What were your BEST baby buys?

[PayingMyWayYouSay]

Not really sure where to post this as I'm guessing those on the pregnancy board are still pregnant with DC1 in a lot of cases

What were your best buys? So far, from recent recommendations, I am buying...

• Next/JoJo Sleepsuits

• A Next 2 Me thingy

• Sleepyhead

• SMA Formula

• Swaddling blankets

I like the tip of not bothering with baby towels and just using a fuss free, normal towel.

• Angel care bath seat. Still using it and ds is almost 7 months.

• Tuppence and crumble starsnug. You can get summer weight ones and fleece winter ones. Depending on when your baby is due, faaaar easier than pramsuits.

• Weleda Calendula Nappy cream, between that and Cj's butter (amazing stuff!) we've never had an outbreak of nappy rash.

• Mam anti-colic bottles are awesome. Same for the dummies as they come in microwaveable sterilising storage boxes.

• Extra long charger lead, I got a 6 foot one from amazon. Extra long charger lead (multiple) There is no torture like having just fed, changed, soothed a baby off to sleep only to realise that you’re on 3% battery. Especially when it’s 4:15 am and the house is in silence. Always keep your charger close by!

•Bodum thermal mug. Only way I got a hot drink in the early weeks. Plus, I was so frightened of spilling anything warm on the baby I was letting drinks go cold before I’d attempt them. These are good quality but cheap enough to have a couple and take away the stress of potentially knocking cups over while trying to negotiate moving while holding a tiny baby. Not completely drip/spill proof from the lid but better than a mug and keeps drinks hot for when you make one, then forget about it for four hours.

Stretchy wrap sling (if you have a nearby sling library, wait until your baby is born and go and try some so that you can find out what works for you).

Insulated mug.

Subscription to Netflix or similar if you don't already have one.

Really comfy chair eg IKEA poang

Ear thermometer

Group of likeminded parents to hang out with and support you.

Later on, baby Gap socks and the Ikea antilop high hair. And you should probably secure heavy furniture to the wall now before you get surprised by a mobile baby.

Dr Browns bottles are fab, baby is likely to at least be "windy" so anything to cut down on the air they swallow while feeding! I didn't bother with travel caps, just swished it round until dissolved and never had a problem. Don't shake them vigorously with the teat etc back on though!

Baby sleeping bags are great too, much better when they can move about and would end up without a blanket on.

We used a baby bath sponge rather than a bath seat etc, fits in the bottom of any baby bath and you can just lay baby on it rather than holding a wriggly slippery baby!

Bouncy chair so you can sit baby in that on bathroom floor and actually get a shower! Will keep them safe/still until they can sit up themselves.

I bought but never used a cot mobile and hardly used swing rocker, waste of money for me. Everyone is different though.

A good, comfy sling is invaluable. I started with a cheap stretchy wrap from Victoria Slinglady on eBay and now have a Connecta which is used daily.

I loved my Bednest crib (hired complete with new mattress and sheets for £80ish).

My friend swore by her Perfect Prep machine.

Some things are very personal. I never used clipper and just filed DD nails and I would not use a dummy clip. I also love the big ikea blue stripy baby towels for my toddler.

Things I used lots perfect prep after bf did not work out, baby Bjorn seat, baby gym, books for baby, MAM bottles, cheap baby clothes and lots of them, angel care baby seat and mama and papa seat. Some things they will only use for weeks so do look at second hand options.

For weaning I would get the ikea high chair, long sleeved bibs, plastic cutlery and plates and bowls.

Definitely thermometer and baby first aid eg calpol when old enough.

Those plastic cradle things that stick to the bath, absolutely brilliant I always found bathing little babies really tricky but those free your hands and make bath time pleasant

Receiving blankets - annoyingly hard to get in the uk but brilliant. We used them for everything. They're like a very thin cotton jersey blanket the same size as a muslin, sold in packs. They are great for lining Prams and cribs so you don't have to keep changing the sheets underneath, more substantial burping cloths, using as a cover on warm nights, swaddling, you name it!

My baby is bigger than me now!

But I'd say muslin cloths, dummy clips, bouncy chair and later umbrella fold buggy (I got mine for £5 and used it far more than the fancy pants 3 wheeler we paid hundreds for!)

I found Next sleepsuits were nice for the first few washes then it was downhill after that. M&S ones were far nicer and stayed soft

Angelcare baby bath support was a great buy

Ewan the dream sleep,
Aden & anaise muslins - I have 3 big ones & use them for blankets/swaddling, everything. TK Max put them in the clearance a lot.

Ergo baby carrier.

A cheap toy you can buy multiples of for comfort.

Find the baby wipes you like & bulk buy. I like the Aldi ones so buy 4 boxes at a time.

Baby swing & playmat.

Angelcare bath support, Ewan the dream sheep and perfect prep machine. Amazing.

Ewan is shit.

I didn't need muslins as baby wasn't sicky.

Washable baby wipes have saved me a fortune compared to water wipes. They are the biggest rip off going. Spend £35 on washable wipes and never have to buy baby wipes.

Medela pump if bf.

Sidecar cot of some description.

Perfect prep machine
Rocker - we got a used but in perfect condition Mamaroo rocker for hall price on gumtree
Playmat for tummy time and general playing. We got one that makes sounds and lights up so great as the baby gets older. My DS is 9 months and still loves his playmat
Jumparoo - again get a very interactive one so baby doesn't get bored. The one we have rotates 360 degrees and has three height adjustments so my DS still hasn't grown out or gotten bored of it
Sensory toys
A couple of blankets for when baby is cold or to help snuggle up before a nap
Growbags for sleeping during the night. They come in different togs
Baby nightlight to signal sleep time with noise and lights

Ergo baby carrier and also close caboo - much softer for when you're at home etc
Shnuggle / munchkin duck bathtub
Sleepyhead
Spectra pumps much better than medela and cheaper ime
Not used it but there is a blanket with handles called the snuggle bundle that looks awesome for transfers etc
Mesh feeder for weaning

Next to me co sleeper thing was fabulous. I had it for dc2 and absolutely loved it. I also love my uppababy vista.

Another one saying muslins. We going the Ikea ones the best. Daughter had blue/green, son had red/orange. They were so useful for so many things, and my daughter still takes two of those originals to bed each night for comfort (she's 9!)

Our slings (Caboo and manduca, ergo didn't work for me at all so it's definitely worth trying before getting one)

Sleepyhead
Love2dream swaddling sleeping bags, you can unzip the bottom half to change a nappy without having to fully unwrap them
Breast feeding pillow
Cot bed that we have side cared to our bed

When they are older a jumperoo.

Baby bouncer is great so you have somewhere safe to put them down.

Morrck - goes in the car seat round the straps so you can strap them in & then wrap them up nice & warm when it's cold. You can also use it in the pushchair

Mam dummies as they come in their own sterilising box.

Dummy clips x 2. Wish I'd got one sooner & got a spare so I had one to hand at home & one on the changing bag. Particularly useful when they start throwing dummies.

Sleeping bags - DS got his leg stuck in the crib bars when he had blankets as he was such a wriggler.

Ewan the dream sheep - worked a dream

Muslins- lots of them both in standard size & a couple of the jumbo ones which are so so handy.

Ready made formula cartons if you are bottle feeding, brilliant for when DS decided he was hungry far earlier than he should have been.

I've just discovered mam self sterilising bottles so will be getting some of those for this baby.

Interesting reading - it just shows how it's hard to know in advance what you/your baby will really use.

From my experience....
Euan the sheep = nothing special
Bumbo = my baby hated being in it
Slings = I tried caboo and manduca and hardly used either - baby just preferred being held or in pram.
Bouncer = I totally swear by the baby bjorn bouncer. Both of mine loved it and didn't think much of other bouncers at friends houses. But I'm sure there will be someone on here soon saying that they are hugely expensive and no better than a £20 mothercare bouncer.

So, my tip would be to buy the bare minimum before your baby arrives. Try stuff out before spending loads of money (ie. Put your baby in a friends jumperoo before buying a huge hideous piece of plastic which your baby might not like!). Go to a sling library before you buy a sling. Etc etc

I think Dr Browns bottles prevent colic as well as stopping it, as they have a tube thing in the middle that stops the baby swallowing air with the milk. We've never had any problems with feeding DD (now 9 months) since we changed to Dr Browns. If I had my time again I'd just buy Dr Browns to start with instead of waiting to see if she had colic. At the time we hadn't heard of Dr Browns though.

A swing. I didn't have one for DC1 but it was the only thing I could put DC2 down in so I could make dinner. Don't get a Graco one though, mine broke after 3 months.

Don't bother getting a baby bath. Mine were big and didn't even fit in to it as newborns. I wouldn't bother with one of those nappy disposal units either as they soon start to smell. I used one for a few weeks then found it better to just bag nappies and take them to the dustbin.

Aden and anais extra large muslins, great for swaddling. Usually in t k maxx. I still use them now with my 2 year old as loose summer covers.

Sleepyhead was brilliant.

Aldi nappies for the first two sizes, no different to pampers, just half the price

Baby sling/carrier

Oh i forgot about Euan the dream sheep, was a life saver some nights and on some car journeys.

I would say lots of great products here and great to know what's out there but wait to see what baby likes/needs and stick to the essential things until they arrive.

So things like;
Somewhere for baby to sleep (eg next to me and pram carrycot during the day)

A means of eating (bottles and formula - though don't stock up as it might not suit them, they might have reflux or cmpa and sterilising equipment)

Clothes - vests and sleepsuits (ones with built in mittens are great) 10 of each.

Nappies and wipes (again don't stock up as might not agree with baby's skin)

Muslins

Cellular blankets

Anything else you need you can get next day delivery.

Your baby might be happy to sleep in cot/carrycot without sleepyhead. Same goes for swing/vibrating chair etc. Although a bouncer chair is great for letting them sit up a bit or as a change of scenery when they are a few weeks.