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

[SuiGeneris]

Necessary:

1. Nappies
2. Sleepsuits & Bodysuits
3. Sling
4. Nipple cream (biofem, hated lansinoh)
5. Travel system with proper pram attachment (used for daytime naps and nights away)

Useless:

1. Baby hammock for bath (just laid them across my arm)
2. Baby cologne (babies naturally smell lovely)
3. Day clothes for winter babies (sleepsuits are all they need)
4. Baby shoes (see 3 above)
5. Baby "book" that can be rigged around the cot (was given 3, DCs hated all three).

[supergreenuk]

Must have

Car seat
Pram
Nappies
Wipes
Baby grows

Not required

Clothes
Cot
Cot bedding set and bumper
Baby lotion
Toys

[FluffyFish]

Must haves:

Nappies
Wipes
Formula in case bf not working
Bottles as above
Lovely snuggly blanket

No need:
Cotton wool
Nappy bin
Muslins
Room thermometer
Snowsuit (always way too big for newborn)

[Grohlsgirl]

Top 5

1. Babygrows/sleepsuits
2. Disposable nappies and wipes
3. Grobag swaddle blanket
4. Car seat!
5. Nursing bra and breast pads

Not necessary -

1. Outfits/designer clothes - totally unfair on a tiny baby to be faffing around getting them in and out of clothes that will just get pooed/vommed on!
2. A vibrating bouncy chair - the point of a bouncy chair is that the baby learns to bounce in it.
3. Mobile for cot - (and probably not the cot either for the first few months!)
4. Mobywrap. 25metres of cloth that has to be tied in an origami type fashion in order to be able to carry your baby around. My babybrain couldn't work it out, and when I did manage to tie it (with help from two people!) my baby just puked over me. So then I had to work out how to untie it without dropping my screaming baby and without spreading puke onto any other soft furnishings. Just not worth the hassle!
5. Dummies/bottles - just wait and see, you might not need them!

[burleyburley]

Need

Car seat
Cellular blanket
Sleep suit and vests
Lansinoh
Bouncy chair

Not required

Booties/mittens - they don't stay put
Bath equipment
Snot sucker
Cot bumper set
Bumbo

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

good:
lanisoh
stretchy wrap sling
from birth buggy (not fancy-pants pram/travel system)
bouncy chair
baby sleeping bags

not so good:
bumbo
baby bath
baby bjorn
actual clothes, as opposed to vests/sleepsuits in 0-3mo
mother/baby toiletries

[AllSWornOut]

Essential:
Baby gros
Muslins
Amby hammock
Moses basket
Manual snot sucker

Not so essential:
Expensive change bags
Wet wipe warmer
Anything that isn't machine washable
Blankets forbaby to sleep under (gro bags much better)
Dummies

[LittleBallOfFur]

Must haves:

Nappies of course
Cotton wool
Basic sleepsuits/vests
Muslin cloths, lots!
Lansinoh

Others I appreciated as a new mum - those cups that keep drinks hot, lots of chocolate and good comfort telly/DVDs for when you're stuck feeding :)

Not so much:

'proper' outfits for the baby
Swinging chair (basic bouncy one was great, high tech swingy one not really)
Baby manuals (baby whisperer, Tina ford etc, what works for others won't necessarily work for you!)
Mobile over cradle

[SlinkyPebbles]

Bra extenders
Soft sling
Slumber Bear
Clarins Tonic Oil
Frankincense

[SparklyVampire]

Need :

1. Baby Grows/vests (lots)
   
2. Disposable Nappys
   
3. Steraliser
   
4. Pram/Travel system/Car Seat
   
5. Moses Basket
   
6. Gloves ( Babies scratch their faces a LOT)
   

Not Needed:

1. Clothes
   
2. Changing Table
   
3. Top and Tail bowl
   
4. Baby Monitor (unless you live in a mansion you WILL hear them cry)
   
5. A fancy cushion for breast feeding, a pillow works fine

[Cies]

Must haves:
stretchy wrap sling (Moby for me)
Lots of easy access vests and sleepsuits
muslins
bouncy chair (only had the most basic type)
breast pads

Unnecessary (for me):
Steriliser
bottles
breast pump
thousands of teeny tiny bootees and hats - a baby needs about 4 max I'd say, but everyone gave us them
proper outfits for baby

[FreelanceMama]

Five must-haves

1. Sleeping bags - 1 tog and 2.5 tog
   
2. Musical mobile - at 9 months on it still distracts my baby for up to 30 mins so I can take a shower/sit and eat/do some urgent task in the house
   
3. Internet on my mobile - can email, shop, ask Auntie Google for advice at 3am, while breastfeeding at night.
   
4. A baby monitor with a room temperature monitor
   
5. A bouncer with a vibrate function for easy naps up to 6 months old
   

Didn't need:

1. A changing bag - used an old rucksack (better for your back, unisex, doesn't swing off and smack the baby on the head when you lean over them.)
   
2. A changing table - much safer just to change the baby on a mat on the floor or on the bed.
   
3. Carseat base - borrowed one, it was a major pain to get the car seat out sometimes, v glad we didn't buy it and glad to give it back
   
4. Stick on car Window screens to stop the sun coming in. They fall of at the worst time and you can't put them where you really need to (on the rear window)
   
5. Manual breastpump - injured my thumb joint from using it after just a few goes. Definitely get an electric one.

[Ghouljamaflip]

Must haves:-

Maternity pillow (for feeding)
muslins
breast pads
nappies and wipes
easy to use travel system.

Not needed:-

Nappy wrapper
top and tail bowl
Changing mat (towel just as good and easier cleaned)
nipple shields
moses basket

[MurderOfGoths]

Must Have

1. Muslins
   
2. V-shaped pillow
   
3. Steriliser
   
4. Sling
   
5. Bottle warmer
   

Not so necessary

1. Top and tail bowl
   
2. Scratch mitts (socks on hands is easier)
   
3. Grobag
   
4. Burp cloths
   
5. Baby shampoo

[iwasyoungonce]

Most used equipment:

1. V-shaped pillow
   
2. Cot top changing board
   
3. Bath support seat
   
4. Car seat
   
5. Ice cube trays for home made baby food at weaning stage
   

Didn't use

1. Baby bath
   
2. Bottle warmer
   
3. Bath thermometer
   
4. Top & tail bowl
   
5. Moses basket/ crib (co-slept)

[pucienne]

must haves:

1. babygros with feet - for day and night wear
   
2. lots of muslins - still using 5 years later - covering eyes when hairwashing, wiping spills etc
   
3. good pram that dismantles/folds easily
   
4. breast pump
   
5. car seat
   

not so must-haves:

1. nappy bin
   
2. shoes until standing
   
3. shade-a-babe (for the UK)
   
4. snot-suckers
   
5. top and tail bowl

[vic1981]

Top 5: Lansinoh ( a lifesaver)
Baby gro
Nappies
Baby wipes
Baby monitor

Bottom 5: Snot sucker (useless!)
Nappy disposal bag
Designer fiddly clothes
Baby shoes
Gro company swaddle blanket ( baby hated being swaddled)

[mumnosbest]

Lansinoh
lansinoh
lansinoh
lansinoh
and more lansinoh

Ok also
Nursing bras and breast pads
Cotton wool and top n tail dish
baby grows
kindle (for endless hours glued to the sofa feeding)
ooh i know its number 6 but a camera.

Not haves:
Muslin squares (more washing and expensive)
Lots of pretty clothes
baby coat ( you can't get tiny arms in,blankets are best)

[mumnosbest]

You need scratch mitts!
Can we make it top 10?

[TotallyEggFlipped]

Agree with not needing scratch mitts, top-and-tail bowl, bath thermometer or a nappy bin. We didn't have any of those and I can't imagine why you'd need them.

[Vijac]

Necessary:

• post birth sanitary pads
• baby gros/ sleep suits/Gro bag
• nappies and wipes
• Baby music and baby Einstein DVD
• feeding pillow and nipple cream

Not so necessary

• nappy bin (use bags)
• baby bath (use baby sponge)
• coats and shoes
• loads of baby blankets
• bouncer

[Longtalljosie]

Lansinoh
Grobags
Moses basket (I did without one first time round, I must have been mad, it's brilliant!)
Crib sized cellular blankets
Cake (and plenty of it)

Didn't need...
Larger cellular blankets (they were in a Grobag by then)
Baby bouncer (DD kept nearly braining herself on the doorframe)
Bumbo (a lot of fuss for really a very short window)

[Longtalljosie]

Oh and if cake isn't allowed because you can't get it on Amazon, I'll go for muslins instead

[Tyranasaurus]

Useful
Hammock
Terry squares
washing machine
straw for drinking water 2hilst holding baby
candela rechargeable lights for night feeds


Not needed/used
Bottles/formula etc
Baby bath (got given 2 (didn't want any))
Sling (baby hated it)
Pink baby clothes
nursery- bab y still in my room

[thekingfisher]

Top 5:

1. Muslin cloths ( DS age 9 still sleeps with his!) but can be used for anything
   
2. a V shaped pillow - great whilst pregnant to help sleeping great after birth for loads of positions
   
3. Sudacrem
   4)travelling kit of nappies/wipes set - really useful and can just slip into a normal sized bag
   5)sling - could really get about anywhere
   
   Not needed:
   
4. dresses - ('She' turned out to be a boy! - my mum had bought all these gorgeous dresses in Portugal so no returnable)
   
5. heating bottle warmer that took about 1/2 hour to warm milk up -
   3)proper clothes .... loved in onesizes for aggggges
   4)Crib - when we also had moses basket and a cot
   
6. top and tail bowl - why????????