When you have a baby you are always inundated with people offering advice and suggestions of things that you will need, things you can’t possibly live without. By the time Max was born I had tried most of these ‘must-have’ items at one time or another – and surprise surprise, a lot of them weren’t necessary. A lot of them I could easily have managed without. But there were a few that shone through. A few products that I would now never be without.
- Grobag baby sleep bags. This is my number one baby item. I have used them with all 3 babies – purely for the safety aspect to start with. As a paranoid first time mum, I heard horror stories about babies suffocating under their blankets, overheating, and getting tangled and stressed. That was enough to convince me to use a sleeping bag – and we did, from day 1 right through until the children moved into beds with duvets. As well as the safety aspect, we soon discovered these snuggly bags offered so much more – they stopped covers being kicked off, so the little ones didn’t wake up cold. They worked as part of the bedtime routine – when the bags went on, they knew it was time for bed. We could even used them in the car seat and pram on cold days, as they have clever little slots for harnesses to slide through. All in all, most definitely my number one baby product.
- Muslins. Lots of them. All 3 of my children have suffered with reflux to a certain degree, with Max being the hands-down puking champion. So for us, muslins go everywhere. They have such a multitude of uses – sick cloths, burp cloths, wiping messy hands and faces, using as comforters, blankets and temporary changing mats. My favourites are the Faye & Lou Cozios.
- Bundlebean. The Bundlebean red star has fast become a favourite in this house, although we only discovered it after Max was born. In short, it is a multi functional piece of kit – it works as a weatherprooof footmuff, car seat cover, bike seat blanket, picnic rug, changing mat, sling cover – and many more besides – so you don’t need to carry a million and one products when your are out and about. It rolls up into a tiny little bundle so it will fit neatly in your changing bag or pushchair basket. A really practical, versatile item that I will never be without.
- A comforter of some sort. I always thought that ‘cuddlies’ were for making the cot look pretty, more than the babies actually needing them. How wrong I was. Both my boys have been obsessed with their comforters, and in fact Jacob still sleeps with his now, at almost 6. His comforter of choice was a Mothercare bedtime bear that he was given as a newborn. It sat in his SCBU cot and never left his side for about the first 3 years of his life. Max loves a zebra blankie that came from Corporate baby and I can see why – it is super soft and strokeable, and must be lovely to cuddle up to. He uses it as his sleep cue now – zebra means snoozing.
- A wrap or sling. Now before I became a parent, I always thought slings weren’t for me. I was firmly in the pushchair camp (and still have a huge pushchair addiction, but that’s a whole other post) and thoughts slings were a bit *ahem* hippyish. How wrong I was. When you have a baby that likes to be carried around all day (and yes I am talking to you Max) a sling is vital. It gives you your hands back! Max is happy because he is being carried, and Mummy is happy because I can make a cup of tea! The more I used a sling, the more I grew to love it, and we now use one on a regular basis. My favourite at the moment is the Papoozle – easy to put on and comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time.
What are your must have baby products? Which have you used day in, day out? On the flip side, where there things you thought would be useful, but which actually ended up gathering dust in the back of a cupboard?
We love a bath sponge rather than a cumbersome baby bath x
We never used a baby bath either. They were always washed in the sink until they were big enough for the bath lol
All great products and I agree about the sling – with another child you need your hands free to cook their tea while baby snuggles! My must-haves were Teetha powders and a bedside chocolate stash (for me, when breastfeeding!).x
Teetha powders – forgot about them. I don’t know how, as we seem to be using them on a daily basis at the moment. And Calpol…
I don’t have children but I love the idea of the grobag!
http://www.leeshastarr.com
It’s a great product, couldn’t live without it!
Popping by via #MMWBH. I had that same stripey car sleeping bag and my eldest is now aged 8, so it must be a popular design.
We have had it a good few years too!
Muslins, muslins, muslins! Oh and a helpful other half too.
Muslins are a life saver, as is a helpful hubby lol
i let you know in a few month time once i am back having a NB again but we couldnt live without sophie the giraffe when finn started teething very early on
Max has a toy similar to Sophie, it certainly helps him when he is teething!
These baby products re so cool , I love the idea of the sleeping bags.
The sleeping bags are a brilliant invention Nayna.
great suggestion – must read for new mum
Little Max is adorable and loves all his bits you’ve got for him 🙂 xx
I totally agree with the muslins and Grobags! Need time to think of my other essentials – and sure there was lots I could have done without. Now mine are 8 and 6 it’s hard to remember!!! 🙂
My eldest are 8 and 5, so was hard to remember what we needed when preparing for Max!
My must have for early days was my snuggle bundle and now it’s my beko Gemini carrier
Snugglbundl is perfect for the early days
Our sling is a godsend and the thing I never used was a nappy wrapper bin! It sat unloved for months, I’ve now ‘modified’ it to use as a cloth nappy pail.
Ha, we had one of those first time round – used it for about 2 days lol
Oooh what essential baby item do we have *taps her chin* we’d be lost without Annabelles grobag. The nights are so cold & she’s forever kicking off those blankets, so in this she keeps nice and snuggly warm. Also our papoose. Just pop her in, hitch her up onto my back and we’re off. Great for family walks and short shop trips I think. x
Grobags seem a popular choice!
my son has had around 10 of the same confort teddy , you buy a new one for when the loved one is in the wash , sumhow they still know its not THE one though and they always go back to it x
My son is the same – how do they know?
I couldn’t live without baby sleeping bags – definitely essential. I also couldn’t live without my dettol no touch handwash system. Perfect for washing hands after changing dirty nappies!!!
Louise x
My number 1 would be sleeping bags as well! Sienna has slept so much better since we got our Purflo one, so baby number 2 will definitely get one X
We have a lovely Purflo one too – the sleeves will be ideal for the cold winter nights!
I have lots but sling, cot top changer and a big pack of muslins would be mine! x
We wouldn’t be without our snot sucker! The one where you suck one end and stick the other end up babies nose! Biggest waste of money has to be our first pushchair – totally impractical when we moved to our new house!
baby bather makes bathing time more relax and calm with some fun!
Great choices! We loved using our sling/carrier. Never used Amelia’s growbag as she never slept in her cot but hopefully can use it with number 2! Thanks for linking up at share it sunday 🙂 xx