I thought I would do a top 10 list of my favourite baby products which I found pretty handy and useful when J.D was a baby. It is so easy to get caught up in the hype of certain products and sometimes I found that they are really not useful nor practical after buying and trying them out. These products stood the test of time for me and some of them I am still using today. If you are a mum you might find some of these products in your repertoire or have something similar you found just as useful. Please comment and let me know as anyone else reading this would also love to know what is out there. If you are a mum-to-be or a new mum wading the new waters of motherhood I hope these items help out a bit in some way of trying to figure out what things are important in the scheme of things.

Anyway onto my list.....

10. Vanchi Nappy Bag

I chose this particular nappy bag dare I say it because of it's style. Vanity played a big part in my decision to buy this bag because I wanted something that looked moderately like a handbag. This bag lived up to it's looks but it was also oh so practical. It had heaps of room and lots of compartments to store the necessities of a newborn and toddler. I transitioned to a backpack for J.D when he was about 13-14 months old so I could go back to a normal handbag. It is on the pricey side but I know I will get years of use out of it and probably be able to resell it once I am finished with it if I take good care of it! I was blessed enough for a bunch of people to all pool in to put money towards buying this bag for me. If this is out of your price range why not put it on your baby shower list and get a few family members to pool their resources to buy it for you.

9. Burp Cloths

I found these invaluable in the first 3-4 months of J.D's life. He was a bit of a spewy baby and the store bought burp cloths just didn't cut it. They just didn't have the "soaking" capability that my home made version had. The spew just kind of rolled off which wasn't good when you had just got changed ready to go out. I was given one set of burp cloths from a friend and it became our favourite so I sat down one afternoon and whipped up a few more to add to the collection. You can find the tutorial to making your own burp cloths here.

8. Heinz Suction Bowl

This bowl has been the best purchase we made when J.D started solids at around 6 months old. There are a few different types of suction bowls out there but this one is now over a year old and it's suction capabilities is still the same as it was the day we bought it. I can't recommend it enough.

7. Wooden Glider Feeding Chair

I bought this glider before J.D was born. I use to sit in the nursery with my swollen belly out front rocking in this chair wondering what motherhood was going to be like. I also sat in it during those first weeks of night feeding wondering will I ever sleep through the night and again nursing my sick toddler in the early hours of the morning who had come down with a bad case of measles from his vaccinations. His daddy also sits in this chair to this day to read his bedtime stories before we tuck him into bed. This chair holds some special memories for us. Some people like to go for a armchair style of seating for a breastfeeding chair and I think that is good too. I love this chair but the only drawback to it is I wished it was able to recline. Especially when I was dog tired in the early hours of the morning breastfeeding a small newborn.

6. Uniden Wireless Baby Monitor

I was initially given this monitor to review as part of the blog. I couldn't live without it now. I love it and even take it on holidays. It give such a greater capability to monitor your child, the temperature and it has the capability of monitoring two rooms with the extra camera that it comes with. It also has the capability of viewing your child through your phone if you happen to be out during their sleep. It does not however monitor their breathing so a separate device would be needed to do this.

5. Breast Friend Feeding Pillow

I bought my breast feeding pillow second hand from a friend before J.D was born. It was the best investment I ever made for those harrowing first weeks of learning to breast feed. It helps support the baby and positions under your breast leaving you to concentrate on the important things such as attachment etc. I loved using it at home even after I got the hang of breastfeeding. It helped my posture and allowed me to relax a little more during feeding times.

4. Gro Bag Sleeping Bags

These bags have been invaluable since we transitioned J.D from being swaddled at the age of 4 months. They come in different togs which are basically different thicknesses of material. I got two sleeping bags, one suitable for summer and one for winter. J.D was a wiggler and there was no way I was able to keep him tucked in at night so these have been great to keep him covered. We still use sheets and a blanket during winter to keep him extra warm. He is still in these sleeping bags at the moment and I dread the day we transition from these to a toddler bed with proper sheets. I know there are a number of different other types of sleeping bags our there but I have found these the best for us. I would love to know what you use!

3. Save Our Sleep

Now this book can be a bit controversial in mother's circles. I read this book and also Baby Wise before J.D was born. I had good reports on both books and decided to go with Save Our Sleep. I didn't openly talk about what method of sleep training I was using in general conversation with other mum's. A lot don't agree with some principles in this book nor how regimented it can sound. I have only had good results with using this book and so has my sister and sister-in-law. It has given me a good sleeper and feeder and can account for having such a good sleeper now. Its all about teaching the foundations of good sleeping to your newborn in the early weeks of their life. It is up to you and your own methods of parenting as to what you want to follow or use on your baby. I would encourage you to read this book and if you feels it fits your style of mothering than go for it but if you don't like it then that's fine too.

2. Medela Swing Breast Pump

This saved my sanity in the first weeks of breastfeeding with J.D. I used it to express throughout the day to increase my supply and to also decrease the volume of milk in my breast before attaching J.D in the first few weeks when my milk supply was at it's peek. I did a bit of research before purchasing this pump and found it to have the best reviews. I bought the matching Medela bottle with the Calma teat to feed J.D with in the early months. The pump is really easy and straightforward to use and I would highly recommend it to any new mum.

1. Mother Mates Breast Feeding Pads

This was my number recommended product to new mums. These mother's mates are stick on silicone pads that help your nipples heal during the first few weeks of learning to breast feed. I got awful blisters in those first few weeks and these things were a life saver during this time. I would buy a pair for every new mum if I could. They were the best and I will probably get a pair for bub number two in case we have a few issues in those first weeks learning to feed again.

What products did you find invaluable in those first few weeks of motherhood??