When it comes to being a mum, I am all about finding things that make mum life easier. I’ve read and watched so many “baby must haves” articles, and noticed that many of them contain pretty much the same sort of things. Today I wanted to share five things that are a bit unique and different to the usual items, but have made my life so much easier!
I’d love to know what your must-have items are for either your baby or yourself too! Make sure you leave me a comment below, or head over to Instagram and let me know there!
Gobstopperz* – I never realised just how useful a dummy holder was until we started using this one from Gobstopperz. It’s a dummy holder and cuddly in one and Jack absolutely adores it and sleeps with it every nap time and at night. The bright yellow mink feel blankie is soft and snuggly for him to cuddle into, and the little tags on the cuddly keep him occupied in the mornings. Possibly the best bit, is that it makes it super easy for Jack to find his dummy during the night and he can just use it to soothe himself. Having the dummy attached to a blanket also makes it so much easier for me to find if he wakes up during the night and needs resettled! Plus it’s also super easy to clean (machine washable) and dries quickly. It folds up over itself too, so it keeps the dummy nice and clean when not in use. This has definitely been a lifesaver and definitely one of mine (and Jack’s) favourite products!
Silicone toothbrush – The moment Jack’s teeth started coming through, we started brushing them at least twice a day. We opted for a silicone toothbrush over a regular baby toothbrush as they are just so much easier to keep clean! We are using this one from Haakaa and it’s nice and gentle on Jack’s gums and teeth and it’s a nice small size to fit in his mouth. It can also be cleaned in hot soapy water, and then sterilised in our microwave steriliser. The brush we got also has a removable guard on it, so babies and young children can’t choke on it. I highly recommend this toothbrush and will be getting another one if and when this one needs replaced!
Floss Trolley Cover* – This multipurpose cover is both a trolley cover, a capsule cover, a breastfeeding cover, and also doubles as a play mat/burp cloth/general all-purpose blanket!) Sadly I got mine after Jack had already finished breastfeeding and using his capsule, so we’ve just been using it as the trolly cover but I highly rate it even just for that purpose! It fits over the trolley perfectly and protects Jack against germs off the trolley and trolley handle. Every time I go grocery shopping I get at least a few comments on what a genius idea it is! We keep ours in our reusable bags in the back of the car so we always have it on hand. There are a whole heap of different designs and we have the Hudson!
Lil Sidekick* – Another must have for slightly older babies is the Lil Sidekick. This is a silicone tether which allows you to attach toys, drink bottles, food etc to a pram, highchair or anything else! We use it a lot in our pram to stop Jack from throwing his toys off the pram and also on our highchair when he is playing with his toys after his meal. As he gets older, I also plan to use it to keep his drink bottle safe in the pram. It’s also a great teether too, and Jack often just sits there chewing on it and I’d say it’s one of his favourite teethers. They come in a range of colours and are dishwasher safe so are super easy to clean.
Sleeping bag – Since Jack went into his cot at about three months, he has been sleeping in a sleeping bag for both naps and nighttime. He is a very wriggly baby who moves around a lot, so blankets just aren’t practical as he just kicks them off and rolls around. So we have been using two different sleeping bags depending on temperature. The first is the Kmart Baby Sleeping Bag which doesn’t have a TOG rating, but I would say it is about a 1-1.5, so is perfect for warmer nights. We started off with this one in a 3-6 month and are now using the 6-12 months. It’s starting to get fairly snug on Jack now though, so I’d say it’s slightly on the smaller side, especially if your baby is tall.
We also have the Ollie Owl Grobag in a 2.5 TOG which is excellent for cooler nights. We have this in a 6-18 months and I love how large the sizing is, meaning you get a full year out of it. It’s very long on Jack, yet still fits perfectly around the shoulders and neck so it is safe. The next size up is 18-36 months (which we may end up getting eventually if Jack can’t master blankets!) and there is also a smaller one for 3-6 months. Grab it here on Catch of the Day for half price!!
