New Baby Essentials

This post has been highly requested and I have been meaning to do this for ages. Truth be told I did want to wait a while until I figured out what I would recommend to new moms and bear in mind every baby is different. I rememeber walking into the Pregnancy and Baby fair and being so over whelmed by everything. I felt like I had nearly failed already at motherhood because I didn't have any of the gadgets that were new baby ‘essentials'. Who knew a baby hammock was an essential? Thankfully a good friend was with me (also pregnant) who would give me a reality check when ever I got carried away. Now four moths down the line I have kind of gotten into the swing of this motherhood thing and here are some of the items I would recommend for new moms to buy.

Sleepyhead

Isabelle loved this when she came home from the hospital. We had not planned on having her in the bed with us but much like everything in parenthood adaptions are made. As she was so tiny I was confident I wouldn't roll on her. when she was in the Sleepyhead. It is pricey but I have seen Aldi doing a copy of it so keep your eyes peeled. Alternatively ask to see if you can borrow one of another mom to see if your little one likes it. The cover comes off and is machine washable too and works until he baby is 8 months. Irish mamas you can pick up your sleepyhead in Bellababy stores.

A Baby Bag
I love my Bow and Rattle one and what I love most about it is it doesn't look like a baby bag. It has plenty of set pockets and it comes with a changing mat and a thermal bottle warmer which are essential when on the go. Also the inner bag can be removed if you want to use it as a handbag for a baby free occasion. I have the Berry bag.

Moses Basket
This is something you can thankfully pick up for cheap or borrow off a friend/family.. Isabelle has yet to use her Chico next to me which we spent over €200 on and it proving to be a very expensive clothes horse. The moses basket is portable too which makes it earier bringing around the house.. When she gets a little older we’ll look into investing in a bigger cot or hopefully making use of the Chico Next to me crip.

Car seat Cover
While this is not an 'essential' it is something that I adore and use it every day. We received ours as a gift from an Irish website called Amelia loves.com and have been obsessed ever since. Isabelle looks so cosy in it and theres no need to put her in a heavy coat with it has anin build blanket. If you follow my Snapchat or Instastories @martinasmark you will know how often I use it. I'm only annoyed I didn't buy mine before I left hospital (the pictures would have been so much cuter!). We have this one here.

Water wipes
This is a must for new borns. As their skin is so sensitive the less product or chemicals used the better. While they are on the pricier side I very rarely buy them off offer. Use the app BabyDoc which tells you which supermarket has the offer in. Over four months in and Isabelle has never had any nappy rash so far.

Baby Wrap
I cant explain how much I use this wrap. It perfect for going on walk and when you want to be hands free. Isabelle has awful reflux so this also works perfect at keeping her upright. There are loads of tutorials on Youtube tutorials how to tie it and I have it down to under a minute. The use the Australian brand Chekoh Baby

A Baby Chair
Most babies when they get a more alert do not like to lie flat and Isabelle was certainly no exception to this. I did invest in a more expensive baby swing which sang , vibrated and swung but naturally she much prefers the seat were she can bounce her self in. She can look out see whats going on and shes more comfortable sitting up right.

A Play Mat
Its crucial to start stimulated your baby and they recommend tummy time as soon as possible Blogger Rosie has a great post on that here. I loved doing it on her play mat and also she can lbie forward and look at the toys overhead, I got a gorgeous present of this one here from mother care.

A white noise machine
Its well known babies love white noise, You can use apps on your phone or you can pick up a white noise machine here. I remember my sister turning on the hoover for her little boy so thankfully those days are gone!

A portable changing mat
I have been asked on numerous occasions about would I buy a baby changing unit and I can honestly say no! I inherited a gorgeous Mamas and Papas one and it was mostly used as a Gin and Tonic service station . We mainly used the mats themselves either on our bay window or on the bed etc. My sister has one which clips onto the baby cot which is very practical. I might invest in one when I get around to buying her cot!!


Snooze shade
This is a universal pram cover which clips onto the prams. Its UVB protective and breathable so more safe than a muslin cloth. Having used it on Spain I would recommend a perosol as the snooze shade would be more suited to the cooler Irish/English temperatures. Irish mamas I picked mine up in Mamas and Papas.

 Zip up baby grows
These are so practical and it baffles me why they aren’t more widely available. I have bought some from Mamas and Papss and online they seem to be more widely available. Baby grow.ie also is another favourite of mine for ethical and organic baby grows. A lot of the baby grows are unisex too which is great if planning on passing them down to another baby.

 This is what I would recommend for new babies from my experiences. I will do an updated version when mu princess moves on to the next stage.