Useful/useless baby items!

Before I start I'd just like to point out that everything on here is just my personal opinion - just because I've found things useful/useless doesn't mean others will! 

USELESS BABY ITEMS

• Cuddly toys - Although it seems like a brilliant idea to buy millions of adorable cuddly teddy bears, stuffed bunnies and fluff filled farm animals... Don't. Olivia's cot is literally full of toys that she will probably never even acknowledge. They don't do anything and small babies have no interest if it isn't chewy, flashing or noisy! I'd buy a couple for decoration but apart from that I wouldn't waste your money!
• Hats - Olivia hates hats! Obviously you need a couple for the first few days and a winter one (or two) but you certainly don't need a hat for every outfit. I've learnt the hard way. Not only does she scream when she has to wear one which is horrible, the lovely hats that we've spent quite abit of money on are now just sat collecting dust. Annoying. 
• Baby shoes - Yes they're cute but they look bloody ridiculous when you have huge shoes plonked on the end of your new born baby's little legs. We now have the bottom of Livs wardrobe full of gorgeous tiny shoes that she's nearly out grown and will probably never wear. 
• Expensive bedding - We have admittedly spent nearly £200 just on a matching cot and crib bedding with all the accessories and I'm now realising what a waste it is. Not only does my lovely little girl like projectile vomiting over it she also poops through her clothes on to it aswell. She HATES blankets so basically I've paid a shit load of money on two sheets and two cot bumpers. Absolute waste. 
• Blankets - Obviously you're going to need a few blankets but under no circumstances do you need to go out and buy 15-20 blankets plus having ones your nans knitted you plus all the ones family and friends buy you. I use maybe 3 for Olivia. 3 out of maybe 20ish. They are now folded up in a pile not doing a lot! 
• Crib/cot toys - Every baby is different but personally I just find that any sort of toy in her crib gets her giddy and excited and then she won't sleep. The cot mobile is good for keeping her entertained for 5 minutes while I make our bed but that's it. While we were trying to get Olivia into her routine we tried using baby projectors, funky night lights, toys that had lullabies on them but all they do is make her not want to sleep. They might work for some people but for us they haven't. 
• Breast pumps - I'm not saying these are completely useless as I personally do use mine from time to time BUT I personally would wait until your baby is born before buying an expensive one. Firstly it isn't guaranteed that you will successfully be able to breast feed, so going and spending £50+ would be wasting a lot of money but secondly, you may not even pump! I have found that I rarely pump. Olivia is nearly 12 weeks old and I've only left her properly once. I don't pump simply because I don't leave her and I have an excellent supply of milk going on! So all I bought was a manual pump for about £20. Easy to store, easy to travel with and cheap. 

USEFUL BABY ITEMS

• Scratch mits - and lots of them! Seriously the more the better! If you have a baby that loves chewing their hands (which I do) then having plenty of pairs is a god send! She doesn't really wear them during the day any more but at night time having lots of pairs is fantastic! Much better than having the built in scratch mits on baby grows as they just got soggy and then she had to have a whole outfit change! Plus Primark sell them for a pound for 3 pairs! Can't go wrong really! 
• Lanolin - If you're breastfeeding/planning on breastfeeding then I promise you, you will not regret buying this! A little pricey at around £11 but oh my lord. I wasted so much money on cheap nipple creams before I gave birth which didn't do a thing. Then after a week of toe curling pain and bleeding/bruised boobys God sent me a little gift... Lanolin. 
• Dribble bibs - Although I don't really use them while we're out as they ruin an outfit, at home I have literally like 40! Everyone bought them for me when I was pregnant to the point where I genuinely asked people to stop buying them. Now, I am so bloody glad they did! I go through maybe 3/4 bibs a day due to miss dribble guts. This helped so much in the first week or so when I wasn't really up for doing a load of clothes washing as well! 
• A rocking Moses basket stand - Okay so she's slightly too big for her Moses basket now *sob* but the first 6-8 weeks I found it really hard to settle her as she didn't like being held or just left to cry, so having something that I could comfort her with whilst not touching her was fab.  If you have a baby swing I wouldn't really bother but as we didn't have a swing this was brilliant. 
• Grow bags - I don't know if it's just my baby or not but she really hates blankets! If I tuck them in over her she screams until it's off and if I leave it loose then she kicks it onto her face so putting her in a grow bag was the best thing we ever did. Now she's warm and super cosy. Happy baby, happy mummy! 
• Baby monitors - I'm currently just using a Fisher Price one which was my sisters and we're definitely going to invest in one with a camera on! I love having one around as it means when she's in bed I can crack on with what I need to and not need to worry! My only reason for wanting to upgrade to one with a camera is to help me transition into putting Liv into her own bedroom as I still want to be able to see her if I need to! 
• A feeding pillow - This again is more for breastfeeding mamas! I really do recommened getting one though, the first few weeks trying to find out positioning and things can be tough so having something to rest and lean on is fantastic. For mine I just had a V shaped pillow which Olivia loves! Although we don't use it for feeding anymore we still use it daily. I've slept with it since being pregnant and now when ever we go away anywhere Olivia sleeps in it in her Moses basket! It's also brilliant to sit her up in on the sofa or when she's laid in my bed. It's also good for when she's laid on her play mat because it props her up so she can reach all of the toys and means she won't roll off of the cushion! 
• iSitter - For anyone who hasn't yet got a baby monitor, who's forgotten to bring their baby monitor with them or just if you wanna try it out then iSitter is an iPhone app! I downloaded it when I left the baby monitor at Callum's mum's house and it's actually really good for a free app! The sound has about a 5 second delay but for a 'quick fix' baby monitor you mamas really need to try it! You need two iPhones/iPads/iPods as you have to leave one with the baby, you just click on the app and leave one phone facing the baby (it has a camera so you can also see the baby) and then just take your other phone with you.  It's not really an item but it has been really useful! 
• Baby sling - Although not for everyone, I absolutely adore mine! I bought the ByKay one from Mothercare for about £40 and I'm so glad I did. It's easy to use (I just watched a YouTube video to learn how to put it on), it's comfortable and Olivia loves it. As much as I love my pram, sometimes a huge Silver Cross isn't the easiest thing to whip around with! Every time Livs in it she falls asleep as well which is a bonus! I even sometimes put her in it when I need to do the housework and she's being fussy!