on the types of things we would need, we were really no-nonsense about it. When went with just the basics, and items that had multiple purposes or functions if possible. We had to be prudent about it, since we live in a one bedroom apartment. And we're minimalists in that way also. But crap still managed to sneak into our lives...

Enter the Diaper Genie. 

So since it wasn't our registry and we didn't have a gift receipt (of course - why include a gift receipt on something people didn't ask for?) and we didn't realize that Target allows a certain amount of non-registry, no receipt returns within ninety days... so it came home with us and stayed in a corner in it's box for a really long time. But we can't just have items sitting around that aren't being used, so we decided - what the hey, let's give it a shot. Everyone must love it and say it's so essential to existence for a reason, right?

Let me tell you why I personally HATE THIS THING LIKE DEATH. I feel that strongly about this retarded garbage pail. It's making me crazy to have it in the house. 

- It hold all of five diapers and then it's full. These people who designed this thing have obviously never had any contact whatsoever with small babies! I could go through five diapers inside of two hours on some days! I can't pry the stupid thing open every twenty minutes to empty that thing! Leading me to my next complaint...

- It's impossible to get the thing apart in order to take out the bag of soiled diapers. The last thing you want to deal with at three in the morning is a pile of really soiled diapers flying all over your bedroom.

- And why isn't this thing hands free? You have to pry open the top lid and shove the diaper down into the receptacle. And since it holds a pitifully low number of diapers, your hands are shoving through quite the mess to get them all to fit. Of course, the more expensive "elite" model has a step pedal to open the lid, but come on! Shouldn't that be a standard feature on a device that's sole function is to be a resting place for feces? 

- You have to buy the special bag/deodorizer cartridges for it. I don't have the extra cash to buy special trash bags! And they don't even sell them anywhere I shop, since I do not live in suburbia near a klatch of big box stores.

Sigh. Just had to get that out, and writing it did give me a good laugh. What piece of baby gear drives you nuts? 

[borobaby]

Haha! That is so true! We got one with our first kid...well, someone gave it to us to! I remember pushing the dirty diaper down in there and feeling all the other soiled diapers that you were shoving down...ugg, gross!

I can't think of a good one except maybe the TRAVEL WIPES CASE:

Please tell me I am not the only who finds it empty more often than full of wipes to use. I mean as I am leaving the house and I am remembering the baby, myself, the other kid, warm clothes on us all, diapers...Oh yeah, let me put everything down and go fill this travel wipes case. Umm no! And forget the coffee, If it makes it to the top of the car while I put the kiddos in, then that is where it stays until I drive off! yeah, so I just have a box of wipes or two or three boxes in the car!

[bignerpie]

Originally Posted by borobaby 

I can't think of a good one except maybe the TRAVEL WIPES CASE:

How about the travel wipes WARMER. You know, the one the plugs into the cigarette lighter of your car?   So if I'm walking through Target and baby poops, I'm going to run back out to the car to change her? I am trying to think of a situation where anyone would actually use that.

I have to admit that I find the majority of baby stuff to be just ridiculous. I lean towards the minimalist "boobs and a sling" philosophy.

[Gracecody]

Originally Posted by bignerpie 

I lean towards the minimalist "boobs and a sling" philosophy.

Same here. I'd say most gadgets bother me on some level. But the ones that irritate me the most are the little paci clips that clip the paci to the baby's clothing, and along those lines, the pacifiers that have things like "princess" on the backside for adults' entertainment. Ugh. Also most baby toys with lights and music bother me (especially when they're promoted as LEARNING toys), I like the old fashioned quiet kinds. :)

[kitchensqueen]

Oh yeah, all of these things!

My MIL got us diaper wipe warmer (though not the portable one - yeah, who's changing diapers in the front seat of a car!?) and we donated it before the baby was born (she picked it up a yard sale for us). Every time she comes over, she makes it a point at least once to "apologize" to the baby while giving him a diaper change about the wipes being "freezing cold". LOL - really? My kid can't abide room temperature diaper wipes? 

And I agree with the obnoxiously loud and abrasive "learning toys" - just because it's brightly colored and has flashing lights that could probably induce seizures does not mean my child is getting any kind of educational benefit from it. I love my in laws, I really do - and they are sweet to be so generous - but I'm kind of dreading Christmas this year because I know we're going to come home with a car full of all of the stuff that gets mentioned in this thread, despite our gentle hints of how we'll be raising our son otherwise... sigh. 

[Gracecody]

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 
I love my in laws, I really do - and they are sweet to be so generous - but I'm kind of dreading Christmas this year because I know we're going to come home with a car full of all of the stuff that gets mentioned in this thread, despite our gentle hints of how we'll be raising our son otherwise... sigh. 

And it will continue into the years, in new and interesting forms. My mom bought us a wipes warmer that never got used, either. I now use washcloths with warm water and prefer that to wipes. Anyway, my mom and dad just left after a five day visit and left in their wake one American Girl doll catalog, one Disney princesses fleece blanket for my daughter's bed, and my favorite of all - a Charm School barbie doll.  I have to let it slide or it will drive me nuts!!  To their credit, they are always happy to buy things that I suggest and bought Luke some baby t-shirts and a baby scale, both were things I really needed.

[NC05]

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

And I agree with the obnoxiously loud and abrasive "learning toys" - just because it's brightly colored and has flashing lights that could probably induce seizures does not mean my child is getting any kind of educational benefit from it. I love my in laws, I really do - and they are sweet to be so generous - but I'm kind of dreading Christmas this year because I know we're going to come home with a car full of all of the stuff that gets mentioned in this thread, despite our gentle hints of how we'll be raising our son otherwise... sigh. 

We have tried and tried and tried to not get battery operated toys and without fail every Christmas and Birthday we get loads of it. We have just flat out just said "no batteries" and it doesn't work. My husband's grandma feels sorry for our kids that they don't have 'fun' toys. She raised 4 kids 60 years ago without those 'fun' toys and they turned out just fine...

We also had a wipes warmer with the first and it dried the wipes out so we donated it also. I hate the satin backed blankets because they slip and slide everywhere and don't absorb spit up. For some reason I got 3 of those with my first and don't have them any longer. I also don't use bibs on my babies either. I don't like how they flip up in their faces and never seem to catch spit up anyway. :) We got a huge behemoth of a high chair with our first that came with a ton of super noisy battery operated toys and it is now in my parents basement collecting spiderwebs. It almost takes up as much room as the table because the legs are spread out so wide. I didn't start out as such a minimalist, but anymore it's the way to go. When #3 was born, people kept asking what he needed. He is the third boy in 3 years and we live in a small house, so we tell people diapers if they are really interested and so far we haven't gotten any from those people. :D I just can't handle any more baby stuff right now.

[bignerpie]

Finally! Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I don't use bibs.

You brought up a good point about the pacis with things written on them... I hate baby clothes with pretty much any writing on them. Maybe we're boring because I just like solid colors, stripes, plaids, etc. Oh well :-)

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[scottishmommy]

I actually love the wipes warmer. We use cloth wipes though, and the warmer keeps them moist. Now I feel like a big dork for loving that thing! Thankfully my children's doting grandparents love simple, wooden toys. We don't need anymore noise around here!
What I can't stand are onesies. I'm sure I'm alone on this, but I can't be bothered to unsnap a onesie, take off a diaper cover, and a diaper. I'm lazy!

[kathrineg]

Baby pants! He's always in a sling/wrap or swaddled and they're so hard to get on and off for changes. We were given so many little outfits that included pants...oh well.

[Smurfy]

Originally Posted by kathrineg 

Baby pants! He's always in a sling/wrap or swaddled and they're so hard to get on and off for changes. We were given so many little outfits that included pants...oh well.

You need Babylegs!!  Keep baby warm but no need to take them off for diaper changes. 

On the bibs, I hate them too, they don't catch anything.  This time I discovered the Aden and Anais burpy bibs, they're massive and absorbent burp cloths that have snaps to make it a bit that goes all the way around, love these!

Totally agree on the travel wipes case, can't it refill itself?  Or why are the wipes so hard to get out of the package and refold so they fit in the travel case?

I also hate that there are a zillion products out there for the carseat that are all illegal to use in the carseat, so why sell them?  To make things more fun, I live in Canada, it gets bloody cold, who's bright idea is it that I should bundle my baby, take them out to the car, climb in, unbundle the baby, put them in the seat, bundle them with blankets, climb out, repeat for child #2, repeat process when we reach destination.  Can we please have a solution to make this safe but a little simpler?  Don't tell me to use fleece either, it doesn't stand up to Canadian winters.

[kathrineg]

I love babylegs! We have a huge stash including some Halloween and Christmas ones I got on sale in July

The boppy...I cannot, for the life of me figure out how to make it help me with breastfeeding! It just sorta hangs around, being a bit useless.

[tjjazzy]

though the travel wipes warmer sounds really dumb, many ppl asked who changes bums in the car. we change diapers in the van ALL THE TIME. we have one seat folded down and there's room for all kinds of changes and whatnot. i often feed the baby and DH changes her in the back (or he changes DS2 in the nice big spot.) love stow and go!!

wait...i'm supposed to be saying what i don't like... lol i dunno. we have pretty much figured out what we like.

[tjjazzy]

oh i do know one!! baby pants with feet! hate those things. so hard to put on and just awkward. i like regular ones and socks. no socks would be easier but her feet get cold really easily.

[tjjazzy]

http://thecarseatlady.blogspot.com/2011/01/bundle-me-everyone-uses-it-in-car-seat.html  <---- solution 
 

Originally Posted by Smurfy 

I also hate that there are a zillion products out there for the carseat that are all illegal to use in the carseat, so why sell them?  To make things more fun, I live in Canada, it gets bloody cold, who's bright idea is it that I should bundle my baby, take them out to the car, climb in, unbundle the baby, put them in the seat, bundle them with blankets, climb out, repeat for child #2, repeat process when we reach destination.  Can we please have a solution to make this safe but a little simpler?  Don't tell me to use fleece either, it doesn't stand up to Canadian winters.

[kathrineg]

I feel totally silly now, I figured out the boppy is supposed to go around your waist...duh, me! I blame sleep deprivation! It was great on the plane trip we took, too.

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by tjjazzy 

oh i do know one!! baby pants with feet! hate those things. so hard to put on and just awkward. i like regular ones and socks. no socks would be easier but her feet get cold really easily.

My son refuses to wear them! Every time we put him in a pair, he pitches a fit until we take him out. Feeding, diaper change, playing - nothing consoles him if he's wearing footed pants!

By the way, I love your avatar. Too funny! 

[Mama2ChicknLil]

Ok, since I have literally destroyed each and every one of my raising baby ideals, I have to say I LOVE my diaper pail (thankfully not a diaper genie, some arm & hamnet contraption) since I have about a hundred cloth diapers that are NOT being used. I LOVE the dangly paci holder, since we now have about a hundred pacifiers that ARE being used. And a million times over I agree on the restrictive complicated, there's-no-way-to-change-his-diaper outfits!! Pretty much anything that comes with long arms and/or legs, built in feet, or zippers...because my son came out with a mess of hair and overheats VERY easily!

Oy...i wonder how many of these products were really mom-tested. Kind of like the iPad...you know there was not one woman in the room when that name was thrown in the ring, because she would have said ” ahem, like SANITARY pad?!$@!?”

[Mommel]

I never once used my Boppy for breastfeeding. It didn't make a lick of sense to me and seriously just got in the way... I DID, however, use it to SIT ON post-partum, which was great for my stitches and much more comfy than that dumb, hard, hospital-grade donut cushion! After I healed though I gave it to a friend who's expecting.
 

Originally Posted by kathrineg 

I feel totally silly now, I figured out the boppy is supposed to go around your waist...duh, me! I blame sleep deprivation! It was great on the plane trip we took, too.

I also never used my Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper... he just sleeps right in bed with me. I gave that away to the same friend...

And I could really do without the Pack n' Play too.

I should have waited on the stroller because I don't use that right now either, though I'm guessing that will change as he gets old enough to want to walk, but too big for me to comfortably carry him when he tires out. I probably could have put that off for almost a year, as I just put him in my homemade wrap all the time now.

I'm also not a fan of the noisy toys, but I don't hate them exactly... and he likes rattles, lights and bright colors... and is completely uninterested in the tasteful and locally hand-crafted wooden rattle I bought for him. Go figure.

Other than that, the Bumbo is hilarious for me to see him in and he really likes it, though I'm sure it will be short lived and the vibrating rocker seat was great until the battery crapped out on me... when am I ever really going to remember to replace it with this baby brain? LOL

I didn't really have a lot of stuff to begin with, and I've gotten rid of almost half of it since he was born. Most of it is just clutter and fairly useless. As a minimalist, I already despise the conspicuous consumption machine, so it's been easy to pare down even more than I thought I would.

[Gracecody]

Originally Posted by Mommel 
 the vibrating rocker seat was great until the battery crapped out on me... when am I ever really going to remember to replace it with this baby brain? LOL

I hear you! The battery on our swing is really low and I can never remember that until I am putting him in it so I can get in the shower...not a great time to change batteries, if we even have the right kind....and then of course it's out of my head the rest of the time!