Are you in the midst of making your baby wish list on amazon? Perhaps you’re feeling just a tad overwhelmed at all the choices on offer and supposed ‘must have baby items’. Despite the research and spending days, weeks even, curating our own baby list on amazon, we were still left with so many ‘essential items’ that were either used only once, or worse, sat unused in the boxes they arrived in for the last year! Now every family is different and I’m sure for some families a nappy bin is an ESSENTIAL item, but for us, it became an unnecessary addition to our already very cosy apartment. However, the items below are the ones which I can honestly say have in some way, made our lives easier and simpler over the past 12 months and I would recommend them all to any new parent.
Here’s my take on 10 of the best baby items that will see you through the first 12 months and beyond.
The multi-award winning Shnuggle Bath is designed to make bath time less stressful for parents and fun for baby. Featuring the clever bum bump it helps support even the tiniest baby in an upright position. Manufacturer guidelines state it’s suitable from birth up to 12+ months.
We used this from birth (and at 12.5months he still fits comfortably) however I will say when they are really teeny you will still need 2 sets of hands to manage.
Pros: Lifespan, saves water, convenient plug to drain, comfortable for baby, anti slip bum rest. Also it’s very easy to clean when you have any floaters in the bath (you will!)
Cons: Probably too large to store away in a standard cupboard but we just kept ours in the bath – if you don’t mind having it on show then it’s not really an issue
Second hand buyers: I’ve seen loads of these for sale on FB marketplace and gumtree so if you prefer to buy second hand you can pick one up for a bargain price of approx £5. Given its made of plastic it’s easy to disinfect and perfectly durable
Mam Newborn bottle starter kit set
This Mam newborn bottle starter kit contains almost everything you need for the first year.
With an Anti-colic and self sterilising design they make life simple and convenient.
Key features of the set are:
- Anti-colic: MAM vented base design prevents the build-up of air bubbles in your MAM bottle set, keeping your new baby’s tummy settled and the drinking flow relaxed
- Self-sterilising: MAM baby bottles can be sterilised with 20ml of water, a microwave, and three minutes. Baby feeding made as easy as one, two, three
- Starter set: Includes the components for 6 complete bottles, plus MAM bottle handles, Slow Flow Skin Soft teats, extra soft spout, and a 0-2 months MAM Start soother
- BPA/BPS free: The MAM Starter Set is 100% BPS and BPA-Free, making it ideal for breast milk storage and feeding. The material is odourless and tasteless
Pros: Intuitive design, self sterilising, 94% Teat Acceptance (according to manufacturers market research), different colours options
Cons: Expensive in comparison to other leading brands. Bottles are a bit fiddly to use at the start. I found for the first few uses they leaked a small amount of milk no matter how tight I screwed them together.
I’m a big fan of the milton method. Essentially a bucket with a lockable lid, you just drop a milton tablet/solution into the water and voilà! 24 hours worth of sterilising water magic. Sterilisation only takes 15 minutes and kills all harmful viruses, fungi, spores and bacteria.
Despite having self sterilising bottles I found this was a super easy daily method and even used it for all sorts of other small items like teethers and weaning equipment.
Pros: Quick, cheap, easy to use
Cons: None for me
This mum-run business sells award-winning Luxe Padded Play Mats that are a super soft, stylish, easy to clean, non-toxic and durable place to play for the whole family.
Honestly I just wish I had bought mine sooner. We waited until Dylan was around 4 months old but once we got the mat, tummy time was sooo much easier for us both.
Pros: Variety of designs and sizes. Two sided print, Provides safe, durable and wipeable play area for your little one, non toxic materials, quick delivery
Cons: Not cheap (but entirely worth it considering its usage)
Two words – Zippy sleepsuits! Dylan pretty much lived in these on rotation for the first 3 months. Two way zippers, fold over cuffs on the hands and feet, stretchy, soft material and funky prints, you can’t go wrong with these. I also bought several other brands of zippy sleepsuits over the first year and none of them came close to the quality of BONDs.
You can buy direct from Australia and pay shipping (they often do good bundle deals) , or you can purchase from a number of UK based suppliers such as Precious Cherubs, Oh Dorothy or John Lewis.
Pros: Amazing quality, wash very well (even in hard water), variety of prints, convenient zips for those middle of the night changes, good second hand options on eBay
Cons: Expensive for a sleepsuit
https://www.bonds.com.au/baby/zippys/zip-wondersuits.html
Angel care monitor (sensor pad and video)
This baby monitor comes with a movement sensor pad which will alarm if there is no movement after 20 seconds. Incredibly sensitive and without the need to have any physical devices on or touching your baby it offered us real peace of mind, both in the newborn days and when we moved Dylan into his own bedroom around 6 months old.
Pros: Night vision, portable and rechargeable parent unit, decent battery life, 2 way audio, in built thermometer (all pretty standard features)
Cons: Some reviews reported false alarms – we did experience one over the course of the first year but I believe it was due to the fact it wasn’t recalibrated after a sheet change. Nevertheless it will still cause you heart failure if it happens 😀
There is a reason that this is consistently one of the best reviewed baby bouncers out there. Weighing just a fraction over 3kg, it’s a space saving, self powered, durable bouncer, which will last from 3.5 kg/53 cm to 13 kg (approx. from newborn to 2 years). Perfect right? My only niggle to be honest is the price point…. HOWEVER…we actually got insanely lucky and snapped up one in mint condition on Facebook marketplace for the jaw droppingly low price of just £20!! Now I did have to send my mother in law in Scotland to collect it and pay for shipping down to southern England, but even with shipping costs it was still cheaper than the standard second hand market price (varying anywhere from £60 – £120).
Despite its splurge status I would be very comfortable to recommend buying it new. If you’re a bargain hunter like me though, set up an alert for any new listings on facebook marketplace and you never know you may get lucky too!
Pros: Lifespan, folds flat for storage, wide variety of interchangeable covers to choose from, detachable toy bar also available to purchase
Cons: Expensive
This easy to use baby carrier offers 4 ergonomic wearing positions: parent facing, on the back, on the hip and on the front facing outwards. Most importantly though you will be hands free! On days when my baby has been in need of extra cuddles its been a lifesaver to be able get stuff done and still support my little one. It’s suitable from new-born to toddler (7-33 lbs./ 3.2 to 20 kg), with no infant insert needed. The design not only supports parent comfort with lumbar support and cushioned shoulder straps, it’s also ergonomically designed to ensure a safe position for baby’s hips. My one caveat is for any other c-section mamas! Personally I didn’t feel comfortable wearing this carrier from newborn days as it felt too cumbersome due to the pain I was in, but instead opted to wear a fabric sling from Freerider. However since about 3 months old this has been my go to baby carrier.
Pros: Lengthy lifespan, lifetime guarantee, Comfortable over long periods of wear (I’ve worn for over 1 hour with a 10kg baby), Machine washable, ergonomic design, tuck away UPF 50+ sun hood for baby.
Cons: Another expensive purchase but again worth the investment
Tommee Tippee perfect prep day & night
If you formula feed, this is basically a Nespresso machine for your formula. It’s brilliant. It’s quick, hygienic and easy to use. I was without it for a few weeks while I visited my family during the year and it really made me appreciate the convenience of it even more.
Pros: Freshly made bottles, at the correct temperature in 2 minutes. Sleep-friendly volume control for night time (a welcome addition from the original machine – honestly the beep was SO LOUD)
Cons: Not a true con but *NHS / World Health organisation advice that to reduce the risk of infection, it’s best to make up feeds 1 at a time, as your baby needs them, using freshly boiled drinking water from the tap. They do not advocate the use of these types of machines however as always please do your own research.
Ok this one is definitely not an essential purchase but I had to include it on this list as we love it. The large Munchkin & Bear playmat fits perfectly inside the playpen and with zippered doors for your baby to crawl in/out it’s a safe contained space for your baby and ALL of the toys.
Pros: Easy to build (1 person), comes with grab handles for baby to pull up when learning to stand/walk, contains the toys and chaos to one area (kind of)
Cons: Permanent fixture in your space as it’s definitely not something you would fold away at the end of each day
So do you agree with my essentials list? What else would add to it? (Perhaps the nappy bin was indeed one of your essentials?!) I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Jess x
Thank you for sharing!