Essentials & Must-haves

So I wanted to write this post as a lot of you have been asking me what I would recommend buying when your expecting a baby. Being the organised control freak that I am I wrote what I can only describe as a list Monica from Friends would have been proud of and then did loads of research before I bought anything.

I didn't actually start buying anything until after my 20 week scan as I was nervous to. Most of the things I bought were so useful however some, not so much.

Obviously this all comes down to personal opinion and everyone likes different things and of course some things will work for some babies and not for others. Below are the main things I would highly recommend. Hope it helps and if you have any questions feel free to message me x

Sleeping

• Chicco Next to Me - We used this next to our bed and it can either have all sides up or one side down and attached to your bed. It can also be put on a slant which we found so useful for putting Blake and Ivy down after a feed. It's really spacious so Blake and Ivy shared this for over 3 months and it can also fit a sleepyhead inside it for one baby.

• Sleepyhead - These have been great for sleeping in and let's your baby feel secure and snuggled. When Blake and Ivy were in the Chicco together at night I didn't use them but we used them in the day on our table instead of a Moses basket and then used them once they were in separate cots.

• Swaddles - We have used two brands for this. Blake and Ivy were swaddled from about 4 weeks and slept so much better once we swaddled them. We started with the grocompany GroSnugs. I know a lot of babies don't like being swaddled so we only got one each to start with but as they loved it we ended up getting more so when they needed washing we had another. Another brand which Blake and Ivy are actually still wearing now is the Love to Dream swaddles. These are so great as they allow them to sleep with their arms up beside their head and if you buy the 50/50 swaddle you can eventually unzip each arm and help them transition from being swaddled to going into a grobag.

• White Noise -Ewan the Dreamsheep, My Hummy, Sound Sleeper App - this is on my iPad and I play it at night which works wonders.

• Wedgehog - this can be purchased on Amazon and is a foam wedge that you can place under the sleepyhead, a Moses basket mattress, a carrycot mattress and a larger one can go under a cot mattress. It is designed to have the baby sleeping on a slight incline which can reduce reflux and colic. This worked so well especially for Blake after all his feeds and he was a lot more settled being put down on a slant. I have the larger ones now in their cot.

• Summer Infant baby monitor - I have the one which can have 2 cameras and the monitor switches from one picture to another every 8 minutes. It is always worth buying a monitor knowing you can add a second camera to it so if you plan on having another baby you don't need to invest in buying a whole new monitor.

Out and About

• Icandy Orange - for me this has been the best tandem buggy. It’s bigger than the peach, has a great size basket and also allows you to avoid having one baby low to the ground and faving the back of a chair. They have so many different varieties of how you can place the seats. If you want a tandem buggy this is great.

• City Mini Double (baby jogger) - best side by side in my opinion. However I think more for when the babies are a bit older as you cannot attach the car seats. The buggy allows your baby to lie completely flat and although the buggy is side by side it’s actually still quite narrow I can fit through most doors. Always check it can fit through your front door before buying it!

• Morrk - Amazing for winter babies. This is a blanket that sits in the car seat and wraps around the baby. It allows you to unwrap them once you get indoors without having to undress them if you had an outdoor sleepsuit on.

• Skip Hop Portable changing matt - I find this so useful as it can hold all your changing essentials in all the compartments and if you want to go to the toilet to change your baby you don’t need to take your whole bag with you. I didn’t actually have this from the start but since having it, changing out has been a lot easier.

• Baby changing bag - Tiba and Marl rucksack. This holds so much and I do think having something that looks relatively unisex makes my husband feel a bit better when he’s out with the babies.

• Snoozeshade - This has been a god send for me as Blake and Ivy have got older. When they were newborn they could sleep anywhere but now they are not so good when it’s bright out. This helps them nap when we are out and is also good when it’s sunny and you want to shade them. A must have for holiday too!

• Tiny Love take along mobile - I use this on Blake and Ivy’s car seats. It plays music and keeps them entertained when we are in the car.

Feeding

• Tommee Tippee Prep Machine - I think this is a must. It saves me loads of time and makes preparing bottles so much easier especially with 2 babies.

• Mam Bottles - These can be sterilised in the microwave which means if you do not have much space for a steriliser then these are really handy. They are also anti colic. I use the Mam dummies too as the teats are the same so made sense to use both.

• Aden & Anais Muslins - my favourite brand of Muslins and they also do large swaddles which I use as blankets in the summer.

Bathtime/Changing

• Angelcare bathseat - these make bathing a lot easier than holding your baby in the bath. Not only has it saved my back but Blake and Ivy seem to love sitting in them for bath time and splash about comfortably. After I have washed them I do take some of the water out the bath and move the seat away so they can kick about properly in the water. I will be getting the next seat once they grow out of the first angel care seat.

• Aveeno body wash/moisturiser - I have used this on both Blake and ivy from about 8 weeks old. It smells lovely and is really gentle on their skin.

• Bepanthen - This is a nappy rash cream which I have used from birth and is really good. I put it on after Blake and ivy Have a dirty nappy only.

• Philips Avent bath thermometer - just makes it easier seeing the temperature rather than guessing with your elbow.

• Cuddle dry towels - These towels are so soft and very clever! They wrap around your neck so your hands are free when you carry the baby out the bath! I also find they are such a good size and I am still using the baby size 6 months down the line. They are a bit pricier than other towels but really worth it.

• Tommee Tippee sangenic bin - if like me you know you won’t go outside and throw away every dirty nappy you change straight away then this is great as it allows you to collect dirty nappies without the smell collecting in your house.

Toys

• Matchstick Monkeys - Such great teething toys. Blake and Ivy started using these as their first teething toy as they are really easy for them to hold and put into their mouth. It’s their go to toy!

• Gertie the Goose - another great teething toy and also squeaks when they bite it which they love.

• Sophie La Giraffe - classic teething toy that they enjoy chewing. You can never have too many teething toys!

• Fisher price play mat and jumperoo - the playmat has been used from the beginning and they still love it. Blake and Ivy have just started using the jumperoo at 6months and it is the cutest thing. It does take up quite a bit of space but you can buy space saver ones which I think are really worth it.

• Bjorn bouncer - these bouncers look very plain and simple but they are great. They are light weight and easy to put away as they go flat. Once your baby is old enough they learn to bounce themselves too which is always a bonus.

• Tiny love toy arch - this can be added to loads of different things but I put it on the bjorn bouncers. You can also add it on a buggy which entertains your baby whilst you’re out.

• Lamaze Toys - they are all great but I especially like the firefly!

• Disco light ball - I got one on amazon which is not actually for babies but I put it on in their room before bath and they just stare at the ceiling fascinated. It’s a great way to help babies wind down before bedtime.

Clothes

I get most of Blake and Ivy’s clothes from high street shops such as Next, H&M, Zara, Gap, Primark but I also love online boutique companies and here are a few I would recommend that do really cute bits.

• Harlowe & Rose - Instagram page @harlowerosechildrenswear

• Turtle dove - www.turtledovelondon.com

• Two Little Bears - www.twolittlebears.co

• Billies Bows - I strain page @billiesbobble_bows

• Lavender Sun - www.mylavendersun.com

I hope you found the above useful! If you have any questions on any of the items I’ve mentioned or questions regarding things I may not have mentioned, do let me know!!

Thanks for reading!! I will be doing a similar post all about holiday essentials with babies! X