Experienced mums: what did you wish you bought?

[Spooples]

Currently 26 weeks with baby number 1 and trying to start buying in bits for when she's here.

Ive had a look through the recommendations in my books and online about what to get, but is there anything in your experience you found was really useful but you maybe didn't know about it in advance?

What would be your top recommendation of useful things to buy for baby? Or even for child birth?

MAM bottles.

Muslins

As many vests and babygrows as possible!

It entirely depends on your circumstances. For example, whilst I used reusable baby wipes and think they're great, I wouldn't buy cheeky wipes or any similar brand because you can make your own for much less than what brands charge.

I'm expecting number 2, the one thing I wish I had bought with dc1 was a co-sleeper crib so we have bought one this time round.

I wish I had bought an isofix base. My car when we had dc1 didnt have the option but the car we had with dc2 did but I was all "meh I coped without it". Should have just got one.

I got a Tiny Love 3 in 1 Napper with dc2 and wish I knew about them for dc1 it was brilliant.

Of the things I did buy and loved for both dc, giant muslin squares. Used daily for 7 years as swaddles/blankets/comforters/tents/fun and games. My dc are 7 and 4 and we still have four round the house for various uses.

Small towelling bath ramp. Id out a few inches of warm water in the bath, lay baby on this, and wash them. Never had a baby bath.

I didnt really have much that I didnt use, but did a lot of research before buying stuff.

Oh god the shite I wasted so much money on when expecting my first is embarrassing!

My second time, essentials:
Baby grows just loads, all different sizes, as cheep as cheep can be as they wash great, dry in an hour and can be binned when ruined.
No fancy outfits, no fancy clothes, absolutely no point and more hassle than they are worth. So, baby grows galore.
A cot that turns into a toddler bed, saves fortunes, fits into a space and is familiar and comfy.

A decent pram that will serve a baby and a toddler and is WIPE CLEAN. Dog shit on wheels, crap/vomit/Pom bear crumbs.. get everywhere, gotta be cleanable. Also has to fold down small to fit in a boot WITH a weeks worth of shopping.. vital!
Aldi nappies, cheep, brilliant.
That’s it from me.

I bought most things second hand. That’s my biggest tip for most parents to be. My mum very kindly bough us a pushchair complete with a car seat (which had a 5 point harness - it’s a Chico one, excellent car seat) and every else to go with it. It was an ex display so she got it for a bargain price.

I bought a sling but just couldn’t get away with it. Not my thing at all. When she was older my SIL gave me her old backpack type carrier which I absolutely loved, beaten up old thing it was but it was bloody marvellous!

Lots of bibs and muslins. I bought a manual breast pump which was absolute shit. I did a better job with my own hands! My friend had a baby change unit where she stored nappies, baby toiletries and clothes etc. She loved it as she could plonk the baby bath on top of it and bath baby whilst stood up thus saving her back a bit and everything that she needed was so handy. You can pick these up pretty cheaply on forsale sites etc (or just use your kitchen table)

Oh and second the isofix base. Primary is brilliant for cheap bay grows too (I usually get big bundles of all sorts of brands from eBay)

Agree with PPs, you don't really need much for a newborn, and you can buy as you go as baby is older and you work out what would suit your situation. When very small we loved having slings and baby bouncy chair. I wouldn't bother with snow suits - they are a massive pain in the arse and unless you are going for a long walk outside with baby in a pushchair you need to take them off every five mins when going in/out of shops etc.

Cheeky wipes system does sound like a good idea - that and cloth nappies are things I wish we'd started when #1 was tiny. Now we are nearing the point of being out of nappies so it seems daft to make the investment, but the thought of all that landfill is horrifying.

And YES second hand is the way forward! So much stuff in practically new condition for a fraction of the cost. Facebook marketplace, ebay, and charity shops are your friends.

One key item for me was a cheap baby bouncer (not swing) we had both... the bouncer was like £15 from Asda and I could just put baby in and lift from room to room with me, including into the garden. Was an absolute lifesaver. The swing we had was lovely but was used way less as was cumbersome and very heavy. Must haves are very subjective - another must have for me was my perfect prep machine, but then they are not for everyone.
Currently expecting DC3 and have lots of stuff from last time. I need to buy a new bouncer tho as my old one was used so much it was wrecked... best money I’ll ever spend! Good luck OP!

Lots of people have recommended a sling/carrier but I would suggest seeing if you have a local sling library before investing. There are so many different types and what works for one person doesn’t work for another. I really thought I would like the stretchy wrap style sling but I borrowed one and absolutely hated it. Could not get on with it. I ended up purchasing an ergo baby carrier after trying one out which both me and my husband used loads.

The thing is it’s so personal... I see loads of people list ‘must haves’ on here that I bought and were a complete waste of money (like a nappy bin). And it depends on the child. For example I used about 5 muslins a day with DD1 (reflux baby) so stocked up for DD2 and didn’t use any!
So with that in mine, I’m currently pregnant with DC3 (thought we weren’t going to have anymore so had got rid of a lot of stuff) and have barely bought anything. Just going to see how it goes! I have bought a next to me crib rather than a Moses basket, and a decent bath support (rather than a separate baby bath which was an absolute faff), plus plenty of vests and babygrows.

Also we never used a bib until weaning.

‘Must haves’ really vary from baby to baby. It’s really best not to over buy for the early days.

If you’re planning on bottle feeding then I wouldn’t get too many of one brand of bottles or stock up on formula as it may not suit your baby.

Mine HATED being in a sling/carrier etc, wasn’t a cuddly baby at all and was happiest in her big fancy pram (MN seems to favour slings and cheap strollers over ‘proper’ prams).

Iso fix base for the car seat definitely, best to test a few out to see what will fit in your car.

I loved my baby bath and bath stand, saved my back and you don’t need to use lots of water.

A rucksack style changing bag, baskets under prams can be hard to get into if you’re using a carry cot.

A comfy breastfeeding pillow to use even if your bottle feeding, gives your arms a break.

20+2 and found this all really useful, thank you everyone!

Dh has taken DD in the shower with him since she was newborn (great way for them to bond), now she is 10 months she does have the occasional bath as a special playtime, but the norm is still for her to go in the shower.

So no need for baby bath, bath stand, or bath supports.

I would suggest the smart way to do it is to get essentials and then wait until you actually meet your baby. E.g. people are suggesting bottle and preppers as well as others suggesting nursing pillows/chairs. You could end up with a baby who won't breastfeed, or a bottle refuser (My DS was one).
Lots of people swear by natural wrap type baby carriers, and I tried a couple but in the end we got on so much better with a buckle type one -again, depends on your baby and how they like to be carried. Or you might get on well with your buggy and find you never want to use one.
Beds and bedding again - I was told get something little and snug for a new born, they will feel lost in a big cot. I'm sure that is true for a lot of babies, but mine liked to thrash about alot in his sleep and would wake up screaming if he bumped anything, so his little crib and blankets were a waste of money since he slept best in a cot bed in a sleeping bag.

I'll also add that we never used a muslin as our baby very rarely brought up milk.
We managed without a baby bath, but found it quite a faff before DS was able to sit up unsupported, I have bought one for DD. The sink was not the right shape for baby to rest unsupported, so I had to do everything one handed and was worried about him touching the tap if it was hot or very cold. I don't see how it is possible to shower with a baby who can't sit up without a helper to take the baby while you get yourself clean.

We have an angelcare bath support to use in the normal bath as I found filling/emptying the baby bath a massive faff, which just shows everyone is different!

Clothes in newborn size. Only had 0-3 months and they hung off ds.

Syringes and calpol.

Sock ons.

I wish we’d bought a fancier bouncer tbh. Ours is fine and now he’s bigger (13 weeks) and entertains himself a bit he’ll happily rock himself and shout at me whilst I do some jobs but it didn’t really hold his attention when he was smaller and he would never nap in it like some babies do in the ones that swing and vibrate and stuff.

Buy all the muslins!! Brands like Muslinz and Bright Bots are worth spending slightly more on IMO as they are much more absorbent and slightly larger. We went through a stage where we got through at least 6 every 24 hours.

I wish I’d bought and tried to introduce a dummy ASAP tbh. By the time I started trying at 3 weeks, he knew it was a poor imitation for the real thing and he’s still only taken it a couple of times.

Our baby gym has been a lifesaver. It’s a Lamaze one that moves the arches slightly and plays music. He LOVES it. I can even pop it in the bathroom and have a decent bath!

A wrap sling for the tiny newborn stage and a buckle carrier ( we have a Tula) for my enormous wiggly baby (he’s over the 91st centile) have been really useful. I barely use the pram and we have a car seat that doesn’t unclip from the car.

I’ll just add that we’ve bought loads of stuff on Facebook marketplace really cheap. I wouldn’t bother buying a gym, swing, jumperoo etc. new!

My DS is 5 weeks old.

Loving:

Tutti Bambini Cozee, Ewan the sheep (deluxe with a sensor), and baby sleeping bag from Ikea. He sleeps 12-9 with 2 night feeds.
Shnuggle baby bath. Well worth £20.
Cosatto Giggle 2 - I love the car seat/travel system base for errands.
Lekkebaby changing bag from Amazon.
Lidl nappies - not keen on Aldi.
Fisher Price Kick and Play bouncer.

What I wish I had bought:

Tiny baby clothes. 0-3 and newborn were massive as DS was 5lb8.
More Ikea muslins.

Haven't needed:

Millions of cellular blankets. I just use a nice cotton one in the pram.
Sling. Too scared and DS is only just big enough.

Cherry dummies.

That is all.

I have a list of things that were bloody useless and never taken out of their packaging as long as my arm.

Don't stress about buying things before. As long as you have some essentials you can buy as you go along.

I will second the Tuppence and Crumble star wrap though. Much easier than snowsuits, coats etc and they can wear it in the pram/carseat but be taken out of it easily if they fall asleep.

I bought so much crap that I didn’t need. My baby bath has never been used as I just hop in the bath with my DS. I have a snuzpod which turned out to be useless for my refluxy baby because it couldn’t be tilted at a decent enough angle. Other co sleepers are properly tiltable. I used my Moses basket twice as DS will only nap on me during the day. Couldn’t get on with my close caboo sling, baby just didn’t feel secure enough in it for me. Bought a fancy video monitor and then realised that babies shouldn’t sleep alone for the first six months so wouldn’t need to be remotely monitored! We got a second hand pram from a friend and have only used it a handful of times as DS just wants to be held, even now at 13 weeks.

Things that have been invaluable (for me) are my ergo baby, a white noise app (Ewan the dream sheep not nearly loud enough), and a kiddy evoluna lie flat car seat. I found out that newborns shouldn’t be in normal car seats for longer than 30 minutes just before I was about to attempt a 3 hour drive to see family! The lie flat means they can be in there longer. Also, I thought I’d be fine with a seatbelt fitted car seat but turns out that I’m only really happy with isofix- it just feels more secure.

As PP have said, it really depends on your baby. You can amazon prime a lot of stuff once he/she arrives.