People always assume you have everything when you have your second or third child but I have found that in the time since I had my last there have been a lot of new and exciting "essentials" out there for us mamas, many created by mamas! Read on to find out my favourites...

GO EVERYWHERE MAT

Fiona and I designed the GEM because we found that, in the early months, your baby is mostly horizontal and they want to have a kick and a look around. The GEM is an on-the-go solution to a baby playmat as it rolls up, looks good and is easily portable. 

Emmy lives on hers, as we feel she wants to be part of the gang so in the early days, she was on it on the kitchen table during tea time, outside the bathroom at bath time, in the garden when her sisters were having a picnic...the list goes on.

BIG SWADDLES

So useful! We love the designs by Mama Rules which really could double up as a scarf due to the on-trend prints. I use mine to drape over the buggy to block out the sun or shop lights, breastfeeding cover, milk mopper-upper and lightweight blanket in the summer. My fave is the tropical print, shown here with AVERY ROW moses sheet in Sunrise.

 BAMBOO BREAST PADS

In the early days, having a new baby is like landfill hell with all the nappies, sanitary pads, breast pads etc. Good then to be able to cut down on some of this with washable breast pads and these ones by Mama Designs are made from bamboo. I love bamboo, it's so soft!

THE RIGHT BUGGY

I was lucky enough to be given a Stoke Scoot to try out when Emmy came along and I have really loved it. It's Stokke's version of a Bugaboo Bee (which we had last time) but probably a bit sturdier. It's really easy to open up and close down and the baby carry cot attachment means a total flatbed for sleeping while you're out and about. The hoods and covers are also UV protective which was great for the spring and summer. Perfect with one of our pretty moses sheets.

SLING

I used a sling by Amawrap which you can tie in all sorts of ways as your baby grows. It was a big help being able to hold the baby close, and have free hands to run around after the other two. I found it more versatile than the Baby Bjorn type carriers I've used in the past. It kept Emmy so snuggly and warm, especially good on a windy beach in Cornwall...