Ultimate Newborn Prep: Top 5 Unexpected Baby Essentials: A New Mum's Survival Guide

Preparing for Parenthood: Lessons from a First-Time Mum

Laura here, KiDSiE's resident baby gear expert and mum to six-month-old Anders.

I prepped for my baby's arrival like an apocalypse was coming - I crammed the freezer full of batch cooked meals and cleaned areas of the house that have never been cleaned before (or since!).

I also bought items for every kind of scenario until a friend gently reminded me that shops do open after you have a baby...

The Reality of Baby Essentials: What You Really Need

Before I had Anders I genuinely had no clue which items would be especially useful - I swore I would never use a snot sucker, but alas it's now a part of my daily kit.

I frantically checked online "essentials checklists" but, in retrospect, some things have been more useful than others.

5 Must-Have Baby Items You Might Not Expect

Taking away the obvious essentials like a bedside cot, here's what I'd recommend to expectant parents or loved ones looking for a gift:

1. Tommee Tippee Grow Egg: This nifty device glows different colours depending on the temperature, helping you dress your baby appropriately even with bleary eyes.
   
2. Swaddle Suit: Anyone with the agility to swaddle a newborn at 4 am deserves a medal. Thankfully, you can still swaddle your newborn by zipping them into a suit like an Ergopouch or Love to Dream Swaddle-Up.
   
3. Soft Carrier: Options like the Ergobaby Embrace or Baby Bjorn Mini offer the cosy cuddles of a sling with the structure of a carrier.
   
4. Newborn Attachment : We still use our Stokke Tripp Trapp, but the newborn attachment allowed me to do things in the kitchen with my baby at worktop height.
   
5. Duck Bath Thermometer: One of the cheapest items (around £4) but one of the most useful.

Additional Essentials to buy for yourself

They make unlikely gifts, but the other essential on my retrospective list would be dummies.

I was very much in camp 'no-soother' before Anders came along, but sometimes a little soothing help goes a long way.

We loved the BIBS soothers - they look lovely as well as being a god-send for a little bit of soothing to sleep.

Share Your Baby Essential Experiences

I'd love to hear what you found most useful too! Leave a comment below and share your experiences with unexpected baby essentials.

Laura is KiDSiE's resident baby gear expert and mum to six-month-old Anders.