Parents-if you had to choose 1 item...

pdoff

old towels to put on changing mat - warmer than plastic & soaks up accidents (unless u have a boy like mine who spurted everywhere as soon as nappy off!! cover bits with towel as soon as you can!) u can never have too many towels - apart from for drying u can also put them on your shoulder to catch sick & as an extra layer under baby in cot to absorb leaks better than sheets. if really desperate can use if run out of blankets too. used one as a bib on toddler once & he wanted it every time instead of usual bib!

elmer

earplugs, mine are 12 and 10 now and I am still using them (not the same ones of course)

elmer

pdoff

elmer wrote:

earplugs, mine are 12 and 10 now and I am still using them (not the same ones of course)

elmer

me & dh tried this (after finished breastfeeding around 4 months), alternating so we each had 1 good nights sleep - didn't work tho cos he slept so soundly (or pretended to) that i still woke up 1st & got up cos couldnt wake him!

tiredwithtwins

dishwasher.
honestly.
with twins, it took forever to wash up..........

sue
ps congrats on being parents!

Juicy_Tube

Thank you to all of you for your replies. been away for a week so am now wading my way through!!

Keep em coming...

TIA

JT x

Gingham_Ribbon

tagz wrote:

And to use your hairdryer on the cool setting to keep your stitches cool and dry. DH once walked in on me whilst I was doing the latter and got the shock of his life!

My mother in law strolled into my bedroom when I was applying lanolin to my nipples! :eek:

Okay, things I couldn't have done without:

My boobs

Breastpump

Maclaren buggy

Local children's library

Meeting other mums (baby groups etc.) You just can't beat having people going through the same things to talk to. And I still meet them regularly almost 2 years on, although I'm the only one now who hasn't gone back to work/uni.

Good, safe, properly fitted car seat.

Washable nappies (the kushies were great until he got too big. Terries do the job though.)

Decent sized ice cube trays for weaning.

Cordless phone. (He managed to pull the cable so many times he broke 3 phones before I cottoned on and got a cheap cordless.)

Buggy friendly buses. (Can't order them from the net though, unfortunately!)

Things I could have done without:

Baby sling (my back was bad and he grew too heavy in a matter of weeks.)

Interference from strangers!

All the excess weight which I still haven't managed to shift!

sjpkgp

Having my fourth next week and my vote while pregnant goes to maalox (anti-acid liquid). Being consumed currently in pints. The second vote goes to the bump itself, has got me out of all sorts of jobs/unpleasant situations, didn't play on it the first few times but have milked it this time around.

Once they have been born, I seem to remember being surprised to find the following extremely useful:

- tea towels (a sort of low cost muslin square for the tight fisted)
- nipple shield (for the breastfed ones - a bit unecessary if bottle feeding :-))
- having the baby near to you at night along with all the things you might need (means you can do things half asleep as opposed to fully awake lights on up and down the stairs mode)
- cheap metal flask full of boiling water and cheap plastic jug under pram - hot water to warm bottle or food wherever you are without the hassle of trying to find a cafe and then them not being able to warm bottle competently (or at all !!!, Kentucky Fried Chicken shame on you)

I would also agree with the benefit of other people/lighting as distractions/toys like a previous poster has pointed out. Those expensive toys will be touched once. Something nice and dangerous will be pawed to infinity. Also quite good to have a letter box for your baby to post your valuables and housekeys through so people can burgle you with greater ease. I have yet to meet a baby of a certain age that can resist a letterbox.

Gingham_Ribbon

sjpkgp wrote:

Also quite good to have a letter box for your baby to post your valuables and housekeys through so people can burgle you with greater ease. I have yet to meet a baby of a certain age that can resist a letterbox.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

It's our cat flap that is the route to all manner of lost items, from keys to toys to important letters...torn up and in the snow!

SammyD_2

Must haves for me...cordless phone (to have any chance of making any calls at all)

change table - I know some posters disagree, but for me it is a must have - baby no. 2 is five weeks old, and with breastfeeding and trying to pacify a jealous two year old as well, my back would be dead without it. Found it invaluable for baby no. 1.

muslin squares - but depends if you have a baby that "sicks up" - my first never, ever sicked up and we only bought them after we had baby no. 2. But now I can't do anything without them.

Tiny love symphony in motion mobile - goes round and round and plays mozart, bach or beethoven. My first loved it, and it is a lot better than listening to twinkle twinkle little star for the hundreth time. Usually lots on ebay.

Nappy wrapper - again - a controversial entry, but I have found mine is brilliant.

Baby bather - the one I use is a wire frame with a piece of towelling fabric stretched across it. Still have to keep a hand on the baby but I found this to be invaluable as I find it really hard to bath my baby without it - they are just so darned slippery and wriggly!

Gro bags - but we only used for 6 months - after that my son just wriggled too much and got them all twisted round so it was a waste of money spending £50 on two bigger ones that have never been used.

Book called "Baby bliss" - if you have a colicky baby it gives you a five point technique to soothe them - as seen on Richard and Judy so it must be true - have put it to the test on number two and it works for her. If nothing else studying how to do the four point swaddle distracts you from the crying.

Bouncy chair that lies flat - can use it as extra bed in the day for baby and gives you somewhere to put them down.


Waste of money - hand breast pump - took ages and ended up with very sore hand...have bought a mini electric which is better.

moses basket - only used for a short time, and too easy access by toddlers to be used for baby number two...

baby bath - for all the reasons everyone else has specified

anything in newborn sizes

all singing all dancing high chair - too big for my dining room, never used the recline feature, never used the adjustable height setting, and by the time my baby looked big enough to fit in it, he was wanting to sit on a booster seat instead.

Best of luck...

beastoid_2

Earplugs......