A couple of weeks ago necessary I did a post about baby gadgets which might not be necessary (in my opinion). To even things up, I thought I should do a quick follow-up focusing on the positives – some of the baby gadgets (or STUFF) which I’d definitely recommend getting.

Obviously no gadgets or accessories are SO important that you HAVE to have them – let’s face it, cave men got by just fine without baby thermometers (though how they got by without Cbeebies is beyond me!). But living in the modern world, there are definitely things you can buy which will make your life a LOT easier. So why not treat yourself to a few time savers? Here’s some of my recommendations…

A good baby monitor

As somebody who is currently on their FOURTH baby monitor (Robert is only 2 and a half!) I can heartily recommend finding a good baby monitor right from the start. Whether you use review sites or just ask friends, it’s worth finding one you trust and sticking with it – We’ve eventually settled on the BT 150 – a fairly standard model, but it does everything we need it to.

I’m actually very tempted to upgrade to a video baby monitor for Baby #2, as I’ve heard nothing but good things about them, but I’ve not made up my mind which yet.

An electronic thermometer

For the first year or so of Robert’s life, we relied on a little piece of plastic which you wrap around the baby’s forehead like one of those mood-reading fish things. It did a mediocre job, but always seemed to annoy Robert when we used it. After a while we forked-out for an electronic ear thermometer, which does the trick MUCH better and gives really accurate readings – and good peace-of mind. They’re also not at all expensive, so worth adding to your shopping list.

A Bumbo

This one completely crept up on me – if you’d told me pre-fatherhood that I’d be buying a “Bumbo Baby Sitter”
, I’d have been VERY confused. But having experienced how good they are, I’d definitely recommend them to anyone. Robert totally loved his, and it’s currently being enjoyed by his cousin Milo – and seems to be going down just as well.

Put simply, it’s a foamy plastic moulded seat that you can sit baby in, even if they’re not yet strong enough to hold themselves up. It’s also great for keeping baby in one place without them feeling left out – just trust me, they’re ace!

A Buggy / Car Seat combo

A baby buggy / pram / pushchair is such an essential that I won’t even bother to cover that here – there are SO many variables and types, I couldn’t do it justice anyway. But one thing I DO recommend is getting a “travel system” that you can move from the car to the pavement easily. We had a (stupidly-named – who thinks of this crap?) Bebe Conford (now Maxi-Cosi) Loola Stroller – a reasonably good travel system which allowed you to take the baby carrier straight from the car and clip it in to the base of the unit.

Sounds like a pointless bit of laziness, but if it means you don’t have to wake the baby up after you’ve JUST got him to fall asleep in the car, you’ll definitely think it worthwhile…

A good camera

Slightly strange one I know, but as a father who has probably taken several thousand photos of my son so far, I’d definite recommend arming yourself with a good camera – maybe even a camcorder or a Flip HD like I’ve got. Having a record of those never-get-em-back moments is invaluable in my opinion – though you might not get time to sit and appreciate them for at least the first year or so! : )

I know that’s a pretty short list, but that really is the stuff I’d recommend to everyone.

What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below!