So I shall start by saying that yes I deleted the post about losing weight. I'm going to try and pick it back up another time. No point making excuses, I just didn't manage it this time round. Even though the post explained a lot I thought it was a little pointless leaving it on here!
Anyway, I thought I'd grab a few minutes while Poppy's still in bed to make a start on this! I bought a lot before Poppy's arrival and obviously the majority of things I buy these days are for Poppy so I thought I'd do kind of a list about the things that were of most use to us and the things that I could have lived without buying at all! I've got more useful than not useful, been positive I suppose! So here goes! (most useful first)
1. Fisher Price rainforest bouncer. I can't even begin to explain how useful this thing has been! Poppy's used it from newborn, she loved the toybar that came with it too. When I bought it I was a little unsure about the soothing vibrations but it helped to get her to sleep countless times! It's really easy to keep clean with the cover completely removable and machine washable. She always had her naps in it but then moved to the cot as she got older. She's recently developed a bit of a funny thing with her cot so (BAD MUMMY I KNOW) she has started having naps in it again. 14 months down the line and never once had a problem. Still going strong, well recommended!!
2. Mothercare Xpedior travel system. I bought this for £250 I think it was. Didn't want to spend a lot on a pram but wanted something comfy for Poppy. It took Poppy from newborn (carrycot mode), to stroller mode once she could hold herself (parent and world facing) and also came with a car seat that attached onto the frame too! It was light enough for me getting on and off buses, easy to handle and always comfy for Poppy. I only bought a new one recently, the my babiie umberella fold style one as it takes up less space on the bus and is also easier to fold down and juggle Poppy when needed. Well worth the money I paid and again, recommended!
3. Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies and lights deluxe gym. I think this is quite popular among many parents and definitely gets the thumbs up from me! I found the mat was thick enough for Poppy to play on harder floor surfaces, I liked the fact I could add and remove toys to the little hooks that dangled over and round the sides and Poppy always used to love kicking her little legs to the music and would be intrigued by the rainforest sounds! She was a very sicky baby so it was a godsend that it was easy enough to throw in the washer and very easy to put back together!
4. Motorola MBP8 digital baby monitor. I've used this not from day one as I kept her downstairs with me for quite a while but once I started putting her upstairs at night while I was still downstairs! Almost 14 months on and never had issues with it! It plugs straight into the wall which makes it easy for moving round the house and is very sound sensitive!
5. Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles and Milton cold water steriliser. I've always found the closer to nature bottles great never felt the need to switch to different ones. Not much to say about them! I used the cold water steriliser method and the only thing that used to bug me was making sure all the air bubbles were gone before I put the lid on! Once I got the hang of that it was a really easy way of doing it! The solution was good for 24 hours, just stick the bottles in, leave for 15 mins and away you go! A lot of people have had melted bottles with microwave sterilisers so there was none of that either!
6. DUMMIES!! All I will say is, lifesaver. Always used them with Poppy and am dreading having to remove it at some point! It helps her get over the post meal there's no more left trauma, the post bottle there's no more left trauma, the realisation of how bad she thinks her life is several times a day trauma, can't get her to have a nap trauma and finally the trauma to my ears at bedtime! (makes me feel stressed just writing all that)
7. Fisherprice Jumperoo! My mum surprised me with one of these for Poppy :) Once Poppy had her own head she would get hours of entertainment from this! She'd bounce in it while watching bugs band, loved the toys on it and when she got a bit older, started to use it as a swing. Great investment! We stopped using it when the bars started bending, not until. Really easy to wash too with her been sicky.
8. Baby wipes. Used for everything.
9. Mothercare Daisy Lane moses basket. Poppy went in this from day 1 of coming home from hospital up until the point which I feared she was going to tip it over! Not much I can add except it was sturdy and looked pretty too :)
10. Vtech Singing Cora and Alfie Bear. My brother bought Poppy Alfie Bear for christmas and then Cora for her birthday seens as Alfie was such a hit! They very rarely fail to calm her down!
11. Sophie the Giraffe teether. My mum bought this for Poppy before she started teething because we'd heard they were a hit everywhere! She wasn't too fussed at first but as teething progressed she really took to it and we wouldn't leave the house without Sophie! She's not bothering with her as much now but I can't get her to chew anything but her fingers these days!
12. BABY TV!! I seem to be putting the extra fantastic things in capitals! But yes, I don't know what I'd do without this channel! She's never bothered with Cbeebies or any other channels except baby tv! I've also bought her about 4 DVD's for certain shows on there. Her favorites are bugs band, hungry henry, pim and pimba and egg birds!
Well that took a while! Now onto the maybe slightly less useful things! There are more of these but I just couldn't think of many.
1. Baby oil. I've never ever used baby oil on Poppy .. Pointless for me!
2. Cot mobile. I bought one from mothercare during the difficult moses basket to cot transition. I found it not to make a difference at all. Pointless waste of money!
3. Scratch mitts. My child hated scratch mitts. She preferred the scratched face look :/
4. Shoes I bought before her arrival. I was that tied up in everything else I didn't bother with things like shoes that weren't essential. She had a snowsuit on everytime we went out anyway! I do wish I'd made time for the smaller things, maybe next time eh! I do have a couple of pairs I've saved though because they were bought by my mum. Which makes them special.
5. The teddies that talk when you press certain parts of them. Poppy has a minnie mouse one and a fisher price one. She's never shown an interest in either!
6. Tommee Tippee milk storage lids. Before I had Poppy I started stressing about whether formula powder would gather and stick in the teat of the bottle when it was shook to mix it (as you do). So I bought some lids to put on while I shook it. When Poppy arrived I forgot all about my special lids and soon realised my fears of formula powder clumping in the teats of the bottles wasn't happening!
7. The coverlet that came with the moses basket. It got launched to one side and replaced with blankets! Looked pretty but didn't quite work as I'd hoped!
What have you found your most useful baby products/items to be? Maybe leave a comment with any that stand out to you or do one of these yourself, if you have the patience! haha!
Thanks for reading! xx
