What are your baby and toddler must-haves – and why? Chance to win a £200 Tesco voucher

[CeriMumsnet]

The Tesco Baby & Toddler Event is back, and to mark the occasion we want to hear from you about the products you and your little one genuinely couldn’t do without.

From everyday essentials like nappies and wipes to feeding must-haves, toddler snacks and those game-changing finds you recommend to every parent you meet - we want to hear your top picks (and why you love them!).

We’ve spotted some great deals in the event on bulk-buy essentials and handy baby gear, so it’s the perfect time to stock up on your trusty go-tos or try a new recommended product!

Share your favourites below by 6 May for a chance to win a £200 Tesco voucher (T&Cs)

• Sudocrem!
• Lots of muslin cloths
• Ear thermometer
• Lansinoh Nipple Cream when breastfeeding
• Also love the My Carry Potty and take it with us everywhere

Cotton wool for cleaning.

Thanks so much for all your replies so far - loads of really useful ideas in here already 👀

One thing we see come up again and again on Mumsnet is just how much headspace choosing a pram/travel system takes. Some people go all-in on a pricey setup, others keep it simple and budget-friendly…

So we’re really interested to hear:

Did you go budget or splash out on a travel system – and was it worth it?

• Best decision you made?
• Anything you wish you hadn’t bothered with?
• Any brands/models you’d recommend (or avoid)?

If you could go back and give your pre-baby self one bit of advice on what to buy (or not buy), what would it be? And do keep the general must-haves coming too – it’s brilliant for anyone trying to figure out what’s actually worth spending money on when there's so much marketing directed at new parents.
Thanks!

Splashed out but I wish I would have thought about weight and not just what it looked like our pram travel system was sooo heavy

There are so many things! Weleda nappy cream was lifesaver, especially in the early days. This matchstick monkey teething toy has been a winner too

@CeriMumsnet I'd go budget or secondhand on a travel system and splash out on a lightweight stroller, you use a stroller so much more

We had a January baby and went second-hand via eBay – honestly one of the best decisions we made.
Picked up a Joie Single Pushchair described as “used once” and it really did look almost brand new. Paid about £140 instead of £300+.
For a winter baby it still worked really well – decent wheels, handled wet pavements fine, and we just made sure it came with a proper carrycot attachment so baby could nap on walks.
Best decision: buying second-hand. So many barely-used prams out there because people change their minds or babies outgrow them quickly.
Wouldn’t do again: buy a car seat second-hand from a stranger – we got that new separately - splashed out on one which we could use for years to come.
Advice to anyone expecting: check eBay before buying new. You can save hundreds and get something that’s practically unused.

Under 6 months:

• all the muslins, more than you think you'll ever need
• Love to Dream swaddle sack pre-rolling stage, then sleep sacks in different yoga
• a good shaker/rattle such as Lamaze or a wooden rainmaker
• books! Pram books, crinkly books, black red and white books and whatever you feel like reading them when they're this small
• a sling since my clingy boy hated the bassinet
• next to me cot
• baby thermometer and bath thermometer!
• Baby bath NOT one of those bath inserts where you lay the baby on it
• a good monitor (also with a thermometer)
• sunhat / winter hat depending on season
• short sleeve vests, work in summer or in winter under a sleepsuit!
• wish I'd got one earlier but a waterproof bag that fits a spare outfit and a few nappies would have saved me so much over packing!

• handbag organiser if like me you have a massive tote that often becomes the changing bag. I keep suncream, hand sanitiser, travel moisturiser and a spare muslin in mine.

Over 6 months:

• Num Num spoons great for BLW
• small glass jars with lids for bringing food out and about when weaning
• a good highchair
• when they're bigger, a good cloth foldaway travel highchair is great
• sanitising spray/foam and wet wipes for eating out and about
• Doidy cup and / or sippy cup
• cooler bag and ice pack, easy to pack food when you'll be out a while/anything with dairy, meat or fish in
• more bibs than you think you'll need
• a second bucket! One for clothes/bibs covered in food, one for the odd leak if needed (though it usually does go straight in the wash)

Also check out ERIC website for potty training, I have an Eco Pourty for my 14mo he uses it most of the time when at home and nappies out and about.

Wish I got:

• travel system
• pram rocker attachment

Agreed! I got both prams secondhand for 2 digits. I have a friend who got a secondhand car seat but I wouldn't do that for a car seat or mattress.

Apparently the fire brigade sometimes accepts donated used car seats?

SO many great recommendations here. Definitely Sudocrem, Water wipes and the carry potty. Still using the first two for mine and they are 3 and 6. Potty training done now though, so no more nappies - yay!
We had a brilliant light bulb that fitted onto the ceiling light that alternated between a low level blueish light and a bright yellow normal light. Perfect for going into baby's room at night for feeding or checking in, and when they got older it worked as a nightlight too. Also, Olly the gro clock - used this from age 3 and still using it for 6 year old. Great for teaching them to stay in bed until 'Olly turns yellow'. Works a treat. Also, as other posters have said - buying a second hand buggy. They are SO ridiculously expensive but we bought an icandy peach for about £300 from a mum who had used it for her two and it was in near perfect condition. Spend the money on a holiday or something more exciting than a mode of transport!

We LOVED our Fisher-Price swinging chair. Honestly, it was such a great tool for letting our baby girl chill rocking away whilst I did the washing up. Because it was a gentle rocking and noises, it kept her engaged and gave us a good two minutes of time back.

I would say to check properly about what you require from your travel system before being sucked in with all the extras. When I bought the current travel system, I saw they had a deal on one with an iSOFIX base. It was around £60 more than without it. Honestly, not needed at all. I could have saved £60 if I just thought about what I needed as opposed to be pulled in with the sale.

Good, honest friends - The kind who’ll come round when you’re exhausted, hold the baby so you can shower, and tell you the truth about how hard it can be. In the early days, this matters more than any gadget, however I couldn't have done without the following things; Coffee (and lots of it), snacks, water bottles everywhere! Washing powder in bulk, muslins, white noise app, and night light, oh and a sense of humour :)

We bought the Quinny Flex Zapp. It served us well (from age 0-4 with child 1 and age 0-3 with child 2) but the brand is not mainstream enough in terms of getting (I hasten to say occasional) repairs etc sorted. I think in future I would up my budget and do more research beforehand and would go with either the Yoyo, the Mountain Buggy Nano, or even a Bugaboo now, for something even more lightweight/compact than the Zapp. You also can't really put a buggy board on the Quinny. We didn't go for a travel system as we mainly travel by public transport, bike, or on foot, so knew we would be replacing a car seat/travel system every 5 minutes/every time they grew if we went down that route. So we went for a Joie every stage car seat with the eldest (which the youngest now uses) and then a high back booster (now that the youngest one uses the Joie we needed something else for our leggy eldest).

Advice for pre-baby self: don't buy the kids so many clothes!! They just don't need that many and you'll have kiddy clothes coming out of your ears if you don't watch it...!

A good baby carrier (we had the baby bjorn one) and yoyo babyzen was the best. Living in London it gave me such freedom to easily go out.

also Water Wipes! Best wipes out there for me, we still use them now when out and about

I picked up a 4moms MamaRoo motorised rocker on eBay for £100 and it’s honestly been my best baby buy. My little one would only settle when being rocked in the very early months, so having something that mimics that motion has been a lifesaver - I was able to go to the loo - and wash up the dishes without the screaming - and means I’m not constantly pacing the house. It’s really helped with naps during the day and gives me a bit of hands-free time to get things done. I was a bit unsure about buying second-hand, but it’s been worth every penny and still feels like a premium bit of kit.

Whether breast or bottle feeding I recommend a good supportive chair (it doesn't have to be expensive) and support pillows or cushions. I have arthritis so it was vital but its a huge benefit for all parents. Protect your back. You matter too. ♥️

My DD was often carried front facing strapped to her Dad. Because he's over 6ft It meant she was in sight-line of most adults and everyone would chat with her. It was lovely. A more sociable experience than a pushchair around everyone's legs. I did this too, but it was best with her Dad due to the line of sight.