The best things you bought for baby?

[milkyman]

I will be a 2nd time mum next spring. Made lots of mistakes with buying stuff - pram is great but came to loathe the mosesbasket... thinking of a snuzpod, baby born chair, a co sleeper crib - any ideas? Also, are perfect prep machones worth getting and a gro swaddle?

The caboo sling, my baby would not go down & this meant I could get a bit done. Also the swing he goes in.

Now moved onto the 360 ergo baby carrier & it's so supportive. Sophie giraffe for teething & plenty of Muslins.
Those have been my best buys that are used or were used on a daily basis.

-Tommee Tippee perfect prep
-Lots of bibs and muslins
-Baby bouncy chair (my daughter loves it)
-Chicco next to me crib
-Tommee tippee grooming kit (has some great nail clippers)
-Lots of sleep suits which my daughter lives in
-Tesco baby blankets - great value for money

• Tommee Tippee electric steam steriliser

We hated Moses basket with #1 and really it was equally shit with #2 but worth keeping for a handy safe spot to leave baby. I think we got £5 for ours on ebay after 2 uses.

Absolute best buy has to be an Amby Hammock. So amazing for self rocking back to sleep, unfortunately you lose that when they move to a cot and then you have to sleep train a bit but it's worth it for those awful months when it feels like they hardly sleep.

Sleepyhead and glider crib
Ewan the Dream Sheep was our saviour in the first few weeks.
Baby bjorn carrier
Fisher Price sit me up seat
Fisher Price Jungle playmat (fb bargain)
Very large muslins for swaddling, she grew out of the groswaddles quite quickly.

Breast pump (had the medela mini electric)
Dummy (for me this provided a bit of respite from comfort suckling on a very sore nipple, I hated dummies until then)

It's all personal really and baby dependent, but those are the things that have been great for us.

Oh and the tommee tippee mini bath.

Love to dream swaddle. Ds hated being swaddled with his arms by his side but woke himself up flinging his arms around. I only use it at night time, but he visibly relaxes when I put him in it and has helped differentiate night and day I think.

A baby carrier has been our best purchase by far
I bought 2 from nearly new sale for £5 each to try out and preferred carrier to a sling
Sling libraries are meant to be good for finding one to suit you x

Love our baby bjorn bouncer. We borrowed one first time round but had to give it back so bought our own for the second. Both babies have just been so much happier in it then any other chair. I'm guessing it's comfortable, good positions etc. I don't know as I'm not a baby but she'll happily sit in it while I'm dealing with DD1 for half an hour playing with the toy bar/ watching us/bouncing herself.

Definitely a stretchy sling, wish I'd realised this the first 2 times! Started with the caboo, it's fab.

A swaddle pod really helped DD take longer naps (though new baby won't tolerate it at all).

Baby Gaviscon.

One of those towels people always seem to give you (because they're £10 in TK Max) that fasten around the neck and waist and have a hood at the bottom.

Microwave bottle steriliser. Takes 2 minutes & sterilises up to 4 bottles & teats
Twilight turtle night light.
Beco gemini baby carrier. You can use it from birth without any inserts & was (& is) a godsend
Bloom high chair
Baby bjorn bouncer

Pregnant with my 2nd as well. Also found the Moses basket a load of white, and have invested in a snuzpod, which seems like it'll be a life saver. Was thinking about a sleepy head, but presently can't justify it after expensive little green sheep mattress.

Keep hearing people rave about the baby Bjorn but it's so expensive, I don't like the look of it and I don't understand the price tag. I got a Fisher price bouncer that had great reviews, so hoping baby will like it.

Bought a quinny Buzz, which was pretty good when living in a city, but moved rurally and basically found the pram a load of faff. Started using a sling when DS was about 10 months and truely wish I'd always had one.

Had no idea what I was doing when buying baby clothes the first time, now I've just got loads of babygrows, cardigans and a couple snow suits.

Have just bought one of those starfish shawl things. Now I see why advertisers pay big bucks to be on mumsnet...

Buggerlumps Did you see what they were saying about snowsuits upthread? Apparently it's not safe to wear one while strapped into a carseat. I didn't realise that. There should be warning on them.

Perfect Prep is totally worth the money if bottle feeding.

Wouldn't bother with for swaddled, swaddling with big cellular blankets works just as well and costs far less.

Tuppence and Crumble star wrap was a great purchase, much easier than trying to wrestle a tiny baby into coats or snowsuits.

The snow suits are more for the weekend, due to DH and DS sports I spend a lot of my weekend freezing on a muddy field.

Want a star fish blanket. Am getting one payday

That's meant to say 'wouldn't bother with the gro swaddle' not 'for swaddled'

DS wouldn't go in the Bjorn bouncer without screaming but luckily we borrowed it and hadn't paid 100s!

It really depends on the baby but for me:

Tummy tub,like a bucket you bath them in. DS loved it
Muslins
Stretchy wrap (for Velcro baby)
More sheets than I thought I'd need (sicky baby)
Mummy mits

To be honest I'd buy as little as possible and see what you need so you don't waste too much money

Yes yes to jumperoo. It is perhaps, the most hideous thing I own, but it was the only way I got a shower when DS was about 5 months old! Have cleaned it up ready and waiting

My DD isn't keen on the baby bjorn bouncer either, leant to us thankfully so didn't cost anything.

We also have a tuppence and crumble starfish fleece, was bought for us as a gift and is so snug.

Definitely:

Sleepyhead
Tummy Tub
Ergo
Close Caboo
Love to Dream swaddle
Dr Brown's bottles

Stretchy sling (both mine were/are Velcro babies). I have a Je Porte Mon Bebe basic one for baby DS and it's great.
Bedside crib (rented this both times)
Lansinoh for my poor nipples
Lansinoh disposable breast pads for until supply settles down, then Lenny Lamb bamboo reusable ones.

We have the baby Bjorn bouncer, but DD was unimpressed and her baby brother doesn't seem any more into it than she was, yet. But, they have good resale value on EBay...

Our must-have items are the close caboo carrier, fisher price rainforest jumperoo and the Chicco next to me bedside crib. Will definitely be using these next time