Weirdly the most useful baby bits...

[seafoodudon]

Starting to prepare for DC3 (due end of Jan) and mulling over the most useful baby bits and pieces - often things I never thought I'd use/thought were rather silly/waste of money gifts/indulgences. My top three for newborns: Skip Hop Changing mat/bag thing that is large enough to squeeze in a few nappies/newborn change of clothes, and yet still fits in my handbag; Avent pots with screw lids - perfect for storing breastmilk for newborns and then purees/formula/toddlers snacks as they get bigger; a gorgeous Mamas and Papas pram suit/bag (all autumn/winter babies). Your top three?

yy to muslins!

and wonderful tommy tippie bibs that have a thick bit round the neck to soak up any dribble from day one, bf or otherwise.

C shaped breast feeding pillow. I have two. I couldn't live without them.

yesssssssss eggybrokenoff go for a nice bag, do it... I bought mine from here ages ago. I also really like this one.

This is a great thread... to hijack it a little... which sling would you advise getting? Ideally from newborn onwards... I was thinking Baby Bjorn Active or Miracle but interested in any thoughts!

Wow they are expensive bags! Very lovely, but still.

For ds we had the fisher price aquarium bath centre thingy. A baby bath with a hammock thing in so you didn't need to hold the baby. And then a ledge to stop them slipping when they are a bit older. Absolutely loved it! Lent it to sil and something has happened to it so were not getting it back for dc2

We never used muslin cloths. Just regular bibs. Might get some this time though.

There are loads of slings emmac a few to google are Manduca. Ergo. Tula, I had a baby bjorn and it was lovely while they were tiny but my back ached once they got a bit bigger.

The bags are lovely...my purchase was a 'one off' (well, kind of, perhaps a 'two off') but I haven't about another handbag since then.

emmac - I am not an evangelist by any means, but have recently joined a baby wearing facebook group in preparation for DC3 (small age gap between them all and there is no way I'm going to go for a three seater puschair!!). Anyone in 'the know' (and please, I'm not putting myself in this category) seems to swear by carriers that are knee to knee and not 'crotch danglers'. The difference is that baby bjorn, and most of the high street carriers hold baby's weight at their crotch, whilst other (sadly, generally more expensive) carriers such as Manduca and Ergo and Moby make more of a seat for the baby, and hold them in a more 'natural' sitting position. This apparently is better because a) it is supposed to be more comfy for both wearer and baby and b) is physiologically better if the child has any kind of hip dysfunction (apparently quite common in babies). Connecta is another brand that is not as pricey as the above. Close caboos are meant to be great for newborns and are sold in JJMB. And then there's wrapping (either with stretchies or with a 'woven') which looks fab but is a whole different ball game...

Hopefully, you get the gist that I am by no means holding myself out as an expert, but have been looking in to it quite seriously this time round. If you google your local area and 'sling library' you will likely find a group of nice helpful people (well, ladies) who will offer advice/consultations and loan you slings for a small fee for a few weeks. I'm definitely going to try this service when DC3 is born, as my brief experiences with slings the last couple of times suggests that what is comfy/useful for you is so individual to your body shape/baby's habits. There are so so many options out there that I'm only just finding out about - so I think worth doing a little bit of exploring before buying one.

emmac get to a sling library! I went to one (as directed on here...) and it was really helpful in trying out different styles.

I've just ordered myself a skip hop changing mat now! I was looking for something exactly like that as I hate the whole changing bag look, as will DH, and we're planning to use slings, so it seems perfect. I can now ask for a lovely proper tote for my birthday and chuck it in there.

Emmac I agree with seafood after doing done research. I have a moby long fabric wrap (ebay has videos about how to out then on) which was great when DD tiny. I need to learn a new way of doing it nice she's longer.

I also have an ergo which was bought for DH by is easy to chuck on. They need to be 5.5kgs first or you can get an insert - I didn't.

Same as rollermum I have a moby and an ergo, both were good but I prefer the simplicity of the ergo.

I also used a baby bjorn when dd was little and whilst she didn't seem to mind it I found it very uncomfortable even when she was quite light.

Please could you post a link to the bath foam thing? Sounds genius but not seen it.

This is a great post for us first-timers, thank you!

firstimer - you can buy them in boots and mothercare and I picked one up for a friend in quality save of bargain homes or sim (cheapskate!). Here is a link: www.boots.com/en/Boots-Foam-Bath-Support-Yellow_52904/ - afraid I have no idea how to put in a link 'neatly'. The one I got from the cheapy shop was about half this price, but actually £6.99 isn't totally unreasonable as although there's no much to them, they are soooo useful and you'll only need one per baby (found that as with anything used in bathrooms, they do start to go a little urgh after about 6 months, so it's definitely a one-per-baby item rather than an heirloom!).

Oh and re the slings -some branches of TK Maxx have recently had in the new Moby Go (this is from the brand Moby that makes stretchy wraps, but is a full buckle wrap like the Ergo or Manduca etc). I grabbed one at about £30 rather than the rrp of around £70. They are for slightly older babies (from around 20lb I think). I have no idea if it'll suit but these sorts of slings appear to have a really good resale value (either on ebay or specialist FB groups).

Thanks guys for all the sling advice! Super useful! :-)

Thereisnoeleventh I Could literally have just written your post! All 3 of those were things that I found most useful.

Thanks seafood!

If you possibly can borrow a sling and a snow suit.

I'm incredibly glad I didn't part with money for either. DD1 just screamed in them both.

Same reason, I think, too hot and too confined. You couldn't swaddle her and she much preferred reins to holding hands.

I have to say that I hardly ever used snow suits once I got going with the sling, it is too hot for them. In the sling I put a lot less on them and used to wrap a blanket over the top (or a sling cover once I knew I/they liked it), that way if you go into a shop or what ever you can un-layer and cool them down a bit.

Bags: may I make a suggestion ? If you can find an insert sort of bag (you know, one of those small zippy thing that takes a change mat, a couple of nappies and wipes) then you can get yourself a nice leather bag (I've got one with two sides - one that the insert fits in and other baby stuff, the other side is for MY stuff, no hunting for keys under spare sets of clothes). And (and forgive my stereotyping here) you can also get a more manly bag (e.g. a crumpler mid size bag) for your other half so that he can leave with the baby by himself taking his bag with the zippy bag insert. Being able to push them out of the door so you can have a morning off is a good thing. We also used to keep a back up zippy bag in the car for extras, just for those explosive 20 wipes, two growmore explosive nappies that you have once in a while.

Everything else: a little bit too baby specific (some babies like bouncing chairs, some hate them, some like being bathed, some hate it). All babies need to have their nappies changed.