Best and Worst buys

[Squiglet]

I didn't know if this should be in the ask a mum, or product review section, but it seemed appropriate in ask a mum... As so many first time mums in the 2nd tri section (and it seems 2nd/3rd/4th timers too ) are having difficulty deciding what they do and do not need for the impending arrivals, I thought maybe having a post where mums can list their best and worst buys so that we can save money on buying all that pointless stuff, that most mums end up buying anyway... From what I remember about having Tia, this is my list of best and worst buys...

Best; Muslin Squares, Grecco automatic swing (godsend) and a baby sling, as I was living in London, and didn't have a car,

Worst; Full baby travel system, pram thingy...(had to buy the car seat separate in the end), a baby bath, and a bottle warmer....you end up using the microwave at 3am in the morning

So instead of having a 100 posts on the best things to get your baby we can all use one.

 

[Urchin]

I spent £30 on a lovely looking big puffy denim/fur trim snowsuit for Brody for the school run.
I never once put him in it cos even when it was freezing cold he was mainly in the car and would have been boiling.

It looked so cute on the hanger though *sighs*

 

[leckershell]

best I've found so far... avent microwave steriliser (takes 4 minutes!), avent nipple shields, shells, and manual pump for breastfeeding and expressing, fleece blanket, cellular blankets (you need more than just 2 as they get pood on!), playmat (even a cheap one) to keep him temporarily occupied..

least useful... bottle warmer i have no idea how to use it we just use a bowlful of hot water, too many newborn clothes as he's in 0-3 already. probably a nappy bin disposer thingy too - we don't have one, but haven't found we have needed one.

 

[valentine]

I was thinking of making a post like this the other day! Great minds Squiglet!

Best

Tummy Tub bath
Muslin squares
Baby tights - great to go over her big cloth bum in dresses
Laundry mesh so I don't have to touch the dirty nappies again, just chuck the mesh thing which bundles them up into the machine
Natures Babies disposable nappies and nappy bags - these are great for going out and about, are both eco-disposable and have never ever leaked with us
Ikea changing station - love it!
Manual breast pump (Tommee Tippee Freedom)
Baby vibrating bouncer
Comforter - she loves it, sucks on it and we haven't had to use a dummy
Shaped breastfeeding pillow
M&P car seat and base - so easy to put in and out of car
Moses basket
Tommee Tippee breast pads, only ones that work for me and keep me from leaking all down my clothes - Mothercare ones were sh*t for me
Lanisoh nipple cream - godsend in early days
Arnica - as above

Worst

Baby bath
Cellular blankets (have never used them)
Baby bjorn (I use this as its the only sling I've currently got, but so wish for a Mei Tai or another baby carrier - bjorn is quite uncomfy on shoulders and cost £50)
Clothes that don't fit over her big cloth bum
M&P pramette - lovely to look at but quite bulky, difficult to fit in boot, wish we'd gone for cheap stylish reclinable MacLaren now!
Washable breast pads - don't work for me and shredded all over my clothes in the washing machine (think I was supposed to handwash them!)
Loads of Johnsons baby toiletries, loads of baby wipes (must have at least 2000), creams etc - so far haven't used anything chemical on her skin - happy using water and cotton wool

I am sure there are loads more, will get my thinking cap on! Would love to hear others too.

Valentine xxx

 

[maybebaby]

Best

Muslins - the most useful thing any mother can own
Playmat - for tummy time
Cot mobile - he spends hours watching his sheep go round
Door bouncer - loves it, I can set it up in front of a mirror and it keeps him happy long enough to do the washing up!

Worst

Shoes - they look cute but he never wears them
Nasal aspirator - used it once

 

[nathanmum]

my best buys

camera monitors £59.99 from Aldi absolute bargain!
knitted blanket- was a gift but its his comforter he chews the wool


my worst buys

nappy wrapper- was a gift but still fail to see the point??
moses basket- was in it for about 3 weeks as he was so big.
newborn clothes- went straight into 0-3
neutral clothes- as soon as he came out i wanted to dress him like a boy.

 

[Hells]

Best things

Muslins - useful for cleaning up, bibs, a light cover for sleeping, to suck as a comforter, playing peepo and many other things.
Bouncy chair - dd used to bounce in it, doze in it and sit and watch me doing things around the house in it.
Infacol drops - after a few weeks of colic these saved my sanity.

Worst things

Nappy wrapper - more hassle than it was worth for me.
Cot - we didn't use it as dd was in a moses basket for over 9 months, then in our bed, then in her own bed. Well it worked for us.
Umbrella fold toddler type buggy - as soon as dd could walk she never wanted to sit down.

 

[emma28]

best things...

primo vaggio car seat M&P
mircowave steamer
motion sensor pad
bath under wheeled changing unit

worst things...

M&P freestyler travel system- massive and weighed a tonne
avent bottles- bought many then he was too little/weak to suck on them
the inflatable ring thing- never seemed the right size and what do you do with it anyway???!

 

[trixipaws]

best thing: travel system as use the carseat loads and go out with the pram nearly every day

worst: top&tail bowls, we only ever filled one side so it was wobbly to carry a normal plastic bowl wouldve been better!

 

[Becksss]

Best:
Grobags

Blow up playnest

A goochicoo dummy holder (so dnt lose it)

Pretty in Pink vibrating rocking chair she dnt go in it anymore so need to sell that




Worst:
Newborn snow suits I now have 2 near on BRAND new 1s that were £18 each from mothercare that i cant get rid of i culdnt even on ebay hopefully i can when its colder

A teething mouthguard thing from tommee tippee

Pretty in Pink moses basket (another thing cant get rid of)

 

[valentine]

A top'n'tail bowl was definitely a silly buy for me too trixipaws - we could just use a nominated bowl and it cost £5!

Anymore for anymore?

 

[Joy and Ben]

Top and tail bowl - never used it until last week when I had a sickness bug and used it to throw up into!!!!!

 

[Rubys mummy]

Big muslns squares from Bigmuz have been a God send!!

http://www.bigmuz.com/Muslin%20Cloths.htm

We used them to swaddle her (over shoulders until 6 weeks then under arms) every night and used a secnd one as as sheet over her-perfect for balmy summer evenings. Also have a million other uses, a makeshift sling when she wouldnt settle in her pram, and I pop one over the pram as a sunshield

Other best buys:

Video monitor-Boots own band around £100-expensive but it was a gift

Fisher Price lights and sounds cot mobile-she is too big now, but loved it as a newborn, kept her quiet for hours in her cot

Tommy Tippee electric steam steriliser (half price in Asda)

Sainsburys baby jeans-£2.75 a pair, they are wide leg dark denim with pink stiching (plain for boys!), they have soft elastc waitbands, and wash really well. I have loads of pairs for her

Baby carrier-we walk alot so we carry her, she now loves to travel piggy back on daddy in it!!


Worst buys:

Celular blankets (never used them)

Bath seat (mesh lie down type) she hated it, we used plastic baby bath until 5 months and she has a sit in ring one now

Quinny Buzz carrycot for our Buzz system (she was a winter baby so we thought we MUST have one....use it a few times but would of been better with a footmuff in pushchair.

Too many snow suits-used a lightweight one in the end as she was in and out of cars and if she was in pram, had blankets

 

[Becksss]

Asda do them jeans
guess what
£1.50

u better get yeself there
ahhaha
and they have a little pink heart button

 

[Redshoes]

Best:

Tommee Tippee Movement & Noise sensor
Quinny Zapp & MaxiCosi compatible car seat
Muslin Squares
Grobags
BabySwing
Door Bouncer
PlayMat
Cot
Fisher Price Underwater Lights & Sounds Cot Toy
Cotton Wool Balls (large)

Worst:

Buggy Travel System (as others, only used the car seat-sold it and bought a Quinny, best buy ever!!)
Changing Mat
Bouncer Chair (no way would he ever sit in them lol)
Baby Shoes (just get lots of socks hehe)

& I still WISH I'd had room for a rocking chair, that would have saved my now broken back

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Right my turn!

best

Travel system as i use the bus the carseat is great to put her in and the pram is a godsend.
My top and tail bowl, i use the one side and the other to put manky cotton wool in.
All the lovely clothes that were given to me
digital baby monitors from ebay

Worst

Swaddling blanket
tescos cheap nappies
Baby bath, shes noe ready to go in big bath as shes too long for baby bath
and the matching unit storage unit that goes withthe bath and the top n tail bowl - usless
nappy wrapper, eww will never use it again, it just stinks my house out despite cleaning it and emptying it regulary

 

[flower]

Okay, its still early days for me, but these are the few things that i have found i could not live without these past two weeks:

Lanisoh nipple cream
avent breast pads (lots of them)
Breastfeeding bras (Thankgod my mum got them for me, i didnt think they were a necessity!)
Kari me wrap around sling (i take baby everywhere in it and he loves it!)
muslins (useful for absolutely everything)

Worst buys:
all the baby shampoo etc havent really used any of it, mainly just warm water and thats it.
Lots of newborn clothing that he hasnt really fit in to.

 

[scottishterrier]

when El was young:

BEST:
travel system, if she fell asleep while out i only had to lift the car seat indoors.
Swinging crib-lasted months


WORST:
baby bath-never used it
nappy wrapper-waste of money
shoes for under 3 month!

 

[clairescunny55]

Best: 1.swinging crib-bigger than moses basket therefore lasted longer
2.fisher price aquarium for in crib- sent her to sleep in 2 mins
3.changing table-doesnt break your back trying to change on floor
4.Nurse harveys gripe water- a god send for babies over a month old, better than infacol etc

Worse: M and P freestyler travel system - huge and heavy, soon bought
cheap stroller.
M and P primo viaggo car seat and base- if i walked anywhere i
couldnt get picked up cos you couldnt use car seat without base
and the base was too big to take with me
Nappy wrapper- stank the house out

 

[crystabell]

We have bought the M &P's Viaggio Car Seat for when our lo is born. It can be used without the base if you are going in a car. The instructions show you how to do it, the baby faces behind. The instructions with it can also be stored in the car seat at the back so if you forgot how to do it you will always have them there. It looks like a 2 min job to do though as if you don't have the instruction there is a pic on the side of the carseat that shows you where the seat belt secures the seat in the car.

Crystal xx