a bumbo!! Awesome little seats that are easy to cart around anywhere and act as an instant seat/high chair.

A bottle warmer and steriliser

Brolly sheets – awesome for messes in the middle of the night, sick babies/toddlers, toilet training, nappy free time etc. I just bought one for a first time mum as a baby shower gift.

Cot sheets. Babies have a habit of vomitting or some have leakage from nappies no matter how well they lift. I love the thin blanket or other fabric blanket or suitable size fabric for shielding the sun and other weather from your baby in the pram/stroller. Very few people thin of that. If they live in an area where mosqitoes are a problem, perhaps a mosquito net or something suitable would be a blessing. If you are providing clothes, choose a larger size. So may people give newborn or next size clothing,(if baby grows really quickly they may not get much use,) then suddenly the parents have go and find/afford the next couple of sizes. I was a bit sneaky I watched for sales and was able to buy an extra outfit for less what I would have normally paid. I got one of them in one size larger than the others (I basically got 3 for the price of 2).

Baby wraps, I never thought of them when I was pregnant with my daughter but they come in handy, to wrap the baby, pop over your shoulder, cover you when breastfeeding. Also a raincover for the pram, was invaluable.

I was given a baby wipe warmer. Lol.. Didn’t make sense to begin with but was awesome! I had a winter Bub and cold wet wipes at night was like taking a cold bath!

A bag full of goodies they can use in the next few years. Those little things come in handy.

One of my baby shower gifts was a storage container filled with wipes, powder, cotton balls, a bath thermometer, creams, bubble bath etc.. It was great!

A voucher to have a cleaner come by after bubs is born, vouchers for restaurants that do take away, online shopping delivery vouchers – not exciting, but make life easier!

Put all of the advice into a pot, stir it around and come out with a solution that works for you. Don’t just rely on a single lot of advice.

A hooded baby towel was given to me when my first child was born, I and baby loved it, made drying him so much easier. This is the first item I look for when friends are having babies.

I’m sure it was the dummy! I had intended my child wasn’t going to have one but it was my rock when I brought my first bub home.

Baby monitor, nappies & wipes are always a used blessing I think. Socks,nail clippers, thermometer, play mats.

Wraps, baby nail scissors and nappies were greatly appreciated when I had my children

well people will all have their own experiences and advice so i will add this- I wish that i had known what i was missing! I enjoyed my pre-baby life but i had never felt such love and joy as when i looked into my child’s eyes for the first time and they look at you and stop crying! There is nothing that compares to that moment of intense love! Trust me, i am so lucky and happy with my man and people make me happier than possessions but once you know this love, the whole world changes! It makes everything before this moment seem insignificant