The most useful thing I bought for my first baby was.......

[bradleybecky]

?

Sleepyhead
Millions of muslins
Snuzpod
Perfect prep machine even though we only give one bottle a day!
Ewan the dream sheep
Thick bibs
Ergobaby 360 carrier. My daughter hates lying down, swing chairs, car seats, pram etc and only likes to be held or carried. The carrier saved me and my back!
Quality sleepsuits etc. M&s, boots, John Lewis or Jojo are the comfiest/softest and easiest to get on and off. Had some pretty next ones that were just a really weird and uncomfy fit.
Pram book
Nipple shields - meant I didn't give up on breast feeding
Nice pjs for you - you're in them so much and you feel quite urgh about yourself so it helped me to have nice pjs!
Gro egg room thermometer
Baby sleeping bags
Big wide car mirror so you can see what the baby is doing when driving

JedRambosteen I can't believe I never reaslised that was what the hole was for. I've always wondered!

Seconding (twentiething??!) muslins- I had them all over the house, useful for so many things.

Sling was invaluable for DD but DS didn't like it - so probably best to borrow one from a sling library just in case.

Most importantly an open mind - don't be too rigid about what you will or won't do, they may be small but newborns have iron wills and their ideas (not sleeping in a basket, not liking slings etc) 'ugh the not match yours!

Good luck!

'Might' not 'ugh the'

My baby jogger city mini pushchair
Best pushchair ever!! Now in use for dc2 also

I bought loads of muslins and didn't really use them either.

Best things for me were:

• Stokke baby bath and newborn support. Takes all the stress out of bathing and still use the bath daily now at 10 months.
• Car seat mirror so that you can keep an eye on baby whilst driving.
• Connecta sling. DS hit a phase of hating being in the pram / car seat travel system around 3 months and the sling saved me. Had a caboo before that and he never really took to it.
• Lamaze toys, great first toys for once they start paying attention to them.
• Kindle / books for reading during breastfeeding
• Changing mats for upstairs and downstairs, they're so cheap, much easier to have a couple.
• Lansinoh nipple cream, saved my nipples!
• cup holder for pram! Essential for carrying coffee whilst walking the baby to sleep ;)

Waste of money for me : expensive change bag and expensive baby towels (got one for £5 from morrisons that does the same job).

A close baby sling. It saved my sanity, twice.

Sling
Co-sleeper cot (I just took one side off a normal cot)
Nappybin (Angelcare)

I love my nappybin.

Sleepyhead
Dummies

(Nipple shields and multi mam compresses for me)

There are so many good things. The best is amazon prime subscription so you can buy it as you need it.

A digital thermometer literally saved my life after DD was born.

Dummies !
Swaddleme blankets for the first 5 months
Now sleeping bags
A baby swing chair

Muslins
Bouncy chair

Baby swing. They stopped making the large upright one I had for ds, and only inferior more horizontal ones were available for dd after the motor burnt out, but luckily she wasn't bothered.

My Brest Friend feeding cushion and a basic Avent breast pump.

Fleece blankets - easy to wash, cosy for baby, put baby on one on your bed etc and save washing bedding and also can slide baby to you and save your back, and easily pick them up while asleep.

Maclaren buggy, fleecy footmuff/under blanket

Musical mobile. Cloth nappies and grobags.
For dd (second baby), stretchy slings and muslins. And baby gates. Lots of them...

I had a non-sleeper. A carseat that integrated into a travel system buggy.

Used the car to get the baby to sleep and then carried baby into the house or wherever I was going without waking. The only time I got any respite from constant carrying, breastfeeding and pushing in the buggy.

Fisher price bouncer chair

Abreastfeeding pillow made by one of the nurses in the hospital to raise money for the unit. Banana shaped, and filled with polystyrene beads. Made feeding easy and made a nest for stopping rolling when co-sleeping. Brilliant thing.

i can't thank all of you enough!!! thank you sooooo much - SO useful!!!

Perfect prep

Just remembered I love my wedge shaped changing mat. Just means you worry less about them rolling off (but they still could, just harder!). My dd is 4.5 months and we have one in our room and one downstairs. Nappy bin (people seem to either love or hate them) for the one upstairs.

I joined my local mums Facebook selling page after I had the baby. I would have saved so much if I'd joined earlier!

Lamaze toys are very good.

Calpol! Can't have it until they're 3 months though!

Don't buy uncomfy pretty outfits for the baby eg ones with no stretch or buttons down the back.

A sling, absolute godsend,.

Not sure if anyone has already mentioned sofie the giraffe! Life saver from 3 months

It's my second baby but older and wiser. Vibrating chair and perfect prep machine. Also suits with built in scratch mitts.

Forgot gripe water and sometimes Ewan the dream sheep totally does the trick.

A car seat cosy toes. Saved faffing about with blankets that fall off and bulky snowsuits. baby snug as a bug when out and could unzip easily when in the car.

Perfect prep machine
Muslins
Vibrating bouncy type chair

Sling - used so Dh and I could eat dinner when they didn't want to be put down. Great for shopping without crashing pram into everything. Used almost 4 years (great when your 4 year old falls asleep on midnight flight and you have a 20 min walk at Gatwick to security)

Cloth nappies and wipes - sound a faff, actually very easy. Saved clothing as never leaked, saved ££ as £400 lasted 2 children worth. Saved buying each week and worrying your running out.

Baby bug in a rug - a blanket with feet basically. Means they can wear in car seat safely as you strap in then fold blanket over, can wear in sling, in pram, etc. If you go inside and it's hot can open up quickly and they sleep as not having to take full coat off

Random one:
Nairns oat biscuits - come in various flavours, in little packets of 3 biscuits. Can leave in draw next to bed incase you become starving feeding baby at 2am, or good to throw in handbag for same reason when out.