When we were pregnant with our first child, my wife Sarah wrote a brilliant list of everything she felt was good advice and a must have for when baby arrives. When friends and family members have been pregnant we always send this list on to them as essential items and decided why not share it wider with our wonderful community. I’ll try and add links going forward as well.

For Mum

• Something comfortable and old to wear during labour - old nightie is ideal

• Something comfortable to wear in bed after birth - jogging bottoms and t shirts or vests that can be lifted up to feed in

• Maternity pads - We had these in the car, sofa and in bed - last thing you want to worry about when you get home is clearing up broken waters!

• Breast pads

• Copious amounts of lansinoh lanolin cream for nipples - a couple of tubes one for at home and one in your change bag - it is expensive (£10 a tube!) but well worth it.
  Wash things for the hospital

• Comfy cushion for feeding

• Lots of ready meals or easy to cook dinners plus lots of bread and butter - my wife ate a lot of toast as was really easy!!

• Cereal bars, oat biscuits or flapjacks for energy plus oats are good for upping your milk supply (don't drink peppermint tea once you start breastfeeding as lowers your supply!)

• Breastfeeding tops/dresses and bras (or could use a vest top underneath a t shirt which can be pulled down easily)

  
  
  For Baby:

• Vests and babygrows (that's all we put her in for first few weeks) they are easy and you don't want to complicate things with difficult clothes in first few weeks!!

• A couple of warm 'all in ones' - i would maybe wait and see what weather is like - will need them from oct onwards though I'd say.

• A hat - 1 should be fine as doesn't really get dirty

• Lots (two big packs for first few weeks) of newborn or size 1 nappies - we used pampers but lots of other brands out there, Don't buy hundreds as they start to go up to size 2 after a few weeks/first month etc

• Muslins - about 10-15 of them as you will go through them, great for mopping up sick etc but also lightweight blanket and swaddle

• Newborn sleepbags or swaddle blankets (get summer ones so tog 1 or thin) I'd get a couple of whatever you use as you'll be washing them a lot!!

• Cotton wool, two plastic pots for topping and tailing, sudocream for any light nappy rashes or redness, bepanthan (barrier cream) and metanium (nappy ointment in yellow tube) for harsher nappy rash - use tiny smear of metanium over it then put barrier cream on top, lots of nappy sacks. I find it easier to have two of everything - one for home and one for the change bag.

• A mild baby bubble bath and soap for when they are ready to bath - few weeks, child's farm or lansinoh eco baby is really good

• A couple of towels as they wee on them a lot and you will be washing them!!

• Baby bath -

• Bath thermometer

• Moisturiser if their skin is dry - again child's farm do a good one and is great for sensitive skin but if he gets eczema there are lots of different creams out there and every baby reacts differently, we used zerobase

• If they get cradle cap a plastic bristled brush and 'mustela' shampoo is good (buy on Amazon)

• Dummies - mam are good ones in pots which are easy to sterilise in microwave. I'd get one set (2 pack) for the day and one set for night which glow in the dark so you can find them - they do ones for newborn up to 6 months and are orthodontically approved. You don't have to use them but good to have to hand just in case. Try to stop them using them at 4-5 months.

• Calpol (baby paracetamol) (sugar free) for after first jabs, dentinox for teething, Ashton and parsons teething granules for teething too (don't use these until they are a couple of months old but good to have them) infacol for colic, coilef has also been recommended but we found a cranial osteopath the best results ( I can give you details if you need them)

• A baby thermometer which checks their temp - the digital ear ones are best which stay green for good temp then red for too high or too low

• We didn't use a monitor for a couple of months but good to get one ready, ours has a room thermometer on which is useful to help you know what to dress them in at night.

• Bouncy chair and play mat plus an arch or something to go over them with toys on it as for first few months they are on their backs staring up!!

• Best newborn upwards toys are the Lamaze ones - they do all sorts but the firefly is popular, we have the unicorn, mouse, dolly, donkey and the old firefly!!

• Car seat, cot, pram, change mat (I did find having on a table useful as hurt my back and knees it being on the floor!)

• Couple of blankets

• When they start teething you will need a few bibs but not for a couple of months
  If you go down the bottle or expressing route you'll need bottles, steriliser, bottle brush - I would get same brand steriliser as bottles so they fit - although we used dr browns in end to reduce air getting in, they fitted in the Tommee tippee steriliser, but you can get microwave steriliser bags for them. You'll also need breast milk storage bags - best ones I used are boots own label.