Hi.. so I thought it might be helpful to pop together a list of the things we have loved using and have got the most use out with Olive as a newborn until now…6 whole months already.. Where does time go!! Most of these are quite simple things which have just been super handy… 

Would love to know if there is anything you have found super helpful which I haven't included. Pop it in the comments below, would be great to get any other ideas for new parents or parents-to-be who are reading this!

Sun flower Bath matt - This bath mat is so good.. Hard to dry.. But it's worth it. In all the pictures it's used in the sink but we just use it in the bath. She lies on it and loves to kick and splash. We had got one of those bath support things which look like reclining chair but she was always trying to sit up properly in it when she couldn't yet and just didn't relax and it just didn’t feel very secure… also hardly any water touched her when she was in it and she couldn’t splash as much so the sunflower has been a winner for us. She loves bath time!

These little crinkley squares - she's loved looking at these since she first opened her eyes.. Which took about 3 weeks, the sleepy little thing. One side is black and white and the other side has a bit more color and they all have different bits around them for babies to play with including teething rings and a squeaker. Mum gave us one when she was born and then the rest of the pack at Christmas and I literally have one with us wherever we go and have one in every bag, the car, every room in the house. If she was crying I would rustle it and it used to really calm her down and distract her. Now she just loved crinkling it herself or eating it or just staring at it. If we're out for lunch or dinner I just whip it out and put it on the table while she's sitting on my knee and she's happy playing with it for ages.

Wrap around vests - the vests which wrap around and have poppers are so much easier to put on and take off then over the head ones. also less messy when there has been an explosion because instead of trying to navigating it over your baby’s head hoping nothing touches the poop you can just take it off like a coat ha.. I know everyone always says get onesies with zips.. I didn't actually find them any better than the popper ones… although Tom says he prefers the zips. So that's just some food for thought too.

Calendula cream - we have tried quite a few different creams but this one seems to be the best one at preventing any sore bits.

Baby Bjorn Baby bouncer has been brilliant. It has helped me have some time to eat meals while she bounces away in it next to me. She's also loved the play attachment which you can buy separately now she’s a little older. I can’t believe the difference in these two photos.. eurghhh my baby is growing so fast!!

Medela breast pump and pads - I really really recommend these breast pads. They seem to be the only ones which didn't.. Erm… chaf… leak or smell and really helped my nipples recover. I tried reusable ones and other brands of disposable but for me when I started using the Medela ones I found there was a big difference.  The same with the pump too.. I tried a hand held one.. And then a cheap electric branded one and didn’t get on well with it at all.. It was complicated to put together and I had to be next to a plug which was really limiting where I could do it.. It also hurt to use! .. oh and I hardly got any milk so I just gave up with it.  I was gifted the Medela and thought it would be worth a try as I really wanted to stock up some milk and this was my text to Tom after the first time using it. It's just simply brilliant. The hands free option is great, it doesn't hurt at all… Although worth noting breastfeeding was well established by this point too. I would highly recommend this pump.  Oh I also went on holiday recently and forgot the charger.. It lasted 12 days without recharging and pumping once a day! I was super impressed! 

While I’m here I also just want to share this image as I found it really helpful.. ( afraid I screen shot it and no idea where the original is from but it says @lactojenniesis on the water mark). In general I do manage to pump a good amount but it can vary at different times of day etc so if you are pumping please don’t look at that photo above and worry if you don’t get as much!

Etta loves muslins are great. I tend to use them as our “out and about” muslins as they are my faves, and always makes her outfit look cooler… not that babies care about looking cool.. but hopefully you know what I mean.. they are nice.. thats what I’m trying to say haha. Because they are black and white they were also great for entertaining her while she was little and now she still likes grabbing and holding on to them. We’ve since been sent the Etta loves play mat which has been a welcome addition and we’ve been taking it everywhere with us too.

Piano and playmatt- one of our best buys has been the baby einstein playmat. We got it for her for Christmas.. She was 2 months old then and it's still by far her favorite toy. She loves the piano so much and I was so impressed with how quickly she took to pressing the buttons and also how long it keeps her entertained for.

Jem& Bea bag - we were sent this as a PR product after not bothering to buy a proper changing bag and struggling along but I have to say this has actually made a difference. There is a back pocket which is insulated and keeps milk warm/cool for a bit and all the compartments are so handy. The front pocket fits her little red book in perfectly. It also comes with a change matt and is a nice style so it doesn't look too mumsy or bulky and Tom is happy to carry it around too or sits nicely in the bottom of the pram basket.

Snuz cloud - we used the snuz cloud since day dot and it's been brilliant. The white noise only stays on for 20 mins which has been perfect but we’ve recently started using a white noise machine which stays on all night now she’s started going to sleep a bit earlier so we are able to come back down stairs to enjoy the rest of the evening..white noise is brilliant to help her sleep without waking as we get in to bed but oh my gosh.. turning it off in the morning is blissful. Feels like I’ve just stepped off an airplane. We never got this with the snuz cloud but just wish it would stay on for longer

Pram suit with two zips  - for the first few months we struggled with a button up pram suit. When she grew out of it we bought one with two zips and it makes life SO MUCH EASIER!

Tommie tippee closer to nature bottles - Olive wouldn't take a bottle until she was about 4 months, I thought we had tried everything and then I found these and then all of a sudden she was fine drinking from a bottle so we love them and allows me the occasional rest bite guilt free knowing she’s perfectly happy drinking from a bottle now.

Womenhood bras - This is purely for aesthetics but I think it can really affect your confidence when you're having to wear frumpy maternity bras.. These however are gorgeous and so comfortable and easy to unclip. Nursing bras don’t have to be boring.

UV sterilizer  -  We've found this so quick and easy to use. We haven't used other ones but I've heard of others melting toys etc whereas because this one has UV rays it doesn't. 

Nappy caddy - so everything stays in one place. Also very handy for trips away( if your going in the car) as you can just pick up and pack the whole thing and know you have everything with you

Napisan - Amazing for getting rid of stains! Could not live without this stuff! Need I say more…

Bibado Clip muslin - I found this so helpful at start when we had visitors etc and I wasn’t quite used to feeding in front of people yet and that mixed with the soreness I didn't want to make any wrong moves so this helped as it has a popper so secures the muslin around you so you can feed modestly with people around.

So there we have it! I hope that helps a little bit. Like I said, some of the things are a bit random but everything on this list has been so helpful for us so I wanted to share. 

Don’t forget to pop anything you’ve found helpful which I haven’t included in the comments below. Would love to get a conversation going.. its always so helpful to hear what others recommend too!