When I was pregnant, I felt like I needed to buy everything.
Every “must-have” baby product I saw on Instagram, I bought.
Now my little one is about to turn 1, I can safely say there are a few I barely used.
And much cheaper alternatives that I used way more…
Maxi Cosy Cassai Swing
I saw this on John Lewis and assumed for the price my baby would obviously love it.
As a first time mum, I thought anything that keeps him happy is worth the investment.
Honestly?
He probably sat in it for 5 minutes maximum.
It swings from side to side and has a really basic dangly toy that he never took any notice of….
What I Used Instead: The Cuggle Swing Chair
I cannot explain how much time my baby spent happily swinging in this.
I bought two chairs, (the Maxi Cosy above and this Cuggle) to have one in the kitchen and one in the living room.
But I found myself just moving the Cuggle one to wherever he was.
As it’s battery operated, you can literally pick it up and move it to wherever you want.
Whereas the Maxi Cosy you have to plug in.
For half the price, DEFINITELY invest in the Cuggle over the spenny Maxi Cosy.
Angelcare Nappy Bins
Now these aren’t expensive as in breaking the bank, but they’re expensive for what they are.
£15 for each bin and refill bags are £10 for a pack of 5!
Honestly these are just not worth the hassle.
They fill up so quickly and are so faffy to change the bag.
In the end I stopped using them and just put them in the kitchen bin.
You put the nappies in a nappy bag anyway, so you don’t need a separate bin to ‘conceal’ the smell.
The nappy bag already does this anyway!
Just use your own bin. Way simpler, and cheaper.
Beautiful baby boy clothes are coming…
Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine
These are well over £100 and promise to make your baby’s bottle within minutes.
It’s another kitchen appliance for you to store on your counter.
And it’s a bit of a faff…
You have to first put in a ‘hot shot’ of boiling water to kill any bacteria in the formula.
And then it makes the rest of the water the right temperature.
But my partner ordered something to make a bottle while we were out and I actually found myself using it at home too instead of this Tommee Tippee machine…
What I Used Instead: Nuby Rapid Cool
The Nuby Rapid Cool is a lot cheaper, quicker and takes us far less room.
This. is. a. lifesaver.
All you need is the formula and boiling water.
(I use Kendamil formula – if it’s good enough for Kate Middleton, it’s good enough for me!)
You then shake the Nuby bottle and genuinely in less than 1 minute it’s the right temperature.
Ready to pour straight into your baby’s bottle.
It’s so quick, you can take it anywhere with you and easy to clean.
And you don’t need to charge it or plug it in as it uses the metal heat transfer to work! (Science – don’t ask!)
For less then half the price of the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine, I would 100% recommend buying one of these instead.
Tommee Tippee Greogg Thermometer
Again, the GroEgg is something I just assumed I needed.
Obviously I need to know the temperature in the room so I know what to dress my little one in.
Something I know now that I didn’t know then?
Most decent baby monitors have the temperature of the room on.
I use the Momcozy monitor, (click here to read my full review of this monitor), and it has the temperature on the screen.
I probably used the GroEgg twice until I just looked on the camera.
Don’t waste your money!
Ewan The Sheep
Are you even having a baby if you haven’t bought a Ewan the Sheep?
This ‘newborn essential’ is meant to imitate the sound of your womb so promises better sleep.
So obviously every sleep deprived parent buys one.
For a staggering £45.
I followed all the advice – I played Ewan the Sheep next to my belly while I was pregnant to get him used to the sound.
But my little one couldn’t care less about the sheep.
Yo also have to remember to charge the damn sheep most days.
When you get to bedtime and realise the battery is dead and suddenly don’t have any white noise, panic sets in.
So I bought something that was a lot easier and cheaper!
What I Used Instead: Easy Sleep Sound Machine
Instead of the sheep, get yourself one of these PLUG IN sound machines.
It plays white noise (or 25 other sounds – see which your baby prefers!)
You plug it in and switch it on and off when you need it.
No need to remember to charge it.
It also won’t get lost in their cot or around the house.
And if you really want some sort of cuddly toy for them, it will still be cheaper to buy this sound machine and then a toy for a fiver.
Even if your baby isn’t soothed by white noise, it gives you more of a buffer around the house to make noise yourself, as the white noise will drown it out and not wake your little one up.
What. a. dream.
We’re building something special…
Born from a little bit of Girl Mum envy, I’m designing a beautiful baby boy clothing brand.
Think botanical, bold and stunning pieces for the gorgeous boys in our lives.
Thanks for reading! I hope this saves you some money and gives a real parent insight – beyond the marketing!
For more real-talk parenting tips and newborn must-haves, head back to the blog here
