Our 5 most useless baby buys

1: The pregnancy pillow

I read reviews raving about various pregnancy support pillows. At around 7 months i started to struggle with sleeping, suffering with back ache and struggling to get comfortable. Thankfully I didn't need to buy one as my aunt let me borrow hers. For me though, it wasn't helpful at all, in fact it just made me feel really warm and just got in the way. Considering they come in at around £50 from Mothercare, i just don't think its worth the money. You could probably get the same sort of support with a few pillows.

2: Breast feeding pillow

Again, another highly reviewed and recommended product by many mums. I, like everyone else, had to have one and saw one on offer in Mothercare for £30.00, so decided to get it. However in the last 4 months i have used it at most 2 or 3 times. I had a c-section and initially felt that the pillow actually felt really uncomfortable when it was resting on me. I didn't completely right it of at this stage and waited till my scare healed a little before trying again. But once I did, i still didn't find it to be wholly comfy and found that if I was on the sofa i had to sit in a very upright position to use the pillow, when in fact i was much comfier with my legs crossed on the sofa, with a cushion under my arm to rest on. I know a lot of family and friends swear by it and it makes breastfeeding much more comfortable for them, but i wouldn't buy another and will probably just pass mine on to a friend. Maybe i just haven't got the hang of using it correctly.

3: Baby Bath support

We got a very simply sponge bath support, it was pretty cheap from Home bargains, around £4.00 i think. We are still using it, but im not sure about how much support it actually provides, as we still have to hold baby with one hand, we cant actually have both hands free and he cant really just lay in the bath with the support without us holding him. We're still using it just as I feel it's probably a little more comfortable for baby to be laying on a spongy warm surface, rather than straight on to plastic. I think I'm going to have to have a look at other bath supports for when he is a little older and I can move him in to the big bath.

4: Swaddling blanket

This is one of those items a lot of people swear by... including my mum, who encouraged me to swaddle. However baby Hamzah hated being swaddled, and wanted his arms to be free. So it just didn't work for us. I guess maybe if we persisted a little longer, he would have just got used to it.

5:  Baby shoes

I don't even feel like putting these on the useless list, because there so cute! but that's pretty much the only purpose they serve, they look cute. They can be a pain to put on and a even bigger pain to keep on. Our baby is constantly kicking his off. I have found it much easier to use the 'shoe' socks, which are pretty cute too, but actually stay on babies feet. Its probably best just to save baby shoes for special occasions or when there a little older when the shoes actually stay on.

Our 5 most useful baby buys

1: Baby grows/sleep suits:

These are amazing, an all in one outfit for baby to wear during the day or to sleep in. There comfy, light and normally come in a cotton material.  You can also get them in a fleecy material or velour for the colder months which i love! You don't need to spend a lot of money on them, and can get them relatively cheaply from any of the super markets, I've found the best ones in Asda and Tesco. Even though i must say I do love the quality of the ones from mamas and papas.

2: Muslin cloths:

We can not have enough muslin cloths for our little one! Baby Hamzah has suffered with reflux which means he is constantly bringing up his milk, so these cloths have really come in handy to mop up anything which his bib cant handle. Initially i only bought one pack of them, thinking we would never really need them. But now i have an endless supply, so we never run out! They come in all sorts of funky colours, and can be picked up from all supermarkets and obviously the baby shops. They're not always cheap though. I think I found the cheapest at Primark.

3: Bibs:

Again, these have been used on a daily basis. I have read reviews where people say there useless until baby actually starts to eat. But if your little one is like ours and constantly bringing up some milk after a feed, its always best to have a bib on. Especially if you are on the way out and baby is wearing a nice outfit.

4: Colic free bottles:

Even though i am predominantly breastfeeding, i have also used formula on days when were out. However, baby Hamzah suffered with pretty bad colic in the evenings and we found that using a colic free bottle, we chose Dr Browns, really did help him on the days we gave him formula.

5: Moses Basket:

The moses basket has been great for us. I know a lot of parents say that their newborns don't like them, or they hardly use them and before they know it the baby has outgrown the basket. Hamzah is nearly 4 months now, and has only recently outgrown his. We have got so much use out of our basket, its light and easy for me to carry down to our living room for his day time naps and was just as easy to take back up in the evenings. Its not as big as a cot or cot bed and our baby was really comfy in it. I wasn't so keen on the mattress that came with out kinder valley moses basket from Asda, so we got a new mattress and I also added a blanket on top,  just to make it all cozy for him. At only £40 plus £20 for the stand, its one of our best buys for sure!