I loved my tetra snuggle bed, I put it in the cot for when DD was newborn so it was kinda like a bassinette size for her. Then I could take it to friends houses so she could sleep on their bed in a safe "bassinette" type setup (Does that make sense???)

I also think that having some kind of carrier/sling on hand is good, I took mine in the pram so if DD wanted to be carried I could slip her into the carrier & continue my shopping etc with both hands.