WHAT BABY PRODUCT COULDN'T YOU DO WITHOUT?

[Rhiannon]

I've found the baby intercom (Tomy Walkabout 2000)very handy although I can't find the downstairs one at the moment, I've started to turn out cupboards in the hope it'll turn up.

Britax car seat (the polystyrene one) suitable from 9 months upwards although I found it only useful from 18 months up as they both fell out the side of the seat belt when they went sleep in the car.

TRIANGLE SHAPED PILLOW - absolutely divine for in hospital, on those uncomforatble beds and at home for getting comfy to breastfeed. Also good to keep (very) new-borns snuggled on the sofa.

I'm adding my vote for the sleeping bag. I made fleece sleeping bags (with short arms and a full length zip up the front) and they've been wonderful with both kids. They can't kick them off (both have been athletic sleepers!) and have stayed cosy even when camping.

Another good piece of kit was a Chicco recliner/rocking chair. No 2 spent many happy hours in it as a small baby, either sleeping or propped up watching her brother playing. She seemed more comfortable in it than sitting in the car seat, possibly because she was able to lie flatter.

I just got reminded of this product on another thread: the Amby Baby Hammock. Do they have these in the UK? They're a hammock suspended on a large spring on a frame, that cocoons the baby and gently bounces him/her to sleep/back to sleep (in a movement very similar to what it must be like being walked aboiut in the womb) when they move. When my daughter wouldn't sleep, we'd pop her in there, set the frame by the sofa and bounce away with one hand while still reading or watching TV. They really are a great product.

Does anyone know where you get a travel stair gate from?

Manky - There's one in Index for £21.99 (order no 720-914). I think Argos may have it too. It's actually a barrier, so you can't walk through it, but have to loosen the top to lower it (or cock your leg over if you're feeling athletic) to get in and out. I've got one of these and have found it very useful. Index tel. no. 08457 444 444 or www.littlewoods.com

It's it funny how one persons 'Couldn't live without', is anothers nightmare waste of money!! I can't stand moniters. I used it for a few days with each child, and then figured if they were distressed I would hear them cry!

The bath seat thing, and the foam sponge, both great. Except my 9 month old climbs out of her seat now to play in the big bath with her sister (2 1/2).

Stair gates really irritate me. We use one at the top, and I did have one at the bottom, but I got too pissed off with it! My number 2 can climb the stairs, but can't get down again, so I am trying to teach her. Number one learnt to come downstairs, just days after going up. In fact she kept going backwards downstairs until recently, and will go backwards if it's steep.

Baby wipes, can't live without! No question here.

Sleeping bags, ditto for no 2, my other one was always too small for them (she was premature) and hated them when she was big enough.

I can't live without the Mothercare sterilizer bottles! Fab invention, didn't have them first time aorund, but now a sterilized bottle in just 1 1/2 mins. These and a couple of small cartons of formula have saved my sanity many a time!

Manky - There's a travel barrier (not a gate) in the Tesco You and your child catalogue. It's made by Safety 1st and is £19.99.

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Yes - on the one person's 'can't live without'/another person's hate ... I would put my Sangenic machine in the category of can't live without - yet there was a whole thread here called Stinky Sangenics! I love mine to pieces and it never smells. Hate going on holiday and having to use carrier bags!
My other favourite was those fleecy all in ones for babies. I carried no 2 everywhere in the sling (Baby Bjorn) for her first six months, and the fleece was just the right weight - snowsuits are too hot and clothes not enough but the fleece was just right. (Sounds like Goldilocks and the Three Bears here!) I didn't even dress her quite often for the nursery run, just removed from cot, changed nappy and zipped in. As she got bigger, I could unfold the feet and hands for her to wave about. She looked adorable too! (Blooming Marvellous and JoJo both do them, I think.)

Microwave steam sterilisers. I could sterilise and make up the impending days feeds in less than twenty minutes. Oh and baby monitors, i live in a really solid house and cant hear the kids upstairs so i still use mines now even though the kids are now 6 and 3.

little tykes wind up swing was our saviour! we would get the chance of 'time off'! without having hands full. No 1 hated being still for any amount of time I still find myself rocking and swaying around Asda!!

anyway up cups. Could do with having an inbuilt homing device on them though...

Babywipes are fantastic they go everywhere me and the kids go.

Yet another vote for baby wipes - used cotton wool and cooled boiled water for a day and then saw the light.
Other items - the Tiny Love symphony in motion mobile, my lovely gesslein pram and my maclaren volo buggy. My Sangenic nappy bin has earnt its worth too.

Wet wipes - how did I cope before them???

I NEVER use wipes unless traveling... cotton and water FAR healthier for baby's skin.... sorry !

Tried the cotton wool and water when DD was tiny but moved onto Pampers Sensitive when she was a few days old. Makes changing on the go easier I find. Now she's older (14 months) I now use a range of wipes - whichever are on offer! Couldn't do without them. Luckily DD has never had nappy rask, etc. so have no reason to worry.

boobs

Sleeping bag, anyway up cup, books (not sure if product but ds's favourite entertainment), dummy. Think a swing would have been good but too tight to buy one at the time. Didn't use our two stairgates!

Sorry, what I meant to say was -
Sleeping bags (especially travel grobag)
Handy -sit - portable canvas seat harness thing which fits on normal chairs
Out and About spray (Lavender and tea-tree - yum) for horrible high chairs and change mats
Car Seat
Playnest
Tots Bots
and of course Calpol!!!!

Nappy wipes are ace, I agree. Toy wise, DD (8 months) has one of those cloth alphabet books from mothercare which crinkles and beeps and rattles and has lots of good things to pull and chew on. It's been her top fave for 4 months now and goes everywhere with us. Best tenner I've spent I think.

Also agree about the folding booster seat with tray - very useful - and the sleeping bags (expensive, I thought, but very worth it).

Just bought a slo-walker from Mothercare for 20 odd quid and she adores it - however has only worked out how to go backwards in it and constantly needs rescuing from corners!

Stopped using our baby monitors when we realised quite how loud she was and how small our previously spacious flat now felt.

Bloss and others - is a hipseat a good alternative to slings and carriers for a baby as young as 8 months, cos DD is built for comfort and finds the carriers a bit tight...

Pupuce - why are the far healthier for babies skin? Says who? I use them on my skin too and I have very sensitive skin. DS has a lovely, pink, healthy, smooth, nappyrash free posterior!

I couldn't do without:

WIPES
DISPOSABLE NAPPIES...

Bad mother alert

I do not see the benefit of putting chemicals on a baby's sensitive skin. That's all...
I find cotton (or cotton cloth) with water does a fab job.

I also do without Calpol... Hippie Mother alert

what do you use instead of calpol? I often think that it's quite strong!

the little containers for formula milk it was great to have the amount of milk ready just to put in bottle especially while travelling