After childbirth, what were your absolute TOP buys / presents?

[DeusEx]

I hope this is the right place to put this - open to suggestions if not!

I’m looking at lists of things to buy ahead of childbirth and feeling somewhat overwhelmed by choice. There are so many different versions of everything!

So I wondered if I could prevail on collective wisdom: what were the absolute top things you bought or were bought for post childbirth? Items and ideally also brand, unless you feel that’s irrelevant.

I’ll kick off by saying Lansinoh nipple cream gets a good write up from a close friend and from my sister, both of whom have repurchased it at least once.

For me rather than objects it was things like finding out the details of my local sling library, not every baby likes a stretchy wrap, some prefer a more structured carrier, so I was able to hire from there and try different ones before buying one.

Number for breast pump hire, whilst I didn't use it I was able to pass onto a friend that did need one, it was for a double pump when her little one was in NICU.

Another was a number for a private tongue tie specialist, which two of our NCT group needed.

Then the local baby groups/classes, all the things that keep you same really in those first few months :)

Sane not same

Haakaa breast pump, love to dream swaddle & loads of brownies!

A big photo album!

White noise machine
Baby bouncer with vibrating function
Hot water bottle for stomach muscles (c section)
Anti colic bottles
Washing up bowl (much easier to wash baby when tiny instead of the much bigger baby baths we had)

The biggest thing I learnt was don’t feel you need to buy everything off the baby lists! You don’t need a pump in the early week, a monitor for months usually etc. And most things can be bought for next day delivery... as you don’t know if you will end up breast or bottle feeding etc.
Whilst you want to be organised, some things are better when you know what baby likes etc.

Breastfeeding support clinics were a huge help to me. Never be afraid to check latch and for tongue ties in the early days. Feeding can really hurt as you get used to it and they cluster feed, so checking it’s correct is super important!

Best buys for me were the the tiny love rocker napper... it is safe for supervised/daytime sleep as it reclines to flat with fixed sides, but can also sit up as a chair with vibrate/music/mobile, so when baby doesn’t want to lie down in the Moses basket to sleep, you can sit them up and rock them in that and slowly recline them as they fall asleep. Made early sleeping so much easier for us!
Ergobaby 360 sling/carrier got 3 years of use with us... really useful.
I found gro bags much better value than supermarket sleeping bags as although more expensive, they are much bigger/longer, so you got a lot more time out of them!
I loved my medela swing pump - was worth buying an expensive pump as I used it daily for a year!

High chair - I had a baby bjorn highchair and it was fab. SO much smaller than the humongous ones that friends had. And no fabric or straps to get food squished into! It could all be wiped down so easily. The IKEA chair is a good cheap alternative - but best to get a foot rest for it!

Sleepyhead Deluxe (now DockATock) instead of a Moses basket.

If you formula feed, the Perfect Prep.

Just be aware if you buy a sleep pod/sleepyhead type thing that you research if they are safe for unsupervised sleeping. I’m fairly sure the lullaby trust don’t recommend them anymore.

Home cooked meals in the freezer/brought round and left on the doorstep by friends, and loads of snacks you can open and eat one-handed.

Plenty of maternity pads.

Those long nighties with elastic round the bottom (I think they’re called ‘baby bunglers’) are a godsend for night time nappy changes. Trying to do up press studs at 3am on no sleep with sore everything is enough to move a grown woman to tears!

Bundlers, not bunglers!

M&S muslins are softer than any others.

Snacks for night feeds. I always felt starving at 3am.

M&S muslins I agree are the best, I would get two packs.

If thinking of breastfeeding just buy a couple of cheap nursing bras to start with, you have no idea how whopping J cup here your boobs may get. Also hot milk reusable breast pads are worth the money, so soft.

Buy a lot more maternity pads than you think, a lot more!

For me, it was actually box sets and books. I saved a big fantasy trilogy that I knew would be good and I settled into that for breastfeeding. It made it feel, for me, as though sitting round and breastfeeding for hours each day was a massive treat.

(I went for Brandon Sanderson. Took me around a fortnight of solid 8 hours a day of reading to get through)

Decent quality ready meals and mircowave in the bag/tub veg. It meant getting a hot, filling, and reasonably healthy meal once a day (to balance the packets of biscuits I was eating during the day whilst stuck under a baby). I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than batch cook, and family are a little thin on the ground for us, so ready meals it was. You'll soon feel like crap on the cheapy carb-heavy ones though, so go high quality with veg sides.

sleepyhead
baby ktan sling
water wipes
coconut oil (perfect hypoallergenic baby moisturiser)

didn't get a babyzen yoyo pram but i would going back seeing how small and lightweight they are
and haven't tried it yet but i want to try ewan the dream sheep

Netflix!

I had a newborn over summer and the best thing I bought was an air con unit.

I bought it the morning after the first boiling no-sleep night when i spent the whole time terrified my baby was going to over heat. Not cheap but was honestly amazing to spend those newborn days in bed with him in the cool rather than sticky and sweaty.

I formula fed, so for me - prep machine, hands down best purchase ever!! Mam bottles - fantastic better than most out there.
Mam dummies - also great.
White noise machine Ewan or something similar. Myhummy I didn’t rate at all.
Baby bouncer / play mat

Waste of money for me—— nappy bins, sling / baby carrier (hardly got used) bumbo (over priced)

Zipped babygros (no poppers / quick)

• M and S , JoJo or Gap were good

A flask or insulated coffee mug

Lanisoh cream as you said (bulk buy!)

Ergo 360 baby carrier

Car seat that turns

Baby bouncer chair / crib basket or pram top for baby to nap in.

Breast feeding vest 2 packs from H and M

Feeding t shirts / tunics (loved JoJo ones and wore them all the time).

Agree bumbo / nappy bin a waste for us too.

Hand me down play mat used a lot.

Doughnut pillow, after the episiotomy.

Multi Mam compresses.

These touch lamp things we got from Amazon - they're dimmable and have warm and cool lights. We got one for a friend when she had a baby and she used it every night, too.

Millions of muslins - Aldi do lovely ones that are patterned and stay soft.

If you are breast feeding (which I tried but failed at) cooling gel nipple pads. Wish I had found them sooner. Might have been able to ar least wear a bra without almost crying.

Mam bottles, perfect prep machine, little pots for pre-measuring out the milk powder.

DD1 loved her swing chair, DD2 hated it.

DD2 loved a baby bean bag that someone kindly gave to us, she love to get all cozy in it for a snooze.

Nipple cream.
The laxative drink syrup.
Easy bf clothes.
Lots of photo space on phone!
Squishy cousins/ pillows (the firm nursing cushion shaped like a U was expensive and awful!)
Time alone with baby and no visitors! (You can tell mine was born well before signs of a pandemic!).