One thing that you bought/received that was a 'lifesaver'?

[Ymamiss]

Hi, I'm expecting my first baby, and am really overwhelmed with the choice of baby things available to buy, e.g. bouncers, cribs, bumbo seats, playmats, etc.

What was the one thing that you had that you definitely felt made a difference to your overall wellbeing/sanity?

Thanks in advance!

both my dc loved their bouncers, no need for one with batteries they preferred using their legs!neither bothered with their play mats and preferred their chairs.
also agree with good quality breastfeeding pads!

Here's a sentence I never thought I would say : a jumperoo changed my life. But it really really really did.

Also, the clevamama baby pillow. When my son was 3 months old I noticed his head was getting flat on one side, I bought the pillow straightaway and now I can barely notice it. You can put it under the sheet for safety reasons.

A fold-down inflatable baby bath - we could bath her on the table rather than on the floor because Uganda c-section and it wasn't taking up tons of room.
That and a sling, dd hated to be put down and it was a lifesaver to have my hands free (and if you find a local sling library you can find the right on for you before you buy one)

Isofix base for the car. Hands down the best thing we bought.

DS is a week old today and the 3 things that I don't know how we would cope without are........

Muslins lots and lots of muslins

Vibrating bouncy chair, it gets the wind up and settles him and allows me to eat in peace.

Fluffy blanket bought by a friend that he loves being swaddled in.

For me, baby bundlers were the best thing I bought. Made night time nappy changes so much quicker and easier when they were tiny. No faffing with hundreds of poppers when you are already sleep deprived!
If I recall correctly, you can get them in John Lewis and M&S.

Not one suggestion, but:

Lansinoh if you plan to breastfeed. Warm it before use. I was literally never more than 3 feet from mine for about 10 weeks...
An insulated, lidded, plastic drinks cup. If you like hot drinks, that is. Likewise, a refillable water bottle with a reasonably secure lid. Otherwise you will die of thirst - especially if you plan to breastfeed. Or even if you don't...
These bibs are great for dribbly babies while getting the hang of milk feeds, whether bottles or breast.
Lots of muslins - I used to tuck them down under DD's head or I always ended up covered in breastmilk & smelling like cheese. Lovely.
These bibs are fab for weaning IMHO. Washable in the sink or laundry, our 2 bibs lasted about 18 months on daily use before we had to replace them.
Don't bother with "baby nail clippers". Get a pack of those ultra fine emery boards from the baby section. I was so scared of hurting DD and her tiny fingers (even though she had big hands & feet for a newborn) that I never used our clippers, I just filed her nails. Don't nibble them either - apparently it can cause infections although I've no idea why.
Kindle. Or similar. And lots of boxsets or a Lovefilm subscription etc. You will be spending a lot of time stuck on the sofa/in bed attached to the baby.

The adapter that meant the car seat could be plugged straight into the pram, and a sun shade for the same seat that kept baby asleep in bright lights / between changes in light in & out of the car. Genius

Big pants for me! A section plus seven weeks of bleeding made them essential. I am weaning myself back to proper knicks that sit on my scar now at 8 months pp, but I will miss my giant pants!

Oh yes and a couple of swaddling cloths. DD was impossible to settle after we brought her home. Then we discovered swaddling - and sleep.

A sling. There are lots of different types but I had a stretchy wrap sling when he was tiny, then a connecta for out and about from a few months old. I also have a mei tai and a ring sling now.

Sponge mat for the bath - much better than a baby bath.
Washable nappies and muslins.
Microwave steriliser.
Bean bag and bouncy chair.

For us it was this cheap baby gym from toys r us. We used it for all 3 DCs and they all loved being under it from a very young age, first staring at the hanging things and then eventually realising they could bat it with arms or legs.

Vibrating bouncy chair, mine loved theirs.

If your bottle feeding I seen something on here about a tommee tippee milk machine, forgot what it is called, like a coffee machine for making bottles, if i had to go through babyhood again i would deffo be buying a one of them, possibly 2 so i could keep one upstairs.

If you're thinking about trying breastfeeding, then a breast pump. I had problems with engorgement so used mine a lot to make my boobs uncomfortable whenever DCs feeding demands changed.

Bouncer or swing chair to put the baby in when youre cooking/washing/cleaning. Because they're propped up they can watch you and you can keep them entertained. One with a vibrating or swinging action for when baby's grumpy and you want your hands free for dinner!

A good sling. Didn't use one much with dd1, but it was vital with dd2. It's really nice to be able to go places inaccessible with a pram (I didn't use mine round the house that much-if I'm not walking my dd gets grumpy). Shopping, muddy walks, museums etc are all made easier with a decent sling!

Grobag swaddle. Both my baby's needed swaddling for sleep, although this very much depends on your baby. Tried swaddling with big muslins, but my baby just wriggled out (tbf, we were swaddling until 5 months!).

*comfortable obvs!

Oh, and best breast feeding pads were the Lansinoh ones (couldn't use reusable for the first 6 months because I leaked too much). Only ones that didn't stick to my nipples in the super-sensitive early days

A dummy.

My top recommendations would be babybjorn bouncer, bath support, Angelcare monitor with breathing pad, cot top changer and a playmat. Most of these we bought off eBay & saved a fortune.

Cosleeper cot (arms reach / bed nest / snuzpod). Got one for DS2 who woke every three hours for two years. It saved my sanity.

Honestly, it is hard to imagine when you're pregnant with your first how hard getting up several times a night can be. Having the ability to just lean across and comfort the baby without getting out of the bed is wonderful.

Of my friends, all bar one bought one of these for their second child. Learning from bitter experience! They are pricey but worth it.

Moist loo roll (Andrex washlets or similar) I still can't go anywhere without it (think that might be psychological now...)

And a hair wrap towel. DS always woke up as I was getting out of the shower and demand feeding. A normal towel would flap in his face and without a towel if drop all over him, Its made life so much easier.

We had a cosatto bobbin bouncy chair, it was fab! It can sit up to bounce, or recline to lie flat. The DCs always slept in it during the daytime when they were little. It has a battery bit too, but I never actually got around to buying the right size batteries both dCs are too big for it now Ours broke because toddler DS tried to use it as a trampoline, I called cosatto and they sent replacement parts te next day - their customer service is fab.

Muslins. Lots and lots of muslins!

Triangular dribble bibs. Both of ours were reflux babies and these were the best at catching everything, stops the sick getting in their neck folds quite as much.

I had a moby wrap thag I couldn't live without. We live in the sticks and go on country walks a lot, couldn't have done without it.

A cot mobile that plays and spins for about 15mins. We had a fab jungle one from John Lewis by 'tiny love' it kept DS occupies long enough for me to have a shower / get dressed he loved watching the animals spin.

Cheeky Wipes! Reusable cloth wipes. Not for everyone, but so so easy to use and are so much better at cleaning up than disposable wipes.

And preferably have a minion on hand to make you drinks / bring you books / pass you things whilst you're breastfeeding. I remember being stuck under a sleeping baby for half an hour, with some god-awful TV show on and the remote control was just out of reach... :(

Good luck with everything OP. But as much or as little as you want. So long as you have plenty of vests & sleepsuits, a blanket or two and a stack of muslins everything else is extra x

A swaddlewrap thing with velcro bits. I know the current advice is not to swaddle but I say bollocks to that, as long as you're not stuffing them into flight socks then they'll probably be fine.

A kindle fire.

Washable breast pads.

Cake.

OK so that's four things but I can't narrow it down any further.

And for the second one, CBeebies, to entertain the one you made earlier.

Didn't bother with a bumbo

Fisher price rocker / toddler chair. Normal bouncers are only good got so long. Second time around, fine from birth.

Tommee tippee bottles for when I switched to formula and especially the insulating bag

Normal clothes one size up. Nice To not have to go back into maternity.

If I was doing it again I would buy a buggy that converts into a double

A Moby wrap sling
A swinging chair

Oh and a real luxury was one of those gliding rocking chairs for you to sit in for night feeds-v comfy and good for rocking baby to sleep (although bad habit I guess!) dd had all her stories sitting in it with me too til she was about 3.