I was asked by a pregnant friend of mine if there were any 'must haves' I found during my own pregnancy and early motherhood- or any items I regretted buying. I had a good think, and to be honest I researched each purchase heavily so I could not think of anything I felt I had wasted money on. However I said I would compile a list for her and this is what I found.
Must haves
Swing
I did not buy a swing until after DD was born. I quickly realised that when she wanted rocking for hours, and I was not able to do it, that I was becoming very stressed. Cue me buying a swing. I should point out though that we only used it for a short period of time- the first few months, therefore I recommend buying second hand, but during that time it was totally invaluable. We got ours through facebook for £25 in great condition.
Baby Carrier
Again I did not buy this until after DD was born and I realised just how clingy babies are. I was struggling to get anything done in the early days so I bought a Baby Bjorn carrier - again second hand. It made my life 100x easier - I could do laundry, hoover, go to the shops- anything and DD loved it- usually falling asleep. There are a lot on the market however so personally I recommend trying a friends one or going to a sling library before spending out as they are expensive new and you do not want to spend a lot of money to find that the type you have bought does not suit you. I loved my Baby Bjorn as it is easy to put on and felt super secure. It really helped me carry bubba without hurting my hips or back.
Travel System
It is a minefield finding the right travel system for you and baby but it is worth the research. Personally I liked having a nice cozy carrycot, and a stroller which faces either world or parent. Having a system that you can clip the car seat on is ideal as when baby falls asleep in the car sometimes you really do not want to wake them up to transfer to the pram. I also bought this second hand as by 6 months old DD was mostly in a small easy stroller, but during the first few months a travel system was definately a necessity.
Can do without
Dummy steriliser
I paid over the odds to have a purple travel dummy steriliser. I barely used it and I am now going to give it to a friend. We have so many dummys that if DD drops one when out I just give her a different one and pop them all in our normal bottle steriliser once home.
Sit me up
I agonised over which Sit Me Up toy to buy from mothercare. Never used it. Yes its super cute in the nursery but it takes up a lot of room and has not been used.
Tummy Time Roller
As above, I agonised over which style to get. Barely used it. When DD was a small baby when tummy time was crucial, the roller was far too big for her to use. Once she was big enough she was holding herself up anyway and did not really need it, nor was she interested.
Baby Bath
Use the sink! We bought a baby bath, but to be honest the sink would have sufficed. When she was very little it would have been easier to use the sink. Most of the time we just had a bath ourselves and held her with us, then as she got older she outgrew the baby bath anyway as she liked to be fully submerged and she was far too long, so we just ran a shallow bath and let her lie in it.
Mummy
xxx
Must haves
Swing
I did not buy a swing until after DD was born. I quickly realised that when she wanted rocking for hours, and I was not able to do it, that I was becoming very stressed. Cue me buying a swing. I should point out though that we only used it for a short period of time- the first few months, therefore I recommend buying second hand, but during that time it was totally invaluable. We got ours through facebook for £25 in great condition.
Baby Carrier
Again I did not buy this until after DD was born and I realised just how clingy babies are. I was struggling to get anything done in the early days so I bought a Baby Bjorn carrier - again second hand. It made my life 100x easier - I could do laundry, hoover, go to the shops- anything and DD loved it- usually falling asleep. There are a lot on the market however so personally I recommend trying a friends one or going to a sling library before spending out as they are expensive new and you do not want to spend a lot of money to find that the type you have bought does not suit you. I loved my Baby Bjorn as it is easy to put on and felt super secure. It really helped me carry bubba without hurting my hips or back.
Travel System
It is a minefield finding the right travel system for you and baby but it is worth the research. Personally I liked having a nice cozy carrycot, and a stroller which faces either world or parent. Having a system that you can clip the car seat on is ideal as when baby falls asleep in the car sometimes you really do not want to wake them up to transfer to the pram. I also bought this second hand as by 6 months old DD was mostly in a small easy stroller, but during the first few months a travel system was definately a necessity.
Can do without
Dummy steriliser
I paid over the odds to have a purple travel dummy steriliser. I barely used it and I am now going to give it to a friend. We have so many dummys that if DD drops one when out I just give her a different one and pop them all in our normal bottle steriliser once home.
Sit me up
I agonised over which Sit Me Up toy to buy from mothercare. Never used it. Yes its super cute in the nursery but it takes up a lot of room and has not been used.
Tummy Time Roller
As above, I agonised over which style to get. Barely used it. When DD was a small baby when tummy time was crucial, the roller was far too big for her to use. Once she was big enough she was holding herself up anyway and did not really need it, nor was she interested.
Baby Bath
Use the sink! We bought a baby bath, but to be honest the sink would have sufficed. When she was very little it would have been easier to use the sink. Most of the time we just had a bath ourselves and held her with us, then as she got older she outgrew the baby bath anyway as she liked to be fully submerged and she was far too long, so we just ran a shallow bath and let her lie in it.
Mummy
xxx
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