Baby Accessories

What are Baby Accessories

Babies need accessories too! Didn’t you know – all the cool kids have accessories 🙂 I’m not talking sunglasses and hair clips which are also cool but rather things that you need to keep with you.

What I have listed in Baby Accessories are the thing that you need that don’t fall within the category of clothing but need to always accompany baby at different parts of their lives. Included is:

Burp Clothes
Bibs
Hats
Nappy Bag

The list of Baby Accessories you need

1. Burp Clothes

I think I have bought six burp cloths for the second baby. The best ones are absorbing but soft and generally towelling.

Don’t buy expensive pretty one because they get messed up.

Get ones that will just cover your shoulder. If they are too big you will then get baby sick all over you as you try fling it back to where you got it from when the baby is sleeping 🙂

2. Bibs

This is purely for when baby spits. Bibs are not as necessary at the early stages if you are breastfeeding. They will come in handy in the later stages when they start solids around 5 months.

Bibs are also fantastic for teething. With teething comes a lot of drooling and when this happens badly it makes your child’s top soppy wet. The bib, especially if it is well made should absorb all the dribble and keep your child’s clothes from getting wet.

What characterises a good bib

Softness and flexibility. Even if it is made of silicon it can still be soft and flexible. This is so that it can move with your child while they eat and move.
Being washable, whether that is in the washing machine or dishwasher
Having a decent fastening structure that actually closes. Some of the cheaper velcro options do not close properly especially after they have been in the wash, then they never close again. Be sure to check that the faster wont hurt your baby. Often they will rub against their neck which happens more often that you think.

3. Hats

You’re also going to need little hat things to keep baby’s head warm. I don’t know why but my kids have been opposed to hats from day one. You have to keep persevering with hats. They will need hats throughout their lives, to keep their heads warm and to keep their faces shaded.

Hats to keep warm

You’ll need to have a hat for when your baby leaves the hospital and for those early months. Regardless of whether it is summer your child’s head will be colder than what it has become accustomed to.

I’ve also been sure to buy really warm winter hats a year in advance so that I have them on hand when we travel with the kids, especially if its a long flight, planes can get so cold and it just helps them stay warm and comfortable.

If you’re stuck on clothes to buy for baby – check out the very first post in the series “What to buy when you’re expecting: little people clothes”.

Hats to shade

You must keep a look out for a summer hat. Summer hats are notorious hard to find outside of the summer months and you will need one for warmer Autumn and Spring days and also if you travel into a different hemisphere.

4. Nappy Bag

A good nappy bag is essential, especially if you want to be able to get out the house. The essentials for a nappy bag are:

Big enough. It needs to be big enough to hold nappies, wipes, creams, two changes of clothing.
Mustn’t be too big because it will break your shoulder and get in the way.
It must be able to close on the top for when you put it in the boot or plane.
There must be have compartments to divide up things – you don’t want a dirty nappy touching the spare food you have.
You also want to have places for milk bottles but not hundreds because that also just makes things really heavy. If these pockets are slightly insulated it will ensure the milk stays warm and juice stays cool.
Your nappy bag should ideally have a changing mat type thing that comes with the bag so that if you need to change on a restaurant bathroom floor or in a changing room that looks disgusting you always have that to lie the baby on.
“Attachability” is also key – it needs to be able to attach to the pram so you dont have to carry it all the time.