What was your best new baby purchase

[greystar30]

I'm currently 22+1 with my first and am really curious to find out what one item has made your life easier/you consider to be the best purchase made for your little ones 😊

Perfect prep.
Swaddleboo
Cocoonababy.

Another fan of Morrck wraps here. So practical and cosy

Really soft furry blankets, my little one just loves being wrapped in his.

Multipack M&S babygrows and vests - I found them nice quality and good value.

Soft material sling when he was a newborn was lovely.

Are you FF or BF, as the mendela swing pump is really good if you want to express

Tula Baby Carrier (or any ergonomic soft structured baby carrier!). I could instantly get DS to nap in the sling, a structured carrier is easy for DH and grandparents to use (they get a bit alarmed and confused by a wrap or ring sling IME), it’s so much quicker to clip baby in than faffing around with a pushchair, and takes up no room at all in the boot, can be thrown in the changing bag etc. DS has only really used his pushchair since he’s gotten heavier (20lbs+) but I can still easily pop him on my front to pop into the village shops or on my back for longer hikes.

A co-sleeper cot that attaches to the side of the bed.

Bouncy chair
I had DTs and they practically lived in them.

Least useful: baby swing. One twin threw up all over it, the other screamed the house down. Although to be fair it was quite a good drying rack.

Angelcare breathing monitor, the pad goes under the mattress and an alarm sounds if your baby stops breathing.
For me this was a god send, I'd have been checking on him constantly if we didn't have it.

Swing chair for when he was small.
Ollie the Owl
Jumparoo when he was old enough.
Activity mat.
Sit me up chair for keeping him in one place once he was mobile.
Rocking chair for when we moved him into his own room and I was still doing night feeds (and still am!).

Another vote for the star blankets, we’ve used ours so much.

The snuzpod was fabulous and lasted our baby until 8 months - when she started to pull up. Length wise she’d have fit for longer. Not having to get out of bed to feed is a lifesaver.

Aldi extra sensitive wipes are brilliant, like water wipes but a bit less wet!

A well stocked baby medicine box - calpol, ibuprofen, infacol, a decent thermometer, anbasol. When baby is poorly you don’t want to be fussing around for medicine.

Star blanket, never imagined the horror of trying to get a newborn into a tough material snowsuit. Star blankets all the way for me.
Angel care bath seat.
Perfect prep, second hand off Facebook.
Ergo baby 360. I did not like or feel confident with a sling but love this now she's a bit more alert.
Groegg in main room and our room.
Sleeping bags for her. I got hundreds of blankets and never use them.

Shnuggle bath and angelcare monitor.

In contrast, worst buys were swaddles, bottle warmer and swing chair.

I’ll get lynched for saying it but the tomee tipee bottle maker was a godsend when I stopped bfing. And our side sleeper crib was so useful

Why would you get lynched? Lots of people have recommended FF apparatus !

Worked:

Hana Fabric sling and an ergo Omni 360 for 6 months+,
BabyBjorn Bouncer,
A good sturdy travel system (I love our icandy!),
Breastfeeding pillow,
Muslin cloths (loads of them),
Tesco Nappies,
Weleda calendula cream for nappy rash- the only thing that worked for us.

Didn't work:

Sleepyhead,
Chico-next-to-me cot,
Swing- my baby refused to sleep in anything other than my arms 🥴😭
Bottles and dummies,
Swaddling.

Yup, it's been quite a journey so far!

Oh and the gro-egg was a b*stard waste of money too.

Ps. Love the Shnuggle bath with its stand 👍🏻

I bought a Babybjorn (though I did look at a sling too) and that was my best baby item out of purchases and gifts. I’d not have gone out and about as much if I only had a pram, my child was one of those babies who just wanted to be held all the time, and it helped me feel like I was getting body strength back carrying him about!

A sleepyhead

@redbedheadd it was more the reaction I got from friends. I’m of the opinion that fed is best and the easiest way to get there is the way that works for me. I was told so many horror stories to put me off about the machines having mouldy pipes and poisoning babies it was unreal.

@applesauce1 we have the Ikea thing too and it's great! PFB has spent hours looking at it and bashing it and isn't bored yet.

Sleepyhead really works for us. Shnuggle bath is great. John Lewis baby bundlers are great - Piccalilly do lovely ones and he basically only sleeps in them as it's so much easier to change their nappies if you don't have to wrestle with poppers.

I'm surprised at so many people recommending perfect prep machines, I'm sure there was concern about them going mouldy inside?

Ikea Gulliver cot - £60 new, works as a dropside cot, has two levels, DD is still in it at 19 months and will likely go from there to a double bed! So much better than faffing with snuzpods, moses baskets, next2mes and all the rest.

Ergo baby 360 ds is nearly two and we still use it nearly every day.
We’ve used a lot of bibs and muslins, first for dribbling and occasional sick catching. Now for meal times, muslins make great giant napkins for protecting clothes and furniture

Sleepyhead. Swear by it.
I know others will say the Perfect Prep but I BF so never had the need for one.

@Ourmaud Oh I hadn't heard that.... gosh people love to judge 🙄

Not sure when your baby is due but we had a few of these snowsuit style outfits that's we didn't use at all, I preferred layering him up and having a nice cosy blanket than getting him in them.

We have a sleepyhead we use for naps, he does like it and it was useful at the beginning but I can understand why people don't think it's worth the money.