Baby Essentials as a First-Time Mum

Becoming a mum for the first time is extremely daunting. There’s so much to think about and get ticked off your checklists from endless appointments during pregnancy to keep up with and birthing plans to write to decorating the nursery and making sure you have what the baby needs. This often leads to overbuying. Every new parent is guilty of it. It’s so easy to get swept up in all the excitement and buy everything and anything a baby brand suggests. But, the sad reality is, that most of it will go to waste, sitting in a corner gathering dust.

Here, I’ll be sharing my baby essentials as a first-time mum. These must-have baby items have really helped me over the last 7 months, and we still use all of them today!

Disclaimer: These items are what worked for me and my baby specifically but it’s important to note that every baby and every parent is different. What worked for me, may not work for you and that’s okay. Learning to take care of a newborn, and how to be a parent for the first time takes a lot of trial and error but as long as your baby is fed, happy and healthy that’s all that matters.

1. Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine

There was a lot of controversy around the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine as reports had come out that it wasn’t reaching the correct temperature to kill off bacteria in the formula and the NHS believed that they did not offer the highest standard of formula preparation safety. At this point, we had already bought the machine from the recommendations of every modern-day parent we knew personally. Of course, we tested the machine to make sure it reached the correct temperature of 70°C, which it did. 

Honestly, I don’t have a bad thing to say about the Perfect Prep machine. It’s incredibly quick and easy to use and can be transported with no hassle which has been perfect for our trips down to Somerset to see my family. We’ve used this machine every day since we returned from the hospital and haven’t had a single issue. The filters do need changing every 3 months to ensure the machine runs optimally, but again, it’s easy to do. 

2. Tommee Tippee UV Sterliser and Dryer

We also got the Tommee Tippee UV Steriliser and Dryer as an easier way to sterilise bottles, dummies, toys, etc. This machine can sterilise items in just 10 minutes and features drying options for either 35 or 60 minutes. As soon as I’ve washed the bottles, I stick them in the steriliser, which I’ve found can hold up to 5 MAM bottles, and let them dry and sterilise for an hour.

It also has a storage function which emits 5 minutes of drying and sterilising every 2 hours to ensure the items inside stay sterile. It’s been very easy to use over the last 7 months and we’ve even just stuck some of our own items in there, like our phones, to sterilise too (for no real reason, just because we can).

3. Nuby Rapid Cool

For making bottles on the go and at nighttime when we don’t want to venture downstairs and disturb the dogs to make a bottle, the Nuby Rapid Cool has been our saviour. We take these everywhere with us to quickly and easily make a bottle when we’re out and about. The set comes with two white cooling flasks (although I think you can get different colours now), a grey thermos flask and two formula pots. 

To make the bottles at night, we fill the pots with formula, and the grey flask with boiling water. Then, when she needs a bottle, we measure out the boiling water using the scale on the side of the bottle, add the formula to the white flask and then pour the boiling water from the bottle into it. The lid of the white flask will let you know when it’s at the correct temperature to serve to your baby. 

4. Angel Care Newborn Bath and Baby Bath Seat

The Angel Care Newborn bath made bathing Ivy easy without one of us needing to hold her while the other washed. Its shape supports a baby’s body and head and allows you to safely clean around the umbilical cord too without getting it wet. We used this until she was about 5 months and then she started to try and sit up and move around more so we upgraded it to the baby bath seat which she’s very comfortable in and can be washed easily. It’s important to note though, that while babies are very safe and secure in both, you should never leave them unattended in the water. 

5. MAM Bottles

We tried both MAM and Tommee Tippee bottles and MAM bottles were the clear winner for Ivy. The teats are very easy for her to latch on and drink out of and she rarely has any issues when it comes to sizing up. The design of the bottle also makes it easier for her to learn how to hold too, they are also advertised as anti-colic but I believe most bottles are advertised as this. I also love the different colours they offer; we have blue, pink and purple bottles.

The only downside is they have so many different parts that all need washing, so it does take some time to clean them all out. 

6. What Mummy Makes

So, you won’t need this right away, but when it comes to weaning at around 6 months old, if you’re planning on baby-led weaning, I highly recommend the What Mummy Makes cookbook. I’ve made so many recipes from it and Ivy loves them (as do I). They are all so delicious and healthy and ensure your baby tries a variety of different food and spices. 

Baby-led weaning can feel so scary but as long as you prepare the food correctly and don’t give them any off-limits food (like honey) it can also be a lot of fun. This book explains the dos and don’ts of baby-led weaning, has useful tips and the recipes can be made for both adults and children so you only cook once.

7. Tommee Tippee Groegg

Since Ivy was born in winter one thing I was overly anxious about was her temperature at night. I didn’t want her to be too cold but I also didn’t want to run the risk of her being too hot. The Tommee Tippee Groegg gives an accurate temperature reading of the room so every night I knew how to dress her to ensure she was as comfortable as possible. To some parents, this may seem a bit wasteful but it eased my anxiety so much and made getting her ready for bed a lot easier

8. Galaxy Light Projector 

We’ve used a galaxy light projector for Ivy every night. In the early days, we used it to mimic the colours of being inside the womb to help comfort her and now we use it in her room as it seems to relax her before bed. She loves watching the lights swirl around the ceiling. It’s also useful as a way for us to see what we’re doing when making her a bottle or doing a night-time nappy change without turning on the big light and waking her up fully.

9. Nappy Caddy

This nappy caddy from Amazon was something I purchased on a whim and have ended up using every day for the last 7 months. We carry this all over the house as it’s perfect for transporting, bottles, nappies and nappy supplies, muslins, teething toys and my phone room to room while also holding her. We also fill it up with all the night-time bottles and supplies we need and take it up with us when we go to bed and bring it back in the morning to empty and refill. 

It may not be something you think you would initially need, but it’s shocking the amount of stuff you need to have on you at all times and this bag makes sure you won’t need to do several trips room to room or up and down the stairs.

10. Fisher-Price Kick and Play Baby Play Mat

Okay, this may not seem essential but honestly, the Fisher-Price Kick and Play Baby Mat was one of the best purchases we made. Ivy loved it from the day we got it and still uses the piano now at 7 months old. As a newborn, laying her down on the mat kept her entertained for so long. She was fascinated by the colours, the moving parts, the noises the piano made and the mirror. She even had a fair few naps on it too.

As she got older she started reaching for the hanging toys and made the connection with her feet to the piano to make noise. 

Now, she loves to sit and bash the piano. In those newborn days when you feel a bit lost and unsure what to do with your baby or need a little bit of time to yourself to just sit and breathe, this really was a lifesaver. The songs are great too. They will get stuck in your head on an endless loop though.

If you have any of the items above or have any other suggestions for some of your must-have baby essentials, please leave a comment below!

Check out the other posts in my Motherhood category.