My Must Have Baby Items

This is not a review blog. But I’ve got a couple of friends who are pregnant and I wanted to share with them my favourite baby bits. Having had 3 kids I’ve been through a fair amount of gear in my time. These are that I’ve re-bought/use everyday:

---

• • First things first THE BUGGY. Monumental purchase. When we were pregnant the first time we went and looked at them about 4 times before eventually committing.

  • Since then we have chopped and changed ‘vehicle’ a lot.

  • My advice is you are never going to get a buggy that does everything. It’s like asking or a Landrover and Smartcar hybrid.

  • We got a Baby Zen Yoyo for holidays, as they are small enough to go into the overhead locker. Now we use it day to day. It fits through any doorway, down even the slimmest London pavement and the most hostile public transport. It’s also super light, I love knowing that I can carry it up/down stairs if need be.

  • We also have one of these badboys: a Double OutandAbout 360  for festivals/camping/walks. It’s been taken through all kinds of rough terrain and never falters. We also load it up with camping gear, it can take ALOT of weight.

  • Going back to my earlier point; these 2 buggies are so different, together they cover all situations. Which, if you can afford it, is preferable to opting for a middle value that does most things ‘ok’.

  • Car seat.We’ve always had Maxi Cosi car seats in all sizes. They are brilliant. They do what they say on the tin.

  • Problem is when you have 3 kids it becomes challenging to fit them all in the car in care. Imagine my joy when someone introduced me to the Multimac.  A special unit that’s like a giant car seat, it goes on top of the normal sear and into to the isofix system enabling you to seat 3 or even 4 kids safely. 

  • Its pricey but its WAY cheaper than a new car.

  • Amazing.

  • Almost as amazing as the Sleepyhead. The single best baby invention. I WISH they had been around when I had Bertie. A portable cushioned bed that makes co-sleeping safer. You can put them on the sofa too. Plus it makes the transfer into a big cot easy too. GET ONE.

  • I personally wouldn’t bother with a Moses basket. They don’t last very long (babies grow fast). Ours just became a dumping ground for stuff I didn’t know where else to put.

  • Third child and we have bitten the bullet and accepted that co-sleeping works best for us. I say ‘accept’, I’m fine with it but its one of subjects people have A LOT of opinions on.

  • Carriers. Again, I am late to the game on this one. We ‘wore’ the boys a bit with but circumstance mean that it our ‘go-to’ mode of transport and napping for Greta. I love being able to snuggle her constantly and having both hands free is a game-changer, plus her brothers can’t disturb her when she’s safely strapped to me chest.

  • Two fabric wraps. One Karime wrap that I got off ebay 5 years ago and is still going strong. And a Fornessi Studios ones which is the most beautiful soft fabric, in an array of gorgeous shades. Very far away from the hippie-dippie-tie-dye-vibe image once associated with baby wearing. 

  • We have an Ergo 360 too. A moire solid piece of kit. Great for when they get older as it can go on your back as well as your front.

  • What else?

  • High chairs it’s got to be the Stokke Tripp Trapp. An amazing piece of design. A proper investment. It says on the website you can use them from 0-99. I don’t know about OAP’s but I can vouch for the fact that we regularly have people in their mid-to-late thirties sitting on them when they come over for dinner parties.

  • We have am IKEA one too. Cheap as chips. Easy to take apart. Keep under the stairs for when friends come round or lob in the back of the car for trips away.

  • Changing bags. Again what a change! I still haven’t fogotten the horror of looking for one when pregnant with Bertie and being inundated with twee floral prints, embroidered owls and cupcakes! Not my vibe. I made-do with the free one you got when you joined the Boots Baby Club. At least it was black and simple.

  • But then Tiba + Marl came along and saved the day. Cool bags that are functional AND look good too. My fave is the classic is Black Elwood. I used it for maternity leave and then carried on using it at work. It’s got a touch of the Mary Poppins about it: you can fit EVERYTHING in there.

  • I rate the Baby Bjorn bouncer. Simple, minimalist design. Can be folded down flat. to avoid cluttering the house when not being used. Thumbs up.

  • We don’t use a baby bath. She either goes in the mixing bowl in the sink (not a joke). Or comes in with me or ben. It’s a great excuse for some skin to skin.

  • We don’t use a monitor either. At my lowest moment with Bertie my Mum advised me to turn it off. Up until it has been a bit obsession: keeping it with me wherever I went. When in actual fact our house isn’t that big, we can easily hear eachother throughout. Nothing like surround sound crying’ (from the monitor as well as the baby) to tip you over the edge, relying on my ears is far less traumatic.

  • Clothes. You can’t beat a John Lewis multi pack of white baby grows. But for really special quality try Mori .

  • The merino newborn hats from Smalls are heart-melty too.

  • Baby Blankets? They are a bit of a weakness of mine. They occupy the same place in my heart as cushions and scented candals, They bring me such joy that I can’t get enough.

  • Top 3 (and they all fulfill slightly different roles which is how I can justify it)

  • Cellular ones from Mama Designs.

  • Flora Fairweatherand Musthud for out and out beauty.

  • Aden + Anais Dream Blanket are suptuous and soft and big enouh to use as a rug.

  • More muslins the better. I have them scattered round the house (and still never had one when we need one). A multipack of bog standard ones is fine.

  • The Etta Loves ones are a piece of magic. They have patterns on them that meam they are appeal to babies early vision. ie they keep them entertained even at just a few weeks old.

  • These Bravado Bra’s are without doubt the best nursing bra I’ve ever had. I even wore them at night in the beginning (during the fuck-me-have-I-got-boulders -in-my tits-milk-coming-in-stage) they are that comfy. The leopard print racer back version is a particular fave. 

  • Pumping. Ain’t anything sexy about it. In fact milking yourself is pretty blooming bleak. However, if you gotta do it, you want something fast and effective: the Medela Swing is just that. Bear in mind that you need a different funnel depending on the size of your nips (yes, that’s right my Jaffa Cake nips required the  XL version – sexy!!).

  • Bottles. I automatically opted for Avent, probably because that’s what my mum used. It felt like a proper right of passage and the boys took them right away. Greta unfortunately has other ideas. We are currently working our way through every other bottle brand on the market…

  • Like with weddings, having a baby is like having a sign above your head that says; EASY TARGET.

  • People will try and flog you all sorts of gizmos and gadgets and tell you they are ‘essentials’. The fact is babies, particularly newborn ones, need way less than you think.

  • And mainly you can’t know until your baby is here.

  • So it’s a good idea to go and scope things out in advance, that way you know what’s out there, and then wait. Because thanks to joy of next day delivery and Amazon Prime you can always purchase when and if you actually need it.

  • And go second-hand. Find your local Facebook Group. They are a goldmine for buying or selling baby stuff. Or borrow things.

  • I use to think people were being so generous lending/giving away their bits, now I realise it’s because it’s hard to store all that gear but chucking it away is super emotional.

  • Passing on that cot/car seat/horrendous plastic baby gym not only feels like a nice gesture it also frees up room in the loft too.

  • Also a quick shout out to Salvation Army and Little Village who have services dedicated to providing baby stuff to those families who struggling to afford to give their kiddies the start in life they want. Certainly feels good to pass on a few precious items to them.

  • And thats it. As I say, these are the bits we love and get the most use out of. It’s far from definitive, but at the very least I hope its a bit helpful especially amongst a very cluttered and confusing market.