Tell me your most ‘can’t live without’ items for a new baby please!

[MilkAndFenty]

Hit me with the stuff you absolutely love- also interested to hear what was a massive waste of money in your opinions!

A playpen - meant DT’s were safe when I went to the loo or to make a coffee. Kept the dog and cat happy as well as DT’s couldn’t get to them.

Marpac hush white noise machine - best thing ever.

Sling.

Muslins

Metanium cream

Prep machine or formula feeding

must haves-

Baby Bjorn bouncer
ergobaby 360
metanium
muslins
some kind of snot sucker

batch cooking one handed meals before baby arrives

I also bought my next to me crib which was brilliant but I got it second hand a got a brand new mattress for it.

I can’t say we bought much that we didn’t like, we tended to buy as we went/realised we had a need for it and researched well.

Proper attaches to bed co sleeping cot. The absolute best thing we spent Money on second time around.
It made a huge difference to me sleeping!

Also agree re baby bjorn bouncer it's bloody brilliant

Lots of support for the white noise- have heard Alexa can do this too.

Again muslins, get a few of the larger ones too- so handy.

Lots of cotton wool wads

White noise machine- they do ones with a cry sensor now which is amazing!

NUK dummies

A dimmable bedside lamp for night feeds, I had one that you just tap with your hand so no fiddling around with switches.

A stretchy wrap
Lansinoh cream
Nipple shields
H&m baby vests that wrap over (as opposed to pull over the head type)
Car seat suitable for overnight sleeping & stand (we used this instead of a moses basket during the day)
Foldable stokke baby bath

Stuff we shouldn't have bothered with;
Bouncy chair (DD had silent reflux and absolutely hated it)
Cot bed - not until much later on anyway as we ended up cosleeping
Nappy bin

Loved the baby bjorn too.

This style rigid bath support, no killing your back, quite steep so they don't turn and stick their face in the water

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KOKO-Slip-Anatomic-Baby-Cradle/dp/B08Y957BHL/ref=ascdff_B08Y957BHL/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=501077719658&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17128625211313386021&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006585&hvtargid=pla-1279402674845&psc=1

Baby gowns for overnight, no faffing with poppers and last for ages

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miracle-Baby-Nightgown-Newborn-Nighties/dp/B0995SCLWZ/ref=ascdff_B0995SCLWZ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=547309009095&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=448518360988039501&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006585&hvtargid=pla-1457481957085&psc=1

Best things...

Dimmable touch lamp - didn't have to fanny about finding a switch, and could keep the light dim for night time feeds and nappy changes.

Bath seat - handy to put them in something to support them while having a bath - though they don't really need baths when they are super new

Caddy - I had a wee caddy thing that I could put my phone, water bottle, multi vits, nipple cream, snacks etc. Meant I could easily shift all that stuff elsewhere in the early days, e.g If I decided to sit and feed or hold baby for naps elsewhere in the house.

A baby seat thing at dining table height - had this in the kitchen, handy to have somewhere to put baby when cooking or when me and DH wanted to eat together, but not put baby in buggy and have to keep leaning over to check he's ok, did have a place to put sleepyhead or playmat in the kitchen so this was a life saver.

Worst things...

I can't remember lol. I was a sling fan, bought a cheap fabric first, loved it, then bought baby bjorn.

All the best OP!

Yep we just used an Alexa dot to play it. Felt we were more likely to find on e that suited baby than if we'd just got a machine plus it's multi purpose so we would also use it to listen to nursery rhymes or play animal sounds etc.

Oh and a tiny cheap flexible led light from ikea that clipped on the bed. Was great for night feedings/changes.

Some of those pre made newborn formula bottles in your labour bag, even if you are planning to breastfeed. My labour wasnt straightforward and I couldn’t BF at first and the hospital were really difficult about supplying bottles and formula, it was awful for my DP. And I also vote for Alexa white noise!!

A good sling or baby carrier - I used an ergobaby and it can be used from birth - frees up your hands! Settles baby! Amazing! Worth every penny and I still use it and yes 15 months old!

If you BF...a double hospital grade pump...i got a spectra off a friend and bought new tubing/bottles...pumped at week 3 to increase supply...gave him the expressed milk at night and he slept for 7 hours straight and I didn't stop doing that until about 8 months old!!

On the BF note...silver cups!!!! An absolute must if you get cracked nips!!

Useless items...small baby shoes!! Totally pointless until they walk!

A tommee tippee perfect prep machine if you're formula or combine feeding

Offbeat things - an extra long phone charging cable, and a pizza slicer for when you're trying to eat one-handed.

Definitely a stretchy sling for the early newborn days, they're a faff to figure out at first but so so handy for around the house. I loved my Je Porte Mon Bebe, it was so soft. Then a soft-structure carrier for when baby is a bit bigger.

Waste of time for me was anything that promised it would get baby to sleep. Nothing worked except boobs 🙈

Would never have thought of a dimmable lamp/ touch lamp- genius!

Muslins, Ewan the sheep, snuzpod bedside cot.

Stretchy sling, Cybex Cloud spinning car seat, massive water bottle, thermos coffee flask, baby grows with zips, Cheeky Wipes, Love to Dream swaddles.

A good nightlight and white noise machine - for white noise we used a Google Echo Dot to play YouTube.

One thing I’d wish I’d had is the Stokke Tripp Trapp with new born attachment.

My baby hated the Sleepyhead, the Baby Bjorn bouncer, play mat/play gym and was unbothered by baby sensory items.

Giant Muslins, aldi or lidl do the xl ones they’re great

little lambs reusable nappies no others work for us

Tomee tippee basic dummies , fancy ones dd rejected, she loves TT ones

disco light, we just have a basic Amazon one but you can get more expensive ‘baby sensory’ ones

these little spoons from Amazon that have a guard on so dd can’t shove them down her throat also they’re tiny and at 6months she’s very adept at feeding herself already I feel in part due to these spoons

NUK bottles, best I’ve seen

mamaruga and close caboo carriers

Total opposite here!

Best for us:
Stretchy sling
Bouncer chair
Playmat
Long length phone charger
Direct-drink thermos flask
Netflix
Epsom Salts
Reuseable breast pads
(And from 6m old, baby monitor)

Unnecessary:
Hooded baby towels (hand towels are a good size)
Black out blinds (baby will sleep!)
Baby bath (stick them in the sink or main bath!)
Sit me up/bumbo seat
Tummy time roller
Light projector

Best

Rucksack style changing bag (one with clips on the straps so you can clip it to the pram handle.)

On a similar note, hooks for pram handle... brilliant for shopping.

Joie 360 spin car seat after they grow out of the car seat you can carry.

Baby bouncing chair, just a standard one but one you can sit them in and bounce with your foot.

Worst

Nappy bin.... pointless, smelly, it was easier to just put the nappies straight into the outside bin.

Ewan the dream sheep.....a cheaper white noise machine or Alexa does the job just as well.

Sling. Found it a faff and was easier to take DD out in the pram and use the pram to carry stuff. But this seems 50/50 between people who love slings and people who don't get on with them.

You are a genius.
im 2DC in and in awe of your pizza cutter idea. That would have saved me so much hassle over the years 😂😂

@ISeeTheLight the pull over the head vests are actually a myth. They overlap on the shoulders as they can be rolled down baby instead of over head.

White noise machine, especially once they become more alert and the bin lorry reverses down your street during nap time! Still use mine for my toddler 3 years on.