Baby "must-haves"

I've really looking forward to setting up the new baby room.  That being said, I've been getting on Pinterest frequently for nursery ideas for the boy, and find that I keep finding these blogs and lists for new moms.    Now, I am all about encouraging one another, helping each other out, giving practical advice and suggestions for fun activities and such... in which cases, Pinterest can be awesome.  However, I also keep finding these lists of advice or things in which just seem so extreme.  Today I found (and have seen multiple other times) "Baby Must Have's!"   Aye aye aye... these people should get paid by the companies, they make it seem like your life as a mother will be terrible without these certain items... or that you will not possibly be able to take care of your baby without this one certain gadget.

One of the lists I saw that was extremely specific on things you "needed"

So to you new moms, or soon to be moms, DO NOT BELIEVE THIS!  Although I still consider myself a new mom, now that I've been down this road once before, and worked with kids for quite some time, I decided that sharing that you don't need all the things they say you need is worth sharing.   My sister did the same for me, and I appreciated her input when registering the first time.  Yes, some things are helpful, some things we loved, and some things were completely useless.  Some things you need because of safety (a proper car seat, for example...) but in most other cases, your kid will survive.

Some things that I think are a waste?
- A color changing hot water test duck.  Use your elbow to test the water...simple enough I think.
- A cart protective cover.  My kid will touch everything she can, then I will find her fingers in her mouth.  What she can, she will put directly in her mouth.  People come to my house, we go out, we go to the playground, we explore.  But oh no!  I don't know who all touched the shopping cart! Better cover that crap up!  Yeah, I guess I just don't get this one, and am not that opposed to germs.   If you are a germ a phobe... yeah, go ahead and get the cover I guess.

It's just so big and bulky of a thing to carry around with everything else, also, most stores provide disinfectant wipes now.

-baby bath robe.   We got one of these, and it was super cute, I loved it.  Totally useless.   It was too short to cover her legs, it took us too long to get her arms in it and it on her for it to be worth it. The hooded towels are much easier...or just a towel works great.
-A video monitor.   Now we would 'like' one of these, because we've had conversations about how funny it would be to watch her... but necessary?  No... we have the cheapest monitor there is, when she is crying, we can hear her... I guess I don't understand needing to see her?  Maybe there's a safety thing here I don't quite understand.
-Wipe Warmer.  I guess if you keep your house cold in the winter this could be nice.  Otherwise, I don't really see the use.

The list could go on... I've looked and giggled through these lists from every possible cushion you could put your baby down on (the couch worked nicely for us) to bath tubs (the sink also worked well) to feeding spoons (it's really not THAT hard to dip the spoon back in the container before putting it back in your baby's mouth).  Keep in mind I don't actually have most of these items, so maybe if I did my opinion would change.. but probably not.

I will say, there have been several things that have been helpful with having a baby.  And that might just have been for just me, maybe not for everyone, certainly not 'must-haves', but things I have found to be extremely thankful for.

-Wubanub.  IF your child uses a Soothie pacifier, this really did help keep it in at night.  Also, I found it is much easier to keep track of overall...she could hold it, stayed in longer, it was bigger...just nice to have all around.

-An electric swing.  Now, some babies hate the swing, so if that's the case, this would not be a 'must-have' for you.  If however, you find the only way you get sound sleep is with your child asleep in their swing...then I recommend a electric swing.  It was so nice never having to worry about batteries or making an emergency run for them.  Also, her swing had this nice 'rain' white noise to it...it was glorious. That being said, I could have a white noise machine to this list.  Anyway, she slept in it for the first 3 months of her life before she started sleeping in her crib.

This is the swing we received, we're pretty big fans.

-Swaddle Me wrap.  Yes, we could just swaddle her in blankets, so definitely not a "must-have" but these are just simpler, and we loved them.
-The Ninja.  Since I made all her baby food this contraption was FANTASTIC!  It was sooo fast and worked really well.  We also use it for our smoothies...yummy.  :)
Some other things that were nice? Bumbo, Boppy, gas drops, stroller, a fresh smelling candle, rash ointment... there's quite a few others, but like I keep saying 'must-have' title is a bit of a stretch.

My point is, there are very few actual "must-haves".. they need the basics: love, food, a place to sleep, a car seat, diapers, bottles, blankets and such.  If you can provide those things, you're set... you'll figure out what makes things easier on the way, and what you can go without.  There are still things that I think "oh that'd be nice to have", yet I'm unwilling to spend the money on them, so if you can think of any of those things before the baby, register it and let others get them for you.  In the end, all the things that just help make things with a baby 'easier' are really wonderful, even if you can survive without it.

If you don't believe me on how many lists there are, just google, or better yet, on pinterest, search "baby must have's"...it's crazy!  Also... what have you found to be completely useless baby items, or what do you consider to be a "must-have"?  I'm interested in knowing what you think, or maybe you COMPLETELY disagree with the things I've listed, I'd love to hear about it either way!