Ten on the Tenth

This one's going to be a bit different. I'll have ten things, but in two different lists. Since I now have a 6 month old who's outgrown the little baby things, I have found myself (now after two children) never having used these things much if at all..and on the same page, I find myself putting things away that I don't want to think about having lived without. Now granted, a lot of the stuff was bought at the biannual consignment shop, so not much was full price, but still.

Five baby things we spent money on and found we really didn't need.

1. A baby bathtub. Having the kind of baby tub that we do, it's almost impossible to bathe an infant in it without the help of two people...one to hold the baby and one to wash. They go slipping and sliding. We did use it, but if I had my choice again, I wouldn't pay for it. The bumbo sitter has proved to be more effective once they were a couple of months old and could hold their head up. It fits in the sink or bathtub.

2. A swing. Honestly...neither kid used it much. Zoe, maybe a handful of times. Ethan used it in the first two weeks during his colicky bouts, but after that, not much at all. Not worth $80.

3. Diaper Genie. Good invention...but for our house, a waste of $$. We use Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers. We use one disposable a day and that's for the long 12 hour sleep at night. We just do a trashcan. Now a diaper champ, that's a different story. We would use that just because it didn't require buying extra bags.

4. Baby shoes. Seriously...they don't even keep them on. They're ADORABLE. I'll admit that, but they kick them off and really just don't need them.

5. Bassinetts. Really...how long do they stay in these before they outgrow it? We never bought one of these. We were handed down one which was nice for the first few weeks and sleeping in our room..but after that, you don't use it. I'm not sure I'd spend tons of money on one. I think a pack'n'play with a bassinette on top would do just fine.

Five baby things we spent money on and found we couldn't live without!

1. A bumbo sitter. Ever seen these? WONDERFUL inventions. Great bathseats. Great restaurant table top seats. Great high chairs for on the go. Just all around great. They can sit in it from the time they can hold their head up until ???? . Our two and a half year old still likes to sit in it.

2. A jumperoo. Like an exersaucer in the fact that it has an activity center surrounding it. And like a Johnny Jump Up in the fact that it is a free jumper in the middle. LOVE IT.

3. Johnny Jump Up. Again...both my kids LOVE to jump. This is a free jumper that hangs from a doorframe. It's a great travel thing and doesn't take up much space.

4. Shopping Cart Cover. I love this invention. I never was a germophobe until I had kids. Now with the H1N1 out there, I'm a super germophobe. And after watching snotty nosed people in walmart wipe their boogery noses and then put their hands all over the shopping cart again, I'll never put my kids in a cart without one of these. They work great for restaurant highchairs too.

5. The Miracle Blanket. This thing was perhaps the best $26 we ever spent. It's a swaddle that you can use for up to 16 weeks that helps keep the baby's arms tightly wrapped to prevent the startle reflex. Very cool and not overly heavy and aided in both of our kids sleeping 8+ hours by the time they were 6 weeks old.