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

White noise toy, Sleepyhead and Snoozeshade for sleep
Perfect prep for feeding
Tuppence & Crumble star wrap for car/buggy
Car seat that attached to buggy
Bouncy chair

Boobs
Netflix
Chillies bottle (for keeping tea hot for hours)
Decent travel system that was easy to set up and dismantle

Modesty apron (probably not the correct term) but a thing I could quickly put on and breast feed baby in public without worrying about showing anything.

Another vote for the perfect prep machine.

Grosnug and then onto a Grosnuggle (sleeping bags where you can keep the arms in - like a really easy swaddle)

Milton dummy steriliser

Nappy caddies - one for each room, very handy

Now my little one is a bit older (5mo), a video monitor. We really ummed and ahhed over whether to bother getting video and I'm so glad we did! We've just started to sit downstairs for an hour after putting him to bed and being able to watch him is really reassuring

Dummy
Unconditional Love
Formula
Unconditional Love
Mother's help
Unconditional Love
Self esteem and confidence.
Unconditional Love

The UL is for the new mother too. I was crap with the first for the first six weeks. Help helps. Compromise helps. Praise helps.

He's 25. He turned out alright despite my new mummy ineptness.

A grosnug then the grobag. So easy to follow what to wear chart and the grosnug really helped the initial startle reflex.

Bouncer was great for us and a playmat.

Onesies with zippers for nighttime.

Perfect prep machine if formula feeding.

A nightlight so you can have gentle light to work with - we have a Grolight Bulb attachment in the bedroom, landing, Nursery:

www.amazon.co.uk/Company-Grolight-Night-Bayonet-Fitting/dp/B00H1UJG16?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Muslins. Lots and lots of muslins.

Water bottle that works lying down
Vests for under all my tops
Stretchy sling
Muslins
Lansinoh nipple cream in every room
Smart bulb to adjust light in bedroom
Star wrap (Tuppence and Crumble)
Digital thermometer

My Sling

Sleepsuits
Netflix
A feeding ‘area’ with phone charger, Netflix, bottled water, cushions & blanket, rub of biscuits and cereal bars, stand for the breast pump etc.
Nipple cream (lansinoh)
Feeding pillow
Sling

*tub of biscuits

Breastfeeding pillow - my enormous norks and droopy nips meant I couldn't hold him in a good position without it. Used it from day 1 up until he was 6 months old.

And with that, a couple of spare covers.

A changing table. I know they are not a necessity and lots of people find them a complete waste of space and money but ours was in solid use for 5 years.

Initially we didn’t get one but I had a really bad birth and getting up from the floor/picking a baby up from the floor was so difficult and the baby peed on the bed in the middle of the night when I tried to use that. We also live in a bungalow so it was always on the same floor so very convenient.

Many things but I was glad to have a bath water thermometer and a bath seat.

My Avent baby rucksack. It was just brilliant and seemed to have a pouch for everything. And had a really good changing mat.

Hobnobs and bottles of water to grab and drink (sports cap).

I couldn't breast feed so I'd say a good microwave steriliser and Milton tablets on standby.
I used a sling at first, rarely used a pram.
Lots and lots of babygros of all sizes up to a year old.

Fabric sling!

Also...I got a big plastic cup with a lid and a straw from primary for about £1 and it was fab when breastfeeding!!

Ear plugs. Made the 5+ miles a day I walked with DS1 trying to stop him screaming almost ok.

Maternity pads, plenty of them

The biggest knickers in the shop

A good sling

A bedside sleeper crib

A basic bouncy chair(my dc hated the swing and fancy bouncer)

Muslins. All the muslins.

sling was absolutely the best purchase.

Muslins. Used as: shoulder protector during burping, cloth, makeshift change mat, makeshift blanket, makeshift sun shield, bib, moses basket protector (little bit of sick = don't need to change sheet), comforter... so many uses!

Also - 'permission' to formula feed. I tried so hard to breastfeed when it was really wasn't working, and it ended up being really quite detrimental to my mental health. I needed someone to tell me gently to stop persevering, that formula feeding is fine and fed is fed . Of course, that's just my experience. You might have decided to bottle feed anyway, or get along fine with breastfeeding, in which case ignore me!