What was one thing you couldn't live without when you first had a baby?

[BabyCJuly]

Hi all,

I think I have got most things for baby arrival

Muslins
Breastpads
Witch Hazel (sprayed on the maternity towels)
Zip up sleep suits can be easier to close up
Lots of sleepsuits/vests as babies spit up/poo all over themselves a lot
Button or tops for me
Large water bottle
Massive knickers
Maternity tracksuit bottoms
A helpful husband/partner

Sling
Sleepyhead
Baby Bjorn bouncer chair
Baby grows with zips
Endless amount of muslins
Perfect prep if formula feeding (also Mam anti-colic bottles have been awesome)
Loads of prepped meals in the freezer - absolute life saver
Loads of favourite snacks and one of those huge water bottles with measurements and a straw on

Infacol
Swaddle blanket/wrap thing (got from tk max)
Muslin clothes (big ones!)
Tons of cute/colourful sleepsuits (was all baby wore until 6 months old)

Freezer full of fancy ready meals. You will not find time to cook for months.

Sling, sleepyhead, flapjacks (trek protein ones are great)

Baby bouncer
Decent tv channels at silly a.m lol

The Tiny Love 3in1 Napper
Giant swaddling muslins
Just Eat
Earplugs

Dimmer light switch in the bedroom
Medela breast pads
A cleaner for 6 weeks
A heap of muslins

I've got a 4 week old and I've literally come on to say cereal bars and biscuits! In every room. And food you dont have to cook to eat. I would not have survived otherwise!

Practical items that we have used a lot of:
a big muslin swaddle
A portable dimmable light
White noise machine
Wrap sling

And disposable maternity pants!! Especially for the first few days.

If you're breastfeeding, lansinoh- saved my sanity. Another vote for the stretchy wrap to be able to move around the house and do things. And a six month supply of chocolate hobnobs/maltesers (which disappeared within two months) to eat while watching boxsets (the first few weeks are a bit eat.sleep.repeat...). Good luck!

Babygrows with zips rather than all those poppers

Sleepyhead
Lollies to suck on for sugar
Zip up Sleepsuits

A million pairs of pjs for myself as was changing them every few hours for first few weeks post c section. Also, a 2 metre long phone charger for the endless hours sitting under the baby.

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/The-Lullaby-Trust-Product-Guide-Web.pdf

Useful info in here

I couldn’t have survived night feeds and sleepless nights without my smartphone,

Big knickers

Breastfeeding body pillow (also comfy to lie with because of C-Section scar)

White noise machine, more so for when baby was about 8 weeks

Muslins.

At least half a dozen in every room, more in the bedroom.
And a leather sofa.

I had 3 v sicky babies and you couldn't hold one without at least 2 X muslins covering you and them. Also cot and pram at least 2 muslins for under baby's head so when they're sick you just pull one out and you've got a clean cot again.

Leather sofa easy to wipe clean with said muslins when the sick drips down your back or runs off your leg!

My bed

Definitely another vote for a stretchy wrap sling.

Also bouncy chair - we found DD liked the cheap wire framed one better than the fancy rocking affair.

Netflix
Perfect Prep & electric Steriliser
Costa Coffee loyalty card
Decent earphones so you can listen to podcasts on buggy walks while baby sleeps

a rocking swing - could be reclined for newborn - and was the only thing that allowed us to get our dinner - wind the baby up, and eat fast. Some of them have music, but ours just had a satisfying ticking noise :-)

Perfect Prep machine! It's known as the Bottle God in our house.

Maternity pads for me. I hadn't thought of them at all but my colleague passed a load on that had been donated (closed packs obvs!) but couldn't give them to our patients so I took them home and although I had an elcs booked my waters went at bedtime 2 days before! My hospital was a 5 min walk away but it was the worst walk of my life, it felt like I was weeing myself with every step and I couldn't stop it. I was convinced I was saturated and it would be dripping down my legs but those pads got me there and overnight without getting my clothes wet.
Loads of vests, short and long sleeved bodysuits and full sleepsuits. Soft leggings with feet, my first was early May born and was in long sleeved bodysuits and leggings from early on, I found them easier than the sleepsuits. Sleepsuits for bedtime.
My colleagues bought me a lovely no7 gift set of body creams and oils, a shampoo/ conditioner/ serum set that I wouldn't have bought myself and it was sooooo good. From about 2wks I left the baby with DH for half an hour or so and went for a shower, hairwash, quick hairdry and used my lovely stuff and felt like me again. It really helped.
Bouncer that inclined, silent refluxy baby loved it.
A notebook I wrote down feeds in. I know it's considered pfb on here but I did it with both, both ff so probably not useful if you bf but my memory is shit at the best of times so I knew when they'd been fed and how much, helped with knowing when to up the amounts and knowing when they could finish a feed they'd started and left. When I didn't write it down a lot of the time I didn't know if it was 30mins or 2hrs old so had to discard it.

The carrycot on the pram. Once around the block , baby conked parked it up and watched Home under the hammer.
Perfect Prep.....
Swaddleboo.