We all know how much “stuff” babies need, or at least what we’re told they need anyway. We all fall victim to marketing ploys that make us think we need certain things, when in fact they could really do without. I know in our house there were things that were only used a few times, what a waste of money, and it adds to clutter too! Following on for my popular “What I’ve learnt so far” series, I have decided to do a full review of my favourite newborn and baby things. Working with newborns and babies as much as I do (and having my own little one, now almost 2 years old *faints*), you figure out what really works and what doesn’t, and clients always appreciate when they are recommended a product that really does work well.

I’m going to start with items found in baby’s nursery as these are some of the first things that parents-to-be will purchase. I will cover clothing, out-and-about, and day to day items through the series too. If you have any products that you love too, please feel free to comment and let us know about them!

Enjoy!

-Roberta

Moses Basket
There’s something about newborns snuggled up in their moses basket, so adorable! We got ours from Mamas and Papas, found HERE, but all of their designs are adorable! The base of the basket is quite firm and offers great support to your new baby’s little spine. Our little one lasted on 5 or 6 weeks in her moses basket as she was very very long (her daddy is 6ft 3, and she will be taller than me by the time she is 10!). We loved the basket though, and was a must have for us in those first few weeks. We moved her up to a cotbed next, and she is still in that today in cot form. I love that they change into a little toddler bed, perfect for the transition into a big girl/boy bed.

Bedding

Mamas and Papas was again our go-to place for bedding. Their sheets and blankets are super soft and wash really well, all of what we purchased for her as a newborn is still going strong today and look brand new. We did try other brands for her blankets and sheets, but they just weren’t as soft. They can be found HERE and HERE

Changing table

Having a set changing and dressing location is a must in my opinion for newborns. Everything in its place and to-hand, it’s a must when there’s a blow out nappy! We got our changing table in Ikea and we still love it to this day. All her clothes fit in the drawers underneath, there’s room for additional storage (we have an opaque plastic under-bed style tray with extra creams, sponges, face cloths etc stored in there) and room to store nappies and wipes bought in bulk behind the dresser. You can find ther dresser here HERE and the changing table attachment HERE. The construction of the unit is really sturdy and doesn’t budge at all, as I said we still love it! It’s also great that once we’re finished needing a changing table, the attachment comes off and it’s a really cute dresser. Win win!

Changing mat
Ikea was again our go-to place for the changing mat. It’s a really nice size mat, spongy bottom and the sides are blow up. best of all though are the towelling covers, in a 2 pack, you get for the mat. This means the mat isn’t cold when you lay baby down, and if they get soiled you can just throw them into the wash (they dry pretty quick too which is a bonus). You can find the mat HERE and the covers HERE.

Mobile
Mobiles are traditionally put on the baby’s cot, this always seemed a bit puzzling to me since the cot is where they’re meant to sleep, and wouldn’t a mobile not stimulate their brain rather than put them to sleep? Because of this we didn’t put the mobile on our little ones cot at any stage. We then happened upon a really great trick when our little one was only a few weeks old, having the mobile on the changing table! She loved nothing more than watching “the dudes” go round and round when she was getting changed and dressed, cooing and laughing at them. Life savers! I can’t remember where we got ours from, but you can get really sweet mobiles in most baby shops and to suit all budgets too.

Because it’s a really cute photo, here’s my little one at about 8 weeks old (yup, she really was a long baby) on her changing table staring at “the dudes”. Can’t you feel the love!

Muslin cloths
These are a must have. Seriosuly, they can be used for everything from burping cloths, swaddling, blankets on a hot day, a whole long list of things! You can gets them in Mothercare, Tesco, Ikea (really cute designs in Ikea) or the beautiful Aden and Anais muslin cloths and muslin swaddle wraps which are hugely popular with all the celebs, you can find them HERE in Ireland.