Pregnancy and baby products are one of the top selling industries and likely to remain steady, or even rise!
It’s no wonder really, we all feel pressure from every angle to make sure our children have the best, even in the womb. Parents want to ensure that their children are never without, left out, or somehow inferior to their peers.
We also want to be seen as good parents.
While we are buying an abundance of these items, we are usually not keeping them. They serve a very short term purpose to us.
A majority of my pregnancy, postpartum, and baby products have been sold, stored away for the possibility of another child, donated, or (unfortunately) thrown away there are a few items I loved so much I refuse to give them up, even at 20 months postpartum!
1. Pregnancy Pillow
Sleep was getting hard on me. I’m a stomach sleeper and as my belly grew that became nearly impossible. So I went on a search for restful sleep…
I was very hesitant to purchase this item – as my frugal soul saw that $65.99 price tag I had a hard time justifying paying that price for a pillow, but this is no ordinary pillow.
It’s “U-Shaped” design was a smart choice in my opinion. The “C-shaped” pillows had me worried I would be wrestling to drag the pillow with me as I rolled and switched sides in the middle of the night.
Not only did I feel this pregnancy pillow supported my head and hips, I also felt it supported my back since I had a pillow behind me as well.
As an added bonus I also used it to prop my daughter on while I breastfed her at night. While it didn’t compare to the My Brest Friend nursing pillow that I love (you can read more about that here), it was a nice option to have and I liked using it more than The Boppy.
I’ve tried sleeping without this pillow but I really notice a lack of support on my joints and do not sleep well without it.
I will definitely be replacing this pillow when the time comes.
2. Nursing Tanks and Wireless Bras
I specifically love these nursing tanks. I wore one literally almost every single day of breastfeeding (17 months!). I bought a second set of 3 because I liked them that much!
They almost felt like a compression material, not at all in an uncomfortable way, but in a way that I felt it made me look slightly slimmed down and my abdomen felt a bit supported.
The tanks also had a very nice plastic clasp that I truly could easily detach and attach with one hand (unlike the one I bought at Target).
I still regularly wear these. I will only wear one of these nursing tanks, a nursing bra, or a wireless bra. I am never going back to a wired bra. Nope, no thank you.
3. Pregnancy/Granny Panties
I tried SEVERAL kinds of pregnancy underwear.
These ones by Motherhood Maternity were okay, I liked that I could fold them down or that they pulled up onto my belly but they did not amaze me.
The “under the bump” underwear were such a joke. I purchased two different kinds and the front barely covered my hoo-ha.
Please, do yourself a favor and get out to Walmart and buy “Secret Treasures Women’s Seamless Boyshort Panties, 6 Pack” you can follow the link or you can copy and paste that description on the Walmart.com website.
These fit so nicely, are surprisingly breathable (I feel more so than cotton!), incredibly comfortable and very well priced.
Even you’re not into boyshorts or granny panties for every day use, everyone can use a good comfy pair of period undies.
3. A Sound Machine
We registered for this sound machine. My daughter was in our room for her first 6 months so we slept with a sound machine right along with her.
It was nice to have the light-up feature for those middle of the night diaper changes. I used the white light when I needed more light and the red light when I knew she didn’t poop since I wouldn’t need to see as well and red light is supposed to be less disruptive to sleep.
This sound machine met all of our needs and I was perfectly content with it until…
I saw in the What To Expect app discussion boards that moms were loving the Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine, and temptation took over me when I read that I could adjust the lighting and sound from my phone. This is a very convenient feature.
Anyways, we went a few months with my daughter in her room with the Hatch and the Reacher going unused in our room. Well my husband works odd shifts so I had the idea of turning the sound machine on for him so that any noise my daughter and I were making would be drowned out by sound machine. I actually find it really soothing and I feel it helps me drift asleep more quickly.
4. Maternity Jeans
Hey, they’re comfortable!
They’re not my go to jeans and I don’t wear them as often now as I did for several months postpartum, but since I’m just now back to my pre-pregnancy weight I’ve been happy to have them on hand.
I did not want to spend a ton of money on larger jeans that I hopefully would not be wearing for too long and pregnancy jeans are really nice if you’re going to be sitting for long periods of time. I am not thin, and never have been so I’ve always hated jeans cutting into my abdomen when I sat.
Money Well Spent
I don’t know about you, but I often have a hard time spending money on myself. My kids or husband? I could shop all day and justify it. Buying for myself always gives that tinge of guilt – not that it should.
I feel a little better about these purchases than I do about others that were not used for a long period of time.
Would you consider using these items longer than their “intended use” or do you have a pregnancy or postpartum item you’ve used long term?
