NOW CLOSED Tell Amazon.co.uk your top 5 'must-have' products for when you have a baby - you could win a £100 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate

[KatieBMumsnet]

You may have seen another thread recently on MN telling you about the new Amazon Family programme. Here's what Amazon.co.uk say about the service:
"We know that the amount of information available on what to buy when you have a baby can be overwhelming, and that making the right choice is not always easy," said Samantha Nash, Family Manager at Amazon.co.uk Ltd and mother of two young children. "We have launched Amazon Family to help our customers find the right products at the right price, along with hundreds of product reviews to help guide them in their decision. With special offers available to Family members across a wide range of products from nappies, children's shoes, toys and beauty products, it helps parents save precious time and money, with orders delivered direct to your door."

Amazon.co.uk would like to know which products you really need when you have a baby. What was your absolutely essential bit of kit? Was there anything you bought maybe when pregnant or at home with a newborn that you later found out you didn't really need or never used?

Please share your top 5 'must have' and top 5 'not so necessary' baby products with Amazon.co.uk. Your advice may be used to help them create a list of top tips on what you do and don't need when you have a baby. Your comments may also be used in an email MNHQ will be sending out soon.

Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate. Ts&Cs can be found here

If you've not already signed up to the free three month trial of Amazon Family there's still time. By signing up you can gain access to discounts on a wide range of family products, three months free subscription to Amazon Prime giving unlimited One-Day Delivery on millions of eligible items, £10 off your first order over £50 in the Baby Store, and up to £50 worth of exclusive offers every month. Find out more here.

Thanks and good luck.

MNHQ

[BoysWillGrow]

Top most important I used and still do

1. a nice quality baby blanket
   
2. a cute hat (for in hospital)
   
3. bepanthum (not sure if spelt right, skin cream, good on bums)
   
4. baby socks, sleep suits.
   
5. camera.
   
   not so important
   
6. Proper baby outfits (jeans etc)
   
7. baby bath
   
8. Moses basket
   
9. mittens/ socks

[AnnMumsnet]

HoneyDragon

[BoysWillGrow]

Number 5 should say mittens/shoes. :-)

[ScorpionQueen]

For baby:
Travel system
Moses basket
Baby gros
Muslins
Mary Poppins style bag containing nappies, wipes, cream etc.

For mum:
Nipple pads
Other pads
Sleep
Thermos
Mumsnet

[changeforthebetter]

Disposable breast pads good quality tea honey for calorie-boosting snacks tea tree oil for sore bits figs for post natal constipation #glamourofmotherhood

[Liskey]

Must haves:
Play mat
Car seat - get as early as possible in case you need to be admitted/induced early
Baby sleeping bags - in case of a wriggler like DD who constantly threw off blankets in the depths of winter
Metanium
Travel cot
Muslins - very useful for lots of things



Pretty useless:
Nappy bin
Baby outfits - sleep suits are a lot more practical
Bumbo - DD was very good at getting out of it and trying to fall on the ground
Moses basket looked pretty but after it got thrown up on the sheets never fitted it properly again
Baby bath - after filling it up with water and then spilling it swore off using it again!

[IvanaDvinkYourBlad]

"Must haves" (things we used a lot or found essential):

*Large cotton pads for nappy changes (cotton wool pleat and balls rubbish by comparison!)
*Nipple shields (esp first child, boots own - went on to breast feed for a year after horrific start!)
*A "play place" by Bright Starts I think, like a play gym but with sides
*Jumperoo (second child didn't take to it though! N.B. good resale value)
*Glider chair (ditto resale) and music in the background to rock baby off to sleep to :)

Not used / "not so necessary"
*Outfits (sleepsuits for 3months at least!)
*Cot bumper - these are purely decorative as current guidelines don't advise using them near baby's head anyway
*Gripe water / infacol / colief -nothing made a spot of difference to colic :( baby seemed to outgrow it after a very long few weeks
*A "yummy mummy' changing bag, bought for me - was returned and money spent on much more useful things and less tacky like bedding
*forehead strip thermometer - not recommended as they are too vague

[Roseformeplease]

Must have:

Car seat / travel system
Baby grows (sp?)
Breast feeding pillow (mine was made by the maternity unit boss to raise funds)
Nappies
Breast pads

If I am allowed 1 more - an endless supply of clean clothes / t shirts / cloths to help with the inevitable mess.


Didn't need

Clothes other than baby grows.
Moses basket
Tiny baby toys
A perfect nursery or any of the extra bits and pieces I spent so much money on.

[kefybaby]

Must have:

1. Sling
   
2. Swaddling blanket
   
3. Car seat
   
4. Muslins
   
5. Onesies
   

Not so necessary

1. Baby bath
   
2. Outfits
   
3. Bath thermometer
   
4. Dummy
   
5. Shoes

[babylily]

Lansinoh area
Lansinoh breast pads
Baby bjorn sling
Musical/light mobile
Muslin squares

Baby 3 and there were the essentials!

[MrsShrek3]

Our must haves...
1)Swinging crib and bedding
2)Lots of muslin squares
3)Lansinoh
4)Baby carrier - front (we had baby bjorn)
5)Pram that lies flat

If there was a bonus / replacement then
6)fleecy suits for sleeping as all babies get out of cot bedding

[CointreauVersial]

Must haves:

Muslins (lots of)
Bouncy chair
Breast pads
Baby sleeping bag
Reins

Don't bother:

Top-and-tail bowl
Baby bath
Posh travel system
Pricey branded changing bag
Bottle warmer

[PuzzleRocks]

Must have:
Mumsnet - saved my sanity
Baba sling - so comfy and hands free was a huge help
Dream genie pillow - great for supporting bump in bed then doubles as breastfeeding pillow
Sudocrem
Properly fitted bras


Not so necessary:
Sherman tank sized pushchair
Bibs - girls hated them on
Snowsuit - nightmare to get on and off, just layer
Breastpads - never used a single one when breastfeeding either
Cot - co slept until they transferred to proper bed at 1yr, total waste of money for us

[Whirliwig72]

5 must have's:

Loads and loads of nappies- estimate what you think you'll need and double it.

Baba sling and or baby Bjorn

Car seat

Wet wipes (again loads)

Soft cuddly blanket

You probably won't need these straight away if at all.

A bottle warmer

Lots of cuddly toys

A bath thermometer - trust your common sense instead

A wipe warmer

Baby toiletries

[LoganMummy]

Top five (excluding nappies, cotton wool etc)

1. Travel system
2. Babygros -lots of
3. Nappy bin - living in a third floor flat
4. Lamaze Freddy the Firefly - DS loved it instantly
5. Bath support - made bathing so much easier!

Pointless

1. Shoes for under six months - waste of time
2. Fancy clothes for under six months
3. Cot mobile
4. parasol for buggy
5. Wet wipes warmer

[strawberrypenguin]

Top 5 not counting nappies and clothes
Warm stretchy blanket that can be used to swaddle
Baby chair/ rocking seat thing
Changing mat
Night light so you don't have to put main light on for night feeds
Microwave steriliser
(And for mum maternity pads - lots of them)

Not useful
Scratch mittens - don't know a baby who would keep those on!

[Pourquoimoi]

5 essential

1. Car seat
2. Travel system, ideally which car seat pops in to
3. Muslins
4. V shaped pillow
5. Changing unit for easy changing at the right height post c section

Obviously I've concentrated on equipment and not consumables such as nappies and clothes there.

Not so necessary in my experience

1. Bottles
2. Steriliser
3. Sling
4. Baby bath
5. 'Proper' clothes

Hope that helps

[JulesJules]

Top 5 (not including boobs and MN):

disposable nappies/wipes/nappy bags
muslins
car seat - essential even if you don't have a car yourself (I don't), mine clicked onto the buggy
V shaped pillow
babygros and sleeping bag

Unnecessary:

Changing station - all you need is a cheap changing mat.
Moses basket - not just unnecessary but dangerous imo - lots of people don't realise that those handles are just for show.
Baby bath/top & tail bowl. I used a cheap washing up bowl (bought specially!) when they were tiny, and then the ordinary bath.
Proper outfits/shoes for the baby. Actually, I didn't need those either

[SpookyAndFrights]

My must have when I had my dd's.

Terry squares, bigger and more absorbent that muslins, I had one within reach at all times for the first 3 months or so, we used them on shoulders at winding time, as impromptu bibs, to express into as I had superfast let down and choked poor dd4.

Kimono tie side vests, brilliant for night time nappy explosions, no pulling a vest over the head and smearing baby in crap, just untie and slip off.

Nighties for baby, just pull up for nappy changes, no poppers to confuse dp. Lasted much longer than babygrows.

Baby swing, the only time dd2 slept was whilst she was on the move, I could put her in the swing and get on with other things for 30 minutes. Luckily the other three weren't so demanding.

Cabbage leaves, the only thing that soothed my engorged boobs when dd's 1,2&3 refused to bf. although sending my dad out for them was a mistake as he didn't tell me until I had them in my bra that he's picked them up from the floor outside the green grocers as he didn't need to buy a full cabbage that way

[lottytheladybird]

Top 5 must haves:

1. Lansinoh
   
2. Sleepsuits
   
3. Breast feeding support cushion
   
4. Baby bouncer
   
5. Musical cot mobile
   

Not so important items:

1. Toys
   
2. Comforter
   
3. Shoes
   
4. Hats
   
5. Nappy stacker

[sybilfaulty]

Must have:

1. Some sort of sling
   
2. Carseat
   
3. Lots of babygrows
   
4. Babywipes. Still use them now and DD is nearly 8.
   
5. A rainhat. Never did master the buggy plus brolly combo.
   

Didn't need:

1. Disposable knickers for hospital. Just wear old ones.
   
2. Changing table.
   
3. Changing bag.
   
4. Steriliser - dishwasher on hot setting fine.
   
5. Fancy clothes - too hard to get on newborns. Babygrows much easier.

[ouryve]

Must have

Boob cream
Breast pads
Firm nursing cushion
Huge pile of nappies
Ready supply of quick and easy food

Not necessary

Nappy wrapper (seriously - they don't even manage to hold the smell in. A decent bin is fine)
Fussy outfits that are impossible to put on and impossible to wash once they've been puked on
Baby wipe warmer (just why?)

[ouryve]

strawberry penguin - scratch mittens are useless, but when DS2 got a bit older, he was constantly scratching himself - we put him to bed with old socks over his hands. They stayed on much better.

[BellaVida]

I have had 4 children including a set of twins, so have learnt through bitter experience what is essential and what is a waste of money. Here are my recommendations:-

5 real essentials for baby (excluding what Mother Nature provides)

• nappies, wipes, Sudocrem (also useful for any other rashes, eczema, spots, grazes for you or siblings!)
  
• front fastening vests and baby gros (fron fastening is so much easier than over the head vests or back or bottom only fastening baby gros)
  
• muslin squares (for general dribbles, mopping up and improvised changing mat)
  
• baby bouncer suitable from newborn ( a perfect safe place for baby to rest and play whilst you get on with the jobs other than looking after baby!)
  
• travel system including lay flat pram and car seat (so nice to click the car seat into the chassis and not have to wake baby!)
  

5 totally unnecessary items ( but ones which you are made to believe are essential)

• changing table ( a changing mat or two which can be used on the floor in any room are much more practical)
  
• nappy bin (put them straight in a nappy bag and in the bin- nappy wrapper cartridges are very expensive and they don't hold in the smell at all.)
  
• baby bath ( just use the sink when they are very small, then a bath with a cheap bath support)
  
• bottle warmer (just use boiled water as you are supposed to and cool it in a jug of cold water).
  
• musical cot mobile ( music, lights and other stimulating toys are not for the cot).

[internationalvulva]

Top 5 must haves.

Lansinoh.
Baby car seat (can't take baby home from hospital without one and our first DD wouldn't sleep without a short car trip to start with.)
Muslin squares, loads.
Sleep suits.
Nappies.

Top 5 useless.
We bought, and never used...
Baby changing table
Top and tail bowl
Baby bath
Baby clothes (both lived in sleep suits for the first 3 months.)
baby bottles and all paraphernalia.

I know they said 5 but a huge one for me, which isn't strictly equipment...

Any ginaford/Tracey Hogg/other baby 'guru' book. These damn near killed me with stress, a short visit to the MN boards has sorted me with every issue since I binned those evil tomes!