Your number #1 go-to baby product?

[Luk]

I'm expecting my first baby and looking at the usual shopping lists to get ready - they all contain the basics like moses basket, vests, babygrows, nappies etc. So far so simple.

Layered on top of this is all of the extra bits and pieces - sleep pods, particular sterilisers, thermometers, bathing bits, swaddle wraps, white noise devices. It's hard to know what's marketing hype and what's genuinely useful.

So I'm interested to know - what has been your absolute favourite or most helpful product that you'd recommend?

Nose Frida snot sucker! Not something you’ll need right away but amazing for their first
bunged up nose.

Also a black and white baby picture book that you can stand up while you shower, pee, eat etc

I wouldn't get a sleep pod - I'm not sure they're recommended for safe sleep are they?

A baby bath is helpful but I don't think you need anything else specific for bathtime.

We found swaddle bags really great, and then moved into sleeping bags.

I think a baby bouncer is essential. They're light enough to be moved between rooms and floors really easily, DD2 would sit in hers while I showered, while I made lunch, while I got dressed, while she watched DD2 playing. We didn't have a fancy one, although it did vibrate and play music, but it was pretty cheap and basic, and I used it all the time.

Mam bottles. Can be sterilised in the microwave! So much handier than a steriliser.

I also loved the love to dream swaddles. My son hated being swaddled and loved to have his hands up beside his head. Made such a difference to him sleeping!

Perfect prep! It's a huge help!

Most of it is hype. A bouncy chair is incredibly useful - I got ours (basically a bit of canvas stretched over a frame) on Freecycle ten years ago, and dd3 is in it now. A roll-up travel changing mat is good, but lots of changing bags are expensive and pointless (ours cost about £50, bought as a gift for us but we chose it, and the stitching unravelled within the first year). Moses basket very useful to move around the house in the early days, but outgrown quite quickly. My absolute essential is a good-quality, ergonomic carrier or sling. Our street, house and local shops are an utter pain to navigate with a buggy, so we use the sling all the time.

Thermometer and snot sucker are must haves.

I bought very little before LO got here, absolutely no feeding equipment as I thought I'd give BFing a go and if it didn't work out, I buy stuff after.

More muslins than you think it is ever possible to need. If you think you've got enough... get more!

Childs farm. The moisturiser smells amazing and is great for little ones and it's great for eczema. I also use the bubble bath and hair wash. They are 3 and 5 now I still use it all. The only thing I have used since they were babies and still using.

Both of mine liked swaddle bags. I also had long sleeved sleeping bags for winter to keep their wee arms warm for when u can put covers on them.

Reusable cloth wipes! Buy them once and you never have to buy nasty wet-wipes ever. When out and about you can just wet them with some water from a water bottle. They work so much better than wet-wipes too. And now my first child is older, we use them around the house for cleaning.

Sleepy head!

Perfect prep machine and an angel care bath support were the best purchases I made

Oh and velcro swaddle wraps

Maybe not for the first few weeks, but definitely for afterwards. Sleep bags! Both mine hated being swaddled.

One of those in ear digital thermometers. Absolute game changer when you've got a hot, wriggling infant

This is down to the individual baby, but both of ours had euan the sheep (other white noise products are available!) which definitely helped to settle them.

NAPISAN - oh my god the poop explosions this has saved me from haha! And if you having a summer teeny/non rolling baby a water mat for tummy time but when it was SO hot on the summer this with a muslin covering it was the saviour of keeping baba cool!

Nipple cream if bf.
Massive comfy pants.

Metanium bum cream (yellow for nappy rash).
Microwave steriliser.
Grobags.
Groegg (though we now have more techy heating so wouldn't need one).
The 'what should my baby wear at x temp' advice saved somewhere.

We had the sleepyhead, but I don't believe they are recommended any more - she would also nap in the carry cot part of the pram - basically something they can sleep on/in that you can move.

One of those rocking swing things to occupy them when you need a wee/shower, I used to bring it in the bathroom - swap out for a jumperoo when they are a bit bigger.

Swaddle bags. Tommee tippee do a range of them and they are so much easier than swaddling with a blanket. They have various tog ratings and they all have little poppers for the arms so you can put baby's arms out. I know swaddling isn't for everyone but in my experience it helps newborns sleep drastically better than without x

Can second Metanium, it's magic stuff.

We also had 2 changing mats and stations. One for upstairs and one for down so you don't have to keep carrying baby up and down the stairs every time they need a change

1. A Milton cold water sterilising bucket (bought a £100 electric steriliser, cold water sterilising is 1 million x better and I've never looked back from milton)

1. Sudocreme (little goes a long way)

1. A joie electric swing (lifesaver, couldn't live without it)

Hi @Luk congratulations on your pregnancy yay!
The baby bath with holes in it not the one that fills up with water in Mamas and Papas is nice and its on sale atm.

Yo-yo

A Morck baby wrap for the car seat is a definite. And a cloth high chair you can pop in the change bag when baby is a bit older. Both were used and passed on but were the only things I insisted on having returned!

Something I was given that I didn't really think much of at the time, but proved invaluable and are still being used 9 years later are small nail clippers 😀
Turned out to be a lifesaver when DS had severe eczema to minimise the damage he could do to his skin while sleeping and scratching.

Gro egg thermometer for the room (we had 2, one for the bedroom and one for the living room).
White noise machine - still using it now at nearly 3!
Caddy for nappies, wipes and cream downstairs somewhere to avoid carting them around just to change them.