What could you absolutely not do without when having a baby?

[QueenOfIce]

Being childless myself I have no clue about the needs of babies! When you had your baby looking back what would you tell a first time mum she absolutely needs?

So far we've got,

Ewan the dream sleep
A sling
A baby formula machine thingy wotsit (she will be unable to breast feed)

She has a good support network but no partner so anything that will make life easier when she's on her own with baby especially at nighttime.

Thank you!

Oatcakes for snacking on during nighttime feeds. Breastfeeding made
Me v v hungry. Don't worry - you won't put on weight!
Bibs. Many bibs. More than you'd ever think you'll need.

rednose.com.au/article/room-temperature
According to this article there is no temperature recommendation for australian homes, it's just about dressing baby appropriately. A good guideline is whatever amount of layers the parents are wearing to feel comfortable.
This article also says that external temperature matters less when it comes to SIDS, it's more important to just dress your baby appropriately for the temperature, and ensure no blankets or clothes can cover their face, so sleeping bags and swaddle suits are the way to go.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post: she'll be changing nappies and therefore washing hands frequently, which dries out the skin.
Get her some good low chemical hand soap (one without SLS and Parabens) and a sensitive skin hand cream. I use Dr Bronner's or Thank You soap, and Vegesorb cream (made with almond and apricot oils).

Ewan is terrible. Don't give it as a gift. When you want it to turn on you need to push its foot. She'll be getting up 20 times a night to push its bastarding foot. Get a my hummy instead they turn on automatically when baby cries.

Towels.

We have a towel (cheap hand towel) on top of the changing mat. Firstly it means the mat isn't cold on her bum and also when she pees or poos mid change it's easy to deal with

Thanks so much everyone, I've made a list for her, I'll make her a hamper of goodies, meals she can reheat and some of the essentials. I like the idea of a basket with nappies downstairs so she won't need to keep going upstairs.

I'm aware from all my mum friends that being able to have a bath etc can be quite difficult so I'm intending on helping her so she can do those things.

I'll look at my hummy instead of Ewan! Also is there a better sling than others?

Thank you again for the really helpful info.

It's defo so individual isnt it?

Useful IMO (particularly if on own)

Yes to Ewan. You don't need it but it's useful to have a sleep prop when you can't breastfeed them back to sleep which isn't your phone. We have an owl from Lidl which does a similar thing. That said we have also used an app called Baby Sleep (free, purple icon) and a bluetooth speaker, which is a fantastic combo.

Set of safe co--sleeping guidance. Obviously a cot is safer but if she gets desperate it's best to know the least worst way if that makes sense? Particular focus on the C-shape position as it won't be so obvious if she's not BF.

Shnuggle baby bath. Miles better than an ordinary one, much easier to use on your own. Probably that apron baby towel thing which was on Dragon's Den too. And yes a bath thermometer. I poo-poohed this but then we didn't get the temp right at all to begin with.

Couple of books - The No Cry Sleep Solution for Newborns (not the original) - just gives you some tools and info which I found really useful even as a second timer who is pretty relaxed about sleep in general. And What Mothers Do - that's more of an emotional support thing but it's good.

Clothing vouchers which can be used online for delivery plus a small selection of different types of clothing, everyone has their own preference.

Sleeping bags and possibly some of those easy to use newborn swaddles?

Dummies - even if she is opposed it's nice to have the option when you're running out of options.

Cup holder for the buggy + insulated coffee mug ;)

If baby is due in winter, set of gloves that you can flip over the end to be fingerless (for mum) - means your hands stay warm when pushing buggy but can access fingers to do zips etc, retrieve dummy and so on without getting fluff all over the baby.

Lots of people like those milestone cards, helps you record milestones without needing to set aside time to fill in a book.

Boba wrap gets my vote. I thought all stretchy wraps were much of a muchness but this one is gorgeous. Lovely thick quality fabric and nice designs.

Oh our Lidl owl is sound activated, I thought Ewan would be too.

Slings are very individual so it's not really possible to pick one for someone else unless it is just one of the fabric wrap ones, which are all much of a muchness. For anything more complex than just the big fabric wrap, it's best for the parents to try some on to see what fits them comfortably. I'd just stick with a fabric wrap one if giving it as a gift, although if your fit recipient is in Scotland they do get one free in the baby box anyway and they'd not need 2.

@BertieBotts yeh Ewan is not sound activated! No idea how it got so popular! Waste of money!!!

Muslins, changing Mat for lounge, baby monitor, play gym, swinging chair for the baby, a good slimline baby change mat for the nappy bag, snack pot, baby gate for bedroom door

Didn't need Moses basket, top and tail, bottle warmer, baby changing unit (except I used the shelves a lot, toddler bed (straight to big bed when they were 2
And 18 months when they learnt to hop the cot 😱

A sling, Grobags, muslins, mobile, waterproof/fleece all in one for going out.

No Ewan, no perfect prep, no next2me crib