With my first child I feel like we bought ALL OF THE THINGS. Because we basically had no idea what we were doing or what we needed, we just bought or were given pretty much everything anyone suggested. When I look back, I think we actually used maybe half of them. There are just SO MANY baby products around that it can actually get a bit overwhelming for first time parent to work out what exactly they NEED.

So 6 years later, when we were surprised to find out that number 2 was on the way and long after we had thrown out or given away ALL OF THE ABOVE THINGS I knew I wasn’t going to make the same expensive mistake again and stuck to a list of what I think are the essentials.

A WAY TO GET AROUND

When you have a baby your pram becomes like a fifth limb. Where you go, it goes and it’s with you for a long time.

With my first I got so bored with pram shopping that I ended up just choosing one because it was a) one of the cheapest and b) a nice colour.
MISTAKE!

The thing was like a shopping trolley with a busted wheel. I literally fought with it to go in a straight line, it weighed a tonne and getting it packed up and into the car was a mission!

A really good pram was very high up on my list of things I needed for baby 2. I did a lot of asking around and a lot of pram stalking at the shops until I got down to a choice between 2 and eventually ended up going with a Baby Jogger Mini GT.

There are a lot of reasons I love and recommend this pram so much. You can read more about why in the post below

Baby Jogger City Mini 10th Anniversary Edition

SOMEWHERE TO SLEEP

Moses basket, crib, bassinette, cot…….
Trying to decide on where your newborn baby will sleep when you first bring he or she home is one of the big purchase decisions you’ll make.
I’d seen the Amby Baby Hammock pop up in my news feed while I was pregnant so I emailed them to ask a few questions and was lucky enough to be sent one to try out.

Amby Baby Hammock

WRAPS/BLANKETS/SWADDLES

There are loads of different types of swaddles, sleep suits, baby wraps and blankets on the market. If your swaddle skills are better than mine you can wrap your baby in a blanket or wrap. If you’re like me, and your wrapping skills stop at birthday presents get yourself some zip up or velcro swaddles. You might have to try a few depending on what you and your baby like but I love the Love to Dream Swaddles for newborns.

I’m NEVER without one of my Finch and Folk organic Muslin baby wraps either (I have three). They’re big (120cms), they’re soft and they wash up really well, which is good because you’ll use them to keep baby warm, keep them in the shade, wipe up spew, cover up when you’re feeding, sit on, change a nappy on, cover the pram with.

SOMETHING TO WEAR

Sounds easy………isn’t.

Maternity clothes are tricky. You want to be comfortable, you want them to be easy to feed in, but you also get kinda sick of being in trackies and Bonds singlets all the time. (even thought they are GREAT, and also an essential!)
Some of my favourite maternity pieces have come from Perth based label Max & Mee. They’re breastfeeding friendly….without looking like breastfeeding clothes.
If you’re like me and love a good basic in a neutral colour you’ll love this brand.

BELLY BAND

I started wearning my Belly Band at around 25 weeks pregnant, and pretty much didn’t take it off until 8 weeks post partum. I suffered quite badly with a bad back and sore ribs for the last few weeks of pregnancy and the Belly Band was one of the only things to provide some sort of relief. It also really helped after my caesarean to support my back and protect my scar.

This is actually a great baby shower gift if you’re into giving useful practical gifts.

BABY SNOT

Here’s a tip for beginners, babies can’t blow their nose. Which leads to the problem of snot removal. Gross and tricky all in one gooey nostril full.
Enter the “snot sucker” or the Nose Frida or Fess Little Noses Saline Nose Spray or Neilmed Naspira Aspirator (this is the one I have)
There are plenty of different brands and styles available, choose one……buy one…..you’ll thank me later

You might also like to read….

My Baby Faves (3 to 12 months)


I received some of the products in this post free of charge for the purposes of a product review however as for all reviews from Kids in Adelaide the above is honest and in my own words

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