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Best…..
- BT Digital Baby Monitor Plus - This is a great monitor because of the amount of things you can control from the parent unit. Little stars on the baby’s unit can be illuminated and it will play lullabies to him/her at the push of a button from outside the baby’s room. This has been fantastic for getting our baby to sleep during the day. If he doesn’t drop off during the first cycle of tunes he’s always in the land of nod by the second ones which I’ve been able to play without going into his room and disturbing him. Both units also display the temperature in the baby’s room and you can set it to alert you if it exceeds or drops below certain limits.
- Baby bath sling from Blooming Marvellous, you can use it more or less from birth as the head is kept supported and it leaves your hands free to wash so you don’t need to hold your baby like with many baby baths. It was used up until our baby was ready to go into the bath seat at six months so definitely worth the money.
- The Tumble Dryer! I can’t believe how much washing such a little person can produce! Whilst it’s great to get it out on the line in the summer, it’s not so easy in the winter and we must use ours at least twice a day at the moment – it’s become as valuable as the dishwasher (not that I’m lazy or anything!).
- Ikea Ice Cube Trays - These are flexible rubber and a good size for when you are making up batches of 'food cubes'. Don't buy the hard plastic type as it's impossible to get the food out without breaking the tray.
- Mamas and Papas Prima Pappa Highchair - Great features include a removable tray so once your little one wants to sit at the table you can ust remove it, a hidden play tray so you can remove the food tray and leave them to play after a meal while you clear up, adjustable height and back and folds away neatly when not in use.
- Thermos Snack Jars - Great for days when you are out and about and not sure whether you will be able to heat food up. Keeps the food really hot and you can serve the food direct from the jar. It's also unbreakable!!
- The First Years - Semi Disposable Bowls with Lids - these are cheap, colourful and robust and are perfect for holidays and days out. They can be used again and again and are safe in the microwave. Cutlery and cups are also available.
- Babylicious Frozen Baby Food - Don't beat yourself up if you don't have the chance to make every Annabel Karmel recipe in the book. This is wholesome, easy to prepare, smells yummy and little ones seem to love it.
- Bouncy Chair
- Have used it almost everyday up until 6 months. he loved watching everyone from and well as having a doze.
- From when the babies are a few weeks old, and also useful for when you start feeding solids, if they're not ready to go into a high chair.
- V Pillow
- It has so many uses right through from sleeping when pregnant, to helping with those early breastfeeding days, right up until propping up the baby when he's learning to sit. Don't wait until the baby arrives to buy one!
- John Lewis (around £30). It was nearly as long as me and became my security blanket in the later stages of pregnancy! I could tuck my arm under it and my bump and leg over it to achieve a much sought after comfortable sleeping position! Then it turned into a great feeding pillow and a support for when baby was just starting to sit.
- Bath Splats from Mothercare - They are colourful, fun and a functional alternative to a bath mat. he loves watching them being stuck on the bottom of the bath, playing with them in the bath and after bath time they brighten up the tiles.
- 6" Diameter Red Ball from Tesco - It only cost £1, but it keeps my son entertained for hours.
- Morrck Blanket - The Baby Hoodie. See www.morrck.com. I saw it on a news programme, it's great. It's basically a blanket with holes in for the straps of your pram or car seat. You lay baby over it and strap her in, the blanket basically then wraps around baby. You can wrap up to go outside, if baby is asleep once you get hom, you simply unwrap it without disturbing baby so that she doesn't get too hot.
- Grobag sleeping bags
- A blessing, no need to worry about the covers coming off in the night (and also the travel grobags).
- As a first time mum I was paranoid about whether my baby would get cold or overheat whilst sleeping at night! I started using a grobag from around 3 months, when Sophie no longer liked being swaddled and found they are brilliant. They even come with a nursery thermometer, to help you decide how many clothes to put on them at night.
- Portable Strap on High Chair - This was only £21 and instead of having a full high chair, it just fixes onto current dining chair so baby can'eat at the table'. Also really easy to transport either to others' houses or to the pub!
- Phil and Ted Travel Highchair - This is very stylish, packs flat and is small enough to fit under the pram or in my bag, and will screw onto any table.
- Handy Sitt - A folding wooden and metal feeding chair that fits on almost all dining room chairs. It looks good in our kitchen and it's useful to have only one chair for wherever we are (saves money too!). Our son loves sitting at the table with us for meals.
Worst…..
- Cot blankets and sheets which were bought before our baby was born but I then discovered the sleeping bag which he feels much more safe and comfy in. It is so much easier all round.
- Urban Detour Pushchair - I’ve found Mothercare’s own 3- wheeler travel system really cumbersome and extremely heavy. It’s very difficult to clip the car seat into the buggy and I’ve never been able to operate the one-handed fold down mechanism with one hand! It’s also prone to punctures. That said, it is very manoeuvrable and the plus side of having pneumatic tyres as opposed to plastic wheels is that it’s a much smoother ride for your baby.
- Tommee Tippee Magic Gripper Mat - Looked a great idea, but the suction was not that great, and my son soon worked out how to release any bowl or plate as the release mechanism was fairly obvious.
- Blooming Marvellous Suction Bowl, Spoon and Fork Set - They do not stick very well and the extendable wire on the cutlery is too stiff and too short.
- Mosquito/Insect Nets for Car Seats - They are still in their packets as the car seats were too hot and sweaty to leave the babies in anyway.
- Bottle Warmer - Seemed to take ages to warm up and not really worth the effort. A bowl of hot water is cheaper and more effective.
- Baby Bath Chair
- We bought a sloping bath chair for when our little girl was very young which was very good. We then thought it would be a good idea to buy a bath chair when she could sit up. But to be honest, it was a waste of money as she could sit in the bath on her own.
- I never understood baby baths (what's the point in filling up a bath from the taps that you then have to transport??). So I thought the plastic moulded baby seat would be a good compromise but I still found I just lay him on his back in a little water in our bath so didn't really get any use out of it!
- Lap Belt - I was lent a lap belt to wear to protect my bump in the car during pregnancy. I never really felt it did anything - so I wouldn't bother in future.
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