Mom Lesson: Baby Products You Depend On Will Become Safety Hazards

Posted by Rachel Engel

As a first time mom, I bought into all the hype of needing to buy every product ever made for my daughter. From wipe warmers to diaper genies to mobiles - if it was marketed for babies, chances are I purchased some version of it.

It turns out, though, I may be a sucker, but at least I'm a productive sucker. I used literally everything I bought, (okay, except the wipe warmer; baby S's bottom had to deal with room temperature baby wipes) - including my beloved changing table. All those people who told me it was a waste of money and I would never use it couldn't have been more wrong. I have used it every day of S's life, up until last week, when it became painfully clear that she has grown out of it.

I have always used it to change her and dress her, and one particular afternoon last week, I was trying to get her dressed for her grandparents's visit. She was wiggling about, incredibly unhappy that I was asking her to keep still for the 10 seconds I needed to guide her left arm into the arm hole. All of a sudden, she wrenched out of my grasp, flew back and slammed her head into the lip of the changing table.

She couldn't even catch her breath enough to scream, and when she did, I was basically screaming along with her. I checked the back of her head, sure I was going to see blood and would need to rush her to the hospital. Thankfully, I only saw a red mark - no broken skin - so I just held her and rocked her as we both cried many, many tears. My husband came home to find us in the rocking chair, clinging to each other. It was incredibly traumatic for both of us.

Now that I won’t come within 3 feet of the changing table, I have moved all diaper stuff into my bedroom and I use my bed to change her… which has proved to be much more challenging. A soft surface with no visible barriers? ROLL TIME!

Pull her shorts off. Flip her back over. Undo the soiled diaper. Flip her back over. Wipe her down. Flip her back over. Slide the new diaper under her bottom. Flip her back over. And so on.

Apparently for her, our bed means playtime, not diaper time, and she gets incredibly frustrated with me when I try to keep her sanitary by changing her. How dare I!?

I guess I get to play the flip game until she gets old enough to start potty training… in a year or two.

Facepalm.

Is there a baby item you were sad to see your baby grow out of?

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