People seem to spend a lot of money on baby items. We were thankfully gifted a lot, but also we decided to try and go minimalist on what we needed as well. I think there is an awful lot of marketing around babies and they try to sell you so many unnecessary things.
Here are the most useful things I have found in the first six months as a mum:
Bepanthen Cream
I had only really heard of Sudocrem previously, but just before I was due, a mum from church had a baby with a bad nappy rash and really rated this.
So I bought a tube to have on hand, and honestly, I’ve been really impressed with it.
You can use it preventatively or when the baby’s skin is sore and it’s been excellent. I use it once a day when her skin is fine, and more regularly if it gets a bit sore.
Link to buy from Tesco
Nipple Shields
I’d lived in blissful ignorance of the existence of these until I had a baby. But feeding was really difficult, baby had tongue tie and couldn’t latch properly and I was cracked and bleeding.
A midwife recommended I try a shield which saved our breastfeeding journey.
Now, a lot of people are incredibly negative about shields (the breastfeeding specialist told me never to use a shield) but they have been amazing for me and I wish people hadn’t been so negative about them and I had started using them earlier.
I’ve been trying to cut down my usage but I’m still using them on one side, so again it’s been used every day, and couldn’t have fed without them.
Link to buy from Sainsburys
Room Thermometer
In the last six months, we’ve had temperatures between 7 degrees and 38 degrees. And knowing how to dress your baby in changing temperatures is really important.
They are some really helpful guides but it does involve knowing your room temperature. After 2 days, I bought a room thermometer, and again it’s used every day to give me the peace of mind that I know I’m putting my baby in the safest clothes.
Personally, I don’t know how you would just decide on one because room temperature is really hard to guess.
Link to buy from eBay
Generally, white noise is believed to help babies sleep better (although the research can be debated).
I wasn’t convinced and wasn’t planning on using it. However, I did try it in the first week and decided actually it might actually be a good idea for us. Mainly because of two reasons, it provided a sleep association for her and it helped cover up other noises like moving the covers or a squeaky mattress. We use this every day.
Do use a decibel app to ensure you’re not playing it too loud though, because you can cause hearing damage if baby is exposed to loud noise levels.
Link to buy from Amazon
Matchstick Monkey
We were given this as a gift and I didn’t think too much of it until our baby was about 3 months old and started wanting to chew everything. I got this gift out and it’s fast become her favorite toy.
Its shape makes it easier for small babies to hold onto and it’s better designed than the previous teething favorite – Sophie the Giraffe. If you want to know what’s wrong with Sophie the giraffe read this article. If you’re not convinced look at the benefits of Matchstick monkeys.
Link here to buy from Matchstick Money
Disclaimer: None of the links in the blog post are paid for or sponsored – they are my own suggestions to make it easier for you to find a place to buy them.
