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The baby products the parents at Which? couldn't live without
Parenting is a journey filled with joy, sleepless nights – and a whole lot of trial and error, especially with baby products.
To help you save time and money the next time you need to shop for your child, we asked the mums and dads of Which? to tell us about the indispensable products that made their lives easier. They include a game-changing baby carrier and a sound machine that helps little ones sleep through the night.
From must-have gadgets to everyday essentials, here are the baby items that Which? parents couldn’t live without.
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A Baby Bjorn carrier
When I needed to get jobs done around the house but the girls wanted to be held, it was a life-saver. Neither of mine took to buggies until much older, so it was also helpful for getting out of the house quickly.
For many Which? parents, a baby carrier is a must-have, offering the perfect blend of mobility and comfort while keeping little ones snug – especially those who love to be held at all times. Among the favourites, Baby Bjorn emerged as a top choice, praised for its ease of use and support.
See carriers from more brands, as well as the top-scoring slings and wraps in our guide to the best baby carriers and slings
Airtushi collapsible high chair
A portable and collapsible padded highchair means your baby has a place to sit wherever you go. Good for travelling or taking over to a friend or family member’s house.
For parents on the go, a portable baby chair like the Airtushi can be a game-changer, providing a secure seat wherever you travel.
Designed to be attached to a range of chairs – including aeroplane seats and camping chairs, according to the manufacturer – it offers a convenient solution for mealtimes away from home.
With the ability to deflate for easy storage, it’s designed to fit neatly into a bag, making family adventures just a little bit easier.
You can compare a range of popular models and see our experts' top picks in our guide to the best high chairs.
More baby seats and chairs:
- Snug Floor Seat with Activity Tray A portable floor seat with a removeable tray, available in three colours. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50019664.
- Isofix Car Seat Base According to our parents, it makes fastening a baby car seat a walk in the park. Available from John Lewis (£160).
Compare more than 200 of our baby and child car seat reviews to see which ones you can rely on to protect your child in the event of an accident.
Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine
This thing saved our sanity with the 2am feeds. Be sure to clean it properly and buy the prep pots too – trying to count out scoops when you’re sleep-deprived is the hardest thing ever. Top tip: this doesn’t have to be in the kitchen – we kept ours in the spare room for minimal effort during night feeds.
A non-negotiable for bottle-fed babies in my opinion! We actually had two, as we live in a three-storey house, so we kept one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom for night feeds.
The Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine offers a quick and convenient way to prepare bottles round-the-clock.
According to the manufacturer, it prepares a perfectly warmed bottle in just two minutes, helping to soothe hungry babies without the wait. Designed with night-time in mind, it features volume control to keep noise to a minimum, and it has a digital display.
But be aware that bottle prep machines may not always heat the water to a high enough temperature, so some NHS Hospital Trusts do not recommend using them. We go into more detail in our guide – perfect prep and formula bottle prep machines.
We asked more than 2,000 parents about their experience with formula milk – see what they had to say in the best baby formula milk brands
A reliable baby monitor
Having a baby monitor gave me peace of mind while my baby was sleeping, and with ours you can even talk through it. Our child is five now and we’re still using it, as it's helpful for telling them it's too early to wake up and to stay in bed!
Our baby monitor has been a godsend. It not only acts as a portable/fixed monitor, but also has a night-light and tunes to help your baby nod off. You can also speak through it to calm your baby, or speak to your partner if they're in the nursery.
For parents who want extra peace of mind, a reliable baby monitor with two-way audio can make all the difference.
Being able to hear your baby – and speak to them – means you can offer comfort without rushing to their room every time they stir. Parents we spoke to found this especially useful for soothing little ones back to sleep or reassuring them from another room.
You can see a selection of popular baby monitors we've tested below, or head to our guide on the best baby monitors.
Read more about preparing for a growing family: the only guide you'll ever need to babyproof your home
Yookidoo Baby Bath Shower Head
This is so helpful for washing the hair of a toddler who hates having their hair washed! It makes it fun and is very gentle.
Bathtime can be a challenge with a wriggly toddler, but the Yookidoo Baby Bath Shower Head is designed to make it easier.
Shaped like an elephant, it adds a fun touch while helping parents gently rinse hair without fuss. A built-in button lets you control the water flow, giving you more precision and making the experience more comfortable for little ones. It’s also available in seven different colours.
More bath time baby products:
- BabyOne Bath Thermometer One Which? dad told us it gives him 'peace of mind to get the bath temperature right' with this floating thermometer. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50019670.
- Angelcare Soft Touch Bath Support A soft bath seat designed to hold babies under six months old, keeping you hands-free while bathing them. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50019671.
NoseFrida Snot Sucker
It is as grim as it sounds, but it clears a snotty nose almost instantly, and is the most effective thing we had for nasty newborn colds. I still use it on my two-year-old as she's not able to blow her nose yet.
Babies can't blow their own nose and get very snotty, so using one of these is a good way to clear them out.
A stuffy nose can make babies miserable, but the NoseFrida Snot Sucker (yes, it really is called that) is a big hit with parents at Which? to help clear congestion.
The design includes a long tube with a pencil-shaped tip that fits gently in your child’s nose, while you suck on the other end to remove mucus. To keep things hygienic, disposable filters are included to prevent anything unpleasant from passing through.
The kit also comes with a 20ml sea salt solution to help loosen stubborn snot, making it easier for little ones to breathe comfortably again.
Baby first-aid: everything you need to know
Sock Ons
Very simple: these stop baby socks falling off, which would otherwise happen about 800 times a day.
Whether they’re being pulled off by curious little hands or falling off and getting lost under the sofa, keeping baby socks firmly on baby feet is a challenge every parent knows all too well.
Sock Ons consist of a stretchy material designed to fit over baby socks to keep them securely in place. They’re machine washable and available in white or shades of blue.
For tiny feet, parents also loved:
- Juicy Bumbles Soft Sole Baby Shoes Leather and suede shoes available in several sizes available for age ranges from birth up to two years old. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50019666.
- Owlet Smart Sock One Which? mum called this an 'absolute godsend'. It's a smart sock which alerts you if your baby's heart rate or blood oxygen dips too low. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50019667.
Loop Quiet ear plugs
Hear me out (no pun intended). My friend has three children under seven – a five-year-old and ten-month-old twins. She swears by these earplugs as they 'take the edge off' the crying and squealing, which she finds really overwhelming. She can still hear everything, it's just not quite as piercing!
Daily life as a parent can get loud. While you can’t completely switch off from the noise, a decent pair of ear plugs can tone down some of the harsher sounds.
Loop claims that its Quiet ear plugs are designed to reduce noise by 26dB. They come with a keychain storage case and four sizes of silicone ear tips.
See what our experts thought of these in our Loop Quiet Ear Plugs review. They're currently unavailable to buy, but their successor, the Loop Quiet 2, are available from the retailers below.
Sleep better with the best ear plugs and the best eye masks
A safe stair gate
An essential safety item in any property with stairs until little one is confident enough to be able to walk up and down them on their own.
A sturdy stair gate is a must-have for parents with little ones on the move. Whether blocking off staircases or sectioning off certain rooms, having reliable gates in place can help prevent accidents and give parents peace of mind.
You can browse a selection of popular stair gates we've tested below, or head to the best stair gates for the top models and expert buying advice.
Tommee Tippee Sleeptime Portable Blackout Blind
This blackout blind has suction cups to affix to any window to make the room nice and dark for nap time (and to discourage early rising in summer). It’s portable and cleverly designed to get right to the edges of small or large windows alike.
Getting a baby to sleep in a bright room isn’t always easy, which is why some parents turn to blackout blinds for help.
This one from Tommee Tippee suctions to windows so it can be removed easily, and it's available in two sizes.
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Dreamegg Sleep Lite Portable Sound Machine
My daughter loves this (and so do I). Soothing white noise, plus lots of other sounds and lullabies. It also has a night light and a timer so you don't have to leave it running all night. It really helped when I stopped breastfeeding my baby to sleep because turning this on signalled it was nap time. We still use it now and she's 19 months old.
The Dreamegg white-noise machine is designed to create a soothing background sound, masking household noise and making it easier for babies and young children to drift off. It’s available to buy in grey or orange.
From where to put it in the room, to when to adjust the height, find out how to buy the best cot bed
TOMY Toomies Hide and Squeak Eggs
Not sure what it is about this toy, but every baby I've ever known is obsessed with them! It worked as great motivation to get my daughter crawling as well – put the egg just out of reach so she had to move to get it.
Toys that keep little hands busy while encouraging learning are always a win for parents, and these ‘Hide and Squeak Eggs’ do just that. This simple yet engaging set lets babies and toddlers match colourful eggshells, press down to hear them squeak, and discover different shapes inside.
Remember that if you're buying toys second-hand, it's important to do so safely – our investigation found that 90% of toys purchased from online marketplaces were illegal to sell in the UK.
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