So being a new mummy again for only a few weeks has meant that baby products are at the forefront of my mind everyday. You want the best you can provide for your baby naturally, but being a second time mum means that I’m more aware of what potentially ‘IS or ISN’T’ worth buying or using.

We have kept some of our first son’s things and they are great to use again, but we’ve also purchased or been gifted some items too. This blog post will be kept ‘OPEN’ and I’m sure I will be adding more things very soon so don’t forget to check back here now and again.

Mam bottles

Well it’s very simple I think these bottles are great! So cleverly designed to make them easy and practical for parents and babies to use whether at home or on the move. As you’ll see from the image below they come apart easily to be cleaned and sterilised in the microwave if you so wish with merely a drop of water and no other equipment required! You simply pop the bottles in on their own as per instructions tell you.

There is no other bottle design on the market like these! The teat is a nice comfortable shape for baby to feed well from and the bottles are a nice shape to hold and use, they are designed to be anti colic bottles too which is fab, and Mam have come up with a great choice of colours and patterns to choose from. You can even get extra accessories to pro long their use such as bottle handles and trainer cup teats as your baby grows.

We give Mam the big thumbs up from us and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to any new parent or those maybe wishing to switch bottle brand!

http://www.mamonlineshop.com/acatalog/d.html

Nuby Products     

We really like Nuby products and have recently purchased two new items from them including a Steriliser & Dryer machine and Bottle brush. We’ve used lots of their bath toys, teethers, drink cups etc before with our first son so know they are a reputable brand and the designs are very colourful and fun for children. So using something electrical for the first time has been an interesting one but so far so good.

Nuby Natural Touch Steriliser & Dryer / Nuby Bottle Brush

These have been a great purchase for us as it’s the machine is so handy for sterilising a baby’s bottles, breast pump, dummies or anything else you wish to pop in the machine.

We are lucky in the fact that we have the Mam bottles and they can be sterilised by themselves, but in the early weeks I was expressing breast milk and using a breast pump so this machine was good to add other items to for cleaning and the Mam bottles do fit in this machine quite well.

The main appeal was the unique ‘Sterilising & drying’ feature in one! There is nothing worse than having loads of bottles soaking & drip drying all over the kitchen sink and cluttering up the sideboards. So I just had to buy one to try it out and save my sanity! Plus at the time it was on special offer so that helped persuade our purchase.

It’s also quite a speedy machine and as I’ve used bottles throughout the day I can simply rinse them clean in warm soapy water with the Nuby bottle brush and pop them in the machine out of sight ready to switch on and sterilise once it’s full enough. The Nuby bottle brush is nifty one with good bristles & soft mesh material to clean the inside of bottles and it has a mini bristle brush to use on the teats, plus a suction base to stand it up out of the way and to drip water off easily.

So to summarise this machine does it all! It STORES bottles & things out of the way! It takes up LITTLE SIDEBOARD space!  It STERILISES & DRYS quickly! You do have to wipe it clean after each use & clean with white vinegar every so often, but at least I know it’s always clean and ready for the next use. The machine has won a Gold award in the 2017 Best Baby & Toddler Gear Awards and was voted as the Consumers Choice! Well done Nuby!

Aldi Mamia Products

We are big fans of  the supermarket Aldi and their baby range of products is really good. Low prices and great quality is what parents need as we all know how expensive raising our little humans can be after all!

Mamia Formula Milk /Mamia sensitive baby wipes /Mamia nappy sacks /Mamia Newborn nappies

The Mamia formula milk is suitable for combination and bottle fed babies and it has suited baby Jackson quite well, and helped me with combi feeding both breast milk and formula in the early weeks. We have now moved onto just bottle feeding with this formula milk and so far so good. It is the 1st time a supermarket has EVER made and sold their own brand of baby formula milk so it was quite a big move by Aldi and I think some parents are a bit unsure of it as it’s so new to the market, and not what they are use to, but lots of people are really warming to this brand and saving a few pennies too!

Likewise the Mamia sensitive baby wipes have been great! They come in a re-sealable pack that has a lid to close and lock in moisture. They are very gentle to use head to toe for all the family I’ve found and I have very sensitive skin as does my eldest son. You can also buy a big 12 pack box quite cheap when Aldi has their baby events on so they are definitely worth bulk buying this way. The Mamia nappy sacks are good quality, lock in smells quite well and also come in a resealable pack of their own. We also use their newborn nappies which likewise have been great to use with no problems at all!

Haakaa Pump

I have already written about how good this breast pump is in another blog post about post natal care. But it really has been one of the best things I’ve ever used after giving birth! With my first son I was so uncomfortable after the birth with very swollen, tender and engorged breasts of which I needed to release some of that discomfort somewhere! (I’m sure a lot of mum’s reading this can relate).

As a first time mum this was so hard to deal with. It took several weeks of trying out various breast pumps to express milk for relief, to give my baby the best start with colostrum and to try and heal my nipples from a rocky start to breastfeeding with bleeding and soreness.  I hated the manual breast pump I had and I wasn’t a fan of an electric one I tried out either to be honest.

So with my second baby I hoped things would be different and they were in some ways. I did suffer a bit in the same way sadly from a bad latch to start with and I dug out the old electric pump to help with expressing breast milk … but THEN a friend recommended to me the Haakaa pump!

OMG it’s brilliant as it’s so simple to use, small and easy to transport around with you, sterilising and keeping it clean is easy and most importantly it works really well with little effort and it doesn’t hurt as its designed to let natural air & suction help to release the milk flow down into the pump. Here’s some more info below

https://www.haakaa.co.uk/collections/breastfeeding

Matrix Light 2

This car seat is no ordinary infant car seat! I have written a review in a separate blog post for the Matrix Light 2. However since baby Jackson was born we have been using it most days in my husband’s car and in the house, or when out and about and it has been a really useful piece of baby equipment to use! Here is why it’s so great!

Is it a car seat? YES

Is it a carrycot? YES

Can it be used in several recline positions so baby can sit up as much as you require them to? YES – This doesn’t just limit you to having it upright as a rearward facing car seat in the car either! I have been able to also use mine at home with Little baby Jackson, who loves to be up high and close to his mummy as much as possible so he can see and hear me. We have managed to recline the seat on the lowest setting attached to the pram chassis which is just fab, as I can interact with him whilst I’m doing things like cooking or washing up for instance and simply move him around the house with the pram wheels if needed.

Can it be used on the pram chassis whenever and wherever you like and how do you use it? YES – The matrix 2 can be laid flat to use as a carrycot whether you are at home, out walking with baby and even as a overnight sleeper when travelling and using the safety mattress with it. Now how cool is that! It also has a giant hood that can be pulled over the seat quite far when the seat is in one of the upright modes.

What are the other key benefits of this car seat? 

  • lay flat in the car so no time restrictions on long journeys
  • protects against Oxygen desaturation so perfect for a newborn
  • rotates 360. on isofix platform base to make getting baby in and out of the car much easier. The car seat also just clicks into place
  • award winning Group 0/0+ car seat. It’s the world’s safest, healthiest all-in-one carrycot and car seat.

Baby Bjorn Bouncer

All I can say about the Baby Bjorn bouncer is that my little boy really loves it and that make mummy very happy in return!

The bouncer has quite a few key features that appealed to me and we are so glad we purchased this from a friend for baby Jackson.

  • Ergonomic design with natural rocking
  • A soft, strong durable fabric that is shaped like a hammock design so is most comfortable for baby
  • Playing in the bouncer helps develop motor skills and balance & the little toy play bar is a nice added touch that is easy to remove
  • It can be used from newborn up to the age of approx 2 years old (so will last longer than your average baby bouncer chair)
  • It has to be one of the lightest an most compact folding bouncers I’ve ever come across!
  • 3 different recline positions

Jane Babyside Crib

We love our babyside crib and feel that it will last baby Jackson a good amount of time before he outgrows it. Again there is a full review of this on a separate blog post but now that we have started using this along with many other things, it’s a great time to share with you all how great these products really are.

It is a good size crib… so much more space and room for baby to sleep, play a little in there! and the fabrics are great 100% cotton quality so it’s very soft and comfortable, breathable for my little one alongside the mesh fabric to the side where I can see him when I’m laying down! I can’t tell you how re-assuring that is to be able to see your little one without having to stand over their crib, cot, moses basket etc! Also the fact that it’s so adaptable with it’s 6 height settings, swivel lockable wheels to move it about, zip down side panel, safety straps to secure it to your bed or you can have it freestanding.  It is simply perfect for any new parents to use and knowing that your baby is sleeping in a safe, comfortable, secure crib that they won’t outgrow in approx 4-6months is worth every penny!

https://www.jane-uk.com/en/gb/Jane-Babyside-bedside-crib/m-3096.aspx

Love Katrina x

Mothersons