This post is heavily inspired by Amy over at Amyjaneandbaby. She created a post like this when pregnant with her second son, and the post title has sat in my drafts ever since. It really made me think about the things we used or didn’t use for Molly and how I would do things differently this time round.
When you say your pregnant with your first baby, you are inundated with recommendations from friends and family. You are overwhelmed by the endless lists that fill Pinterest of things you need to have. After having Molly I quickly realised that babies are extremely minimal creatures and they do not need a lot. Nor will they care if you have the latest gadgets and endless amounts of clothing ( that they will probably grow out of before getting a chance to actually wear )
Products we wont be using again
For Baby
Disposable Nappies & Wipes | Disposable nappies and wipes have such a negative impact on the environment, and I didn’t want to contribute to that anymore. We made the switch to cloth nappies and wipes when Molly was 1 and we haven’t looked back since. I always said that if we had another one, that we would try and use cloth from day dot – so that’s what we are going to do!
Baby Shoes | Babies don’t walk, they don’t need shoes. They also grow at such a rate that they don’t last long anyway. Socks or little knitted booties will do just fine, and will last a little longer as they can stretch!
Bath Thermometer | This item never got used. You can quite simply dip your elbow into the water and see if it’s too hot or not.
A Coming Home Outfit | There’s honestly no need for a fancy coming home outfit. Baby is just as cute and even more comfortable in a onesie. Also take into consideration the time of year your baby will be born.
Changing Table | Don’t waste your money on a changing table. We used a set of Ikea Malm draws with Molly. I say used, It got used a handful of times before we started changing her where ever we were. All you need is a changing mat or blanket to put down and you’re good to go!
Bumbo | We were kindly gifted a bumbo seat by a dear friend, but honestly, we never used it. Baby will sit up on their own when they are good and ready. Don’t try and force it.
Room Thermometer | We used this and to be honest, it created more anxiety than anything else. As soon as it dropped a degree I worried, raised a degree, I worried. You can tell if your baby is too hot or too cold by touch.
Plastic toys that flash and makes noise | When Molly was about 8 months, we made the conscious decision to be more Eco friendly and invest in wooden toys as apposed to plastic. This research also opening my eyes to the fact that toys which light up, play music and do everything for you, leave very little room for imagination. Simple wooden Montessori based toys enhance imagination as well as an array of other benefits!
Baby Bath | We were given a baby bath, and honestly, we never used it. We would either bath Molly in the sink or, we had a angel seat that just goes into your bath. She sat/laid really nicely in it, and it saved our arms from aching as well as allowing us to have a little spah and play in the water!
For Mama
Disposable underwear | Disposable Pads | Disposable Breast Pads | All of these items are ones I want to try and avoid this time round. There are so many reusable alternatives out there, that you just don;t need the disposable ones. Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s better for your pocket too! I know having reusable items such as sanitary wear grosses some people out, but honestly, it’s your own bodily fluids, nobody else’s.
Products we will be using again
For Baby
Cloth Nappies and Wipes | As I said above, we switched to cloth with Molly when she was a year old. We are now set up and ready for the baby nappy wise as we were kindly gifted some secondhand newborn nappies from 3 different friends. I am making some reusable wipes as well. I am a little nervous as we didn’t do cloth with a newborn before, so it is completely new territory, but I’m also trying to reassure myself that everything will be ok!
Sling/Carrier | When Molly was a newborn I used to carry her in a sling all the time. I loved it so much! I plan to use a sling for the second baby too. It just felt so nice having them so close and being able to still do things that needed doing. I wore her round the house doing chores, i wore her when we went shopping or for walks. Everywhere! Highly recommend trying a sling. There are so many different ways you can tie the sling, and the different tie styles means you can use it right up to your child being a toddler.
Swaddles | Molly loved being swaddled. I used to swaddle her for her naps and then we actually found a Love to dream swaddle suit second hand for £5 that she then wore every night until it became too small. Some babies don’t like being swaddled, so don’t get disheartened if your baby doesn’t like it.
Muslins | Muslins are amazing! You can use them for anything and everything! Clean up mucky hands and face, clean up spills and sick, tie to make a bib and even use the larger ones as a swaddle or blanket! I will say one thing – If you are a new parent, you may not know – Please do not use swaddles, muslins or blankets to cover your baby in their car seat or pram. You may think you’re blocking out the sun, making it dark so they will sleep. But you are in fact increasing the temperature which can cause overheating. This is super dangerous and in some cases babies have been seriously Ill and even died. Sorry for the scare factor, but its sadly true.
Electric Baby Swing | This item isn’t something you don’t necessarily needs. However, my mum gifted us a secondhand Graco swing and holy crap – best thing ever! Molly would nap in the swing as she loved the motion. She would sit in the swing and watch me doing chores around the house, listen to music and she just loved it! For baby number 2 we are looking at getting another swing, hopefully second hand as the other one died a horrid death from being used so much!
Baby Monitor | Being a first time mother, I was incredibly anxious. Having a monitor helped ease that a little, especially when she was asleep as I could keep an eye on her without going in a disturbing her. As we live with Liam’s parents now, and its 2 floors, Having a monitor will be so much easier to keep an eye on the baby and Molly.
For Mama
Nursing Pillow | I was gifted a nursing pillow my a friend, and oh my god. This pillow is amazing. You can use it to help support baby when feeding, taking some of the strain away from your arms, making feeding for longer more comfortable. We used it to proper her up as she got older, tummy time, I even used to use it to rest the laptop on when doing work as it was more comfortable – I still do that every now and again now!!
Products we would like to try
For Baby
Wooden Activity Arch | My brother gifted us a beautiful pink, activity arch that we and Molly loved! We still have it, however the toys have gone walkies. We will probably use it as a mat for the floor and look at getting a wooden activity arch, Possibly one that can easily fold away due to limited space. There are a few we have seen that we love.
Simple Toys | Following on from the toy section above, this time round we want to keep the toys simple, natural and as Eco friendly as possible. This goes for dummies and teethers too. There are a few that we are looking at getting when the baby is here. Wooden toys, graspers and teethers such as these from Babipur.
Moses Basket | We had a crib with Molly. As we live with Liam’s parents now, there are two dogs as well as a toddler. So, we wanted something to have downstairs where we would put baby safely. We decided on a Moses basket, with a stand that can fold away for easy storage. I don’t want anything super fancy. I literally want a naturally cloured, Moses basket and wooden stand…keeping it simple!
For Mama
A Breast Pump | Breastfeeding with Molly was hard and sadly unsuccessful. I do feel I gave up rather quickly for the fear of doing wrong by my baby. This time I are far more determined to breast feed and pump. I have been looking at different breast pumps and have heard amazing things about the brand Mandela and the Haakaa Pump. So I can’t wait to do some research on both of those!
Reusable Breast Pads | Reusable sanitary Pads | I was kindly sent some reusable sanitary pads from a brand called My Fern Official, and they are gorgeous! They are so soft, and pretty. They have poppers on them, so they should stay in place. Weirdly, I can’t wait to use them! I never suffered with leaking when I had Molly, due to her not feeding. But this time I want to be prepared and get some breast pads I can stick in the wash and reuse. If breastfeeding doesnt work out, they will make great make up removers!
Items Other Mama’s Won’t use again:
Perfect Prep Machine – Illistratedteacup
Any Johnsons Baby products – Wildtotsdinaspowys
Wouldn’t have too many clothes – thespooniemummy
Baby bath – xmummyandkalelx
Socks! I love footed pants for the tiny baby stage. – nimble_wren_montessori
Tummy time mat/pillow, teething granules & huggies baby wipes – Raising.a.khalessi
Moses basket and breast pump – aimeejadeclay
Next to me crib. Glorified baby guard. She sleeps in our bed! – papayak87
Chicco next to me crib, bouncer chair and cot mobile – Becomingmumsy
Ewan the sheep – rachelcalter
Items Other Mama’s Would use again:
Swaddles, a monitor with a song that can be repeated every night to help with routine – charlielouisegray
Snuzpod, MyHummy, newborn sleeping bag – rachelcalter
Sleepyhead, Haakaa breastpump and playmat – Becomingmumsy
Sleepyhead. white noise machine – Illistratedteacup
I think that’s It. The list is a lot long than I intended it to ever be, but once Liam and I started talking about it, there were so many things we came up with, or forgot we’d even used with Molly. To be honest, as you can tell from what other mamas would/would’t use again, it depends on what works for you and your baby.
