While a baby product might not be essential it could make all the difference when it comes to your quality of life and emotional well-being.
I love sharing my motherhood journey on Instagram. There is a really supportive and inclusive community that I count myself lucky to be immersed in. These days I find myself getting a lot of questions about the baby products and services that I use on a daily basis. People want to know what baby products are worth investing in and which products they should avoid. There are thousands of brands claiming to be must-have and essential for life with a baby.
When I think about baby products that make life easier I think that a pretty good measuring tool is how often I use them. It is a great indicator of whether I could manage without that product or not. Or rather, if I would want to manage without them. I say this because while a baby product might not be essential it could make all the difference when it comes to your quality of life and emotional well-being.
Here are five baby products that I love, use daily and can really recommend as a mum of two. My baby is eight months old.
A Sling
Without a shadow of a doubt, a baby sling is an absolute must-have in my world. Particularly because I have another child to take care of also. Without my baby sling I wouldn't be able to manage the school run (with as much ease), cook dinner, do laundry or take an important phone call. I've shared my babywearing tips in the below Instagram post which will hopefully be helpful.
A Video Monitor
I missed the boat with this one when my son was a baby but five years later, and with a new pregnancy, it was top of my list. So many of my friends rated it as a must-have product and now I can see why. When your baby is old enough to nap upstairs or in a room where they won't be disturbed (in our case it's disturbed by our other child) a video monitor offers so much comfort and reassurance. As I write this I can see my baby happily sleeping. I found that with a traditional audio monitor I was always paranoid about little noises and would often wake the baby while investigating to make sure he was OK.
A Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
I realize that it's not exactly a baby product but this is an absolute necessity in our house. Naps can often be short and sweet often leaving very little time for cleaning. Having a good cordless vacuum cleaner means that I can quickly freshen up the house without wasting time unravelling chords and storing the vacuum cleaner afterwards. I use ours 2-3 times a day and it was a great investment, especially for now when our baby is on solids and food is constantly being dropped/thrown on the floor.
IKEA High Chair
This one only applies to babies that are 6+ months but this is the best €16 you will ever spend. The IKEA high chair is inexpensive, easy to clean, stylish and comfortable for your baby. There are also a number of hacks and other uses for the chair which you can read about here.
Sleepsuits With A Zip
Game-changers of the highest order. This was not a "thing" five years ago and if it was I was unaware of it. They make nappy changes so much quicker which makes for a much happier baby. Happy baby, happy parent! At least half of our sleepsuits have a zip rather than buttons.