Advice on presents for our baby needed!

[normal]

Hi

A first post and probably a common problem.... we're expecting our first baby in a couple of weeks and now family are just starting to ask us what we'd like as pressies. We've already bought the cot, changer, pushchair (and car seat)so I hope we've got all the biggies! (Please let me know if we haven't!)

Anyway....my mum saw this . We've got no idea if it would be useful or not. Your thoughts?

We'd been thinking of getting a travelcot. Given we can get this is a pressie without much cost constraint, is there any which you'd recommend? Or any other useful things you wish you'd had from the beginning which would make good pressies.

Sorry for the long post but I hope it makes sense.Thanks in advance!

bumbo is a small 'chair' that can be used once baby can hold their head as it supports them and sits them upright. Never used one with DS so dont know how good they are as have heard mixed reports.

agree on the highchair idea. We have a wooden one for ds that has lasted 2 n half yrs, he now uses it as a chair up to the table. WE have bought DD a chair like the trip trap.

Bouncers Hauck do really good padded boucers that can be laid flat or sat up, Ihave used the same one for both of my kids and they are around £30.

Swing, I never had one for DS but a friend gave me her fisher price aquarium take along swing and it is fantastic. Great for moving around to ad it is only small and light [DS does also tend to sit in it and swing].

vouchers also a great idea as you are always out and about buying for kiddies [I have a 5wk old and a 2yr old and not a week goes by where I dont realise there was something else we needed!!]

a play gym or a bouncy chair is a good idea in the first months when you want somewhere to put them when they are awake.

hi about the mobile, the tiny love symphony in motion is a good one to get, it's supposed to help their development. It's got good reviews and I've got one for my dd she likes it. It's got black and white shapes (which newborns love looking at apparantly) \linkwww.johnlewis.com/Nursery/Baby+and+Pre-school+Toys/Baby+and+Pre-school+Toys/Mobiles+and+Height+Charts/230166627/Product.aspx\here

whoops never posted a link b4 hopefwww.johnlewis.com/Nursery/Baby+and+Pre-school+Toys/Baby+and+Pre-school+Toys/Mobiles+and+Height+Charts/230166627/Product.aspxully\here}

lol aghhh please

yes! lol u better get that one now, all the trouble i went to

normal - any mobile will entertain a child. We had a normal wooden bumble bee one above the changing mat and that used to keep dd amused through the nappy changes. Also, she loved her musical winnie the pooh one, mothercare, babiesrus etc all do tons of musical ones which will either calm or exite your baby!

Also, I found the basinett bit of the mothercare travel cot really useful (Graco have a similar one on sale in babies r us) as it saved all the bending down when baby is tiny, I used it till about 5 months at that height and the nappy changing thing on top was very useful at the in-laws (but it wasnt the electric toy arch one you pictured, just the normal fancy one!)

Baby slings - the Tomy one you have been given will do fine I expect. Babies and mums seem to either love them or hate them but they are useful when you have a screaming infant and need to get on with things or when you really cant be bothered to take the pram somewhere with loads of steps.

Premium bonds a good idea, also Tripp Trapp - ours has totally totally been worth the investment 5 yrs on, also a very very good present would be some babysitting vouchers so you and your partner (or maybe just you!) can have some time off - very very important!

Tripp Trapp with baby set (appx £140)

Baby Gym (ours was £45 and we used it from 2 weeks to four months - lifesaver!)

Sleeping bags in 6-18 months (one summer one winter weight, appx £25 each in jojo maman bebe)

Mothercare vouchers to spend on stage 2 car seat

Again thanks for all the advice!

I'll certainly be looking at the JL mobile very seriously now me23!

I've been doing a bit of sniffing around ebay and found these:

bouncer
swing
travel cot
or

Not sure if these are any good or not. I wish we had better shops around us so we could go and look!
But it looks like the tripp trapp is definetly on the gift list!

NB best mobiles in the world (not just for babies) here - I particularly love the cranes.

hi normal
that bouncer is exactly like the one I have and I think its fab as it lies completely flat. You can also remove the toy bar and the cover can be taken off and washed[mine has been through the machine many times and drier].

I dont know much about the travel cots as we have a graco one but have hardly ever used it.

for the swing it depends if you want it to be stuck in one place or be able to move it around.
this is the one I have IT is ideal for us as I can easily carry it up and down the stairs move from room to room etc.

would def go for a tripp trapp with baby set. My dd now 2 1/4 loves hers. Its been so useful. I also have to admit that now she doesn't have any bars on it, I have sat in it once or twice and its so so comfortable for your back!!

Tripp Trapp a brilliant idea. Our two DSs got £100 each from their great grandpa when they were born and that's what we used it for.

If you're going for a bouncy chair, the Baby Bjorn one is fab and can be used up to 2 years with its adjustable recline. Also got toys attached which is great.

Unless you've got lots of space, I'd be wary of swings, walkers etc, and stick to things that fold away easily. A portable play gym (ie not attached to a mat) is great as you can plonk it over baby wherever s/he's lying.

A sheepskin for the buggy is nice if you don't have one.

And you'll be neading car seat number 2 before the year's up, so that might be another idea.

We loved our Bumbo btw.

Good luck! xx