5 newborn MUST-haves
It’s a very confusing baby world out there for new parents, it was especially for me.
I did not know the first thing about babies, what they need, and what we should buy for them.
I didn’t have much exposure to babies throughout my life. I’d see some of my friends have babies but never got too involved…to be blatantly honest…I wasn’t that interested.
But once I knew we are having a baby….things changed.
I began to get interested, wanting to learn about how to raise a baby, and what was needed to ensure this baby survives!
Although I knew I wanted to make sure he has everything he needs, I also knew that this is exactly what baby businesses are banking on…for you to spend too much on things you thought you need, and mark up prices on things with the word “baby” in them.
So, if you are like me and want to know which baby items are actually helpful, and which ones you shouldn’t be spending extravagant amount of money on, I’ve got my top 5 things to BUY and things NOT to BUY below:
TOP 5 - MUST HAVES
Zipper Swaddles - don’t bother trying to learn how to swaddle. You need to have the technique perfect in order for your baby not to be able to get out of it. And they only get stronger as they grow so it wil get harder and harder to make it tight and perfect enough to hold them in. Get a zipper swaddle and save SOO much time and energy.
My favourite: https://www.ergopouch.com.au/products/pouches/cocoon-swaddle-bag ($40-60)
Bottle warmer - warming up your water on the stove is so ancient. It takes more time than necessary to boil the water, get it to the right temperature, not too hot, not too cold, in the meantime your baby has waiting too long and starts to scream their head off…no one likes it when their food takes too long to come…babies are the same. Get a bottle warmer that heats up your baby’s milk in as little as 3 minutes….time saver and relief to get your baby its milk.
Find it here ($99)
Bottle sterilizer - if you are bottle feeding (or even partially bottle feeding) you need to get the bottle sterilizer. I don’t even know how parents used to sterilize the baby bottle (not sure if they even did….should ask my parents) but I couldn't think of doing it any other way than a bottle sterlizer.
I use https://www.tommeetippee.com/en-au/product/super-steam-advanced-electric-steriliser-au and it can strelize up to 6 bottles at a time and takes as little as 10 minutes to get everything done. ($124.50)
Weighted bath - if you are like me and don’t have a build in bath you should definitely get a stand up bath. This is a bath on a stand (as the name suggests) and will save you from breaking your back (which for anyone my age is starting to feel their backs start to go….can you believe we are already having back problems…sh*t…..I remember the good ol days when I could do a triple backflip, go to the gym and go out after and have no pains whatsoever…now I bend the wrong way and my back - or knees - give way). Sorry, mini-rant. Point is, get a stand up bath and save your back for a few more years.
We have a weighted one which helps track the little’s one weight (this is a nice to have): https://www.babybunting.com.au/aquascale ($179 with stand)
Car seat - there are plenty on the market. Some try to sell you on the “bamboo lining that provide extra cushioning for your baby so they feel like they are on a cloud”…..don’t fall for this bs. Safety is of course the most important thing, but in Australia all car seats need to be approved by
Apart from that, the most important thing is to endure the car seat is easy for you. Easy yo adjust, easy to tighten etc. This will save you a lot of effort and energy that you will definitely need when having your first kid.