The 50 Best Baby Products
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Independent Minds
MaxiCosi CabrioFix
An apt choice first off as this product is a legal requirement: you won’t be allowed to take baby home from the hospital unless you have a car seat. MaxiCosi has a near-monopoly on the market, as any visit to the maternity ward will tell you. But with its sturdy, highly regarded design – MaxiCosi was the first manufacturer to achieve the maximum score in the European child seat test – it’s clear to see why. The CabrioFix is available in all manner of colours to suit any car, but black reflection, above, is the understated, gender-neutral choice.
Where:
In Pictures: The 50 Best Baby Products
New dad Andy Sharman tries out togs, toys, tubs and more for parents, grandparents and godparents to give their little ones.
Click the image on the right to launch the guide.
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Comments
With a number as large as 50 I truly think that a fairly thorough for the discerning mother could be put together, encompassing most of the truly essential best baby buys ? a list that could be a true aid and guide through the world where there is so much STUFF with so LITTLE VALUE. Maybe the list could not include absolutely everything that you will ever need for your little one, but the true staples that you cannot do without and maybe the one or two odd things that do not appear on google-able internet lists that you learn the hard way are actually really good to have (eg. nasal aspirators!) I don?t want to attempt to do that right now (since no one is paying me to right such an article) nor do I want to go into every article that Andy recommends, but I would just like to highlight a few key areas to make my point.
What best baby buy list can be complete without a teether ? personal recommendation ? the timeless Sophie Giraffe from France. Some teething meds to go with it (Ashton & Parsons powders) will bring sanity back to many parents. What about a proper high chair? (the tripp trapp is top of my list) and maybe a parent facing pram (bugaboo for instance) - it was the independent that ran an article on how important that is after all. And we cannot forget baby gap towelling socks ? probably the only brand where the first sock is still on when you have put on the second one! And whilst we are at it ? lets go wild and invest in some babyproofing items (Dan) and maybe?. a potty?
A critical look at the items on the list raises a number of concerns. Do you really need the grobag egg if you have the BT monitor, which shows the room temperature and actually alerts you if it is too high? The wondercube you say is made from organic cotton, but then there is no mention of whether the dyes used are non-toxic etc (I am sure they are, but this is the kind of information I would be looking for in the write up). Why the John Lewis baby vests? There are much less expensive ones out there that are 100% cotton, or other retailers such as M&S do great value organic cotton ones. How is the blender you recommend a truly good buy when the top is not detachable, hence hygiene becomes an issue. There are many devices out there that allow you to steam and blend small portions and are designed to ensure good cleanliness as well. Samfolk, Katvig and the like ? they are all gorgeous, but do you really need items that expensive when the little one is growing like crazy and there are so many items you actually have to spend money on (hmmm, maybe the Independent should see if they are not overpaying their journalists!). And I must say that muslin squares at £9.95 for three, when I went through about 10 a day to begin with, is a daunting idea (if you want to look chic when breast feeding in public, you can instead invest in a proper breastfeeding cover (around £15) that stays in place and gives you eye contact with the baby, and buy 20 of the cheapest white cotton mussies out there!
These are fiddly and complicated, involving folding and external wraps. We do not even stock them as we have had many reports from Mums who are disappointed with their performance.
The way your article was worded, gave the impression that Bambino Mio was the only brand which would qualify for a reimbursment from local councils, whereas we sell around a dozen different nappy brands which all qualify. I think if your readers knew how easy it can be to use cloth, then many more people could be converted, which would only be a good thing.
NOTE: The following paragraph contains our company information, which I understand probably cannot be published, if this is the case, would it be possible to delete this paragraph, but publish the rest?
At www.teeheebaby.co.uk we have tried and tested many cloth nappies from around the world and offer many products that are not available anywhere else in the UK. We also offer an advice service so we can find out the most suitable nappy for each person. In most cases a two-part nappy that involves lots of folding is way down the list, but a lot of people do not know that there are other options.
If The Independent is really commited to converting readers to cloth nappies, then you would do a better job of it if you actually showed the enormous range of different styles and brands available.
I absolutely agree with teeheebaby that there are loads of better nappy systems out there (we use a mixture of Bumgenius and Modern Baby Pop-ins) than Bambino Mio too. A birth to potty system, rather than a sized set, would also be a better investment.
Also, many (most?) HVs are now advising NOT to start your babies on mush at 6m old, but instead to follow Baby Led Weaning and offer finger foods and family meals for the child to self feed. Go this way (there are fantastic online resources, and a great book by Gill Rapley) and hey ho, sod the blender and the silly over-designed cubes, your list is down to 48!
Babynobumps Ltd.
Every year over half a million children go to hospital as a result of an accident - this new product has been designed to protect those very delicate heads of little ones when they are learning to sit up, crawl and walk.
It has even been endorsed by a GP who specialises in peadactrics.
Every year over half a million children go to hospital as a result of an accident - this new and innovative product goes some way to protecting the very delicate, not yet fully formed heads of little ones when they are learning to sit up, crawl and walk.
Babies and young children always seem to lead with their heads when they fall - resulting in, as yet, unkown damage to vulnerable skulls.
just a thought :o)