What was the best baby purchase you made ?

[SaraKitty]

For those who have kids already , I’m wondering what is the one thing you bought for your baby that you couldn’t have lived without or something they really enjoyed . However big or small .

Ergobaby 360 carrier

Our Out n About nipper buggy

Got rid of both thinking we'd just be having the one, now pregnant again and kicking myself

2 x perfect prep machines - one for upstairs, one for down, no more staggering down the stairs with a screaming baby whilst sleep deprived

For further down the line, the IKEA Antilop high chair. Cheap as chips, easy to clean and fits perfectly at the table when the tray is removed, so the child feels part of everything. We only discovered how good they were when we took DS1 to IKEA and, for the first time ever, he sat happily in the high chair without shouting at us and trying to escape🤣 We bought one and took it home and the fancy one I'd spent hours choosing on t'internet, went down to my mum's as a spare!!

Yes, one of these too. I spent a fortune on a comfy, reclining highchair for my third (should have known better). She hated it. Went to ikea one day and she sat in the one in the cafe great so I bought one. Brilliant things.

@Grazka

Baby Bjorn carrier Sleepyhead pod

Exactly these two for me as well.

Tuti bambini next to me crib- its also a travel cot!

Microwave sterilising bags- no descaling/washing, very little effort, takes up no kitchen counter space and is the qwickest methord of sterilising i found

Tommee tippee machine

So many great suggestions thank you ! I love the person who said ‘Nanny’ so true .
Ring slings - I hadn’t heard of these . Can anyone recommend a particular one ?
Huckleberry app - downloading now also new to me !
Mumby - can someone explain this one ? Not getting anything on Google .
Angelcare nappy bin these are better than tommee tippee right ?
Play mat - anyone have any suggestions ? I wanted something comfy for a newborn but also that can grow with them.

Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Tripp trapp chairs with newborn attachment! Although definitely more of a second baby appreciation. We use ours loads but mainly so we can have the baby at the table with the toddler (& it's literally the only place he'd settle other than on me), I don't think I'd have been as fussed first time around as we weren't at the table as much.

Massive (bamboo) muslins

Tuppence and crumble star, absolutely love them and so does my youngest (didn't have them first time around as he was more of a summer baby)

Stretchy wrap, ring slings (Lenny lamb are a great brand and not crazy price but highly recommend you join a sling group on Facebook for advice and to pick ones up second hand) and later on woven wraps.

Coat with sling insert so we can wrap up in one coat.

Haakaa breast pump

Tippee toes bath with both but also angelcare bath support with the second so can chuck them both (not literally) in the bath together

First one loved a mamas and papas bouncer I picked up for £5 on marketplace, it's been passed between friends since and the second one has just started to like it for short periods. Second one loves the mamas and papas swing we bought for the first one that the first one hated. Babies are fickle things. Don't spend a lot on anything, always lots of available second hand, often barely used.

Playmats I also picked up second hand, loved the big washable ones. They've had lots of abuse and still look brand new.

If you've not had your baby yet, hold off on Huckleberry. When are you due?

For a playmat, the best quality I've found are Tumble & Totter or Munchkin & Bear. Basically dupes of each other. They are expensive but the quality is fabulous.

We've got a large one in the sitting room and a small one in each DC's bedroom. Three years in they still look brand new. I will keep the large one as a yoga mat for the future.

Playmat- Totter and Tumble. Expensive but well worth it and they last for years looking brand new. High resell value too.

Ring sling- what works for someone else may not work for you due to your height, body shape, your own preferences etc. I’d book into your local sling library and try on different ones so you can find one that fits you well

I have a 3 yr old and a baby, my faves are the perfect prep machine (formula fed) the Chicco next2me and the tommee tippee nappy disposal - saves me having to pop out to the green bin with dirty nappies all day, I just pop them in there and empty at the end of the day with no smells.

I found bath water thermometer useful. Still use it now he is almost 5.

Not Trip Trapp but similar / cheaper (Hauck) with newborn attachment, no idea how people live / eat / get stuff done without these!

Chicco next to me (bought in the middle of the night as DS screamed the second we put him in his crib)

Oscha baby carrier (we never bought a pram as we like to be able to walk up and down stairs etc. and not have to worry about where to put it so could spend the money on pretty carriers instead!)

Fjallraven Kanken (in a gender neutral colour so dad can use it too) instead of an ugly/cutesy diaper bag

I mean I’m sure I could survive without it but I’ve really enjoyed our totter and tumble play mat! My daughter was ridiculously sicky as a baby which meant every floor time and tummy time ended up with baby sick on the rug. I wanted something wipeable that still looked good and the play mat has been amazing! And now that she’s a toddler it’s great for messy play, arts and crafts, snack time etc. can’t see us getting rid any time soon!

Infacol.
The end.
Colic… HELL ON EARTH.

Also Asda George cheep cheerful multipacks of baby grows.
Me me lived in them 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for about 18 months.
They wash great. If they don’t, bin um and buy another pack.
AWSOME.

mamella.co.uk/

It's a teething GODSEND!!!

My LG wasnt helped by bonjela, or teething powders. THIS got her through her first two teeth coming through at 4 months 🥰 she plays with it every day, she's almost 6 months now

Ah agree with lots of these. Didn't have one for my first (summer baby) but with this one I have a tuppance and crumble star wrap and I love it. It is so much easier to wrestle baby into than a snowsuit, it can be used in the car seat and is easy (and less noisy than zips) to open up when they fall asleep in the pram and you want to leave them to nap in the hall without getting too hot.

Love this thread. I’m sue baby 2 in June and I have no idea what I need. Feel like I’ve forgotten a lot. Thanks.

For Dc1 I loved
Infacol
Baby fro swaddle/ Velcro swaddle. He had that reflex where he thrashed around constantly and I could t sleep.
White noise.
Baby teething powders
The perfect prep machine
Nose boogie sucker
Sleepy head. (I got this second hand and it was fantastic for the. We born days and napping on the couch )
Water thermometer
The smuggle baby bath (we don’t have a bath atm and our 2.5 year old still sometimes uses it before new bathroom is done lol)

My all time best thing - snuza hero MD (get it from Argos and Currys).

It's a portable breathing monitor that clips onto your babies nappy. It can be used anywhere, anytime. It's so reassuring when you're in the car!

We got that and a BT monitor (non-wifi). Combined probably came to similar amount as the Owlet but we can use ours anywhere. For me it just gave us huge peace of mind.

Also my top favs:

• tommee tippee prep machine

• angelcare nappy bin (I hated the tommee tippee one)

• Mam anti-collic bottle (the fact you can sterilise them in the microwave in 3 mins is brilliant when you have a 'omg no clean bottles' moment).

• Milton cold water steriliser - for dummies, teethers and bottles - it's just so quick and great for travelling.

• rockit! Baby rocker

• room thermometer

• milton wipes and the milton on the go dummy steriliser

• John lewis changing mat with the sides, it's £12, it's thick and never seems too cold

• love to dream swaddle (buy two! They are great!)

Tommee Tippee UV steriliser. Saved our sanity as it dries and sterilises the bottles.

Babybjorn baby carrier
Bouncer chair thing
Haakaa
A five pack of white short sleeved bodies and pyjamas in every size
Play mat
Baby gym with dangly things (the Ikea one is good)

It's super pricey but I love the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair and I wish I had bought it and got the newborn baby attachment so DS could have been at the table with us for mealtimes when he was tiny. If we have another baby I think I will get the newborn attachment. I might even buy another high chair if DS is still using his.

Oh and the Bumbo changing pad is great.
And the Tommee Tippee nappy bin although the refills are pricey.

If you are on a budget or don't want to spend a fortune or want a spare high chair for travelling or grandparents' house, the Ikea Antilop is what you need.