1. Swing – we bought this one – obviously a luxury buy but when he suffered with colic it was a life saver and even now with his reflux it’s ideal. We alternate between his bouncer chair and his swing.
2. Electric breast pump – we bought this one – if you can’t afford to buy one, speak to your health visitor or midwife they can put you in touch with breastfeeding support/link workers who can hire them out to you. Some places ask for a refundable deposit and others don’t, this depends on your area. We have a manual pump, an electric pump AND we hired a double pump from my breastfeeding link worker to help encourage my milk supply. A must if you’re breastfeeding.
3. Sling – we bought ours from Victoria the SlingLady – it’s a wrap which is much nicer for me to wear and Alfie to sit in. They’re great for bonding, breastfeeding and giving you your freedom back. I reviewed our sling here and also put this in my top ten tips here
4. Reusable nappies – we bought these and are waiting to try these there are a few reasons for our choice in going cloth, firstly they’re nicer on babies bum (no nasty chemicals), they’re kinder to the environment and most importantly kinder to your pocket – the initial outlay can be expensive but once you’ve got them, there’s no need to buy more (one size’s only). Most you can put in with your normal wash (remember those colour catchers!) meaning it isn’t more washing as you might think it would be.
5. Olive oil – we use an organic one and no not for my cooking, (we do use it for cooking we have a separate bottle) it’s for baby massage and baby’s dry skin. It’s not only cheaper than expensive branded baby oils/moisturisers but it is far more effective and kinder to baby’s skin, even health professionals recommend it!
6. Travel play mat – we have this one but it was given to us by my sister, we didn’t buy it. Great for keeping in the boot of the car when you’re out visiting family and friends. A lot of people have laminate floor these days which isn’t ideal for baby to lay on – plus you know where your mats been and that it’s clean, their floor might not be!
7. Bath seat – we have this one. We were given a baby bath but it’s been used a hand full of times. Using a bath seat frees up your hands to bath a wriggly new born baby safely and easily.
8. Bibs & muslin cloths and lots of them – I have a box full of bibs and lots of muslin cloths because whilst babies are beautiful they’re messy creatures! You can never have too many bibs/cloths and they’ll last you years.
9. Thermometer – you have to be extremely careful when it comes to babies and temperatures as they can have a fit if they over heat. The best types of thermometers to have is the one that you put in baby’s ear or the one you put under their arm as they’re more accurate. The forehead strips while they are easier to use, only tell you the temperature of baby’s skin.
10. A baby box/book/scrap book (or all three like me!) – you probably already have one of these and are building it up. I’ve been building Alfie’s up from pregnancy. I bought a plain box and I’m decorating it for him to add that personal touch. I have things like leaflets, parking tickets and attraction passes that will go in his scrap book – each page dedicated to another special day. His baby book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar and has lots of things for us to fill in.
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