My baby essentials

It is a truth universally acknowledged that social media algorithms work hard to part you from your money. Whether it’s a sleep programme for the chronically exhausted, or a special bib to solve the mess of weaning, or the only teether that’s organically handcrafted by blind nuns in Peru, we are targeted constantly and told to buy buy buy. And even if you’ve kept your baby or your pregnancy to yourself, somehow Instagram always knows. But what are the true baby essentials?!

A few people have asked me what the most useful or essential items you need for a new baby and the reality is this: all your baby needs in the beginning is clothing, a safe place to sleep, a car seat, and some means of getting from A to B (e.g. a pram or a sling – though I would recommend both). You do not need to spend huge swathes of precious maternity money on much else. That said, I’ve compiled a list of the things that I have personally found most useful.

I’ve broken it down into chunks by age because what’s useful has definitely changed a LOT since he was a newborn. Also, definitely look at buying things second hand – Facebook Marketplace and charity shops have furnished us with loads of useful bits in the last few months so they’re really worth a look! None of these are affiliate links or sponsored / paid in any way – I’ve never worked with any of the brands below – they’re all genuine recommendations.

Babybjorn sling

Essentials for 0-3 months

  • Sling – I started out with a second hand Baby Bjorn one which was perfect for when he was little as it was really easy to get him in and out of it. The limitation of those ones is that the weight is only spread across your shoulders so when he was a little bit bigger we upgraded to one that spreads weight across the hips. We went to Wear My Baby in Tooting, which helped us find the right fit. We bought an Ergobaby Omni 360 which has been amazing – would highly recommend. We also bought a Tula Half Buckle which is a halfway house between a wrap and a buckled carrier which I used all the time from 2-6 months. After that, he wanted to face outwards more which is one of the things the Ergobaby is good for. If you’re anywhere near London then do look at Wear My Baby for a proper consultation on how to fit your sling correctly and wear it comfortably.
  • Grosnug – you can use this clever little sleeping bag to swaddle your baby if you like but it’s generally really handy for keeping them nice and cosy at night – plus it’s easy to do a midnight nappy change.
  • Silicone breast pump – I had an electric pump (shouldn’t have bothered with a double pump as I never did both at once!) but I actually used my little silicone one much more. I had one from Haaka and one from Naturebond which was a softer silicone. They’re really gentle and great for catching letdown on the other side.
  • Supersoft muslins – not all muslins are created equal. Some of them are much softer than others. My faves came from Aden and Anais, Muslin Z, and the Aldi baby events.
Grosnug

Essentials for 3-6 months

  • White noise machine – around the time of the four month sleep regression, we bought a white noise machine. We used Ewan the Dream Sheep when he was a newborn but I wanted one that would go all night long. We were recommended the Marpacc Hussh and it’s been brilliant. He sleeps really well with it and the white noise blocks out lots of background noise from the street etc. You can read more about white noise here.
  • Baby swing – this was my favourite purchase for at least 6 weeks or so. The baby swing is a safe place to put the baby while you sit down and he used to have little snoozes in it. Was heartbroken when he got a bit too heavy for it.
  • Blackout blinds – these have been an absolute godsend. You can buy the ones that sucker to the windows but I found they let light in round the edges. The ones that really create darkness are ones you velcro to the edges of your window. We got these blackout blinds (be sure to check the sizing). The Gro Company blinds are good for travelling.
  • Snoozeshade – on a similar theme, the Snoozeshade become my best friend earlier this year. You just pull it over your pram when you want the baby to sleep and it creates a breathable but dark environment on the go. I wouldn’t use it when it’s very hot but it’s in normal temperatures.
  • Jumperoo – one of the most love/hate relationships in my life was with our jumperoo. The baby LOVED it and it provided endless hours of fun (and chances for me to enjoy lunch/hot cups of tea nearby), but it did take up most of my dining room for the 4 months or so that he used it. Worth it. I miss the hot tea. NB – these are spenny so look on Facebook Marketplace where you can prob pick one up for about twenty quid. L loved it from 4 months to 7/8 months.
  • Babyzen Yoyo+ – we have an Uppababy Cruz for our day to day pram (highly recommended!) but we bought the Babyzen Yoyo+ for holidays / on-the-go as it folds up to be teeny tiny. It is expensive but so worth it and they hold their value well if you take care of them. Would definitely recommend. I can finally unfold it one-handed with a sexy flick, just like the women who demonstrated it to me in John Lewis.
In the Babyzen Yoyo+ with the Snoozeshade just out of shot! Photo by Irene Yap Photography, from the wedding of Tom and Jo (of Joanna Nicole Photography)

Essentials for 6-9 months

  • Hide and Squeak Eggs – our friend Kate bought us these toy eggs and described them as rite of passage! They’re absolutely brilliant and one of his very favourite toys.
  • Disco torch – absolutely endless fun with this, especially just after bathtime when you’re trying to get the child to KEEP STILL and get into pjs.
  • Video baby monitor – we have always had this but it really became an essential when our son started crawling at 7 months! Now I can see on the monitor if he’s crawling around his cot or snoozing. It’s also really reassuring to take a peep and make sure they’re still breathing. We have the Motorola MB50 which we got for half price on one of the Amazon Prime Days.
  • IKEA Antilop Highchair – for about £12 you can get a highchair that is easy to clean and can be collapsed for transport/storage. The IKEA Antilop brilliant. You will get sick of cleaning it three times a day but at least it’s easily done.
    IKEA high chair cushion – this is brilliant when your baby is still a bit tiny as you can safely wedge them into the Antilop but I have another one I keep another high chair cushion in my changing bag as it’s really useful for restaurant highchairs that are often a bit too big for 6 month old babies.
Antilop high chair (laundry not included)

Essentials for 9-12 months

  • That’s Not My… – a true classic, the That’s Not My… series of touchy-feely books are well loved in this house. I’ve been reading to my son since he was really tiny but he absolutely loves getting involved with these books now! He is also (at 10 months) really into lift-the-flap books. I’m still trying to get him to sit still long enough for a full Julia Donaldson / Axel Schleffer tale but we will get there.

I will have to add to this one…! Our baby is 10 months now so I’ll update it when I can add more!

What are your best buys?

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