About to have second baby.......what were your BEST and WORST ever baby buys????

[opinionsrus]

I am about to have my second baby (panic!!!).

Can you please tell me your BEST and WORST ever first time around baby buy, just incase I have missed anything.

My worst and most useless ones were too many to mention but from what I can remember:

NAPPY BIN - TOTAL WASTE OF TIME

Ones I missed:

BABY CARRY/CHANGING BAG, REALLY NEEDED THIS!
BABY SWING
INFACOL
WIPES INSTEAD OF COTTON WOOL AND WATER (!)

I have a bumbo DS2 (now 6 months) rolled himself out of it - couldnt believe it!!
Ds1 never did this

I have ds1 2 1/2 ds2 6 months - Phil & ted has been my life saver!!
Getting babydan wooden chair for ds1 ds2 mothercare highback highchair
Babby Bjorn good for very small baby at toddler groups.
Very big bag for all the initals for 2 !!

Best buy - gro bag

Worst buy - Bumbo seat

best buy - growbag(when theyre old enough..we got one from next-not a proper one- when dd was only few months which was fab!

Worst buy - sangenic nappy wrapper!...crap!..literally!

best buy - growbag(when theyre old enough..we got one from next-not a proper one- when dd was only few months which was fab!

Worst buy - sangenic nappy wrapper!...crap!..literally!

Best:
Grobags - I have wriggly babies
Medised
Fisher price piano thing - they can lie under it, sit up at it and then stand up to play it - both DDs have loved this
Graco swing - loved by both
buggy board
stickers and other small presents for DD1 when DD2 was born - ready wrapped for when people arrived with presents for DD2 or presents arrived in the post so DD1 didn't feel left out
Not bought, but I printed out lots of stickers saying "I helped Mummy today" "I was a good girl today" etc etc for those first few traumatic weeks
Lansinoh nipple cream

Worst:
Newborn clothes for DD2
Newborn size nappies for DD2

Worst buys:
Nappy bin - chucked out after a month, what a waste of space
Bottle warmer - why? We never bothered warming bottles, so had a baby who would accept them at room temperature

Best buys:
Bumbo (but I notice this is lots of other people's worst buys!)
Baby gym - fantastic for keeping baby happy
Autofade light for baby's room for bedtime and night feeds - automatically turns itself off after 15 mins
Nappy stacker for keeping nappies within easy reach on back of door
Swaddling blanket - makes a real difference to baby sleeping
Avent Isis breast pump

best:
samsonite changing rucksack (got it cheap on ebay) - It has 3 large compartments that unzip all the way round, so I can find things in it without having to take everything out.

worst: mamas & papas primo viggio car seat - it's way too upright until a baby can hold it's head up alone, and does not fit into all cars.

Best buys:
Bumbo
Muslins, muslins, and more muslins
Grobags
Baby gym
Newborn sized clothes (nearly took them back to the shop to swap for the next size, but ds came 2 weeks early and was tiny)
Baby bath

Worst:
Disposable knickers
Maternity pads
Bottle warmer
Night light
Baby monitor
Breastfeeding cushion

Best:Fisher Price Swing

Worst:Bumbo and Avent Bottle Warmer

Funny I used to use my door bouncer a lot. DS used to bounce in it and watch me cook the evening meal.

However, I didn't do changing bag - just used a TESCO carrier or stuffed it at bottom of buggy.

Travel cot - was kept up permanently in corner of dining room and used for day time naps and as a play pen for when they were more mobile and I needed to pop upstairs or go to the loo.

Best: bedside cot for breastfeeding. Wish, wish, wish we'd had it for dd1. Buggyboard. Swing worked like a dream for dd1 but not for dd2

Tigex - plastic bath support. We were able to dunk the new baby in with DD1 when she had her bath and we didn't have to hold on to her.

Bumbo - I doubt I'd have found it so useful for a first baby but for DD2 it was great being able to sit her amongst us when we were playing a game on the floor with DD1. We also used to put the Bumbo (and DD2!) in the middle of the dinner table whilst we ate! I gave DD2 a rubbery weaning spoon to chew on and she was very happy being our centre-piece!

I regret buying a buggy board and wished I'd got a cheap double-buggy instead. DD1 was 34 months when DD2 was born and I thought she was beyond the buggy stage but she regressed. DD1 ican be very stubborn and it became a pain to go anywhere in a hurry with both children. I ended up using the car a lot more and if I'd had a double-buggy it would have been easier.

I didn't like pushing the pushchair with buggy-board on and DD1 ouldn't get on and off it. She'd stay on the whole time.

Worst: mamas and papas bouncer says suitable 0-6 months but very upright and doesnt recline so no good for newborn, then dd wanted to be sitting up properly at about 4 months so only half useful for a few weeks.

Best: bedside cot
booster seat as a highchair (about £12 from argos) does everything you would need a highchair to do portable (in the car) and goes in the dishwasher
tot seat (cloth highchair to go in handbag) dd won't sit still so great for tying her up to eat or just keep her safe ( very expensive but got a marked one cheapish from john lewis much better than other store own brands)

Interesting, some mums/baby's best buys are others failures - the Bumbo is unpopular here but our little one loves it. I also love our nappy bin (it means that Dad can sort out the rubbish as I claim not to know how to use it.)

My advice is to buy everything on eBay, if you aren't given it you will find it on eBay. You think that you want the best for baby (ie new) but actually a good bit of recycing between parents seems a great idea and you will need more stuff than you can afford....

We have two rigid plastic highchairs that can be strapped onto dining chairs. I think they come from Mothercare.

We use them on the floor to strap DS in to keep him safe when needs be. They are excellent if you are trying to restrain a toddler while you clean the loo, take the Sainsburys delivery etc etc.

Bath chair - also highly recommended (Blooming Marvelous sell them)

Fabric high chair for trips out

Bag of cheap toys to store away and whip out on a bad day to distract your first child when they are attention seeking because of the new baby

hth

best: bucket bath, we both loved it.
a bouncy seat that reclined and sat up. great for naps when ds was v little and for weaning when too small for the highchair

worst: regular baby bath
bottle warmer, someone told me to give bottles at room temperature, it was a life saver