What baby must haves made your life easier

[FirstTimeTryer93]

Hello :)

I'm 11 weeks pregnant and have just started buying some bits and bobs for baby. Baby #1

What made your life easier with your first? 😊

Angel care nappy bin
Perfect prep machine
Milton cold water sterilising box
MAM bottles
Baby bjorn bouncer (got second hand as the cover is washable)
Moses basket for downstairs
Lots of bibs
Muslin squares for wiping baby's face during a feed
Infacol for wind
Top and tail bath from John Lewis for using cotton wool balls and water for a nappy change

We thought Ewan the sheep would be a godsend, however our baby takes no notice of it!

If you are going to formula feed at all tommee tippee perfect prep machine is a life saver. We were just giving 1 at night for the first few weeks it was ideal even for the 1 bottle

Socks on

Bandana bibs

Muslin clothes

Breastfeed

Isofix car seat

Both mine needed to be swaddled so had lots of big blankets

Be careful re rocking cots etc, make a rod for your own back

Course sleeping bags are ace!

A sling suitable for a tiny baby; a lot of them aren't suitable for small newborns.

Lansinoh nipple cream, nipple shields and a breast pump (had to pump to keep supply up whilst using nipple shields)

H&M vests with poppers on the front so you could put the best down open, lie baby down on top, close vest without having to pull it over baby's head.

Carrycot from pram which was suitable for overnight sleeping - we used this instead of a moses basket for naps.

A changing table. It was a gift an unwanted gift but after an awful birth and broken coccyx it was the only way I could change nappies. It had a bath in too. Olive oil for babies skin, every other cream unnecessary. Baby grows with zips not poppers. Dummy for reflux baby.

Ewan the sheep, the deluxe one! When he was tiny he would listen out for him for up to 4 hours and put him back to sleep. Now I don’t use that function anymore but it was definitely good when he was a newborn.
Swaddles for the first 2 weeks, the love to dream sleeping bags after that. They are such a treat after having to faff about with swaddles at first! We moved to sleeping bags at 2 or 3 months, once he was sleeping through the night.
Puppy pads in your changing bag to change them when out somewhere on a horrible plastic changing table. Also handy for dirty nappies at home when you don’t want it going everywhere.
The tommee tippee nappy bin was really useful when he was tiny and went through loads of nappies.
Mam bottles - no steriliser needed, just your microwave and they self sterilise

Breastfeeding! (if possible/choose to do so)
A sling
white noise machine
lots of baby gros and muslin cloths on rotation ( pp mentioned the sleepsuits with the mittens attached to the cuff, these are excellent and much better then separate mittens imo)

Those were the main ones for me

A folding change mat with pockets for wipes and a couple of nappies - one of my most used items, it was so handy!

Braun thermoscan thermometer, ours is still going strong ten years later.

Tiny Love Classic mobile over the cot - used to buy me 20 mins to shower and get dressed in the mornings - both my DC loved it!

Finally, I LOVED my Uppababy Vista pram. It had a huge basket so I could do a sizeable shop at our local supermarket, and the pram top was safe for overnight sleeps, v handy when we travelled.

A changing mat upstairs and downstairs, if you have stairs at home.

Buggy organiser

A cocoonababy
Trip Trapp chair with the newborn set - I bought 2nd hand. Was amazing

Huge (can be used for multiple purposes) and multi coloured Muslins (avoid the white ones they get lost in your bed!!).

Stretchy Sling - like a Hana baby for the first few weeks and then something more structured like an Ergo up to about 9months and then whatever suits beyond that.
Sling consultant (or local sling library)

An IBCLC (properly qualified breastfeeding consultant)
Washable nappies
Washable wipes
Washable breast pads
(see The Nappy Lady - awesome service)

Inheriting bags of clothes from friends and family
Those kimono style vests and baby grows for the first few months (my kids hated things going over their heads and would scream blue murder).

Zip fastening babygrows - so much easier than those annoying poppers.

@Yellowflower123 we have an Uppababy and the bassinet fits on a £20 Moses basket stand that was recommended by the shop we got the pram from. www.pramworld.co.uk/east-coast-standard-moses-basket-stand-white

Would I need a pushchair and a stroller? Whats the difference?

I wouldn't be getting much so soon. My mum always told me it was bad look. Not sure if you can still get them. I was stressing about bathing when I had my daughter. So I got a bath slide. You put it in the baby bath it was non slip and holds they're head and neck above the water so there's no risk of them swallowing any and ment I had both hand's free. They used to love lying on it while I bathed them.