What is the most useful and useless thing you had for your newborn?

[lyrablue]

I'm in the middle of making a list of things we may need for baby when they arrive but don't want to get things that we really don't end up using. I thought this would be the best place to ask for advice! So what's the most useful and useless thing you guys had for your newborn please? :)

Best - cheap white noise machine, perfect prep, cheeky wipes and cellular blankets for swaddles.

worsr - pre made swaddles, any kind of seat or bouncy chair.

he’s now six weeks and the anove hasn’t changed.

Useless - washable nappies. Just didn't have the time, patience or drying room. Washing clothes bad enough!

Useful - electric breast pump (got on eBay as wasn't sure if I'd use it but was invaluable!).

Best- prep machine (if using formula)
- body wrap (all 3 of mine have needed to be close to nap properly in the first few months so this means I didn't have to be constantly trapped under a sleeping baby).
- a footmuff or blanket to fit into the car seat).

Worst- swaddles (a blanket wrapped tightly works just as well and can be used as baby grows too!)

Useful

Babybreza, fantastic and easy to use and clean.
Zipped baby gros, my husband can’t do buttons, so a life saver for him
Phone case with inbuilt additional battery
Voice activated tv for when you’re trapped under a baby
Water bottles (everywhere) as you’ll be stuck under a baby and need a drink
Playpen, I have a seven year old, so it means he can get his lego out without a worry of her getting hold of some and choking
Mam bottles so easy to sterilise

Useless

Socks, just use tights instead, they can’t pull those off
Cot, ours is just full of rubbish basically 🤣
Muslins, she wasn’t a sicky/drooly baby
Baby gym, she absolutely hated them

Cot - useless
Sling - most useful

I don’t have a useless as I didn’t buy heaps.

Most useful was a big yellow sponge shaped likes a teddy bear to lay the baby on in the bath. Think it was £5 from a supermarket.

Useful:
A rectangular portable changing pad that had terrycloth on one side and some sort of strong nylon or other synthetic fabric on the other. It was machine washable and could go in the dryer. I used it for five babies, both at home and while out. It rolled up, folded - brilliant.

A packet of 12 birdseye weave cloth nappies which functioned as fantastically absorbent and very soft muslins, with great drape. They probably had three layers of fabric in them and absorbed everything the babies shot in their direction. They also lasted through five babies and I used them afterwards as kitchen cloths. They were never used as nappies.

Perineal irrigation bottles that the hospital sent home with me. I had stitches and these little bottles enabled me to clean up after the loo - a bit like having a bidet. You can buy them online.

Chemical ice packs that shook or bent to activate - again great for stitches and for reducing swelling. The hospital sent me home with them (US). You can buy them online I believe. They're shaped like a chunky menstrual pad.

Also, a snowsuit with ordinary nylon lining throughout, not fleece, for toddlers. I used it for all cold weather, not just snow.

Fleece lined sleeves in any coat or jacket or pram suit or snowsuit or sleepsuit are an abomination.

This is so baby specific!

Useful - sling, swaddle bags (with DS2, DS1 hated them), comfy chair for night feeds/cuddles/books (both were still waking regularly after they moved out of our room at 8 months+)

Useless - both of mine have hated the Moses basket and bouncy chairs, both just took up space and never got used

Useful. Bed side sleeper. For the first 6 months invaluable!

Useless. Basinette. Used once!

Useful- loads of muslin cloths, we haf them everywhere and they are brilliant. Wiping up baby vomit, as a bib, dip it in water and its a flannel or a wipe, tie the corners for a (hideous) baby hat, cover up for if you are uncomfortable breastfeeding in public. Generally great to have around.

Useless- We were given a baby food puree maker tool, like a blender attached to a thing that put the puree into pouches- loads of fiddly parts that are hard to clean- they never liked puree anyway

Bear in mind my baby is nearly 30! 🤣

Most useful thing - definitely Britax Rockabye. Not sure if they still do them but it doubled as a baby car seat and a little rocking padded sitting chair in the house with a big carry handle which folded down. I used to carry DD everywhere in it and she sat in it all the time at home.
I couldn't have lived without it for the first six months.

Most useless - I paid £450 - a fortune back then - for a beautiful pram which converted to a pushchair. Far too heavy and virtually never used the pram as we went everywhere in the car.
I actually sold the pram 2 years later to a colleague for £100 including all the matching accessories. Everything like new! She absolutely loved it and went on to have 3 boys and she was still using it. 😊

Also useful - coat with baggy arms and lots of stretch, and ideally a silky inner so it goes on easier

Useful: one of those bath sponges that tiny babies sit/lie in so you don't drop them.
And out Moses basket which he (conveniently) adored and slept in day and night until 6 months old.

Useless: several people gave us very cute gilets in tiny baby/newborn size...I never found a type of weather they could be worn in 😆

Useful - granny

Not useful - husband

DS1
Useless: bottle warmer, any beakers other than the free one the hv gave us.
Useful: bouncy chair

DD1
Useless: gro egg, mam bottles, halo swaddle bag, rocker napper that she refuses to nap in
Useful: elvie wearable pumps, sling, perfect prep machine, sleeping bags, cheap bouncy chair, muslins and bibs (she's pukey)

For weaning - a little manual food mill.

Useful:
Perfect prep
360 swivel car seat.

Useless:
Sleeping bags
Teething things

Most useless - antique wicker bassinet / crib with hand made linings and linens - lovely but really was not used - lovely present from MIL but not used.

Most useful - packs of little romper suits ( cheap ) but in various sizes so they could be put to one side and the rest went into the washing machine.

Useful - zippered baby grows, big water bottle, a bedside drawer loaded with snacks, BBHugMe feeding pillow, Stokke Tripp Trapp with newborn set, 360 spin car seat, stretchy wrap and structured baby carrier, Alexa for streaming white noise when asleep, silicone scar patches for c-section and Cheeky Wipes (so much so we have 3 sets)

Worth having - a 10 pack of M&S muslins and an extra large one from Jojo Maman Bebe. Button down nighties and a comfy nursing chair (ours is a second hand leather recliner off Marketplace).

Useless - Owlet sock and camera (gift), pram bassinet (screamed), play gym, socks, mittens, changing bag (used a small pram organiser), Hakaa pump, Baby Bjorn Bouncer, Dockatot.

Most useful hands down was a Sleeoyhead. Least useful a Moses basket

That made me laugh!!
😆😆

I've thought of another "useful"
Somebody bought me a few packs of 6-9 and 9-12 plain babygros.
I was so pleased I had them when he grew into them.

Useful

• perfect prep machine
• mam bottles
• bouncer
• swaddles
• baby bath

Useless

• muslins
• sling/baby carrier

Useful tommee tippee prep machine

Useless tommee tippee nappy bin

The problem in answering this is every child is different. Family bought me a very expensive baby sling, both my children hated it so it was a waste while others may have found it essential.

I would suggest find ways to try before you buy e.g. sling, baby carrier library. Invest in a couple of outfits for you that make you feel comfortable and ready for the world and have photos taken with the baby. There will be millions of the baby but few of myself because I didn't feel photo ready so that might be a tip I would give a friend.