Baby Stuff: What I Really Use/Need

Everyone has a thousand suggestions of what to buy as soon as you announce that you're pregnant. It can be super helpful, or it can be incredibly overwhelming. Actually, it's usually the latter. Pretty much always the latter. That's why I'm making this post - to add to your all-consuming anxiety as you create a baby registry. No, but in all seriousness, I truly hope this helps. Every baby is different, though, so you might find that your list ends up being completely different. You can leave me a comment below to add any thoughts on your baby must-haves (or things you think are totally unnecessary). I didn't include super obvious items, like clothes and diapers/nappies, because you already know that you need those without being told.

Need - The First Month

• Muslins. Like, a thousand of them. I think we have about 30. We never used them for swaddling, because we have a wiggle worm who likes to sleep with her arms up as if she's announcing a touchdown, but we use them as burp cloths and to drape over just about anything we put baby on (bouncy swing, boppy pillow, me) to prevent spit-up from creating Mount Everest out of dirty laundry. I love the 3 Aden and Anais ones I have, because the prints are pretty, but they're fancy and expensive and I use them when we go out in public because they're huge and double as great nursing covers. The rest that we have are all multi-packs from Amazon and they do a great job, too. 
• A Good Pram/Pushchair. I sort of got into a battle with my mother-in-law over this one, because I thought I was perfectly happy with a secondhand Graco one that the car seat clips into (there is literally nothing wrong with it, and we still use the car seat), but I'm glad I lost the battle and we got a nice big one that she can lay flat in while she's still little. Here it is! We have the matching footmuff, so it eliminates the need to buy a separate carrycot pram that is only used for a short while, and then it easily converts to a sit-up pushchair, and can be either front- or rear-facing when she's bigger. But the real winning factors on this one are how compact it is when folded, how easy it is to collapse and set up, and how smooth the suspension is; it is super lightweight and easy to push, but still feels really sturdy and well-made. And that gorgeous Liberty print! GAH. It was love at first sight.
• A Swing. A lot of my family members suggested this, and I'd seen how helpful it had been when my siblings were babies, so we splurged on one (it wasn't that much of a splurge, though; here's the one we bought). This thing has earned it stripes in the middle of the night, like a thousand times over. Plus, she loves it. Turns a gassy baby into a content baby who sits still while you read to her. Must, must, must have. 
• Boppy Pillow. I got a cheap one for £10 at Aldi - as long as the cover zippers off for washing, there's no need to splash out for a name brand one. Sure, I didn't want a yellow one with brown spots, but after a week of breastfeeding I also didn't want my wrists to feel like they were falling off. You will use arm muscles that you previously did not know existed. This thing will really take a load off. 
• Pacifiers/Dummies/Binkies. There's a lot of debate about this, I think it has to do with "nipple confusion", but my baby has a Dyson for a mouth and she likes to comfort suck, so these were the alternative to having my nips fall off and be surgically replaced later down the line. We have the Philips Avent Natural Newborn ones. They come with handy dandy caps so they stay clean after you wash/sterilize them, so they're super convenient to keep in the changing bag, too. 
• Comfort Bras. Nursing bras are uncomfortable, expensive, and fiddly with those snappy things. There. I said it. Plus most stores in the UK don't carry maternity clothing, so I have to order 5 types/sizes online and pray that one of them fits, then return the rest, blah blah blah. I gave up and bought a couple of the super comfy thin-strap sports bras and just pull them up on one side to nurse. And, they're pretty cheap and you can get them anywhere (here's the kind I'm talking about, but my favourite so far is a seamless one that I picked up at Sainsbury's, though it's not online). And when milk drips/runs/gets spit up on me, which it will, it doesn't get all over my bra and leave me with soggy undergarments for the rest of the day. Win-win-win. 
• High-Waisted Yoga Pants/Leggings. Not the most practical of items, I suppose, but it helps to retain some of my self confidence with my post-baby body so I feel like they're worth their weight in gold.  I'm still wearing my maternity leggings a month later, and you know what? They're so comfy that I'll probably keep wearing them forever. They're from Target (in America) but fear not UK readers! Target now ships to the UK. Their maternity clothes are fantastic quality and true-to-size, so if you need to order maternity clothing online (which you inevitably will, since most stores here don't stock it for some reason, but that's another rant for another day), I highly recommend Target. Anyway, yeah. Back to the actual item: high-waisted yoga pants and leggings will cover up that not-so-perfect mummy tummy when you have to yank up your top to breastfeed (if you breastfeed), and thus they eliminate the need to buy special "breastfeeding" tops, and they look 'normal' enough to pop out to the supermarket without feeling like you've worn pajamas in public. 

I can go on and on, but those are a few items that I got the most use out of, so far. If you have more suggestions, please leave them in the comments!