When my first child was born I remember having a nursery full of items. Many of these items I used once or never at all. With my second child, she inherited the same items from her elder sibling, and again I turned to the same trusted and tried products. There was a gap then to my third child and I had actually sold all my baby items. In fact I sold the cot two weeks before finding out I was pregnant. This meant I had to start again. The age gap had seen a boom in new baby products and now there were products on the market that hadn’t existed before and once again I felt like a new parent. To help overcome the minefield of newborn products out there here are my top five items
1. Ewan the dream sheep
All three of my children have loved Ewan. When we bought Ewan for my eldest daughter he only came in one colour, now though there are multiple colour choices available. My eldest loved Ewan so much that we actually bought another for her sister and a third Ewan for my third child. We actually have a flock of Ewan’s in our house, all of which we have purchased and 8 years later all of which are still working. Ewan is a soft cuddly sheep toy which has four preset sounds to soothe a newborn. Each of my children has loved a different sound, one preferred the soft song and another liked the white noise. My experience also tells me that using Ewan from day 1 works a lot more at soothing a child quicker than introducing to an older baby.
2. Shnuggle bath
I discovered the Shnuggle bath with my third child and it was a complete game-changer. The bath can be used from newborn and I have used it with my three year old. What makes this tub so great is its size. It can easily be stored without taking up as much room as a traditional baby tub. It requires less water to wash baby, making it more economical and it lasts so much longer because it can be used into the toddler years too.
3. Bedside Crib
Again another item that was not available with my eldest two, but one I could not have lived without with my third child. Having a bedside crib with the ability to put the side of the crib down meant I could comfort my baby with ease and I felt so much more relaxed too. There are multiple products on the market, we had a Snuzpod which I have now converted into a desk but there is also the Chicco Next to Me and Shnuggle Air Bed. The later can be converted into a cot meaning it would last up to the age of two.
4. Perfect Prep
I breastfed my eldest children but for personal reasons I bottle fed my third child. The perfect prep machine from Tommee Tippee was honestly a lifesaver, especially for those night feeds. The Perfect prep takes the guesswork out of making a bottle. Every feed is made up to the correct amount and also at the correct temperature and when it is the middle of the night it really does help.
5. Vital Baby Aquaint sanitising water
I discovered the vital baby aquaint sanitising water with my second child and it is simply amazing. The spray water sanitises items immediately and it is safe to drink. Meaning you can squirt it directly into your mouth! I used to carry a bottle with me and could sanitise dummies when dropped and other toys too. The spray actually kills 99.9% of bacteria and contains no harmful chemicals so it is safe from birth.
Those are my top five items that I could not have done without in the first few months. I would be interested in hearing yours.
