Essential buys for your baby’s nursery
You’ve got the cot – here are the other buys you’ll need to make your newborn’s room a safe and comfortable place to sleep
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1. The Gro Company Groegg 2, £29.99
Type: Nightlight
The next-gen Groegg 2 takes everything you already loved about its popular predecessor, Groegg, and goes one better, with a sleek new silicone design that’s 33% bigger and offers 4 levels of brightness to help you find the perfect light level.
The 2.0 version still does everything you want it to – it’s a soothing nightlight and digital room thermometer that changes colour based on the temperature, so you can see at a glance how hot or cold your little one’s room is.
A simple yet clever innovation that’s been a hit with parents for years, the Groegg 2’s popularity shows no signs of slowing – read our Groegg 2 review for more details.
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Available from: The Gro Company, Amazon and Argos
2. Babymoov YOO-Moov, £179.99
Type: Video baby monitor
A baby monitor is always top of the nursery to-buy list and with the Babymoov YOO-Moov video baby monitor, our Gold Award winner, you can be confident you’re always able to hear, and see, exactly when your baby needs you.
The fourth YOO monitor in its range, Babymoov have honed the design to include everything you might need; a 360 degree camera, an 11cm parent unit that allows you to view and talk to your baby, a nightlight and 5 gentle lullabies.
Compared to other similar-priced monitors, the YOO-Moov offers many more features, making it a good value choice in the video monitor market.
Our testers loved its large range of features and sleek wall-mounted look.
Available from: Amazon and Uber Kids
3. Sleepyhead Deluxe+, £130
Product: Sleeping aid
The latest sleeping innovation to take the parenting world by storm, the concept for the Sleepyhead Deluxe+ is simple enough.
It’s a sleeptime, playtime, relaxing pod for babies from birth to 8 months – but the results many parents report in the quantity and quality of sleep are certainly compelling. Maybe it’s the bouncy soft design, or the snug way it cradles your little one, but babies just love them and as a result, so do parents.
The downside? They’re not cheap and many bigger babies do outgrow the Sleepyhead before 8 months.
But there is a larger Sleepyhead, the Grand, which accommodates children up to 3 years old.
Our tester Claire says: “I love how lightweight and portable it is! It’s wonderful how I can take it from room to room – so much less cumbersome than a carrycot or Moses basket.”
Read our full review here, which includes safe sleeping advice from The Lullaby Trust concerning sleep nests.
Available from: Amazon, John Lewis and JoJo Maman Bebe
4. The Little Green Sheep Natural Knitted Moses Basket and Mattress, £79.95
Product: Moses basket
In a competitive market, The Little Green Sheep’s Natural Knitted Moses Basket and Mattress stands out from the crowd.
Made from natural palm leaf, it’s 100% organic with a beautiful, breathable knitted liner and it comes with an excellent, supportive mattress.
It’s a safe, cosy space for your baby to snooze in for the first few months of their life, plus it’s easily moved from room to room and the basket’s stylish, no-fuss design is a bonus.
Our tester Natalia says: “This basket was comfortable for my little girl and I knew she was in a safe environment, free from chemicals. I think the price is reasonable for the quality.”
Available from: The Little Green Sheep, Amazon and JoJo Maman Bebe
5. Merifor Tranquility Cot Bed Mattress, £250
Product: Mattress
An easily overlooked part of the nursery, invest wisely in your baby’s mattress and it’ll give you peace of mind for years. Enter the Merifor Tranquility Cot Bed Mattress.
It’s a super high-tech design that’s the first cot mattress to receive the Allergy UK seal of approval. And the selling points don’t stop there – it’s 100% waterproof, made from anti-bacterial, moisture wicking fabric, plus it can be used on both sides, depending on your child’s age.
It’s not the cheapest available, but it’s definitely one of the best, so you, and your little one, can sleep easy.
Our tester Susan says: “This cot bed mattress is very supportive of my baby's back, and she slept like an angel in it. I also love the anti-allergy properties.”
Available from: PreciousLittleOne and PramCentre.co.uk
6. Mothercare Peter Rabbit Bedding Collection
Product: Bedding
Featuring beautiful embroidery and crafted from 100% cotton, it’s easy to see why Mothercare’s Peter Rabbit Bedding Collection was so popular with testers.
Designed exclusively for Mothercare to co-ordinate with the company’s Peter Rabbit clothing range, delightful quotes from the stories are sewn into each piece of the collection – including a sleeping bag, blanket, coverlet, blanket and muslins – to create a classic, nostalgic, gender neutral range that parents will love as much as little ones.
Our tester Verity says: “This range is lovely, a very appealing unisex design, soft to the touch and great little finishing features. Would definitely recommend.”
Available from: Mothercare
7. Memories of Growing Up Talltape, from £13.50
Product: Height chart
Watching your children grow is one of the most amazing things about becoming a parent and Talltape is a charming way to document your little one’s progress from teetering toddler to towering teenager.
The perfect practical alternative to recording measurements on a door or wall, it’s won’t get left behind or painted over – you can keep and cherish it forever as a lovely reminder that they really were that small once.
Our tester Lucy says: “I really liked this product, great quality, the sharpie included was a nice touch, the durable roll holder makes for easy storage and the designs on the tape are beautiful.”
Available from: Memories of Growing Up and Amazon
8. myHummy Teddy Bears with Sleep Sensor, £64.99
Product: Sleep aid
Boasting three collections of loveable bear to choose from – the Sleephearts, the Sweethearts and the Smarthearts – each gorgeous myHummy bear is as cute as it is clever.
Able to play five types of white and pink noise for 60 minutes before fading off, its nearest competitor on our list, the The Gro Company Grofriends Light and Sound Sleep Aid, plays for just 20 minutes.
At double the price of the Grofriends, it has a few more handy features – there’s a non-stop sound mode, which plays continually for 12 hours and our judges loved its portable travel pouch for on-the-go sound.
Our tester Lauren says: “Nap times and bed times this great product is by our daughter’s side. It even helps us parents fall asleep!”
Available from: myHummy and Amazon
9. BleepBleeps Suzy Snooze, £99.99
Product: Baby monitor and sleep aid
The future of baby sleeping products is here and it’s arrived in the form of the BleepBleeps Suzy Snooze.
It’s designed to help with all aspects of your little one’s bedtime, from getting and keeping them asleep by using soothing light and sounds, to preventing early morning wake-up calls.
This all-singing all-dancing product also listens to every move as an audio baby monitor connected to you via an app – that’s what we call a multitasker. It’s a pricey gadget to have, but with so many products rolled into one, it has a long lifespan that will earn its price tag over time.
Our tester Anna says: “It's rare that a product is genuinely, surprisingly novel, but this is exactly that.”
Available from: BleepBleeps and Amazon
10. The Gro Company Grofriends Light and Sound Sleep Aid, £34.99
Product: Sleep aid
With 4 super snuggly animal designs to choose from, the adorable Gro Company Grofriends are part cuddly toys, part clever light and sound sleep aids.
Similar to the myHummy Teddy Bears, they play 4 soothing sounds where myHummy’s play 5, but they have the addition of a lovely light-up tummy that emits a gentle warm glow.
They also have CrySensor technology, which activates when your baby stirs and encourages self-soothing – a brilliant addition for a product that’s such good value in its market.
Scoring top points for price, features and ease of use, we’re big fans.
Our tester Tara says: “Absolutely lovely mellow glow that you can adjust, gorgeous sounds and soft. A big thumbs up!”
Available from: The Gro Company, Amazon and Mothercare
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