A rocking chair! Our first child was not a snuggler at all, and never did like to be rocked. Both my mom and mother-in-law always balked at our lack of a rocking chair. We did eventually get one, and our second baby falls asleep being rocked, but it's definitely one of those things that will just take up space.

I agree with rocking chair! both of my kids were not really rocking babies and I am happy I put them in their crib still awake & we never had sleep problems

I second a rocking chair. I fretted over which one to buy before my baby was born and couldn't decide. She HATED to be cuddled, snuggled or rocked or held much. I never bought one. Glad too.

Haha! As soon as I saw this article I thought "Rocking chair!" I guess I'm not the only one. My daughter was also not a snuggler and hated it. My mom was so appalled that we didn't have one, she bought it herself. It took up our whole (tiny) living room and ended up being a giant landing strip for our coats, shoes, diaper bag, etc.

And I ended up buying a glider when my little guy was about 6 months old because we figured out that gliding motion was calming for him even now at 14 months.

We could have lived without the jumperoo. Baby enjoyed it but used it for about 6 months before he became disinterested in it. It was a gift so I'm glad we aren't out that money. In the meantime, we're only having one and we've got a virtually brand-new contraption that we can't even give away.

Diaper genie! I just threw out the smelly diapers every night.

A glider! My sister swore by it, but I only once in a while used it to nurse - never to put our baby to sleep. She just wasn't into rocking....

Crib and pack 'n play.

The crib is a Gulliver from Ikea and it is in the toddler bed setting now. He still doesn't sleep in it. The cat naps there all the time though.

The pack 'n play is currently a place to dump clean laundry and blocks the doorway to the office so he won't go in there.

Ha! We have a tiny apartment, so at first I didn't get a rocking chair. Once we got one, I wondered why we had waited so long! My daughter responds really well to being rocked to sleep..

rocking chair AND diaper genie AND bottle warmer

A baby monitor. We live in a small house...I can hear a baby cry in any room in my house, even
with the tv on ;-)

We used our Ikea POÄNG armchair instead of a rocker because the gentle rock worked for our daughter and it made great living room seating! We opted out of a crib and decided to share our bed. We make use of play centres and toy libraries instead of buying big items for play.

The crib. 3 kids (ages 9, 7 & 3) and not a one would sleep in a crib. big.waste.of.money. I got rid of all of our baby stuff but if I had another, the only things I'd buy again are: infant car seat, Exersaucer & another sling (because my first 1 is falling apart from 6+ yrs of hard duty!)

Bottle warmer, wipes warmer, changing table. Fortunately we held off on these items, because I never missed them at all. My daughter still likes to be rocked at nearly 3, but I have a friend who got rid of her rocker as soon as her baby didn't like it anymore. Another lesson in starting and staying small with items and buying used.

Bumbo. Never "got" it, never will.
Diaper Genie. Ugh - emptying a small trash can every other day is so much easier than using one of those things!
Baby bath tub. My mom talked me into one, and we did use it. But we mainly used the sink or took baby into the shower with us.
Changing table. we put a pad on the dresser.

Play room. I'm only half-joking. Some of family members are constantly complaining that their play room isn't BIG ENOUGH. They can't even comprehend how we don't have one at all. (Literally - you should see the size of the toys them buy us).

A stroller! I have a 15 month old who has never been in one. We have an ergo and ring sling.

Also, the rocking chair!

When I was pregnant with my second I became obsessed with finding the perfect double stroller to accommodate a new born and a two year old and then last well into the future.

Still haven't found one (and fortunately never bought an "imperfect" one). There have only been a couple of times that I really wished I had a double but now that I have come this far and my kids are 18 months old and 3 1/2 I don't think I'll be needing a double stroller at all.

We returned a jumparoo that my in laws bought for us - they didn't understand why we didn't want it in our tiny condo. Our 7 month old is doing just fine without it, thanks. We also ended up not using a pacifier at all, despite my mother's constant nagging that we give him one.

The biggest thing I didn't know I needed but would definitely want in case we have another baby - the Boppy pillow for nursing, propping and helping baby learn to sit. I borrowed one from a friend and it was a lifesaver.

Diaper genie, wipes warmer, bottle warmer, pack n play, and most of all, the infant/bucket carseat and snap n go thingies. We had a big convertible carseat from day 1 and did just fine.

I'm surprised at the rocker/glider hate! I feel like my bum has been planted in that thing for 18 months! I *still* rock my son in it before bed every night (even though he falls asleep in the crib on his own afterwards). I think it's the one thing I couldn't live without - especially in the first 3 months with frequent nursing sessions...

Baby food mill/masher thing- blender was easier. Also, we bought a co-sleeper for our second baby, hoping to have a little more room in our bed after 2 years of sharing it with our first child. But this baby (like the first) must have physical human contact at all times...so the co-sleeper was a waste of money. The 4 year old likes to wedge himself into it and frequently sleeps there.
Also useless are shoes for babies who don't walk or crawl.

First, I thought I needed a small bed for my newborn, but he grew out of it in one month. The second thing was the baby hawk. He refused it. The third this is clothes. My baby didn't soil his clothes so he changed once a day or every second day, so I wish I had bought less clothes.

Changing table for me - we just used an old dresser and added a changing pad. Its the best thing we ever did - I'm 6ft tall and when I use friend's changing tables I'm amazed at how low they are - by back would break - plus we have loads of counter space for supplies, wipes, and tossing clothes while changing!
Now that I'm making baby food one thing I don't miss is a baby food mill (like above) or any Beaba type food maker thing. I was prepared to spend a fortune on something that makes baby food, but ended up just using what I have in the kitchen...a good old fashioned steamer basket, a pot, a peeler and my Cuisinart. Super easy and that's one less giant contraption to sit on my counter.
Also, I may be the only one on earth but I never used the boppy. Just holding her to breastfeed was easier for me. (my husband likes it though)
DO love my glider however, passed on a modern-looking designer one and got an ugly Dutalier that reclines and has a high back. Still worth every penny. And I love LOVE my bottle warmer!! ;)

Wipe warmer, Bumbo, and definitely the Diaper Genie. (It takes several days to fill it up, and by then it stinks to high heaven.) Also, we didn't need most of the infant toys we owned. I wish I would have had two small baskets of baby toys and rotated them every other week.

Didn't have a rocker/glider with my first and didn't really miss it at all. With my second I use it all the time, though.

Same thing with the infant car seat. Didn't bother to use one with our first baby, but it'd be rough without one now that we have a newborn and a two-year-old.

Crib was another thing we didn't use much the first time and didn't bother setting up the second. Also didn't use my baby food mill, just mashed with a fork or used a blender.

Eskkimmo, I found a pretty perfect double stroller to accommodate our newborn and toddler. The Kolcraft Contour Tandem (the older model red one is only $195 right now). It's a little heavy, but I don't mind that at all. I can pop our infant car seat facing me, put our toddler facing out, or switch the seats however I want them. I was a babywearing mama the first time around, but haven't had much luck using carriers with our newborn... so the stroller is awesome when we're going to be walking around for a long time.

I could have lived without a rocking chair, a swing and a conventional high chair. I preferred lounging with my baby on a comfy couch with pillows. Both my kids hated the swing instead prefering a bouncy seat (takes up less space anyway). Strap-on-chair high chairs are SO much better and portable. Also could live without the infant car seat, would have probably saved lots of money to just go for a stay-in-the-car convertible car seat. I hated lugging around that infant car seat anyway. I also haven't had much luck with exersaucers. Neither of my kids liked being confined.

Diaper genie. I took out stinky diapers every night.
Baby monitor. My place is so small I can hear him anywhere!

My son LOVED his jumperoo but it was lent and given back to someone I know whose had children older and then younger.

Baby bath tub. It was big and akward. It was much easier to wash him once we were in a summer sublet and forced to just take him with us in the tub. Got it from a friend, gave it to another.
Car. Everyone said we would need one, but two years later we have another baby, but still no car (spent the money on a grand piano, which gets lots of use).
Infant car seat. Given the lack of car, our car seats do not get a lot of use. I hated carrying him in it (too heavy) and he outgrew the darn thing at four months anyways.
Swaddle me. Friends swore by them, so I registered for some. Washed them. He hated swaddling with a passion. With my daughter I am loving the A&A blankets, which are way more multi-purpose.
We bought but almost never used the rocking chair because none of our apartments had the space to rock it. Now in a house I am liking it.

My son loved the exesaucer. We got it for free from someone who did not want to store it and now we store it with other babies who are the right age.

Baby carriers- like the slings and such. It was such a pain to have the baby strapped to me! I was constantly bumping the kids' head into stuff. I guess I just enjoy my freedom too much to be physically shackled with a small baby?

Also, the diaper genie. We emptied our trash every day anyway.

Any type of plastic diaper disposal system. plastic absorbs odors. But a METAL can with a lid. Took me 3 kids to learn this!

BUY I mean cheaper too.

p.s. also don't buy toddler beds- get a twin with rails and a step stool.

Giant stroller. I have one. Unless you're actually jogging, it's useless. Just carried the baby until they could plop into a wee umbrella stroller.

I found out that all I really needed was about five bottles, diapers, wipes, a car seat, and clothes. We were co-sleepers by necessity (sensory issues on the little guy's part) so we didn't even need the crib we bought. He didn't sleep on his own until he was three.

One thing I found 100% necessary was door knob covers. But only to keep him out of the water heater closet.

I'm puzzled by these responses. We didn't have a lot of the gimmicky extras anyway, but I can't think of a thing that we didn't use at least for a short time. Yes, most of it we could could live without, but I wouldn't want to! Esp, our glider--best money spent!! The only thing we never used was a baby tub. My son hated it and the kitchen sink was easier. When he was not a floppy newborn, we got a Munchkin duck and we still use it with our 20 month old.

Maybe if we had bought a lot of the gear new, I would feel differently about how long it was used, but most of our stuff was borrowed or bought off Craiglist so I guess we got our money's worth.

Baby bath tub, bouncy seat, exersaucer (especially annoying since I spent $80 on it), glider/rocker, changing table, crib, pack 'n play, bottle anything (breastfeeding all the way), big high chair, pacifier.

OTOH, we could not have done without our $12 Kidco food mill, our wipe warmer (took us six weeks to break down and get one), our car seat/travel system/enormous stroller (still use it for the zoo and similar trips), a sling to wear her until about 9 months, Boppy (used the heck out of it), and Diaper Genie (used it until she was potty trained)

Diaper Gene would be one of our favourites! We live in a condo and its a pain to bring garbage down every night.
Also, we love our rocking chair, use it every night for feeds!
Worst purchase was Baby Bjorn Babysitter chair.
Second worst purchase - babyspa bathtub (bucket)

A Changing table! I know, *gasp*. We just bought a curved changing pad, and used it on our dresser for a while. (The dresser was out in the main room in our tiny place.)

We have since moved, and the little one has her own room. We just threw the changing pad on the floor now because she's so wiggly that we change her while she's standing up half the time and an elevated area seems so dangerous now. Besides, when we want more floor space we can just throw the changing pad in the closet!

I was given our rocking chair, so luckily not out any money, thank goodness. I definitely am glad I got a baby tub though. Although, we never bathed her in it, she slept in it for the first 6 months. Couldn't afford a bassinette and I got the tub on sale for about 20 bucks.

Oh, I also never used the change table. We just changed here where we were. The couch, the bed. Whatever.

Never used bottle warmer, wipes warmer, diaper genie (too gross all that collecting of smelly diapers for days). Tried a baby bjorn and sling that we borrowed but huge babies just leads to sore back and shoulders so gave that up. Used a nursing pillow (boppy) religiously with the first, but hardly ever with the 2nd for some reason. 2nd loved to be rocked far more than the first. No pacifiers as they kept throwing it and crying for us to pick it back up again...got tired of that game real quick. Bouncy seat was a necessity in our house in order to get a shower so couldn't have lived without that thing. I say just buy second hand (or borrow it) if you can. That way if it doesn't work you are not out a ton of cash and you don't feel bad about it.

honestly... the only thing i found essential was the bouncy chair. everything else i could do without. really.

oh, except for the babies. i will keep them too. they are pretty cool.

Another vote for the diaper pail with special bags. Someone even lent me one and I ended up returning it without even using it. I could never load the bags in correctly and the thing was HUGE. I just got a small trash can with a flip lid from IKEA. It holds plastic grocery store bags and gets emptied every other day - perfect!

those bucket car seats. everyone said we were out of our minds to not get them for our twins, but it's not consistent with our values (use less stuff! spend less money!) to get a carseat they'd be in less than a year and then have to replace two carseats. the girls have been in convertible car seats since they left the hospital and we never fretted about getting them into the house asleep, or went through a time when they would only sleep in car seats. sure, we had other sleep problems - but they would stay asleep through unbuckling the car seats when they were little and we'd just carry them into the house.

I had a rocking chair forced upon me by family after repeatedly and kindly saying no. It has not been used. I held out on buying some of the larger ticket items until I knew if I needed them to save some money. My son was a colic so once we decided to bite the bullet and buy a $160 swing, our lives became so much easier.

Things I bought that weren't really needed: More than two washcloths, crib specific toys, mobiles, pack'n play crib, moses basket, A LOT of clothes (so many people give hand-me downs that are in great condition, just try to resist the cute little things!), four sets of sheets, multiple baby linens. A lot of people put so much emphasis on how much laundry you'll be doing but I don't do more than a load at the end of each week for three people.

I do have to disagree with people and say though, that I love my diaper genie! That thing holds odors in better than -any- trashcan ever could and no, I will admit I do not want to walk a pail of diapers out to the trash more than once a week. Nightly? Whew, so not worth saving 25 bucks!

A bottle drying rack. We used glass bottles, and they were too heavy for the rack we registered for and I never wanted to waste money on a newer one. We just balanced them on a towel to dry. If anyone knows of a cheap but sturdy wall-hanging rack, I'm shopping for baby #2 and don't have as much counter space this time around!

Also, do not buy the manual breast pumps! Hold off on buying even an electric one to see if this is something you'll actually use. The hospital will let you use their's. I had bought both the manual ($40) and Medela Electric ($300) and had rented from the hospital for a month before buying the electric ($45/week). I stopped pumping after....2 months?

I got lots of burp cloths as shower gifts but never used them.They we're big enough. I just used a receiving blanket. I had a cool little system too if any nursing Mom's want to try it. I tucked the receiving blanket into the band of my bra on the side I was nursing on to catch drips while nursing, and then flipped it over my shoulder to catch any spit up while burping. It stayed in place well ('cause it was tucked in, and as a bonus, it covered the boob too.

changing table, diaper genie, diaper pail, rocking chair. all you need is the bed, sheets, receiving blankets (the hospital ones are the best b/c they are rectangular and good for swaddling - steal as many as you can when you're there), and those little white outfits, paci, breast (or bottles and formula).

Oh wow, I could really go on about this one. I had 8 years difference in my son and daughter, and both cases were so different. 2nd time around I tried to reuse the crib and changing table and got much 2nd hand stuff, but all in all, if blessed with a 3rd child, I would forgo:

The crib (neither of mine cared for it)
Changing table (gave it to my best friend and she uses it, but I have no need for it. Pad on the dresser will do just fine.)
Wipe warmer (seriously? waste of money and space)
Swing, my son loved his, my daughter no. But, just get a bouncer. Best thing ever.
Diaper genie (had with son, stinking waste of money)
Rocking chair (I do a slight rock anyway and rub the back, made my babies happy)

What was great: Bassinet, exersaucer thingy, and BOOKS! Oh, and I swear by the Miracle Blanket. Those I would get again and have given as gifts. Babies really don't need much, all they really need is food, a clean booty and body, a place to sleep, and lots of love.

stroller - they like to be carried
pacifier - the right stuff is the right stuff, pacifier just isn't, and they know it :-)
travel bed - used it once, luckily it was borrowed (and returned)
viper (or, as you call it here - bouncy chair) - it provoked inconsolable crying for no apparent reason - floor was always a better solution

and one more thing, babies don't need to be taught to sit, stand or walk, they just need a firm surface to practice, and they will sit/stand up/walk when they are ready to do it

I think everyone ends up with some stuff that you don't need, because every baby is different. Most of the items listed above have been great for us. My daughter slept in her crib (and wouldn't sleep anywhere else, not even on me) since 10 weeks. The swing was the only thing that would keep her calm in the early months. She loved the jumperoo until about month 7. I definitely like my changing table instead of a changing pad sliding on a dresser like my mother-in-law has.

For us, we never bought a wipe warmer and I'm glad my baby doesn't mind room temp wipes. I ended up using a microwaved measuring cup of water to warm milk instead of a bottle warmer. Our daughter hated the bassinet attachment for the stroller, but who knows, maybe our next one will like it.

It all just depends on the temperament of the baby and the parents. Just hard to predict.

We have a pretty small place so we tried to be pretty picky when selecting baby items. So far the only things we havent used are

bottle warmer ( room temp water works just fine)
microwave bottle steralizer ( just use very hot water)
baby bjorn carrier ( major pain to put on)
Mamaroo swing/rocker thing ( she's just not into it. This was the only baby item that I was totally excited to buy )
Bumbo ( havent used this much. Maybe when she's older?)

An infant car seat.
We had one with our first, and realized that it was a big waste of money (he, being on the small side, was too big for it by 10 months!). With the subsequent kids, we've just used a convertible car seat. Yeah, we can't tote the sleeping baby around in it, but it's been way easier on my back to just use an Ergo Carrier or something similar.

Fortunately, I read a lot of blog posts like this one before I started accumulating baby stuff, so I didn't end up with unnecessary stuff like bottle warmers, wipes warmers, etc.

But I could definitely live with about HALF the toys that have ended up in our condo (and I regularly get rid of things!).

I would skip the highchair. We had one with our first, and it just took up floor space with its huge footprint. Next 2 kids used a booster (the fisher-price healthy whatever that thing is called with the tray) or a Phil and Ted's Me too seat hooked up to the table. So much better. They preferred being right in on the action at the table, not relegated to the further away high chair. Maybe if I'd had a better high chair I might have felt better about it, but mostly it was just a beast to keep clean and I'm glad I sold it. I never missed it!

Every few months, AT runs a question like this, and you can pretty well cue the wipe warmer swipes.

Everybody is different. Every family is different, every baby is different. Things that work brilliantly for some, do not for others.

What is useless for some, may be incredibly useful for others.

Rocking chair? Couldn't live without one. We bought a gorgeous Finnish MCM rocker, had it custom upholstered in a Designer's Guild fabric. Looks awesome in the living room, and no one would ever see it as repurposed baby furniture.

Stroller? Couldn't live without one. Slings? No way. Hated being hot, hurt my back, and wanted to be free!! Plus, I took lots of long walks with my kids, just to be outside. Would never have done that with just a sling.

Wipe warmer? Genius! SERIOUSLY. We used cloth diapers, cloth wipes, and a warm cloth wipe with warmed solution cleans like nothing else. My husband wouldn't live without it -- as a result, it made diaper changes quick, easy and effective. A single wipe cleaned everything! And our kids did not mind diaper changes -- even liked them -- and did not squirm. If you have a different diapering system, bully for you. But stop knocking wipe warmers as useless.

Baby monitor? Never used one. House too small to need one.

Changing table? Couldn't live without it. Saved our backs, and kept us organized. Now that we are past diapers, it is a great piece of furniture.

Pack'n'play? Never used one.

tricycle? Just a dust-collector. We used a like-a-bike instead.

High chair? We used a Stokke -- and still use it today, and every day, even 7 years later. (and it still looks great)

Oh -- receiving blankets. We barely used them. A friend advised that we would need lots and lots of them (10 or 20!), but we didn't.

A lovely lacy wool knit one (Elizabeth Zimmerman), 3 flannel ones, and a heavier fleece one for the stroller for my daughter. That was it. for my son, a heavy chocolate brown one (GAP) to match his bear suit (he still loves it as a 4 year old), and a knit cotton one for summer, and 2 flannel ones.

never had a rocking chair, stroller, baby bath, play pen, changing table, cot.... and our son survived just fine. If we had all that we would never have got in the apartment!

I think some of these suggestions depend completely on the child and where you live. We bought a gorgeous custom-made rocking chair with every intention to use it, and my little guy just isn't into rocking. (He likes to be "bounced". Standing up. Don't you dare sit down.)

As for the diaper pail and wipes warmer - where we live, it gets down to -40 in the winter. We turn the heat down at night to save a bit on energy costs, but those wipes would be cold (and our baby wide awake and outraged) during middle of the night changes if it weren't for the warmer. The diaper pail seals in the smell, since there is no running a stinky diaper to the outdoor garbage bin unless you are prepared to bundle up just for that. I just chose one that takes regular kitchen garbage bags and it's been great.

The baby monitor was useless to me. I only used it once.

I had most of the things people here are saying they never used, co-sleeper (bought used thankfully cause she didn't use it long, I really liked it but would not buy again), changing table (her favorite place to hang out for months, playing with her toes and talking to her butterfly mobile), bottle warmer (I had to go back to work and this was great for quickly taking the chill out of the bottles, I also used it to warm her home made baby food from the fridge, I consider it a best buy), bumbo (as a $15 used purchase I thought this was great, may have regretted it at the full 40 or 50 they charge for it), rocking chair, high chair.
The only things that I didn't end up using were the high chair because my daughter is too petite and couldn’t even reach the tray, we ended up using a $25 fisher price booster with tray (GREAT BUY and we can take it with us when we go to someone else’s house to eat) and we didn't use the rocker much because she hated being cuddled. I don't regret the rocker though, I used it for nursing at night and now at almost 2 she finally likes to cuddle, for about 1 whole minute every night before bed but better than nothing!! I think diaper warmers are totally unnecessary but my sister in law has hers plugged in at the changing table and loves it, so like someone else said, what doesn’t work for one may be great for another!
One stupid buy of mine, TOO MANY BABY CLOTHES!! But this is still a problem for me.

I totally thought I would need a boppy and my mom bought me one but I used it once when I got home from the hospital and it's been in the closet ever since! I never had a rocker because I'm too cheap to buy one and I don't really like the look of a glider and it hasn't been too big of a deal though sometimes I wish I had one but my baby is 14 months, no point now!
I bought a moby wrap but it hurt my back and my kid got big fast so when we went somewhere we used a stroller and she didn't like to "worn" at home.
we also never had a swing, but I'm sure she would have liked it. =D

We got a lot of things secondhand, so even the things we only used for a little while didn't seem like a huge waste of money.

One thing I do recommend after having my first baby is to NOT take the tags off and wash ALL clothes and blankets/cloths. Just prep a few things before the baby arrives and then just wash as needed. There are so many clothes that I could have returned (many she never wore once) if I would have just left the tags on and brought them back to the store - plus I could have exchanged them for things I actually needed.

things we didnt use: bottle warmer, wipe warmer, diaper bag, change table, disposable diapers (used cloth), diaper genie, bouncy chair, rocking chair, monitor, receiving blankets, jolly jumper, nursing pillow, snugli, bumbo.

Things we used a TON- bucket w lid for dirty cloth diapers, portable swing, fabric "high chair", sling, 4 glass bottles for when I pumped and was working, poang chair for rocking, Ikea crib/toddler bed, exersaucer (god I love that thing, seriously worth the room stealing in our TINY living room).

We also never used the bassinette people insisted we have- our babies were 10.5lbs + and 24" long from birth, so they were simply too big and would always flop legs and arms out of it, scaring the hell out of me every time.

a lot of the things people say you can live without were pretty much non negotiable for us because we have twins. the rules are so much different when you have two.

infant car seats: need! snap into double stroller....snap into infant swing to keep baby asleep! :)
bouncer: need!
jumperoo: need!
glider: eh, kinda need.
boppy: need 2! ha!
infant bathtub: need! it's hard to manage a 5 pound slippery baby!

the only things i think we didn't need (and didn't bother buying) were the wipes warmer and diaper genie-we'd fill that in 1 day! waste of money. something that i could've lived without are flannel swaddling blankets. the aden and anais linen ones are SO much better. they are bigger, have kind of a stretch to them and are breathable. i have like 12 of them. they're amazing.

It's funny to see that what one person loves another hates! I guess it all has to do with your baby and your lifestyle.
I have three kids and plan on having more, and I can honestly say I don't regret one baby purchase - and I have a lot of crap! But I also have a 5 bedroom house with lots of storage. Couldn't live without a rocking chair. I use my pack and play and bumbo all summer when camping in my trailer. My huge stroller (a Chariot) is honestly the best money I ever spent. Is use it all spring and summer in my small town to walk or bike with the kids to run errands and buy groceries. But a Chariot in an apartment, pain in the butt.

There is so much pressure to have the perfect nursery. . . and this site documents the phenomenon incredibly well. But. . . I learned that we could live without it. While I love to see the brilliant ideas parents come up with, it also made me paranoid that my child wouldn't have a space of his own (our house required extensive renovations and we lived, unpacked, in a single room for many months). Turns out, he could live without it! He wanted nothing to do with his own space--day and night, he wanted/needed physical touch. So the crib, swing, bouncy chair, etc were useless and it all worked out.

Infant Car Seat. We skipped it, and went straight to a Convertible Seat. We never used our Pack n Play either. Oh...once. Two babies, and we used it once. Yup, I guess it's safe to say we could live without it!
I also have to give some love to my rocker. I couldn't have made it through the newborn phase (both times) without it.

A bassinet, our baby hated it. He would only sleep in his swing the first 6 months.

There were a lot of things we had the first time around and really liked, but found less useful the second time, while wrestling two little ones. Changing table + diaper champ comes to mind. First time, it was wonderful--everything in one place, no bending over, etc. Second baby, we just changed her on the floor, wherever the toddler was.

I've donated most of the baby stuff, so if we have a third baby (omg), this is what I WON'T bother with:
-changing table (even though I loved the $20 thrift store one the first time)
-diaper champ/genie
-"travel system" big stroller + baby bucket carseat
-jumperoo
-high chair
-fancy baby clothes (although I was all about dressing up my first baby)
-rocking chair or glider or ANY nursing chair in the baby's room (I was an avid nurser--in the living room or my bedroom. Being isolated away from the rest of the family while nursing would drive me crazy and piss me off. Mama belongs in the midst of things.)
-bumbo, bouncy seat, etc
-bottle warmer
-food mill (we always fed the babies before ate, so even though I planned to make all my own baby food, it was usually easier to feed them the premade stuff. They eat real food now, even vegetables;)

Things I WOULD need:
-crib (Sorry, but my kids both slept in their cribs, through the night. Sure they were in the bed with us often, but I can't even COMPREHEND not having a crib.)
-convertible carseat
-folding stroller (not umbrella, but smallest type with bottom basket)
-booster chair
-exersaucer (allowed me 10 precious minutes here and there to make lunch, take a shower, etc. maybe not essential, but so good for the mental health, plus we still have one at my parent's house)
-pack 'n play (baby's bed in my room for the first month or two, then for when Grandma babysits at her house)
-sling (I still have my Maya Wrap ring sling and still use it often for my 2.5 year old. It is a carrier, a blanket, stroller shade cloth, escape-proof highchair straps, and a toddler harness. Best $35 ever spent. I never needed a more comfy carrier because my babies were wigglers. If I had a cuddly baby I'd also get a Moby or Ergo)

lets see.. we have one child.

we got a pack n play and have used it once (in two years). we also got a glider and rarely use it. we had a bumbo.. we used it for about a month. i would not purchase any of these items again.

we completely skipped the bottle warmer, diaper genie, and changing table. we did not miss them at all.

we also started with an infant seat, but we would choose to start with convertible next time around and skip the infant seat all together.

things we could NOT have lived without: muslin blankets, bum genius diapers, and space saver high chair. there were a few odds and ends we also had, but really we have found that you don't need half the stuff out there that is marketed towards kids and parents. babies really aren't that complicated.

barely used the "my breast friend" nursing pillow or a boppy. Just didn't need it, and couch pillows worked fine...

I feel like i had a realistic view of what I actually needed by watching all my other preggo friends... so I've managed to live without ever owning a wipe warmer, a diaper genie, a bottle warmer, the stupid little mittens they put on a newborns hands (I still don't get this), and I'm sure a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff.

I DID buy in to the whole Bumbo thing - and ended up returning it when the kiddo was only 3 months old. He didn't use it once because the first time I even thought about using it, he was already too big for it! I have a stocky lil' man though - so maybe that's not the case for everyone.

90% of the plastic toys we've received as hand-me-downs or as gifts are totally unnecessary. We try to rotate them in and out so they don't completely go to waste - but I feel awful for even having them in our house. Such a waste of plastic.

wish we hadn't gone the infant car seat route. convertible definitely makes the most sense in terms of cost and material waste.

we live in a very small apartment. instead of a rocking chair in baby's room i have an exercise ball. it was great to sit on towards the end of pregnancy and helps me keep good posture when we nurse. plus, i can always deflate it and fold it up. baby likes to rock sometimes and bounce others and the ball facilitates both motions. plus, it's cheap and can be used going forward in any number of ways.

Never had and didn't miss: High chair (we plopped him in his Bumbo and eventually graduated him to a booster seat); Rocking chair (we rocked/danced him to sleep--now he's a music fan AND a huge snuggler); bottle warmer.

Things we had but found annoying/useless: Baby tub; Sling/maya wrap; baby monitor (our house is tiny and our munchkin is LOUD).

Couldn't have lived w/out and/or cannot recommend enough: Jumparoo, Tiny Love Mobile; Bob Stroller; Bumbo seat (used it for meals and bathing) and most importantly the Bjorn with back support. Our kid LIVED in the bjorn until he was too heavy to haul.

I absolutely agree with keeping the tags on all clothes/items until you need them. I spent hours washing & drying everything, and could not return/exchange the 60% I did not use. With my 1st child, I needed everything new (hormones) so I always suggest IKEA to new moms-to-be. With the 2nd, Craigslist. :)

This is a tough one bcs every baby is so different and you just can't know what type of baby you'll have till they are here. Example: our baby actually liked cooler baby wipes and I can't imagine every using a wipe warmer. But our friends had a baby that would scream in agony unless the wipes were warm.

But I can think of one thing that we didn't need and got a few of as gifts----fleece sleepsacks. We love the cotton sleepsacks. But it is so easy for babies to overheat and from what I've read about SIDS, it is best to keep babies slightly cooler. So I never saw the point of attempting to use the fleece sleepsack.

With twins in less than 1000 sq feet, we either did not use the following, or got rid of them pretty quick:

- Diaper genie (filled up too quickly!)
- Sleep sacks that were open at the bottom
- Boppy pillow
- Swing (I used it as an extra seat, but never turned it on due to severe reflux issues!)
- Any clothing that required ironing
- Most clothes that went over the head (so much vomiting we used kimono-style clothes for easier changes)
- changing table (just a plastic changing mat on the dresser)

Of course, everything was different with the third three years later :)

I think that the main thing that can be learned from all these comments is that every child is unique and needs different things! What one baby hates, another can't live without. Don't expect your baby to follow one formula/method. Spend time getting to know your baby and their cues, and you will figure out what you need, little by little.

Also, my son was small enough that when we started him on solids at 6 months, he was slipping through his high chair. The Bumbo seat was just the thing we needed to keep him safe while eating. Plus, we are able to bring it to restaurants and friends' houses for dinner time!

A nursery! and all its accompanying gear (crib, changing table, etc.) I never expected to go this route, but co-sleeping has become our family's choice -- and has reduced the amount of space and stuff we have needed or acquired, at least over the past 2 years. Certainly not for everyone, but definitely has helped reinforce a minimalist approach to baby gear.

Stupid: Baby bath towels. And you will be gifted with a million. Then again it takes like four per bath, so maybe you need a million. Our adult ones are so much plusher and snugglier.

INVALUABLE: two dozen flat fold diapers, nightlights galore and my Bebe au Lait

Nonessential but much loved: Bumbo seat; exersaucer; small, crinkly cloth books and bold black and white books; a musical safari mobile that runs for six minutes - just long enough to take a shower; Target nursing tanks; Wubbanub pacifier with stuffed animal; the ubiquitous Sophie

Things I resisted but have come around to: Pack n Play (circumstances dictating - it's great for traveling; now at her in-home day care it's where she sleeps), high chair (can't put Bumbo on counter, so love having baby high enough that we can see each other and what we're each doing, and rolls to any room); back-up stash of disposable diapers (not for lack of will, but for an abundance of rashes that require various cloth-ruining creams)

We kept it minimal and buy-as-the-need-arises and got loads of hand me downs, so not too many fails. Baby didn't like the bouncy seat or papasan so we gave ours away - then day care lady reported she loves the bouncy seat there, so who knows. Baby loved the door-frame-hanging jumpy thing, but pediatrician nixed it, so that was sad for me. Don't do much rocking, but the glider is a big, comfy chair that will earn its keep over the long haul.

My only comment on co-sleeping is that, if we did it regularly, I would wish for a king sized bed. How many times have I gotten up for the bathroom and returned to find no room for me.

Baby bath towels, bottle warmer, pack 'n play...
Didn't think I needed but I can't live without: flat fold diapers...

We never had the money for fancy diaper disposal units, wipes warmers etc, so never used them, but the one thing I could not have lived without is our bassinet. For a newborn it was just the right size and it was light and had wheels so I could roll it into the bathroom, take it up or down stairs or w/e I needed it and as we had three children 18 then 20 months apart it got a lot of use and is now a stuffy holder for my daughter.

I've been more surprised by the things I turned up my nose at with #1 that wound up being really, really useful once we had two:

a dryer (cloth diapers on two babies take a lot of time to hang on the line every day)

and

a jogging stroller (new baby rode in my beloved Ergo, toddler rode in the stroller, we took long walks all the time)

In fact, we enjoyed the stroller so much that I'm shopping for a double to use when #3 is born. Family walks FTW.

High chair! We didn't have space for one and just attached a booster seat with plastic tray to a dining table chair and it was perfect from infancy through toddlerhood, and we removed the tray when he was big enough to eat at the table but still needed the booster.

Almost everything! None of our kids ever slept in the really expensive crib that we bought, it was easier to change diapers on a bed or the floor, the diaper genie was a total waste, and etc. All a newborn really needs is a food supply, diapers, some onesies, and receiving blankets. Everything else is extra. I did love my glider rocker, though. For us it was invaluable. And a stroller and highchair, things I could have lived without but I'm glad I didn't have to.

So many things you'll never know until you try them! What works for one baby, isn't right for another.

We did not need a wipes warmer, as much as we wanted to use it with our cloth wipes, it just didn't work the way we had envisioned.

We have always had tile or hardwood floors - never carpet, so the foam floor tiles and plenty of blankets or rugs for floor play were important accessories for us during floor play time/tummy time. I thought about purchasing tummy time playmats I've seen, but the blankets worked well for us. Two and half years later we still use the blankets, which I don't think would be the case with the playmats.

we're in a small, 2 bedroom apt and are very much practical, resourceful, less-is-more, simple/natural vs. battery-operated, kind of people. we're also nerds in that we read and researched books/magazines/blogs and asked our friends about all things baby before we were even pregnant. our baby is now 3 and a half months old and i think we've done pretty well so far =) i stay at home and breastfeed exclusively; we also cloth diaper.

we couldn't live without (somewhat in order of importance): convertible car seat; fisher price rock n play; miracle blanket (only for the first 6 weeks); moby wrap; skip hop changing pad; re-purposed twin-size bed for changing diapers/clothes and tummytime/playing/reading; puj tub; burping cloths; ergo carrier; space saver high chair; long sleeve onesies; crib

we appreciate, but could do without: boppy (tummy time, sitting); brest friend (for a change of scenery); bouncer seat and playmat (which we got for 50% off through a friend's discount); sony baby monitor (if only for volume, not so much distance); hooded towels

we didn't care for:
- pack and play (a friend got one for us, "i know it wasn't on your registry, guys, but you NEED this!"); infant carrier seat (same friend doesn't understand why we don't want to carry our baby in a bucket); diaper genie; wipe warmer; bottle warmer, drying rack, etc.; that seahorse sleep helper thingy; swing; pacifiers

we haven't really used yet: ikea poang chair; a&a blankets; booster seat; shopping cart cover

we never used: boppy newborn lounger (he was too big for it, i think); mittens; blankets

we splurged on: diaper bags (jack spade for my husband and kate spade for me, BUT both were at outlet/discount prices)

we're contemplating: jumperoo/exersaucer thing (so he can stand/be upright vs. lounging/sitting in his bouncer/highchair/boppy) and/or a bumbo seat

we were very fortunate to have been gifted 90% of these things, which i know isn't the case for everyone. we were especially surprised and moved to tears (i was, at least) when we received the car seat, breast pump, ergo, stroller, and poang chair at our shower. in the end, we only bought the crib and diaper bags ourselves.

Exersaucers. With twins I thought at least one of these things was going to be essential since we didn't have a lot of time to hold the kids upright to strengthen their legs and get them ready to walk but we put it off and off and our girls started pulling themselves up to standing on our furniture without any help. So we decided to get two "activity table" type toys that they could pull themselves up to and walk around instead. It's worked out perfectly and we will get many more months out of the tables than we would have out of the Exersaucer.

Wipes warmer and a regular high chair. I have a 7 month old and we always use his portable high chair - even when we are at home.

Oh and also newborn sized clothes and baby laundry detergent - just use dye and fragrance free and you can do all of your laundry (your laundry and baby's laundry) at one time.

I have to say the exersaucer and jumperoo have served us well as a fun distraction.

Disposable diapers.

I just thought I couldn't live without them even though I need cloth was better. And it took me almost 1.5 to figure out that I didn't need them. We do cloth all the time now and they work better, don't stink, don't contaminate groundwater, and are better for the environment. I wish like I feel like I "needed' them for our first.

Diaper genie - throw out the diapers as you change them and/or every night

Standing high chair - a hook-on chair offered all the same benefits of a Stokke and given it's the same thing my parents used for me (Sassy Seat, circa 1981) we thought we'd give it a try and it was better than expected. Our daughter is a great table/restaurant eater and we didn't have to mess around with yet another baby item in our apt.

Could have lived without:
Microwave Bottle Sanitizer (with no dishwasher we thought we needed it but really, isn't boiling enough?)
Sophie the Giraffe (overpriced piece of rubber that my son wasn't interested in but everyone said you HAVE to have it!)
Moby wrap (so uncomfortable!)
Fancy bouncy chair (we got the designer one as a gift and we LOVED how it looked but only used the cheap, ugly one that vibrated)
Could NOT have lived without:
My rocking chair (it was from when I was a baby)
Bumbo chair/bouncy seat/exersaucer
Ergo carrier (great back support)
The crib (what is everyone who says they don't use a crib actually using? Are all of your kids sleeping with you for the first two years? Just curious)
Waterproof liner bibs and cloth diaper burp cloths

The crib. I should have just bought a king sized master bed. Both kids co-slept until about 16/18 months and then went straight to toddler beds with no problems.

So glad to hear about the rocking chair and glider. We had 2 rocking chairs from grandmothers when we moved to our now house and I got rid of them both (much to the dismay of my husband). Everyone that walks into our child's room asks where our rocking chair is and I just reply that I don't have one. I also can't stand the way gliders look, so I'm not going in that direction either.

I agree with commenters who point out that it has to do with the baby's preferences and the families' space. Unfortunately you don't know what your baby will like until s/he tries it! Better to try friends' stuff first and find out what your baby likes.

I could have lived without the wrap I was given (my daughter hated being in it). We never used the bassinet-- we ended up co-sleeping because the baby wouldn't tolerate being even that far away from us at first. Then when she got old enough, we just switched her to the crib. Total waste of money.

Maybe I just went over the top with my pre-baby research and read so many of these type of articles that I went really minimal even knowing I had twins on the way: I bought the basics, never 2 of anything and it's worked out great - I have used the philosophy that if I actually need something I don't have then I can go online and have it here in 2 days... what they have used up in bundles is lots of love and cuddles and energy and that's been free of charge ;)

someone recently asked me what the must-haves were for a new baby. i appreciate my opinion being valued, because i'm not even a parent (just a nanny with very extensive experience)... but the only answer i could give is every parent/baby is different.

it's a concept well-illustrated here!

I never needed a Boppy Pillow, I always just propped up my son while nursing with whatever pillow was laying around. I also never really used the Bumbo Chair, my son hated it.