4 things your newborn does NOT need....

"They" say every child is different, that what works for one may not work for another. And that gadgets that were helpful for one may not be helpful for another. In my experience,"they" are indeed correct!

These are a few things that I have learnt (from my experience) that are possibly never needed for your newborn...

Top and tail bowl - first we had to work out what one of these things was before we  decided if we needed one. (For those unfamiliar, think of a bowl with two compartments - you can wash the 'top' of baby with one and the 'tail' of baby with the other.) Chances are, you will use this for the first few weeks of parenthood and then decide it is a waste of time, effort and (valuable) space. We used an old dual compartment Tupperware container for about two weeks before it was discarded. 

Fancy baby baths and bath seats - starting with a disclaimer... if you have trouble getting down low/reaching across the side of a bath, then something you can put on the floor/dining table etc may be exactly what you need. For the rest of us, laying a baby down flat in the bath with a little water up to the sides of their face (with a warm facecloth over the belly if you are worried about cold air) means that baby cannot fall or slide off, out or over the edge of the bath/bath seat. Miss/Master will, by default, also become accustomed to water in ears and eyes which should make washing hair and learning to swim that little bit easier. (Obviously, ensure ears are dried well after bath time). Our first born was first bathed in the laundry basket, then in one of those change table with baby bath things (it meant I did not have to bend down to bath her). Second time around both the wash basket and the 'standing height' baby change table with baby bath were ignored and Master went straight into the bath with his big sister. It was one less thing to clean in the bathroom. *update: after the arrival of 3rd child we did use a basic metal frame thing with a Terry cloth stretched over it. This enabled me to put all children in the bath together and so was worth the clutter and extra cleaning for me.

Breast feeding capes - it takes a little practice, but I happily wore scarves during my breastfeeding days and these appropriately 'maintained my dignity' while allowing me to feed my Miss and Master without distraction, without cold air getting where it should not (Miss was a winter birth) and without causing the baby or myself to swelter (Miss and Master are still little heaters). My repurposed scarves meant I had one less thing to carry every time I changed rooms, left the house or travelled abroad.

Fancy/fiddly clothes - while some may have a desire to put newborns in something special for going home, beyond this, the first few days and weeks will be a blur. Make it as easy as possible to dress and undress them (sometimes, literally, in your sleep), and to wash, dry and put away the clothes. This is especially important if you have a reflux newborn, believe me.

If experience teaches you that any of these things are necessary for your family, then you'll be able to make a doubt-free purchase