Best products from r/UKParenting

Now that I've typed this list out they're all a bit obvious, but here goes anyway:

• Mr Men collection, usually £25-£30 for all 48 books (or £9.99 on Amazon Marketplace for the compendium version!).
  
• Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books. All of them are great IMO.
  
• Roald Dahl collection, think I paid £20 for the 15 book version. Some would probably be too hard-going, so you can save those for when he's older.
  
• Beatrix Potter collection. You get 23 books and it's about £25. Language seems a bit flowery these days, though.
  
• Harry Potter Illustrated Editions. OK so Harry Potter is an extremely obvious choice, but these illustrated versions are fantastic. They're only up to book 3 so far, with book 4 due in 2019. Usually £15 each on Amazon, which is a lot for one book but they're large format hardbacks of a few hundred pages, and it took us weeks to get through each one.
  
• Classics Illustrated. These are comic book versions of classic tales like Moby Dick, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, etc. They were all originally published about 50 years ago, but my son really likes them (he's 8 now, was reading them at 6).
  

The Rainbow Collection

These are the only CDs that don’t drive me mad after almost 5 years of constant listening, in fact I still very much enjoy listening to them :-)

From the description: “traditional songs recreated by the voice of Zero 7, singer Sophie Barker and producer KK who has worked with many famous artists including Bjork and Brian Eno. Together they have created quality music for young children, that both children and parents alike could enjoy time and time again”

This one is pretty decent too: 40 Favourite Nursery Rhymes

St John Ambulance will send you a pocket first aid guide (adult first aid) for free. Then there's this one on Amazon for kids - pretty sure it's A5 size. There's also a free Red Cross app for both paediatric and adult first aid.

Magic baby-sleeping machine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisher-Price-Snugabunny-Cradle-Swing-Technology/dp/B00IVNEGLW/

There's other kinds available but this kind is the one that worked every time on our very-poor-sleeper baby. The combination of lights, sound, rocking motion and visual movement is like hypnosis. We used ours so much that I took the batteries out and wired it up via a DC power supply to the mains.

The one linked above is expensive but there's likely to be loads on ebay. You want the Fisher Price one with two different directions of swinging and a glowing-mobile-thing in the baby's line of sight. They've given it different graphics and names over the years but the basic 'cradle swing' engineering is the same. You want a "cradle swing" not the inferior "cradle'n'swing".

Get one, it's a lifesaver. We had the aquarium one as shown here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fisher-Price-Aquarium-Cradle-Swing/223153307195

We have had two of these for about five years and they have been brilliant, still work great and get daily use.

Safety 1st Simply Close Pressure Fit Metal Gate, White https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00G7FWXIO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_oU3vpcn4KeSBw

If people are looking for ideas for educational toys, this range of kid's electronic circuits are great - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Snap-Circuits-SC-100-Jr/dp/B00008BFZH/

They are compatible with other simlar ones (e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cambridge-Brainbox-Primary-Electronics-Kit/dp/B001MJ7DB2/)

Great to find in charity shops and car boot sales too since you can keep building up a library of components

When we looked into this for our little one, we found (as Which? states) that it was recommended to use gates that had secure anchors into the wall/posts. The pressure fix ones were deemed less safe as they collapsed too easily with force, as well as a being something of a trip hazard.

Having said that, I don’t know the layout of your home, and we didn’t try the pressure fix versions so can only reiterate the safety findings elsewhere.

In the end we opted for traditional wall-fixed gates. We have a couple of wide doorways in our home and the extending gates work excellently: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008MVF5WW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1v43Db1AXB320

If I'm not too late, I can recommend this - Fisher-Price FMN39 Infant-to-Toddler Rocker, Baby Bouncer Chair and Rocker, Suitable for New-Born to Toddler https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0716R7FDR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_x5vrDbS4RC9JG

We got it in the pink colourway for our daughter, she loves playing in it at 4months, and her 2 year old cousin couldn't wait to steal in and sit watching telly in it!

Apart from drying your clothes out of the house or getting a tumble dryer and venting it out a window, you'll need a dehumidifier.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BP81DW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one has done me well for the last 5 years and I would not call it expensive to run, yes it will cost more but it will also cost you time and money to clean mold from your walls, ceiling, windows and god knows what that does to your health, both the mold and the spray :P

You can get swimming rings for 0-1 years which we did use briefly but honestly I wouldn't bother. They hold up the babies well out of the water so really only their legs are in, and they can't reach over the end to splash. We just held ours and then got them a jacket when they were about 18 months. Both got used to the water really quickly that way.

anyone else had had this?

Yes, 90% of parents of two year olds. They get fussy (possibly a developmental stage?) at this age which freaks many parents out. Parents then get stressed every time the child eats, child doesn't want to eat because parents are stressed and it becomes self perpetuating.
Let them take some control of their food, help to buy, plan, prepare. Do you eat with her? Eat meals with her, ignore the actual food consumption, make it a social event. Picnics (in winter?!), eating with other children might help, especially if it's a bit of a free for all.
I read the Baby lead weaning book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-Led-Weaning-Essential-Introducing-Confident/dp/161519021X It's not a recipe book. It explains how and why children, not just babies eat. It explains how the WWII rationing mentality has badly affected children's eating today. And the incorrect negative affect adults views have on children's eating. I highly recommend reading the book if you want to understand better how and why your child is eating how they are. It was in the news about six months ago about a children's center using BLW style advise to successfully get toddlers to eat new and better food.
TDLR Chill.

This nursery rhymes CD. It's by the BBC in the 90s, it's all British voices, they do the proper versions of everything. We basically have it on repeat any long journeys for the last 6 months and I don't hate it yet. Actually it's been really awesome seeing her doing the actions to songs she's learned at nursery that we've not taught her

We are in exactly the same boat with a baby who thinks a bottle is a torture device. We have a nice collection of bottles, all that he has refused to drink from.

A friend who also had a bottle refuser recommended this bottle. We havent had a chance to try it yet but it was the only one her baby liked.

Do one better and get these, last longer https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079SBGQZ4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_OEaoDb70M9ZZ1

We used to use this, it's very good but he doesn't want to wear it anymore: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AGAGH2E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got a really cheap one off Amazon. We've been using it over a year, just plug it in to a USB adapter thing at the wall and leave it on all night.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078FWZLSJ/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_esfWDbRE4NR67

I never tried it, but I've heard people use these in the bath once they've out grown a baby bath