you have a friend who is about to give birth for first time: what is the ONE piece of baby kit you would recommend and the ONE piece you would tell her to avoid cos it's a complete waste of cash?

[gotogirl]

Ok, it's a hypothetical, but I am fascinated to know what bits of kit you loved and found invaluable and those that were only a good idea as long as the baby is in utero.....

For me, the best thing EVER was a Buddha Baby stretchy carrier.

and the worst (which is the flip side) was a Baby Bjorn carrier (the backache! ouch)

Please spill. But respect the rules, please, MNers! One in each category only!

Recommend Moby wrap sling for first few months, especially for winter babies. So cosy and easy to use.

Avoid nappy bins. They stink!

Best thing needed in 1st week - breast pump to help with getting bf established when engorged and getting blocked ducts and things

Worst thing - bibs

hmmmm, i would say depends on the nappy bin! i have a sangenic thingy and it does a pretty good job at keeping the nasty smells contained BUT I do empty it every day nonetheless....

Love the Moby, too.

• muslins
• breastpumps (sorry!) or any other bf 'accessories' other than a pile of cushions, a box of biscuits and the remote control

Absolute best thing was a baby swing cos we could put DS in it for a wee while to give us some time to ourselves

I'd probably avoid the nappy bin too

Don't buy - a changing table. Unstable & pointless. By a chest of drawers at the same height and do it then.

Do buy - lansinoh (sp?) that purple nipple cream.

avoid bouncy chairs - ours hated being strapped in so just put her on a rug on the floor.

most useful piece of equipment so far is a travel cot from Mothercare - £40

Top and tail bowl - waste of time and money and too big! Just use little bowls or yoghurt pots!

Car seat autobase - so easy to clip in and out instead of battling with a seatbelt in the wind and rain. Had several friends who thought these were a waste of money until the baby arrived and they reaslised that the seatbelt idea was much more hard work than they needed when trying to negotiate car parks, weather, etc.

Do buy a sling (Close Baby Carrier good for newborn).

Don't buy, erm, not sure, because I didn't really buy much crap myself, but I certainly wouldn't and didn't get a top and tail bowl.

nappy bin - expensive & watse of time I found

2nd vote for Lanisoh nipple cream - was a god send.

best thing-tummy tub, both dd1 and dd2 loved bathing in it

(but can i say I found both our bouncy chair and changing table very useful )

worst thing? oh I dunno...I bought one of those BabaSling things and think I only used it about 3 times

Best - bedside cot, meant I could BF lying down at night

Worst - all those Johnson's Baby oil/shampoo?baby sleep bedtime wash/baby lotions/cotton wool balls

Best - lots of white babygros and cardis
Bfing pillows and LANSINOH!

Worst - travel system and moses basket. Bulky, £££ and babies are all in Maclarens from 7mo anyway. Better to buy the safest car set that fits your car, and a carrycot on wheels fo rhe early months.
Oh and outfits (esp denim) for under 3mo

Sling - essential.

Don't really remember not using much - but then I was skinflint and bought very little equipment in advance.

If I was having another baby now I would absolutely definitely buy one of those ambi swing things. Have heard nothing but good things about them.

do buy - kari me wrap sling

don't buy - moses basket. borrow one or check freecycle, they're out of the basket and in the cot before you know it

Best - Warm, winter fleecy all-in-one suits

Worst - Bumbo, both DS1 and DS2 hated it.

what's an ambi swing?

best - lansinoh
worst - moses basket

Best - cuddle dry towel, it almost sucks the water off the baby

Worst - a pram of any description, big bulky waste of money that was replaced by a buggy asap

Best - baby gym. Shrieks of joy/10 WHOLE MINUTES without me being needed (on day 1 - diminishing returns afterwards. But oh I still remember those 10 mins).

Worst - enormous complex travel system jobby. Cost about £25 for each day's use.

bibbitybobbity - ds would not settle in the ambi nest we got for him! He was only prepared to sleep on his front, which he couldn't do in it. We're hoping that dc3 will like it more as it cost a bloody fortune!

Another vote for a proper sling - but it has been said so many times I'll add my own, a cot which can convert to 3-sided and has lots of mattress heights, so that for the first few months you can co-sleep safely (assuming her and her partner aren't smokers, heavy drinkers, on medication etc) - so much easier for night feeds if bfing - and then when you want to stop co-sleeping it's easier to transition them because the cot is familiar (can go to 4-sided cot next to bed, 4-sided cot in same room, then cot in own room)

...In theory anyway In reality I was the one who didn't want to give it up though so it works equally well either way.

Amby Nature's Nest (Not tried one so no recommendation either way, they look good though if not co-sleeping)

Worst/most pointless thing - cheap carseat. Do get a decent one. (Britax/Maxi Cosi/Bebeconfort) Don't think you can just make a cheap one more comfy with a sheepskin liner, it compromises the safety of the seat.

well my two were different each time - I never used bouncy chair for eg but this time it had its moment of godsendness between about 2 and 4 months. BF pillow didn't work for me last time round, this time it's been so essential I've carried it out fo the house with me on occasions. Conversely, the travel cot was up in the sitting rm last time, this time it hasn't been unfolded except for DS1 to play with. i cd expound at length on this but to follow the rules...

Do buy - a stretchy wrap carrier

Don't buy (you'll all laugh at me for this but honestly bear with me - I may be a sling nutter but I'm not completely barking) - any pushchair, pram or travel system at all. Borrow one, any one, and use it for a good few weeks. After that, you'll have a much better idea of what you want out of a buggy/pram and what you hate, so you won't make an expensive mistake. Equally, you could decide you don't need one at all and use a sling exclusively. Seriously, about half my friends replaced or just constantly hated their pram because they bought the wrong one. I think I would have used my buggy a bit too if it had been the right one.

Best buys:
Baby gym - although if you can persuade some kind friend to buy you one even better.

Worst buys
Nappy bin - it is the worst job in the world to empty.
Top and tail bowl - completely pointless. Just use the bathroom sink
Moses basket - gets used for a month. Beg, borrow or steel.
Breastpump - hold fire until you work out if you need one.
Steriliser - hot soapy water should do the job.
Baby lotion - never did work out what you are supposed to do with it.
Expensive pram - everbody I know always swaps over to a Mclaren buggy at 6 months anyway.

do buy: sky+ or similar digital recording setup

do not buy: anything that needs batteries