Bringing a new baby into the world is equally overwhelming and exhilarating. Amidst the chaos, it’s important to prepare in advance to help make your own life that tiny bit easier when they arrive. By making sure you have the right baby products in place, it no doubt helps to make the transition from womb to world as smooth as possible. Since giving birth in January 2020 to a little boy, I wanted to share a few must-have baby products we’ve been using that both us as parents and our new baby have absolutely loved.
Felt Baby Caddy Organiser
One of the very first must-have baby products I brought when finding out I was pregnant was this Felt Baby Caddy Organiser from eBay (£6.89). I’d previously seen other parents use them for makeup and clothing storage, but I wanted to use mine to store all of my nappy changing bits in the lounge. Not only does the caddy make organisation a whole lot of fun (I love restocking the caddy on a weekly basis) but it also means I can grab-and-go when it’s time for a baby bum change. There’s no opening zips and faffing about so you can reach in and grab everything one handed. In mine I store a stock of nappies for the week, nappy sacks, baby wipes, cotton wool, nappy creams, hand sanitiser and a few more bits. The velcro inserts means you can add/remove and create different sections within the caddy to your own preference.
Buy Baby Caddy. [Affiliate link]
Love To Dream Swaddle
Since Sebastian was born, we’ve depended on the Love To Dream 2.5 Tog Swaddle (£31.99) to help us establish more of a night time routine. It’s quite honestly the best £30 we’ve spent as parents so far. We found out about this company from a friend who swore by hers and we genuinely can’t fault the product, even two months in. Labelling itself as a ‘modern twist on traditional swaddling’ – the Love To Dream Swaddle is a stretchy fabric which safely zips up around your baby and replicates the feeling of being back in the womb. The Love To Dream Swaddle also allows a natural sleeping position with a self-soothing ability which our baby uses time and time again. Enabling baby to move and wiggle hips and legs, this also means there is no restriction on movement. The swaddle (available in various different togs) is easy to use and can be thrown into the wash, like ours has many times over. For peace of mind, they state that the ‘single layer of fabric reduces the risk of overheating, while the outer seams leave no loose threads or uncomfortable seams around baby.’ Startle-free wakeups are now the norm in our house and it means both Sebastian, and us as parents, can now rest comfortably and completely stress-free throughout the night. Find out more about the swaddle, tog preferences and what babies need to wear underneath on the Love To Dream website.
Buy Love To Dream 2.5 Tog Swaddle [Affiliate link]
Thumble Nail Files
Baby fingernails should come with a health and safety warning because it damn well hurts if you’re caught on the end of one. There’s been countless time I’ve been accidentally scratched while breastfeeding or picking up the baby in general, so I wanted to find an easy way to trim Sebastian’s nails without having to resort to scissors. Luckily I came across this fabulous invention of the Thumble (£10.49). This wearable nail file was designed by a mom of two, and it helps to smooth jagged edges and shape the teeny tiny baby nails to prevent scratching. You place the Thumble on your big thumb and the design – along with the art of distraction – will enable you to feed and snuggle your baby, whilst you carefully file their nails down. More practical and baby-friendly than just a normal nail file, there is one word to describe this product. Simple. Official website of the Thumble can found at baby-nails.co.uk.
Buy Thumble – The Wearable NewBorn Baby Nail File. [Affiliate link].
Peekaboobie Nursing Top
Gifted item
The breastfeeding game is highly demanding, so it’s only right that mamas across the globe feel supported when it comes to whipping the boobies out. I was gifted a Peekaboobie High-Quality Cotton Maternity Top (£40) and I can honestly say it’s one of the cosiest, snuggest and most practical top I now own. There are three styles to choose from and the poppers across the chest area discreetly snap open so it means I no longer have to lift my top all the way up when out and about. No doubt it’s one of the best gifts I’ve been given as a new mama. It’s a husband and wife team who run it and they’ve done a great thing in helping mothers to discreetly feed when needed. They currently provide UK sizes 10 – 16 (mine is a 14 to cover my ginormous melons) but they hope to increase their range as they move forward. There is a no plastic waste with the packaging either so this is another reason why I now rate this brand so highly. I urge all mamas across the globe to support this incredible brand and any breastfeeding, or so-to-be parents to get behind them.
Buy Peekaboobie High-Quality Cotton Maternity Top
NatureBond Silicone Breast Pump
Continuing with the breastfeeding theme, I was told about this fantastic little Nature Bond Silicone Breast Pump (£12.99) by a fellow lady from my NCT class. When I have the baby on me, I can easily attach this pump to my other boob, hands-free, and it collects more milk without having to pump at all. The suction of the cup collects my ‘let down’ from the other side and can easily collect an impressive amount in a short period of time. This means I can then tip the collected milk into a bottle for baby to use at later date if needed. As a person who has trialled both electric and hand-held pumps, this alternative is fantastic when I have no hands free and I can’t be bothered with the daily faff of pumping another bottle. Basically, it does all the hard work for you without you even lifting a finger.
Buy Nature Bond Silicone Breast Pump [Affiliate link]
KODAK Cherish C220
Gifted item
A recent gifted item from a trusted camera brand, I was asked to trial the KODAK Cherish C220 smart monitor (£99) that not only has fantastic screen clarity, but enables a safe and secure way to stay connected to the baby if I need to step out of the room. Although Seb is still small and doesn’t sleep in his own room just yet, it’s been interesting to trial and play with the camera and I really look forward to using it for years to come. The Kodak Cherish C220 is eco-friendly and supports rechargable batteries to ensure a worry-free operation at home or if we’re heading away for a weekend. The large 2.8-inch widescreen display delivers a crystal-clear HD stream and supports a long range WiFi connectivity which you can connect with the KODAK Smart Home App. More amazing features include temperature monitoring, motion detection and a two-way talking system so when Sebastian is older, he can hear my voice while I’m sitting downstairs with a glass of wine. It’s most definitely a win/win situation.
Buy KODAK Cherish C220. [Affiliate link]
Have you purchased any of these must-have baby products or thinking about doing so after reading this post? Let me know in the comments. Happy baby shopping!
