Those little items/products you couldnt do without!

Hello there everyone!

I am about to hit the shops in the next few weeks for a buying frenzy. I have noticed there are so many fantastic handy products out there for mum and baby.
I was wondering if any of you fantastic mums out there in BB land could give me some ideas on what the ‘must buys’ are for baby? Just those little things that you couldn’t do without and rave about to friends. The items that made your life easier? Maybe it is a sheep skin blanket for babies pram or a temperature gauge in the nursery?

Thanx everyone

XOXOX

Amby Baby Hammock (available online....Google.......) I honestly would not be without this bed, ever.

BabyBjorn (or sling)

A comfy nursing chair.....

A CD player in their nursey to play Peacebaby CD

a bath support i used one similiar too babyhood bath support just google that and go to first page best thing out we used it up till 5 mths

i couldn't livewithout my angel care sound and movement monitor

i couldnt live without

bath thermometer
mosquito netting for pram ( always good when at MIL for dinner and it bbq)
baby monitor
nappy sacks (great for wet clothes, mushy bikkies etc..)
travel container for baby wipes ( the huggies one with pop lid in middle)
if you cant breastfeed, one of those containers with 3 spaces in it and pour lid for formula ( saves making milk and having it spoil)

good luck and have fun shopping!!

one of those play gym thingys that you lie the baby under... kept seth amused for hours!!
a swing and vibrating bouncer were absolute godsends to!!

have fun shopping!! i could go crazy buying baby stuff!!

Eryn xoxo

My baby sling - still occasionally use it with my now 2 year. He loved it from birth :D

It's funny, I bought heaps of stuff ready for him and so much stuff went to waste.... He hated the pram - so the sling was perfect (and HEAPS cheaper), he slept in our bed so the cot was useless and no bottles needed cause I had boobies.

Oh, if you haven't bought a pram yet, I learn't from hindsight that a good layback stroller is much more useful, not to mentions folds up smaller and is lighter :) Much better than a chunky pram :doh:

Definitely a sling, it doesn't matter which sort just make sure you have one.

We had this little yellow duck that you float in the bath and it says the correct water temperature or if it's too hot/too cold. This lead to a happy munchkin at bath times. :)

Phone number of your nearest ABA breastfeeding counsellor!

A rocker, good for rocking baby with your foot while you eat tea.

A microwave - for reheating tea when it has gone cold (again!) While we're on the whitegoods make sure you have a clothesdryer too, esp for winter babies LOL
:)

I couldnt live without.....

Bepanthen or Curash Cream for any slight redness on the butt

My baby carrier snugli sling

My microwave steriliser & Avent Bottles just in case bf dries up

Oh yes we neeeeed to buy a clothesdryer!

ummmmmmm personally I wouldn't buy a sling till you have had bub then maybe try them out with him.her, jack hated both the sling type and pounch type so $100 down the drain there for us

Covitol nappy cream (with zinc & cod liver oil)
Nothing else seemed to clear up any redness on DD's cute little bot-bot :)

Cloth nappies
But not for bot-bots!!! They were the perfect 'catchers' for any overflow/reflux after feeds!! Bigger & thicker than bibs (could fold multiple times) and saved multiple clothing changes....me included!!!

AVENT BREAST PUMP & microwave steriliser & avent bottles etc
Even tho DD was b/f, pump was great for that excess booby milk (and so easy to do in the middle of the night!) and the steriliser...sooooooooooooooooo easy to set up and sterilise!!!

Lansinol Nipple Cream
Oooooh heaven for me as I got cracked and sensitive nipples (now have more knowledge so am hoping to avoid as much as possible second time round - but will still have the cream for the 'just in cases')

Room thermometer
Could see what temp the room was and certainly put my mind at ease!!

Angel Baby monitor
We didn't use the sensor pad but just having the sound monitor almost right on my ear at night (when DD went to her own room) and near me during the day was also a peace bringer for my heart! :) Plus just the sound monitor was soooo sensitive that if I turned it right up, I could hear her little snuffly cute bubby breathing anyways!!!


And things that I have since discovered that would've been handy first time around and are now on my 'TO GET' list before this littl'n pops out:
- Baby Bjorn baby carrier/sling thing
- Rocking chair that is easy to feed in for nursery
- CLOTHES DRYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

So just a few bits n bobs! Hehe!! Will let you know if I think of anything else! ;)

My Washer/dryer - the amount of clothes DS pooed and sicked on, it was going daily!

Baby carrier. I borrowed a Baby Bjorn but that was bad for my back, then borrowed a Kari-Me and got on with that so much better so bought one: try out other people's carriers first!

Travel system: when DS is asleep it's easier to move the carseat, not him, even when he then goes into the pushchair.

Bibs. We get through up to 10 a day with reflux.

Dummies. I always hated them (as I've mostly only seen them used to shut up a talking baby), but when DS just wants to suck and bite, not feed, these are fab. Get the ones with the button front, not handle front, or flailing hands will knock them out.

Washable breast pads. I hate running out and these are so much softer than disposable ones. On this topic, nipple cream. That kept me breastfeeding through the early days.

Vaseline. DS's bum is covered in this and when he does a big poo it doesn't stick!

Cotton wool balls. Dip in a small bowl of warm water for bum-cleaning.

Coffee morning groups BEFORE bub arrives - this way I was out and about when DS was 3w old, which made me feel so much better and gave DS a comfortable day structure, I made friends with other local mums and have loads of people telling me how handsome DS is.

Buy clothes in the next sizes up before bub gets here - an unexpected growth spurt means that even with just one bigger outfit you can get more clothes without your baby going cold around the shops.

I found temperature gauges unhelpful, as DS hates the "right" temp, but will sleep much better 2-3 degrees warmer than he is "supposed" to be - and I ran it past a midwife friend, who did the same with her lad too. All babies are different, stands to reason they'll like different temperatures!

Hi Renee - i had one of those flip-out children's sofa's, and used to let my bubs sleep on it, if i needed to move downstairs. It also came in handy when they were just starting to sit up. Another item I would suggest is a night light- something with a soft glow.

I agree with Ryn and recommend you try out some different baby carriers before buying. I had a baby bjorn but found it hurt my back and bub didn't feel very secure in it. My Hug-a-bub on the other hand is perfect!

C.D player with music (we have Music for Dreaming) in bub's room - is part of our sleep routine...when Ella heard it she was comforted by the familiarity and she'd know it was sleep time.

Large muslin wraps - these were invaluable as they wrapped around bub keeping her tucked in tight and secure and are breathable so we could throw them over the pram...

Avent Isis breast pump and steraliser. The pump really helped establish b/f as it relieved the full breasts so that bub could attach correctly. For the first few months i'd also express throughout the day so that DH could do the early night feed while he was still awake and i got to go to bed early so i had a chunk of sleep before the 3am feed. If you are planning to b/f then i'd go with the microwave one cause it's quick and convenient and doesn't take up too much room. Prob not big enough to do the job if you f/f though.

Lanosil (?) nipple cream.
Curash cream and powder - for first sign of nappyrash
Pigeon breast pads - soft, mould into bra nicely, very absorbant and not too thick.

Large playmat - so bub could have her own play space in front of me and enjoy tummytime, toys...

Play gym - to entertain and stimulate bub and encourage kicking, grabbing...

Oh there are so many fab things - have fun with it!!!!

Our daughter is only 4 weeks old, but a couple things which have been useful so far are:

Cloth nappies have been reallly handy to use as spew towels.

CD player to go in babys room. She settles well to music at night.

Wondersuits. So easy to do up and take off.

Portable change mat. good for when you are out somewhere and theres not really anwhere good to change baby.

:

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Amby Baby Hammock (available online....Google.......) I honestly would not be without this bed, ever.

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I totally second that!! Oskar LOVES his.

Now that I have one... a Phil & Teds Hook on High Chair. Hooks on to tables, the kitchen bench... really good. Light & Compact, easy to use and handy to take to others houses, cafe's, to use at the park on the picnic bench etc :)

about $60 I think...

*hugs*
Cailin

Our daughter is only 3 weeks old but so far the things we love are:

wondersuits - went and got more. They are cheap, easy to put on and change nappy, and keep her warm.

flat nappies for protecting clothes when burping etc.

dummy - we didn't need one until this week but there are definitely times when she just wants to suck (it is a reflex after all), and it calms her down and saves my boobies. We got fancy avent ones which she rejected, advised to get cheapo cherry teat ones and she loves it. We take it out once she falls asleep and she is fine without it too.

Large muslin wraps - have to definitely agree with this, great for swaddling and not worrying about making her too hot. Also good for covering up while trying to breast feed in public (I don't like being on show).

cotton balls for wiping bottoms.

baby monitor - we have a scientific oregon monitor which has a room thermometer on it. It is fantastic. It is small and It has a lanyard so I can hang it around my neck if she is asleep and I'm wandering around, that way I can't forget it. Very sensitive to sound to.

Bath thermometer - never thought I'd really use it, but I like it as it gives me peace of mind that the water is definitely not too hot.

Vibrating rocker - great during dinner when slightly unsettled as switch it on and rock with foot = sleeping baby!

I'm sure there is heaps more things that I have yet to discover but these are the main ones that I have found great. Have fun shopping.

Lansinoh (pure lanolin) nipple cream - start using it twice a day in your third trimester, and will make the nipples nice and supple in preparation, then use it after every feed.
Dummy - just in case (Jackson had his 1st day as even the midwives couldn't settle the little bugger - has sucked on it ever since!!!)
Rocker or bouncer - you don't need an expensive one, but one that you can hang some toys on is great
Playmat with hanging toys and some kind of sounds or music - Jackson adored his, and now that we have it set up again for Leo he sneaks into his room and plays with it.
Bath support - really helps the back and means you don't have to waste money on a baby bath, bubs can just go in trough when smaller and then in bath. The one we had was a plastic moulded one almost like a layback armchair with a bit between the legs as well that supported baby completely leaving both hands free.
Good nappy bag - something with lots of compartments for medicines, creams, wipes etc.
Best thing we ever received that Jackson still uses every night to this day is a musical piture frame, it has a picture of me and his daddy with him after he was born and you turn the little clown on it and it plays twinkle twinkle, he has this on every night before bed, and was fantastic to start off his nighttime routine!!

Oh gosh what a fantastic response, thank you so much everyone. There is definitely some items that have been repeated on the thread so they must be great for baby!
A couple of questions,
Would a microwave steraliser be better than an electric one???
Would a electric breast pump be better than a manual one?
Would you recommend a baby bath that you can please over the top of your own bath?? Are these available in shops??

Thanx again everyone, this is such a big help! There is so much out there for baby it gets a little daunting sometimes.

Iused a normal baby bath put it on the washing machine great height for sore backs and we used it for 4 months

steriliser if your going to use one, I had a 2nd hand avent electric took 9-12min have a micro take 5min so gave avent back and stuck with micro quicker easier and can store in micro when not in use saves bench space, but check the size of steriliser versus you micro they are alldifferent sizes I use a target one at our holiday house and tommee tippee everyday

I have heard the avent isis is one of the better pumps on the market it is great for budget concious people price wise, having not used it I can't tell you personally

I just bought a manual breast pump to use, I got a tommee tippe one that is used in conjunction with the closer to nature bottles which are meant to be great if you are doing combination boob and bottle because they are very natural feeling for bubs. I have heard, that these days the manual pumps are pretty much as good as the electric.

As far as sterilisers go, microwave are heaps cheaper and they all do the same job, I used a microwave one with Jackson, and it was brilliant, just make sure the one you get fits in your microwave.

Wow - I just have to say, what a great thread!!! I've been doing quite a bit of shopping lately and just couldn't work out what else I needed - it's sooo good to know the things out there that others found so useful - I've got NO idea!!!

Thanks again!!

Kelly xxx

Also meant to add that our Baby Monitor - i think a Phillips one - is invaluable. We still use it everyday and Ella's 19 months. Nice to be able to keep an ear out for bubs rather than having to disrupt sleep by sneaking in all the time.

And Dummies - the large cherry teat ones are great (i just buy the cheap tommy tippee or Happy Baby ones cause you'll go through heaps) cause the cherry teat is a similar shape to the nipple therefore easy to latch onto and keep in. Our midwife in our AN classes said not to bother with those fancy orthedontic shaped ones.

I agree with every one else.
I love my Isis manual pump and still use it regularly when I work (I work in a police station and it's small enough to fit in my bag and have no questions asked lol), but I do have the avent electric steriliser which was a pressie from DH. I love it, but I'm pretty sure the microwave ones do it quicker.

One thing I have also found indispensable is a small winnie the pooh nightlight from Target. You tie it to the cot/cradle whatever and press his foot when you need light. It switches itself off after 10mins. It's only about $14 and it's one of my m.ost used pieces of baby stuff

re the night light, a lot of monitor's have night lights on them that you can switch on or off as well, as long as they are placed close to the cot they are just enough light to be able to check on bubs (obviously not in the cot though if it has a cord attached!)

One thing I can Not live without is the fisher and price swing, they cost about $200 but its great, I still use it for Charlotte now, and it was wonderful when they are really little, as they can sleep in it.

Amby baby hammock!!! Imran still has his day naps in it and he's just over one.

A good digital camera - you'll want to take so many photos.

A cordless phone - so you don't have to try and get up for the phone in the middle of a breast feed and if bubs goes to sleep on you you can ring DH and ask for a glass of water.

I used a bath with my first but Imran got washed in the sink or in the big bath with just a centimeter or 2 of water or in the shower with me - it was so much easier on my back.

If you're only planning on the occasional pump a manual would be fine. For lots of pumping electric might be easier.