10 unique parenting products

The flat-pack baby bottle

It might sound like something you’d get from IKEA, but the Vital Baby Nurture single use sterile feeding bottle scored 4 out of 5 stars in our review. Why? Well, it’s a practical, compact and convenient solution when you’re travelling.

Flat-packed and sealed in an individual bag, the bottle is sterile, disposable and 100% recyclable. Other claims to fame include it being BPA-free and anti-colic. We also love that you can fill it with whatever you choose - breast milk, formula, water.

Price wise, £2.99 gets you a 4-pack

Check out the full Vital Baby Nurture single use sterile feeding bottle review to see if it could work for you.

The 60-second self-warming bottle

A bottle that warms itself? In 60 seconds? For any mum or dad struggling with early morning bottlefeeds, this idea no doubt appeals! This gadget is called the yoomi, and it’s a bottle and warmer in one. Within 60 seconds of pressing the button, the milk (breast or formula) is warmed to 32-34 degrees, which is roughly the temperature of breast milk straight from mum. It’s also BPA free and anti-colic.

The yoomi costs £22 and can be used 100 times.

Check out the full yoomi self-warming bottle review to understand how this gadget works.

The spill-free toddler bowl

The Loopa Gyro Bowl has no lid but it doesn’t spill. Sounds like magic! This toddler bowl uses inner bowls that swivel 360 degrees as your toddler tips and swings it to keep food off the floor. Nifty, and at £4.99, it’s pretty good value.

If you think a lid-free, spill-free bowl sounds too good to be true, check out our full story on the genius Loopa.

The clear-sided crib

The Modo crib from Cosatto features clear acrylic side, so you can see your baby sleeping. With curved legs and Brazil Nut wood ends, the Modo Crib is sleek, stylish and sturdier than a Moses basket. The crib, £250, can also be used as a bench seat once your baby’s outgrown it.

Check out the full Cosatto Modo Crib review to see if you’d like one in your nursery.

The lie-flat baby carrier

We’re used to having our babies strapped to our fronts in a carrier or sling, but the Mamas & Papas Cybex i.GO Baby Carrier has turned this approach on its head. Or back, to be exact. You see, the Cybex i.GO Baby Carrier lets you carry your newborn baby on your front while he’s lying flat on his back. Once your baby is older, the carrier can be used in more standard positions too.

The carrier is £85 and can be used from birth to 2 years.

Check out the full Mamas & Papas Cybex i.GO Baby Carrier review to hear more about how it works.

The harness-free car seat

The idea of a car seat for your baby and toddler that doesn’t have a 5-point safety harness sounds like a far-fetched idea, but it is in fact reality. And safe. The Kiddy Comfort Pro, £185, is a Group 1/2/3 car seat (suitable from 9 months to 12 years) that uses an “impact shield” instead of the traditional harness we’re used to seeing. It’s scored well in safety tests, as did its sister seat, the Kiddy Infinity Pro, which is suitable from 9 months to 4 years. And for older kids, there’s the Kiddy Discovery Pro, suitable from 4 years to 12 years.

This innovative idea is proving popular, with Mamas & Papas recently adding this style of car seat to their fab collection, in the form of the Group 1/2/3 Pallas 2 in 1 car seat.

Check out the full Kiddy Comfort Pro car seat review to understand how it works.

The baby hammock

The Amby Nature's Nest can be used for day or night sleeping, and sees your baby lying in a curved ‘nest’ rather than flat in a cot. The creator has explained that popping your baby onto a flat mattress in an open Moses basket or crib is a bit like asking us to snooze on floorboards after a lifetime of sleeping on mattresses. The Nest is even said to help with colic and reflux, because your baby’s head is slightly raised. It can be used from birth to 12 months, and costs £164.99

Check out the full Amby Nature's Nest review to see if it could work for your baby..

The womb-like baby swing

There are plenty of baby swings on the market, but none quite like the Graco Sweetpeace, £169.99. Firstly, it doesn’t look like your typical swinging baby seat. Secondly, the Sweetpeace is probably as close to being in the womb as your baby can get after birth! With various recline positions, vibrations, womb-like sounds and motions, plus a canopy to pull over the top to recreate a womb-like glow, the Sweetpeace is a soothing solution for new mums who need their arms back for a while.

Check out the full Graco Sweetpeace review to see if this baby swing could work for you.

The sleep/play/feed solution

Flexible products that have more than one use and a longer life span that usual are becoming more common, but the Hauck i'coo Grow With Me 1-2-3 is certainly one of a kind. This innovative bit of kit uses one base frame with three attachments to transform from bassinet to bouncer to highchair. The complete set-up costs £349.99, and can last from birth to 3 years. How clever!

Check out the Hauck i'coo Grow With Me 1-2-3 reviews to see if this three-in-one appeals to you.

The breast milk collecting breast pads

The Milkies Milk-Saver are best likened to reusable breast pads that collect leaked breast milk. Effective and durable, you just slip these into your bra. Just position you nipple over the hole and leaked milk is collected in the reservoir. They’ll set you back £24.96.

Check out the full Milkies Milk-Saver review to see if these could be for you.