Quick Survey.......things you couldn't have survived without

[goldendelicious]

Quick Survey......

What are five baby buys you couldn't have survived without, were really useful and gave you good value for money?

Also list 5 things you wish you hadn't wasted your money on, and wouldn't recommend to a friend/relative.

(Sis having 1st baby and seems to want to buy the WHOLE of Mothercare - help me try and talk her round!!)

Mine are: -

Best buys
1 - Muslin Squares soooo handy for all manner of things - sick, spills, protecting sofa etc etc
2 - Graco autobaby car seat & autobase, can't tell you how valuable this was for ease of getting ds in and out of the car - godsend.
3 - Baby sleeping bag/grobag, kept ds warm and cosy and couldn't kick it off
4 - Travel changing mat, brill when out and about and you know its clean
5 - V Tech baby play gym. Kept ds amused for hours on end, we were forever changing the batteries he used it so much! Worth every penny.

Worst buys
1 - Nappy wrapper. Smells even though it claims to lock smells in and a pain to empty and change cassette. Expensive too.
2 - Snow suit. DS was boiling even in mid winter. Found lots of blankets better.
3 - Expensive moses basket. Not suggesting i didn't find it useful, just no point buying a brand new expensive one cos ds was only in it for six weeks.
4 - Baby bath. We used this twice for ds then used a bath support in the big bath. Ten times easier!
5 - Baby play nest/doughnut, ds didn't get any stimulation out of it at all, just kept toppling over and screamed to get out!

ah agree with the 'most books' as the worst buy. I had far too many and they all made me feel worse so would recommend only buying one which is as factual as possible with no or little agenda of advice on how to do things'

Ask otyher people for their experience by all means but in the end go with your instincts they really are OK.

Best:
One of those plastic bathseat things
GroBag
Nappywrapper
TinyLove Playgym
Babybjorn sling (use it a lot with DS2)

Worst:
Top and tail bowl (why why why?)
Bottle warmer
Babybjorn sling (DS1 was too heavy for me to carry him around)

Its amazing how some people's best items are other people's worst items!

Think it largely depends on the mother/father, and of course the baby (we all know that no two babies are alike and all have their likes and dislikes even from birth!) Sometimes its trial and error.

Best advice I can give now would be buy the absolute essentials, then trust your instincts to buy what you feel your baby and yourself will benefit from.

Best

Muslins (to wipe up sick mostly)
Gro-bags
Breastfeeding pillow
Big padded mat (to save carpets from constant sick when DS started crawling)
Baby Bjorn bouncy chair (to keep DS semi-upright after a feed)

Worst

Travel system with carrycot (DS wouldn;t sleep in it)
Nice outfits (always covered in sick or a huge bib)
Bumbo (DS got in and got out 2 mins later)
Changing unit (started changing DS on the floor after a few weeks as he tried to roll off it)
Plastic highchair with padded seat which caught every speck of carrot puree and took hours to scrub every night

Best:
Tiny Love Gym Mat
Avent products (especially manual breast pump)
diposable nappies & wipes
Maclaren truimph
Baby Bjorn carrier
Bouncy chair (Baby Bjorn the most basic & the best)
osteopathy & gripe water for colic
some books (written by mums who've been there, done that)
Petit bateau onesies
CDs of soothing music for bedtimes, really liked Baby Einstein stuff
Baby Gap
graco swing chair (for dd)
Rocking chair (wish I'd splurged on the footrest though)
graco folding cot

Worst:
Sangenic Nappy Wrapper (nauseatingly "sweet-scented" deodorant does not hide the stench)
plush toys & loud musical toys
graco swing chair (ds hated it)
Travel system (heavy, bulky & couldn't fit anything else in the boot)
newborn clothes - babies grow so quickly!

Good Stuff

1.breast pump

1. running stroller

3.changing table

1. play mat

Bad Stuff

1. muslins
2. baby booties

2.dummy

1. crib : she never used it
2. baby sling: she hated it

A lot of things depend on the baby. For example my son love his activity gym, but my daughter hated it. My son loved his grobag, but my daughter hated it. My son made a lot of use of his snowsuit as he was a winter baby.

It is well worth looking in your local paper or on ebay for second hand items. For example something like a Bumbo doesn't really wear out. If you find your baby hates the bumbo then you can just resell second hand without financial loss.

Best buy

huggababy sling

Bumbo

Medised Infant. (Its a pity that its no longer licensed for under sixes.)

Junior joy terry nappies with nappi nippas and motherease wraps. It is a cheap and effective nappy system.

Cosy toes for the pushchair

Worst buy

Contented baby book by Gina Ford. Its obvious the woman has never had children.

Baby monitor. I can hear my children without it!

sterilser. For the few times that I needed to sterilise stuff it would have been better to use a bucket and a couple of milton tablets.

Bottlewarmer

Best:

Muslins (where do I start?)
Grobag (always toasty, no kicking off of blankets)
Metanium

Worst:
Top and tail bowl (why?? Do face first then bum)
Bouncy chair (she hated the sight of it)
Sleepy Bear thing (utter nonsense, complete waste of £35)
Baby bath (only used for about 3 baths before she got too big and wriggly)
Any kind of bath stuff or talc (smells lovely etc but not good for skin)

Best:
Changing table
vibrating Fisher Price rocker
nappy wrapper bin
terry squares for changing mat
steam steriliser
baby support for bath

Worst:
Newborn/0-3m clothes (never used)
baby bath
teddy bears
top and tail bowl
baby toiletries

Best

Fisher Price all singling all dancing bouncy chair. The more 'stuff' they have the longer they sit happy. Both mine loved and any visiting babies soon smile when they are in it.

Fisher Price cot mobile - again lots of stuff - colourful birds hang from it with black and white patterns underneath, lights make stars on walls and ceiling and it plays motzart.

Tommee Tippee moniters with sensor pad.
Can see every breath with a flashing light on the moniter, saves you nipping in to check too often and waking the baby.

Bugaboo Cameleon pram/buggy - brilliant especially with the car seat adaptors.

Gina Ford contented baby book. It has loads of 'trouble shooting' type ideas when you are tearing your hair out.

Worst buys.

Reflux chair from the internet - crap.

Phil & Ted Vibe - like pushing a bus.

Any baby bath that meant leaning over the bath. 3 silly seats, floaty thing later i Just got a normal baby bath.

Pram bags - get a ruck sack

Chicco high chair voted best chair by mother & baby - BOLLOCKS. If you extend your house to get this thing in - it's huge.

Message withdrawn

Best buys

1. Agree wituh Bloss the Contented Little baby book
2. Maclaren push chair. Its the only one we brought and it is still going after 4 years
3. Video camera and a baby book so I could record first words etc. I lovely to look back.
4. a play mat that is now being used as a bed blanket
5. Tommy Tippee cups. They don't leak, they go in the microwave and DS loved it.
6. Two teddies that are the same. One for the wash and one bed. Sorry I could't choose just five.

Best buys:

• Baby nest - deflates so we often take it with us.
• Bumbo & tray - good for keeping DD in one place and also as a portable feeding chair.
• Littlelife baby backpack - ideal for carrying DD while getting stuff done as well as an alternative to the buggy (bought on eBay so didn't pay full price!)
• Baby bath - first time mum with a 6lb baby and there was no way I could contemplate putting her in the actual bath, the baby bath was scary enough
• Grobags - we also have a travel one so DD can go straight into the car seat in it (also from eBay so have several different togs)
• Mesh bags for nappy bucket

Worst buys:

• Sling - DD hated facing in towards me and it has no head support if she falls asleep facing out.
• Baby bath seat - DD was already sitting up by the time I started using the bath so don't really use it.
• Baby gym - DD never really liked being on her back so wasn't keen to play with it.

I guess I've realised that I need to wait until I know what DD is like before buying things but at least I got pretty much everything on eBay so not wasted too much money.

my best buys

buggy/car seat combo
this gadget thing that rocks your buggy for you (still use it for my two year old)
grobag
travel changing mat
baby wipes

my worst buys

travel cot (never used)
play mat
baby bath

Best
muslinsbaby sling
*IKEA fish mobile for above her changing table
*a couple of boxes of formula, even though they have never been used
*Our pram

Worst
*any clothes other than vests and babygros in the small sizes

That's about it so far.

Best buys

• swing (although was actually lent to us) for the few months he liked it, I think it saved my sanity

• Tummy tub bath- only thing he would tolerate and in those early screamy days, he had many, many baths!

• Tiny love symphony in motion mobile, would entertain him long enough for a shower

• muslins

• sling- close baby carrier, I could eat two handed!

Worst buys

• top and tail bowl
• baby monitor- you aren't gonna miss my ds waking up!

-Bumbo- ds hated it and screamed after 30secs in it! I sold it again after a few months

• bouncy chair for the first few months- he hate dit until he was 4 months old

-

Best Buys

over the bath baby bath. saves loads of water and doesn't make my back ache.
wilkinet sling - so comfortable.
wooden jungle mobile set up over the changing mat downstairs. She watches it for ages whilst being changed and it will cheer her out of the worst mood.
car seat
bouncer - I have two, one upstairs and one downstairs. The upstairs one is electronic and vibrates and plays music, the downstairs one is one of the really old fashioned ones. Both were gifts, I use them everyday and DD loves them.

Worst buys

ring sling - DD hates it and it feels really insecure
baby gym - she just isn't interested - in fact she cries hysterically every time I try to put her on it.
Swaddling blankets. I just use an old cotton sheet cut into 4. Much more breathable and easier to use.
changing table - it is in her bedroom. I have never used it.

Best:

1. Grobags
2. Basic bouncy chair bought for pence at the car boot.
3. Sling
4. Bumgenius nappies for day time, wee notions and wool wraps at night.
5. Avent manual breast pump (tried a million others but this was amazing, also pence at car boot
6. The best washing machine we could afford (I needed to add that in too!)

Crap:

1. Baby hammock. Pointless, DS grew out of it in weeks and used to try and claw his way out of it.
2. Cot top changer
3. Hats that don't have chin straps and can be pulled off
4. Sock-ons
5. Baby monitor (pointless in small house)

Well I'd put a play mat on my worst buy list and a baby nest / doughnut on my best buy list!

(Although actually I think we were given them both second hand!)

Best

1. Nasal apirator (not having a blocked nose I think made it easier for him to sleep through the night)
2. sodocream
3. grobags
4. bumbo - great for a) weaning when couldn't sit up in the highchair yet b) ensuring he was safe if I had to do a quick vacum etc.
5. baby sling - can't remember which one but it was the sort that hold the baby very close to you - so again, I could get on with housework.

6 Bed rail - he still needs it at 4

Worst

1. changing mats - towel on the bed did us fine
2. cot - we ended up cosleeping
3. breast pump - any sort - how the heck do they work - my breasts were too big I think.
4. playmat
5. Travel system - too heavy and never used public transport until I got a light light buggy.

Best -

1. dishwasher - absolute number one!!
2. sling godsend for first few weeks, Jane travel system has been fab from then on. Have had no need to buy another buggy.
3. grobags
4. MAM dummies with big teats - they stayed in and kept me sane.
5. beside cot - no way was she letting herself be put in anything carry cot shaped for the first few weeks of life. Had to fall asleep staring at me

Worst -

1. Tiny outfits - what a waste of money. Only used babygros, vests and cardigans for months
2. Teddy bears - only useful for gathering dust
3. Expensive Mothercare bedsheets and blankets for the bed - see above, grobags are all you need.
4. Avent bottles - leak all the time and have pba in them
5. nasal aspirator - can never get any snot in it

Best:

1. Grobags/sleeping bags
2. Bath seat/support thing
3. Muslins
4. Bumbo
5. Bog-standard bouncy chair
6. Maxi-Cosi isofix car seat

Worst:

1. Vibrating chair - DD didn't hate it, but it wasn't the magic aid to sleep I was hoping for
2. Vibrating anti-colic mat - she did hate this
3. Top & tail bowl - used it for storage
4. Endless bibs that everyone kept giving us, she have about 25 of them.

Best:
1.Jane travel system and the change bag that came with it. Still use them daily 2 years later.

1. What mothers do. by naomi someone.
2. A musical cot mobile I was given.
3. grobags. DS is a wriggler.
4. baby bath, used it for aaages. Now use it for the laundry.
5. muslins.
6. a teddy i bought when pregnant. has become his favourite toy of all, has to hav e it to go to sleep. Shame I can't get another!
7. one of those twisty snake things for the cot/buggy handle with things like little mirrors and so on dangling off them.

Worst:
1.Infacol and all those other potions for colic. Useless. Next time I'm buying a ring sling and just carrying the baby around a lot.

1. Scratch mittens. Always fell off.
2. baby gym. DS showed no interest whatsoever.
3. A thing that was a kind of minicot/moses that I was given. Bulky, unportable and couldn't see him from lying in bed so would keep sitting up in bed to peer in at every little snuffle he made, hence no sleep.
4. top and tail bowl. never used it, just wipes.
5. bumbo. bloody expensive and useful for a matter of weeks