When I was pregnant I remember seeing all of these different products you could buy for a baby. Looking back I can tell you for certain that most of them you can definitely live without! You go to all these baby shows and see all these links popping up on your Facebook for all of these different products and it is so easy to get carried away with buying stuff for when your baby arrives, especially if you like shopping as much as I do! Luckily I had my husband and mum stopping me from buying too much. I thought I would compile a list of things I couldn’t live without, other than the obvious baby staples (car seat, pram etc.).
When we were looking at baby bathing products, I knew for certain I didn’t want a baby bath, we don’t have the room to store one and it all seems like a bit of a faff having to fill a plastic tub inside of the usual bath! I looked around at various different bath supports and when I saw this one I knew it was the one for us. It moulds to your babies shape and when Oliver is in it he looks well supported. There is no way of him slipping or rolling out of it as the plastic is nice and grippy. I like the fact it comes in blue and pink as well. It comes with a handy hook at the back of it too so you can hang it up when it’s not in use (although we just leave it in the bath when not in use). I got this on Amazon on Black Friday so I got it at a really good price!
2. Aden and Anais Muslin Cloths
I was given these as a new baby gift and they are by far my favourite muslin cloths. They are so soft and are really absorbent, they have such a cute pattern on them as well. I know £20 for three muslin cloths sounds a bit steep, and I agree they are expensive for what they are; a cloth to mop up sick, but they are well worth the money. I would repurchase these in a heartbeat. My other muslins just aren’t quite as nice, although I also love the giant muslins I bought from M&S too, they are great to use at night time and as nursing covers too.
3. Poddle Pod
I have actually borrowed this off of one of my friends, and I love it. It’s designed for nap time, and comes in two sizes 0-6 months and 6-36 months. They have lots of different covers, so you can have it to suit your own taste. This I think is a godsend for when you want to put your sleeping baby down in the daytime. It mimics a cuddle, it has a cushioned surround and then just a thinner inner section which means that when you put your baby in it, they sink in, which makes them feel nice and secure. I use this every day, usually when Oliver has fallen asleep after a feed and I want him to stay asleep but I need to get things done!
4. Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment
This is brilliant for nappy rash. In the early days Oliver’s bottom got quite sore, I tried Sudocrem which didn’t help at all and then I remembered I had a tube of this in the Baby Bee gift pack my sister had given me. Within two days the rash was gone and he had a nice peachy bottom again. I use the Burt’s Bees Baby Bee cream to powder for every day bottom care, which feels lovely and moisturising when putting it on. Every time his bottom gets a tad red I pop a bit of the ointment on and it’s gone within a day or two. I love all the Baby Bee products, we use the bubble bath and body wash too, it’s great as it’s 100% natural.
5. Water Wipes
These are by far the best wipes available on the market. They may be expensive but they are really worth the money. They are literally just made from water and a tiny bit of fruit extract. They are gentle on the skin and are so much wetter than any other wipes I’ve used. I think they last longer too as you don’t need to use as many at each nappy change. They’ve won lots of awards too, which shows that they are well worth the expense. Stu always moans when I get other wipes as he loves these, and he never comments on any of the other products we buy so they must be good!
6. Mamas & Papas Tummy Time Activity Toy
Oliver has never been a big fan of tummy time, he learnt to roll from his tummy to back at 8 weeks and I think this was mostly because he simply didn’t like to be on his tummy! This toy is perfect for getting him to do some tummy time as it props him up a bit so he can have a proper look around. It’s got lots of different touchy feely bits on it and it also has a musical bit and it chimes when you shake it, so lots to enjoy! At the moment he manages about 5-10 minutes at a time (only 10 when there’s something really interesting in front of him!!) but we give him tummy time in other ways to, and he always has a little roll about on our bed at bedtime too.
I bought this in Mothercare for £14, I think it was another Black Friday deal! I really liked it as it is just so simple. Babies don’t need these all singing, all dancing toys, and this playmat does the job for a very reasonable price. Oliver loves hitting the little toys, there is a little hoop with tiny plastic balls inside and that is definitely his favourite one to hit, he would happily just play with that one toy all day long, I am sure! It’s easy to assemble and disassemble and it folds up nicely, so it’s easily portable if you’re visiting family or friends.
I actually bought this one a few weeks ago in TK Maxx for £30. We were given the Fisher Price rocker chair by Stu’s Grandma as she had bought it when his cousin came to visit from Australia a few years ago, it was great to use as a rocker and the vibration function was great to help Oliver sleep as a newborn, but I feel it is geared to slightly bigger babies/toddlers, he desperately tried to hit the toybar but just couldn’t reach! The Maclaren rocker is great, it has the vibration function, the toys are reachable and I love the fact it also has a hood, it means I can use it in the garden, knowing he will have his face shaded from the sun (even though he would be sat in the shade!). He really seems to enjoy this chair, the toys are all nice and soft and make nice rattling and squeaky noises. It also folds down very easily and has a handy travel bag with it so you can take it along to other peoples houses or on a trip away without it taking up a lot of room in the car.
I got given this by my work as a ‘leaving to have a baby’ present and I love it. It is so easy to use and Oliver feels nice and secure in it. I think it is perfect for newborns, it can be used from 3.5kg to 11kg, although as it doesn’t have any lower back support I don’t know if it would be quite heavy on your upper back when they are that big. I use this quite a lot for woodland walks, or just when we walk over to see my mum, as she lives in a first floor apartment it isn’t practical to take the pram. Oliver quickly nods off in it when we are walking, and if he doesn’t he loves having a good nose around!
10. Windmill
Now this may seem like a bit of a bizarre thing to have on a top 10 products I couldn’t do without, but I don’t know what we would do without it! It is a great distraction tool, Oliver just stares at it endlessly, it nearly always stops him crying and he loves hitting it to make it spin. Stu says he doesn’t know what we would do without it! For just under £2 I think this is a bargain to help entertain a little one, just hold it in front of him and he will play with it for at least 10 minutes. I love the face he pulls when he plays with it, it’s a face of utter concentration, it is so cute!
So there you go, these are my top 10 products I couldn’t live without! What baby products couldn’t you live without?
woah!thank you so much for this!this will definitely help me a lot in choosing for my kid..since I just became a father!