Top 10 baby products you actually need
If you are a first time parents, you might be a bit overwhelmed with everything you have read online, what you were told in your ante-natal class or what your Mum or grandma has been telling you!
What is it that you actually need for your newborn baby, that is not a useless buy and will be super useful in the first few months ?
As a newborn photographer in London and a Mum myself, I hear a lot from my clients about this topic and what they wish they knew. To help simplify your shopping list, here are the top 10 newborn essentials you actually need:
1/ A comfortable place to sleep
A crib, Moses basket, or bedside bassinet is essential for safe sleep. Ensure it meets safety standards, with a firm mattress and fitted sheets. Sleep safety is key to your baby’s well-being! A lot of Mums like to have them on these little bassinets that attach to your own bed, so if you need to breastfeed during the night, you just have to roll over and grab baby.
2/ Baby carrier
Super practical when baby is small and not too heavy. You get your 2 hands back and can multi-task at the same time. I was using one a lot with my Lily ( Babyjorg). I tried the scarf that you wrapped around you, and it’a also a good one, although it takes a bit of practice at first !
3/ Pyjamas with zip
So yes all these little baby outfits are super cute, but the truth is that a lot of them are not practical at all ! Too many buttons, or not enough, it’s just a nightmare to get your baby in it. My go-to with Lily was always the pyjamas with a front zip. Not a lot of brands have them, I think I got mine from H&M. Otherwise any onesie with minimal efforts to put on baby or super stretchy materials, are what you want to go for. At the end of the day, if you need to change a poonami, you want to have easy access !
4/ Diapers and wipes
Essential and for many years. We have tried a lot of brands for diapers and in the end we would always go to either Pampers or Sainsburys own label. They were easy to put on and realiable when it comes to leakage !
For the wipes, always went with Water wipes. They are the best. When we started potty training, we have also added the PURA flushable wipes.
It’s always useful to have a changing foldable map with you at all times, that you can put on top of any changing table ( we don’t extra germs from public places!). Let’s not forget little bin bags too.
For nappy rash, we would use most of the time some Sudo cream.
5/ Foldable buggy or easy-to-use pram
If you travel a lot or take the public transport, this is a must-have. The most famous being the Yo-Yo brand but quite expensive (they have the newborn seat and the toddler seat). We started with a pram from Nuna. Really good quality and strong, big wheels, able to convert for different ages, but it is quite heavy.
When Lily was able to sit, we went with the Baby jogger one, which can fold and go into the over-head lockers in airplanes. Mega useful when travelling to London in the tube too. 4 years on, I am still using it with Lily! It is light but strong :)
6/ First Aid essentials
You must have at least a thermometer ( a good and reliable one is prefered). We use the one from Braun. A little disinfecting spray is good to have as well for any little ouchy. Nail clippers - yes they do have sharp nails even when they are newborns !
Salines drops for congestion in the nose or one of this nose sucker tube thingy ( gross but you do anything when it comes to your baby !)
Calpol - aka paracetamol - because you will need it when they have their first vaccines.
7/ Gentle Bath products
They always have a super sensitive skin, so make sure to have the right products in your bathroom when it comes to give them a bath or to moisturise their skin. My go-to was Lipikar from La Roche Posay and Aveeno cream for babies. My Lily had some allergies and some bad skin reaction when she was little ( we found out later it was probably the Dettol wipes we were using to clean everything in the house).
8/White or pink noise machine
Babies do like a background noise to fall asleep. Lyly was always sleeping through the fire alarm ! haha We heard about the white noise machine but also the pink noise machine ( super popular in Australia), so I ordered one from Glow Dreaming when they finally launched in the UK too. There are some colours too to either help them sleep ( red) or help them focus ( green). We used ours for almost 4 years, so I highly recommend it.
9/ Breastfeeding or Bottle-feeding essentials
If you are breastfeeding, you might want to invest in a nursing pillow, nipple cream, nipple shields and breast pads.
If you are formula-feeding, you might want a sterilizer to clean your bottles and also a formula dispenser for on-the-go ease. We use to have a thermos to travel with boiling water anywhere, just in case we needed to do a bottle on the go.
10/ Newborn photoshoot
I am definitely biased here, but I would definitely put it as a must-do on your list. You will never regret it Mama, trust me. I couldn;t get one with Lily as she was born in lockdown. So sadly this is something I will never have ( I took some photos myself obviously but it’s not the same).
While the baby market is full of tempting gadgets, these 10 essentials will truly make life easier for you and your newborn. Less clutter, less stress, and more time to enjoy those precious first moments!
If you're looking to capture beautiful memories of your little one, I’d love to help. Feel free to reach out to book your newborn photography session in London!
