We knew that having children would mean swapping stilettos for sterilisers and that we would never feel well rested again, but we didn’t quite expect to spend as much money on ‘stuff’ as we have. We were both given lists from friends before we gave birth about what we NEEDED to buy before the baby came, and we dutifully went through it with a lovely lady in Mothercare and bought it all. It turns out that we didn’t need to go that wild, and as time has gone on we’ve now got the necessities nailed.
This is a list of the 5 things that we genuinely think are worth the money, and that we couldn’t have lived without. And as always, cost per use makes it totally worth while.
Expensive – yes, Life changing – Yes.
We’d heard people talk about these buggies but didn’t quite get the hype until we tested it out. It’s now become the only buggy we use. We take it on holiday (Belle fell asleep in it pre night flight, I wheeled her directly onto the plane as it fits through the aisles, then transferred her onto the seat then folded the buggy up and slotted it into the overhead locker) and also use it around London because it’s perfect on the tube (light enough for you to carry it alone, up and down stairs, with your babe in it.) Oh also, it folds up in seconds and has a comfy strap so you can hold it over your shoulder like a handbag, whilst holding your baby in your arms. Suitable from 6 months.
2.Snacks
It sounds ridiculous, but since our kids started eating real food, snacks have been a lifesaver. They entertain a child at a wedding (see below!) and give us precious moments of peace when we just need a break from mumming. We are both really particular with what our kids eat so the fact that there are so many healthy options out there is brilliant. We both have a dedicated snack cupboard in our kitchen (Belle recently discovered where Sam keeps Leo’s snacks and tried to climb up LOL) and we never leave home without a few emergency packets in our bags and always keep them in the glove box in the car. The best ones, and the ones that make life so much easier, come in resealable packets like THESE.
£79 a year for free next day (sometimes same day) delivery on pretty much any product that exists in this world. Nuff said!
Before Gemma knew that Prime existed she spent £27 on same day delivery for nipple shields when she was in desperate pain from breastfeeding and would have paid anything to try and fix it. With Prime it would’ve been with her within 5 hours for free. We have so much going on in life that Sam relies heavily on it for things like nappies (when she realises she’s got two left at 7pm) and birthday presents. SO.MANY.KID.BIRTHDAY.PARTIES. Amazing.
We’ve harped on about this loads recently but we can’t stress it enough: Red lipstick makes you look and feel like you’ve got your sh*t together. It takes 1 minute to put it on, and if you use our go-to Smashbox Bawse then it will last you all day long. Not kidding. The evidence is on our Insta Stories daily!
Another expensive item, but we can’t recommend this enough. It’s suitable from birth to around 4 years old. We found the swivel seat made life so much easier (for us) and more comfortable (for them) when it came to trying to get them into the car seat – no more bad backs bending around – and now when they have tantrums about getting in the car (anyone elses kid a nightmare in the car?!) it’s a great distraction if you ‘swivel’ them.
