What were your absolute lifesavers during the baby and toddler years? Win a £200 Tesco voucher

[CeriMumsnet]

The baby and toddler years can involve a lot of trial and error - but most parents eventually discover a few things they genuinely couldn’t do without.

Maybe it was the nappies that finally stopped those 3am leaks, a buggy you could actually fold one-handed, the snack your toddler would reliably eat, a cup that didn’t spill everywhere, or something small that simply made getting through the day that bit easier.
We’d love to know your baby and toddler must-haves - which products did you swear by, buy on repeat or find yourself recommending to other parents?

We’re working with Tesco to celebrate the relaunch of the Fred & Flo range, which has a fresh new look and product updates including improved leak protection on nappies.

Everyone who shares their baby and toddler lifesavers below by 18 September will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Tesco voucher (T&Cs).

Also a Connecta sling.

A next to me crib and an ergo baby carrier. Both made it possible for me to be with my baby all the time. I loved my maternity leave

• Muslin squares- so many uses from mopping up sick or food to being a comforter for DS getting to sleep! *A bed rail for safer Co sleeping (DS would only sleep when next to me) *A sling - DS was super clingy so if I needed to get anything done I’d pop him in the sling. Great for keeping him upright as well (colicky baby)

Two things for me, the bedside cot because it was so much better for my sanity to BF in the middle of the night without dragging myself out of bed. Also a baby wrap for doing housework. The closeness is lovely and baby falls asleep super quickly.

a bowl with a suction cup and ergonomic spoons - really useful !

Absolutely shedloads of muslin squares, and a special absorbent sheet for the cot (Brolly sheets, I think they’re called). It was so good for middle of the night bedding changes because it went over the sheets.

Ergo baby carrier, my baby refused to be put down or go on the pram

electric nail file instead of scissors

water wipes that could be used with a newborn instead of cotton wool

sleepsuits with zips so we didn’t need to faff with buttons at 4 am

a good nappy bag

Good snack trays/tins and a good leakproof metal water bottle

My boobs 😁

Nelson’s teething graduals saved us

Books! Lots of them. Reading stories together was our special time even when DS was tiny. It kept him happy and kept me sane.
Especially rhyming books and easy to read ones - things like Fox in Socks and Rabbits Nap. Or the Pip and Posy books

White noise machine, dummy and sleeping bag. Also just having a good bedtime routine that never changes. For me it was bath, books, bed at 7 with white noise and dummy.

Baby carrier

A good compact buggy that I could use from birth. It meant I could get out and about on public transport and go wherever I wanted even with steps (it was so light I could carry it by myself with baby strapped in). I liked being independent and not having to wait helplessly for someone else or stand for ages in the queue for lifts.

A Sleep Sounds app that played white noise to get them to sleep. It drowned out any background noise so was used in all sorts of places. A godsend!

Nipple cream and baby carriers.
I was in agony until someone mentioned in passing that "there's a cream for that". My 2nd child had to be physically attached to me otherwise she just screamed. A baby carrier meant I could "hold" her whilst also holding hands with her older brother if we were out. It made life so much simpler for me.

The best single thing was muslins.

Best collection of things was books.

Never left home without a few of each in my backpack

Definitely a Next to Me bed - it was invaluable when breastfeeding my baby in the night and loved being close to them but in a safe fashion for us both.

A musical mobile above the changing table that distracted to avoid tears during nappy changes!

A cup of tea, big bit of cake and mumsnet is how I survived.

A basket with enough essentials for a nappy change in each room - saved having to go upstairs every time

Cloth wipes were amazing, much more efficient than disposable ones and DC can use them themselves eventually.

i agree with a baby carrier.
My nappy bag was also a god send - it had multiple pockets and a cooling section that made one handed searching really easy.

Wireless headphones headband so I could watch something during all the night feeds to keep me awake without the worry of the wires or small EarPods around my little one.

a star shaped sleeping blanket/wrap that could be used everywhere and so I could carry him from the car to the crib in it without him waking and I could easily take his arms and legs out if he was too warm without waking him.

Baby carrier, night light/noise (still using now), no spill cups, and a little bag that goes on the pushchair/trolley instead of a huge changing bag