I haven’t blogged in what feels like an eternity, and I can’t explain how nice it feels to be able to have a bit of time to do so again (good old maternity leave) and seeing as my due date has now been and gone, I feel this is a very fitting time to share with you all my new baby must haves.
Being a second time mum now, it’s such a huge benefit to already know certain products that I couldn’t have lived without first time around and to also be able to reflect and think about what I might have done differently and things i may have even not bothered with had I known they wouldn’t be useful to me.
With baby’s arrival being so imminent, I’m thankfully completely organised. We have the car seat set up in the car, our labour bags packed and ready should we need to go into hospital, his/her little nest set up next to my side of the bed, all of my favourite newborn essentials ready to go! It’s just a case of waiting patiently on the all important arrival now and it’s so exciting!
The anticipation is growing day by day too, we just can’t wait to find out who we will be meeting! Noah is forever talking about a little sister (we don’t know why, he just said it by himself months ago and has continued to say it ever since with no prompting at all!) so it will be very interesting to see whether our little 2 year old has been right all of this time or not! People ask me a lot if I have any inklings but in all honesty, I don’t, I don’t think there’s any way you could ever guess but I think because we already have a boy, I naturally imagine having another boy! But either way, as long as I have a healthy baby in my arms, I will be absolutely delighted!
When we were expecting Noah, I absolutely LOVED nesting and the same can be said again for this time around. It’s undoubtedly one of the best bits of pregnancy for me. I have spent time going through all of Noah’s newborn to 6 months clothes, pretty much all of which are gender neutral as we never found out if Noah was a boy or a girl either, so that’s absolutely perfect for us again this time around being able to reuse it all. My washing machine has been non stop over the past few weeks and I’d forgotten how many beautiful things of Noah’s we had packed away! Even being able to re use things like Noah’s pram, car seat, even certain pieces of nursery furniture has been such a great way to save money and although I love a good shopping spree, there’s also nothing I love more than having my sensible head on and getting my money’s worth from things and I’m also a sucker for a bargain when the opportunity arises!
So, with all of these things in mind, I will share with you my ultimate list of new baby essentials that I just could not live without! I won’t include the obvious essentials like clothes and nappies and instead stick to specific product recommendations that in my opinion make life with a new baby much easier. There is so much to choose from nowadays and it’s so easy to get lost in a sea of products and not know where to even begin, so I really hope this can help any expectant mums who are finding it all a bit of a minefield. Everything I have listed I have tried and tested with Noah and can highly recommend and will surely be using again with our newest addition. There will also be a couple of bits that I haven’t tried yet and are relatively new to me, however going by recommendations and reviews from friends and other bloggers, I know these things will be useful to me and I can’t wait to try them!
If you have any recommendations for me that I may have missed, comment and let me know!
Feeding
I have a blog post dedicated to breastfeeding should anybody want to have a read, I will link it here.
I know it’s not for everyone sadly, but for me it’s the most wonderful thing in the world.
So, top of the list for me would be the amazing Lansinoh Lanolin cream!
If you havent already, get yourself a tube of this stuff as it’s a life (and nipple) saver! I wouldn’t ever use anything else, THIS is the ONLY nipple cream you could EVER need. Trust me! It’s so soothing should you get any soreness. I fortunately only ever had one or two occasions where I became a little sore but this stuff soon sorted that out! You can apply it and then feed baby immediately after too without having to wash it off, which is so convenient especially as newborns are feeding all the time!
Nursing bras
It’s so important to have comfortable nursing bras as you’ll be living in them! The best ones I found were on Amazon, I will link them here. In my opinion they don’t need to be pretty, they just need to do a good job and be functional and comfy.
Breast pump
A good breast pump for me was essential after having Noah, not only so that I could express my milk after a few months so that he could become familiar with taking a bottle from his daddy, but so that I could rest assured that pumping would work for me and that my milk supply would be high enough for my return to my job after 9 months leave and that I could continue to express at work to ensure a good supply at home for Noah in my absence.
I have absolutely loved using the single manual pump by Lansinoh, it’s so straight forward to use, keep clean and also to store away. I was concerned that a manual pump might make my hand ache a bit but the design is great and I never had a negative experience using it at all so I’m thrilled that i kept hold of mine even after Noah decided to stop breastfeeding at 19 months and I look forward to putting it to good use again this time around. I also found the bottle and teat that came with the pump fantastic, so much so that i went out and bought spares. Lansinoh just seem to produce all round amazing products, as you will be able to tell from my next product recommendation…
Breast pads
Again, I’ve tried and tested them all and the ones that come out on top without a shadow of a doubt are… drum roll… Lansinoh breast pads! Honestly they are such an amazing product and did best at absorbing in comparison to others BY A MILE! Not the cheapest option available but if it works, it works! And therefore is worth every penny!
Dummies
I realise that dummies aren’t for everyone and that’s absolutely fine. I was someone who vowed to never allow my baby a dummy before Noah’s was born, fast forward 2 weeks after he arrived and he had one! It’s one of those things, if they help they help and that’s what’s most important. I personally prefer the clear Phillips Avent dummies, I’m not keen on anything too colourful personally, I like how the clear dummies don’t hide any part of baby’s gorgeous face and blend easily with whatever you dress your baby in.
Sleeping
This first product is one that is new to me this time around, but given that I will be breastfeeding I just know it will be something that I benefit from hugely and will be super practical.
Snuzpod
This seems like the perfect alternative to cosleeping for anyone who isn’t comfortable with or just doesn’t want to ACTUALLY cosleep. For Ben and I personally, cosleeping in our bed has never been an option, purely because 1. We worry too much about the risks and 2. We don’t actually get a better nights sleep with having a baby in bed with us, if anything we sleep worse!
So this product was something I knew I had to have this time around.
When Noah was born we had the Mothercare swinging crib at the side of our bed which was fine, but it just meant every time he needed feeding or changing (which was constantly) I was having to get up out of bed, pick him up, sit back down, faff around looking for everything I need etc whereas with the snuzpod, it attaches onto the side of your bed so all you need to do is prop yourself up, lift baby out without having to get up and to make it even better you can get the handy snuzpod organiser to hang on the end of the crib to store all of your essential nappy bits so that you don’t have to search about for a nappy bag on the floor in the middle of the night.
Ewan the dream sheep
I’m fairly certain that most mums will already know about this little guy and how amazing he is! But for any mums or mum to be’s who aren’t familiar with Ewan, he’s an amazing little sleep aid in the form of a fluffy sheep who plays gorgeous white noise and emits a lovely pink glow from his tummy which mimics the light that a baby can see from inside the womb.
Ewan comes in a choice of either a purple face or a grey face and he plays 4 different sounds which are a harp (Noah’s favourite), a vacuum cleaner, a foetal heartbeat and also rainfall, all of which have the consistent background sound of a mother’s heartbeat playing. Each sound plays for 20 minutes and turns off at the end of that time which is when baby is presumed to have fallen asleep (I believe that’s the average time it takes for a baby to nod off, according to Ewan’s information). He also has a Velcro tail so that you can attach him safely to the side of a cot or crib.
Ewan for me is literally up there at the top of my list of things I could not live without as a mum, I’ve used him from day one with Noah and Noah still has him in his bed with him now for naps and night time, he absolutely adores him and I’ve been so impressed with how he’s able to relax and comfort Noah and he instantly associates Ewan with sleep time. Also, now that Noah is a little bit older it means if he wakes in the night for any reason, he can turn Ewan on himself to settle back down without me having to go into his room and do it for him which is lovely. A very worthy investment in my opinion!
Sleepyhead
Ok, this is another “could not live without” product for me, I can’t explain how amazing these little sleeping pods are! Before I bought Noah one of these, he would frequently wake with a start and would hit his little arms and hands on the sides of his crib which would disturb him and wake him even more. After I introduced the sleepyhead, his sleep improved so much and the fact that it’s so cushioned and helps to keep baby a little more confined and stops them from hitting the sides of the crib is brilliant, I think it provides them with more of the comfort they would have had when inside the womb which is lovely.
The sleepyhead deluxe is suitable for babies from birth to around 8 months (depending on baby’s size that is, Noah outgrew his deluxe at around 6 and a half months old) and the Sleepyhead Grand is the next size up which is designed for children aged 8 months up to 3 years! Noah is now 2 years and 3 months old and is still sleeping in his Grand and I don’t see him coming out of it any time soon, he absolutely adores it and quite honestly, I wish you could get them in adult sizes because if you could, I would be all over that!
Sleeping bags
I used sleeping bags from birth with Noah. He was never a fan of being swaddled and in all honesty I never really mastered it properly and every time I would wrap him up in a swaddle it just never felt that natural and I was just more comfortable using sleeping bags.
It’s only in the last 6 months or so that we took Noah out of sleeping bags and changed him over to a duvet, we attempted it about a year ago and he was not a happy bunny with the change so we decided to leave it and try again later on down the line and it turns out that by the time we tried again, he loved it! I will definitely be taking the same approach with our new baby though and using sleeping bags straight away. I feel they just give you that reassurance that they can still move around without restriction, it’s keeps their body temperature at the right level throughout the night and there’s no risk of them kicking any blankets over their face at any point.
Bathing
Angelcare bath support
Ben and I used a proper little baby bath with Noah for a while when he was born, we were living in our old house at the time and we loved filling it up and positioning it in front of our log burner in the living room so we could give him a lovely relaxing bath in a lovely warm environment.
However, once he started getting a little bigger and our arms started aching holding him in the right position, we went out and bought the Angelcare bath support seat and what a brilliant little invention it is. It allows your baby to lie in your own bath in a lovely reclined and supported position while you are able to wash and bathe them without breaking your back!
Aveeno baby skincare
This is something that’s really important to us in our household because I’m the only person who doesn’t suffer with eczema or dry skin of some sort! So ensuring that we have the right body washes and moisturisers to suit Noah and daddy’s skin is paramount and the one product that has worked wonders for them both is Aveeno.
The Aveeno Baby range is soap free and unscented with no nasties hidden in them anywhere and I can rest assured that I can use it on Noah’s precious, sensitive skin and it won’t cause him any irritation. I am pretty sure our new baby may take after their daddy in the skin department as well, so I have ensured to stock up on plenty of Aveeno bath time essentials so that we have plenty to go around.
Hooded bath towels
I feel like this essential is one that all mums would include on their lists, it just makes sense! Hooded bath towels are so practical and easy to use and I love how they are designed to wrap your baby up lovely and warm as soon as they come out of the bath.
Travel
Getting out and about with your brand new bundle of joy is such an exciting time and it helps to have products that are practical, easy to use whether it’s in the car or while out walking, it really makes what can be quite a nerve wracking and daunting first experience a lot more enjoyable.
Car seat and isofix
We opted for the Maxi Cosi pebble and the Maxi Cosi 2 way fix base for Noah (the base also works with the Maxi Cosi 2 way pearl car seat which is what Noah is in now he’s bigger and allows you to keep your child rear facing for as long as possible) and we plan on using the Maxi Cosi pebble again for our new bundle, we just need to buy an extra base and we are ready to go!
We decided to go for these particular products because 1. The safety rating and 2. The endless amounts of fantastic reviews, Maxi Cosi seems to be a winner for so many parents which we found reassuring.
Pram
For us, choosing the right pram was really important and something we thought about for a while. Given that Ben and I are dog owners and love getting out and about for walks, we knew we wanted something that could cope with harsher terrain and that would be as easy to push out in the countryside as it would along the pavement. We also wanted something nice and sturdy and not too “feminine” shall i say, a lot of prams nowadays I feel are directly aimed at mums and I wanted something that I could feel confident and proud to push my baby along in, but also that Ben could take out and about while on his own that doesn’t include anything too out there like wild patterns and colours etc (not that he would have minded, it’s just something I had considered mainly, and I’m much more a fan of basic colours like black, navy etc).
It didn’t take us long to fall in love with the Bugaboo Cameleon 3 (we went for the all black frame and black canopy and accessories) it’s just such a lovely, sleek, practical and easy to use pram and makes light work of pushing a baby around, it’s just all around brilliant and I can’t wait to use it again this time around with the new baby. We plan on getting a Bugaboo comfort wheeled buggy board to go with it this time so Noah can use that, we decided against a double stroller as nowadays Noah much prefers walking around than being strapped in a buggy so it wouldn’t make much sense for us to spend our money out on a double stroller really.
Fornessi wrap carrier
This is another product that is new to me, but going by what I’ve seen and heard from other mums on social media I am confident I’m going to love it! I’ve always loved the idea of baby wearing and when Noah was a baby I only ever used the baby Bjorn carrier which was fine, but it doesn’t give you the same closeness and intimacy as baby wearing with a wrap does (from what I can see, anyway) and I can’t wait to try it out! I have the lavender coloured wrap (perfect colour for spring/summer) and I just can’t wait to have the new baby on my chest all the time!
I really hope this little list might come into use to some of you reading, I’m sure with my current baby brain there’s a possibility I may have missed something but if you have any recommendations for me I’d love to hear them!
Finally, to all of you mummy-to-be’s patiently awaiting the arrival of your babies, just like I am, I wish you all the very best and I’m so excited for you! Motherhood really is the most INCREDIBLE journey!
Thanks so much for reading,
Love Paige
xxx
Paige Couzens 