My six new parent must-haves… just in time for Christmas

I had a sudden moment of realisation today that its Christmas next week and I have very little parcels ready for distribution. Never mind however, after a few hours on the good old iPhone I’m pretty much good to go. Apart from some red wine for Grandad.

On that topic, I thought now would be as good a time as any to share the things I’ve found most useful as a ‘new’ mum for some Christmas gift ideas. This is of course my second time round, but some of these weren’t on the go when I had Luna four years ago. I also think as a completely new mum you buy a lot of ‘stuff’ you don’t necessarily need.

So if you know someone expecting… this post will hopefully give you some ideas, with something to suit all budgets!

1. The RockIt

My absolute must have for all parents. It’s a super little device that attaches to the pram and vibrates with enough force to make baby think your rocking him/her. Meaning free hands for hot drinks and cake (essential). We also used this a lot whilst Blu had colic in her early days. We had the pram in the house a lot, so sometimes I’d give her a good push about for ten minutes and once I knew she was settled, I’d turn this on and it would free me up to do other things (aka play with Luna). 

2. Baby Zed (RocIt’s chum)

This wee man goes into the crib with your little one and can stimulate a car journey. Our Blu loves being on the move, so much so that if I stop the car for as long as it takes to post something in a post box, she wakes up and is instantly unhappy. I’ve always preferred to put both babies down awake so they get used to self-settling, so by turning this wee man on, it helps keep her chilled in her crib.

This has also saved us from ever having to actually venture out in the car in the evening. 

3. A sound sensor night light

Both of our girls have this polar bear, but I imagine there is a huge variety of these night lights. This one has four different sound settings, a light display, timer options so you can choose how long it goes on for and a sound detector. Meaning if baby makes a loud or continuous noise, the music automatically comes back on. ‘Polar bear’ as we’ve named him, still goes with Luna for her sleepovers, he’s also been to Disneyland and to Switzerland! It’s a staple part of her bedtime routine which I believe helps settle her wherever she goes. 

4. Annabel Karmel’s Baby & Toddler Weaning Book 

Again, there are a HUGE number of books on this very topic, and I didn’t read a whole lot of them to compare. So this is purely based on my own experience. This one was gifted to me back when I had Luna and I’ve often purchased it for friends who are expecting as a gift. I found it made it easy to digest all the information that comes along with weaning, and for us it also covered dairy free meals which was handy for Luna. I have it dusted off and ready to go for our weaning journey beginning next month. The recipes are really easy to follow and not overly ‘out there’, as I found in some of the other books I did come across.

5. An appointment with a baby carrying consultant

Wearing Luna was something I always wanted to do, but never got round to because I found the whole thing quite stressful. Trying to get both of us set up and comfortable in public just never seemed to work out for me and I felt that she could tell how stressed I was so I gave up on the idea pretty quickly.

It turns out however that I didn’t have a carrier that worked for me, and now looking back, I feel it was something I really missed out on with Luna. If you’re local to me, I can recommend visiting Jess at Close and Calm (or buying a gift voucher for the expecting parents) to find out which carrier best suits your needs and to try before you buy. Her appointments also include a free hire so you can actually see how you get on with carrying before you decide if it’s for you. We now have our own carrier after a successful visit and feel super grateful that I found Jess and her helpful advice. 

On this, we have a tula carrier, however I really do think you should invest in an appointment with a consultant before spending out on one without trying it on. (I have three other carriers up my loft which are of no use!) 

6. Marie Mongan’s Hypnobirthing book

Hands down the best book I read during pregnancy, both times. This book really filled me with confidence with regards to the whole labour experience and gives you some amazing breathing and relaxation techniques without having to delve into actually attending hypnobirthing classes. It also reassures you that you’re about to go through something your body is made to do, and takes away a lot of the worry. It almost always comes up in conversations I have with pregnant ladies. 

And there you have it, six ideas for an expecting family. I could double this list and give you ten suggestions if I wanted, but I sat down and listed my ‘can’t go with-outs’ so these are the ones that came up. 

Last year, the baby industry in the UK was worth just under £20 million (statista.com) and you could literally spend thousands on items for a new baby. I also think my spending habits second time round are much different to first time, and I’m much less influenced than I would have been four years ago entering this world of parenting. 

So do your research, and have a think about the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want’… You could save yourself a few hundred!