It can be so overwhelming and expensive preparing for the arrival of a new baby. I am very much the type of person who likes to have a plan, make lists and tick things off. So I have complied quite an extensive list of what I feel are the essential buys for a baby. Some things may seem unnecessary/excessive to some people, but personally I’ve found them all useful and would buy them again. The list has grown as time has gone on as I’ve realised what I should have bought earlier and could have done with before hand if I was going to be that perfectly prepared momma that I wasn’t!

I have included the brands that I’ve bought and the * items are the ones I feel are worth their weight in gold!

By the way, I’ll do a weaning list in a separate blog.

Travel

✅Stroller – Egg

✅Car seat – Maxi Cosi Cabriofix (can in bundle) & Pebble (slightly bigger)

✅Isofix travel system

✅Baby Car seat mirror * – Munchkin (large)

✅Pram parasol – Mothercare

✅Pram gloves * – Jojo maman Bebe

✅Sling * – Baby K’tan

✅Carrier * – Ergobaby 360

✅Car seat protector (for your car not the baby seat) – Amazon

Sleep

✅Moses basket & mattress – Mothercare

✅Next to me crib/Snuzpod (we never ended up buying one but would in the future)

✅Sleepyhead deluxe

✅Bedding for Moses & cot

✅Sleeping bag – Grobag * (both a 2.5 tog and 1.0 tog)

✅Swaddling – Groswaddle (I didn’t buy this but wish I did as I always found swaddling with sheets difficult and Evelyn would kick it off in no time!)

✅Blankets/shawls

✅White noise teddy – My hummy * (I recommend the Bluetooth one so that it’s compatible with the app)

Nursery

✅Black out curtains

✅Black out blinds – Gro travel black out blind *

✅Room thermometer * – Gro egg

✅Baby monitor * – Powerextra video monitor

✅Nursery Furniture (Cotbed & under cot drawer, wardrobe, changing table & chest of drawers) – Mama’s & Papa’s

✅Storage baskets for nappies/sacks/wipes

✅Nappy bin (with lid – more important for the smelly weaning poo!)

Feeding

✅Bottle Maker – Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep

✅Formula (we only ever tried Aptamil)

✅Steam steriliser – Tommee Tippee electric steamer

✅Bottles and teats (I bought loads of brands with little success, separate blog on this!)

✅Manual breast pump – Avent

✅Electric breast pump – Medela swing pump

✅Silicone breast pump – Naturebond *

✅Breastmilk bags

✅Muslins

✅Bibs

✅Feeding pillow * – Widgey

Changing & bathing

✅Changing mat x2 – Mothercare

✅Changing bag – handbag (Egg), backpack (Skiphop)

✅Nappies (average 6-10 nappies a day) – Pampers (in my opinion they are stretchier, softer and more absorbent)

✅Nappy sacks – Lupilo

✅Cotton wool and cotton pads (used them with water exclusively for cleaning for the first 3 months – highly recommend this as she never had nappy rash)

✅Wet wipes – Pampers

✅Barrier cream * – Bepanthem

✅Nappy rash cream – Sudocrem and Metanium

✅ Bathing products – Baby shampoo (Johnson’s) Baby body wash/bath (Avenno), Moisturiser/Emollient (Hydromol)

✅Nail file and nail clippers

✅Bath flannel/sponges

✅Water thermometer – TensCare Digi Duckling

✅Baby bath – Mothercare

✅Baby newborn bath seat – Angelcare bath support

✅Bath mat – standard one (Munchkin), one with seat when able to sit up (Mothercare)

✅Bath towel – Grotowel

✅Dummies and lanyards (Evelyn never really took too a dummy but the best one we had was by Nuk)

✅Top & tail bowl – Mothercare

Basic Clothes (Winter baby) – my favourite shops for good quality clothes are Next & M&S

✅Babygrows with built in scratch mitts (as the separate scratch mitts just fall off all the time!)

✅Vests – sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve

✅Hats

✅Pramsuit/snowsuit

First Toys

✅Baby play mat – Mama’s & Papa’s Stargaze playmat & gym *

✅Baby bouncer – Mothercare

✅Teether – Sophie la giraffe, Gummy Glove

✅Soft Rattle

Post natal

✅Nursing bra – M&S seamfree padded 2 pack (so comfy and easy quick access)

✅Breast pads – Lansinoh * (these ones are much more comfortable than other brands)

✅Maternity pads and lots of them! (thick ones initially for more comfort then thinner ones)

✅Maternity gel pads & gauze * – Femé pad

✅Painkillers – Paracetamol (avoid Ibuprofen if breastfeeding)

✅Nipple cream – Lanolin *

✅Big comfortable knickers and Disposable underwear (not very glamorous I know!)

✅Moisturising hand wash and hand cream (as they will get so dry from washing your hands a million times a day)

✅Haemorrhoid cream (again it’s not glamorous but best to be prepared just incase, because after all, you have just pushed a human out of you!) – Germoloid cream

Reading

✅The little ones sleep programme *** (cannot recommend this enough! No exaggeration this programme helped save my sanity)

✅What mothers do…especially when it looks like nothing – Naomi Stadlen (such a great book which puts into words the rollercoaster of emotions that you experience)

✅The food of love: Your formula for successful breastfeeding – Kate Evans (a very informative and honest book about breastfeeding)

✅The Wonder Weeks App (for understanding what is going on with your tiny little one’s developement)