insideKENT Magazine Issue 65 - August 2017 | Page 91

Baby towels & bath robes
Another high scorer on the cute-ometer, but
utterly unnecessary are baby towels and bath
robes, which are no softer, safer, or more useful
than normal towels, they’re just smaller, so
they make us go all gooey and want to buy
them. Don’t buy them. Use a regular towel and
your baby will still get all dry and snuggly,
perhaps even drier quicker because baby
towels are often very thin and less absorbent.
Same goes for baby bibs while we’re on the
topic of ‘normal things just smaller’ – baby
bibs are just tiny bibs; babies grow and are
wriggly at the best of times, so just buy bibs.
Baby hairbrush and grooming kit
Have you ever tried to cut a toddler’s teeny
tiny nails? It’s a tough enough task when your
baby gets bigger, so for the first six months of
their life at least, we’d recommend skipping
past the ‘baby grooming’ aisle and opting to
gently file their bendy new nails down with a
soft emery board. Nail clippers, scissors and a
toothbrush…really? And as for the ‘obligatory’
hairbrush and comb…most babies have little
or no hair and very delicate scalps, which
doesn’t exactly scream coiffuring.
underneath a baby’s head because they don’t
yet have the physical strength to lift their heads
up, and studies have found that babies up to
the age of two lack the motor development
needed to free themselves if they get wedged
between the side of the cot and a cot bumper,
so that’s those out too. A duvet? You won’t use
it except perhaps to put over a chair or around
your own shoulders if you get chilly at feeding
time. Cot skirts and cute sheets are where the
line should be drawn here, everything else can
wait for their first ‘big’ bed.
What do you need?
In a nutshell? Nappies, swaddlers, wipes,
gentle washing powder (you’ll be putting
endless washes on), a Moses basket or
cot, babygrows, a car seat (if you drive),
a sling (if you actually want to get
anything done), a pram, a fully charged
phone battery (for the gazillion pictures
you’ll take), or an actual camera, your
boobs or a bottle (absolutely your choice),
and a thick skin (to bounce off 'advice'
from others on your choices).
Baby bedding
By all means go ahead and buy a gorgeous,
comforting (fitted) sheet for your baby’s cot,
but a full bedding set? No need. Any parent
would have to be mad to put a pillow
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