Your absolute 'must have' items for a new baby please?

[HarryPottersSecretSister]

Currently pregnant with number 4 - I have 3 children but my youngest is almost 8 years old.

I am very out of the loop about what items make life easier with a newborn these days. I hope to breastfeed but have heard things like a 'perfect prep' machine is fantastic if formula feeding/ if bf doesn't work out for us (had to google as I had no idea what this was),
I've heard a 'sleepyhead' is invaluable (again, I had to google. These weren't out when my last baby was little. They look lovely and people say their baby sleeps better because of it but Christ they are extremely overpriced IMO - are they really worth it? also, are they actually SIDS approved?),
Co-sleepers: Bablylo, Chicco Next to Me, Tutti Bambini, Snuzpod: I definitely intend to buy a co sleeper but which do I go for? I'm so confused.

I really don't to fall into the insane unnecessary spending and OTT consumerism of buying stuff we really don't need trap. Especially as this baby is very likely to be our last.

I had gotten rid of all our baby gear but my very kind cousin has passed on loads of her equipment to me now that she has finished her family. I'm very lucky in that I have an isofix car seat, a large cot for when the baby is bigger, highchair, baby monitor, buggy.

I just need a few bits for when the baby is very small (clothes, blankets, a co-sleeper, nappies etc I think at the minute)

Is there anything that you may have used with your baby in recent years that made those early days that little bit easier? equally, is there something 'fashionable' that you bought and realised it was absolutely pointless and you would advise me not to get?

Thanks a million in advance,
Clueless Harry

Honestly you don’t need fancy ‘stuff’ just a basic car seat, sling, pram if you’re going to use one (we used sling for first 6 months more like year ), 1000 muslin cloths and one of those bouncy seats for when you need to do something without holding the baby.

I’d highly recommend cloth wipes, even if you don’t want to use cloth nappies, discovered them with my most recent baby and they’re so much better than disposables!

My favourite thing - and a real hit with my MN pregnancy group - was a Haakaa breast ‘pump’. No batteries, noise, hassle, time away from baby or anything - just a little silicone jug type thing that you pop onto the breast you’re not feeding on and it collects milk on that side while you feed on the other side. Genius.

There actually are some deaths connected to the sleepyhead and similar items. One lady has a Facebook page about it but she won't actually name the brand she had but is trying to raise awareness. I'm really surprised they are allowed to be sold and I would avoid at all cost.

Place marking.

For us:

Close Caboo sling

Fisher price bouncer

Bed nest (basically you rent a side sleeper with a new mattress and new bedding and they collect it when you are done, brilliant idea and way cheaper than alternatives)

Perfect prep- seriously saved our sanity at night

For a pram, we live in the city, so the baby zen Yoyo is amazing and super resilient!

For a car seat we had an isofix but it was such a huge cost for such a short time, and I so rarely took the car seat out of the car, i wouldn't do it again.

Don't bother with all the other shit, you really don't need it! Xxx

Well with dd1 she loved a fancy mamas and papas swing - dd2 hated it so sold it and bought a bouncer for £10 off Facebook
Dd1 loved the Moses basket - dd2 not a chance
Dd1 loved going in the pram - dd2 just no!
So don’t rush out and spend a fortune because babies are odd

Both have loved the sleepyhead, close caboo sling, Tula sling, gro bags.
Toy wise Oballs are great they are light enough for them to play with on their own to give you 5 minutes peace.
Nappies I like pampers pure maybe a coincidence but my 4 month old sleeps better with these on at night so I’m not risking changing that in the day I use any supermarket brand currently using Lidl’s which seem really good and are very cheap.
I have set up a nappy station with a box upstairs and downstairs with nappies, wipes, bags etc so everything is to hand.

Chicco Next 2 me - not really used but forms a barrier between bed and floor
Sleepyhead - only used in the beginning but was very useful. I would use more if I didn't want to bed share.
A sling - Baby Carriers Sling Infant Wrap - Natural Cotton Multi Position Soft Sling for Newborns Infants from Birth | Grey https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078BKSYRR/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_jCD-CbMTZZW1F
A carrier for when the baby is bigger - Ergobaby omni 369
Nose sucker - one that attaches to the hoover
Nail files - the thumble
A good thermometer
A swaddle
A good breastfeeding cushion
MamaRoo
Lanisoh
Dribble bibs and tons of muslins
Baby bath - shnuggle
Shampoo rinser - munchkin

I wouldn't bother with a prep machine or even bottles etc just yet. I would focus on bf and if it doesn't work out then explore those options.

A sling
A place to sleep
Nappies
Books
Love

Dozens of muslin squares - so useful.

Things that have been useful for our nearly five month old:

Reusable wipes (we use Cheeky Wipes) and nappies
A million muslins
Swaddles. We used a SwaddleMe one initially, then moved to a Love to Dream Swaddle Up which allows baby to sleep with their arms up.
Chicco Next to Me crib. So handy if you're breastfeeding to be able to pick baby up and put them back down easily. Bought on eBay.
Joie Serina Swivel Swing. Great for naps. Bought on Facebook Marketplace so we wouldn't have wasted loads of money if she didn't like it.
A sling. Try to find a local sling library where you can try different types and see what you like. I used a stretchy wrap (Baby Peta from Amazon) all the time in the first three months. It's a little fiddly to start with but easy once you get used to it and there are lots of YouTube tutorials. Didn't get on with the Close Caboo that lots of people recommend as it pulled on my neck and I felt baby was slipping down all the time. We now have a more structured Beco Gemini carrier which is great for longer walks and a ring sling which is fab for just popping into the shops.

When D's was born we set up both cot and chicco next to me crib because we didn't know what he'd take to. We ended up with the crib in the bedroom and cot in sitting room for day time naps until he got yo about 5m and cot had to go in bedroom because he was getting too big for crib.

Not what anyone needs, but I always kept a bag in car with clothes, nappies, wipes, empty bottle just in case went out and forgot the changing bag.

I can vouch for the perfect prep machine. At night time you don’t have to get up early to make a bottle or let baby cry its ready in 30 seconds. Baby sleeping bags. I worry all the time about loose blankets & don’t like swaddling. Mam bottle are self sterilising you don’t need a steriliser. You take them apart add water put back together & put in the microwave for 3 mins so easy & a brilliant idea 😊

Oh I forgot to say. Get a next to me crib or some sort of crib Moses baskets don’t last & with a next to me you can pop down the dude & slide baby onto bed x

Instead of buying an expensive next to me crib, just buy a normal size one, leave off one side, add a couple of extra holes so the height is the same as your mattress, and strap it to your bed. It's really easy, saves you money, & means your baby is used to the crib from the beginning!

Bumping this, as it's so useful!

Applepie can you share? I wouldn't begin to know what to search. That's concerning, if not entirely surprising.

This is such a useful thread thank you x

Groswaddle and then Grobag, reusable wipes, enough bottles to only need to wash them once a day, munchkin 360° cup, dummy clips, an upright bath seat when they're a bit bigger, happy nappy if swimming, Braun thermoscan thermometer, something that generates white noise, baby monitor, lansinoh manual breast pump, washable portable changing mat (Bambino Mio is good), muslins, cloths to wipe face and hands when weaning, Tripp trapp highchair so baby is table height from day 1.