How to use a sling safely
TICKS is the five-point check the NHS and RoSPA give for slings. RoSPA says fabric can block a baby's airway within a minute or two, so check it every time.
3 November 2026
What to buy at each age
Pick your child's age. Gear, care and cost get sorted into now, soon and can wait, with sources and recall checks in plain sight.
Not born yet? Start with what to sort before the birth.
The list is short. A safe place to sleep, a car seat if you drive, and something to wear covers most of it, and plenty of the rest can wait.
Now
A clear, flat place to sleep
A cot or Moses basket in your room, with a firm flat mattress and nothing else in it. The Lullaby Trust says to keep this up for at least the first six months.
A rear-facing car seat
Needed for the drive home if you go by car. Buy this one new. The Lullaby Trust and the NHS both advise against a second-hand seat.
Nappies and a few clothes
Expect around seven changes a day at first, going by Environment Agency surveys. Babies grow out of newborn sizes fast, so a small pack is plenty.
Soon
A pushchair that lies flat
Or a carrycot. Check that the maker says it lies flat from birth. A good one can last for years.
A sling, if you'd like one
Handy for walks and carrying. Check the fit against the TICKS list each time.
Can wait
A monitor
Your baby sleeps in your room for now, so you may not need one yet.
Nests and bumpers
Skip these for good. The Lullaby Trust advises against them.
A highchair
Not until solids, at around 6 months.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Reading for 0–3 months
Safer sleep basics
On the back, on a firm flat mattress, in a clear cot, in your room for at least the first 6 months. That is the NHS and Lullaby Trust advice for every sleep.
3 November 2026
Why we skip nests and bumpers
Pods and nests have no British Safety Standard as a sleeping place, the Lullaby Trust says, and the NHS wants them out of the cot. Here's what the sources say about each.
3 November 2026
How many nappies, and what they cost
Environment Agency surveys found about 7 changes a day in the first 6 months. That works out at around 2,300 nappies in year one.
3 November 2026
Where these lanes come from
Your baby is getting stronger and rolling may start. Sleep advice stays the same, and thoughts turn to food, a cot and maybe going back to work.
Now
A cot, if the basket is getting small
Move on when your baby outgrows the maker's limit for the basket or crib. Same rules: firm, flat, clear.
Childcare, if you're going back
Coram found 58% of English councils answering have enough places for most under-2s without funded hours, so it can pay to compare a nursery, a childminder and a nanny early.
Soon
Getting ready for solids
The NHS says around 6 months is the time to start. It doesn't take much kit.
A highchair
Look for a securely fitted harness and a stable, free-standing base.
Can wait
A bigger car seat
Stay in the infant seat until your child reaches its height or weight limit.
Stair gates
RoSPA says to fit them before your baby is mobile, so look ahead.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Reading for 3–6 months
Babymore Yara vs Bugaboo Butterfly 2
The Yara is for when your baby can sit, because the NHS says young babies need a seat that lies flat. Bugaboo calls the Butterfly 2's recline fully flat, and it weighs 1kg less. The folds are about the same.
3 November 2026
Do you need a baby monitor?
A monitor isn't on the Lullaby Trust's list of essentials, and it says there is no research evidence that monitors prevent sudden infant death syndrome. Here's when one still helps.
3 November 2026
BabyBjörn Harmony carrier review
Rated from 3.2 to 15kg, with padded back support and four carrying positions. Mumsnet's tester gave it 5 out of 5 for comfort and 3 out of 5 for adjustability.
3 November 2026
Baby carriers and slings, by budget
Five carriers ranked by price. All take a newborn by their makers' figures, though the BabyBjörn Mini stops at 11kg and the others run to about 15kg.
3 November 2026
Where these lanes come from
Food arrives, and a highchair with it. Crawling may follow, so it pays to look at your home from floor height.
Now
A highchair
A free-standing chair with a securely fitted harness. RoSPA doesn't recommend the kind that clips to a table.
A spoon, a bowl and a cup
That's about all weaning asks for. The NHS suggests an open or free-flow cup from around 6 months.
Soon
Stair gates
Fit them before your baby is on the move.
Knowing gagging from choking
Worth reading before it happens. Ask your health visitor if you're unsure.
Can wait
Toddler milks
Not needed. The NHS says first infant formula is the only formula a baby needs, with whole or semi-skimmed cow's milk from 1 year.
A baby walker
Skip it. RoSPA advises against them.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Reading for 6–9 months
Starting solids: what the NHS says
The NHS says to start solids at around 6 months, when three signs show up together. Chewing fists and waking at night aren't among them.
3 November 2026
IKEA Antilop highchair review
Rated to 3 years or 15kg, with legs that come off for carrying. Two test outlets list a three-point harness, and the NHS says 5-point, so read that part. An older recall covers earlier stock.
3 November 2026
Highchairs, from £12 up
Five freestanding highchairs ranked by price, from a plain IKEA seat to chairs that take an adult. What's in each price varies, so we list the extras.
3 November 2026
Gagging and choking: the difference
Gagging is loud and choking is quiet, says the NHS. Call 999 if a blockage doesn't come out after back blows and thrusts.
3 November 2026
Where these lanes come from
Pulling up, cruising and opening things. Your baby's infant car seat may be running out too, and funded childcare in England can start at 9 months if you qualify.
Now
The next car seat
Move up when your child reaches the height or weight limit on the seat, and stay rear-facing to at least 15 months.
Stair gates, top and bottom
RoSPA advises gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. Screw fixings are what Safetots recommends at the top, so check what the maker says about yours.
Soon
Funded childcare hours
England offers 30 hours a week, 38 weeks a year, from 9 months for working parents who qualify. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ.
A lighter pushchair
Once your child sits up well, a smaller seat unit can work.
Can wait
A toddler bed
Most cots last well beyond a first birthday.
Shoes
Worth a look once your child starts walking outdoors.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Reading for 9–12 months
The next seat after an infant carrier
Change seats when your child passes the seat's height or weight limit, or their head tops the shell. Dangling feet don't count, says RoSPA.
3 November 2026
i-Size and R129, in plain words
R129 is the height-based car seat regulation, and i-Size is part of it. GOV.UK says height-based seats stay rear-facing until a child is over 15 months.
3 November 2026
How to fit a stair gate
RoSPA says to fit wall-mounted gates at the top and bottom of the stairs for children under 24 months, before your baby is mobile. Here's how the job goes.
3 November 2026
Compact pushchairs for trips
Five compact pushchairs ranked by weight, from 6kg to 8.3kg. Under 6 months the NHS asks for a seat that lies flat, and only two of these makers say theirs does.
3 November 2026
Where these lanes come from
Walking, opinions and a lot of laundry. Spending shifts from gear to clothes, food and, for many families, childcare.
Now
Childcare, if you use it
Coram puts 25 hours of nursery for an under-2 in England at £188.75 a week, without funded hours.
Clothes in the next size
Sizes vary by maker, so check its chart for your child's height and weight. Second-hand counts as much as new here.
Soon
A cot bed or toddler bed
Usually when your child starts climbing out of the cot, or outgrows it.
Thinking about the potty
The NHS says almost all children can be potty trained between 18 months and two and a half.
Can wait
A forward-facing seat
No rush. GOV.UK says i-Size seats keep children rear-facing until at least 15 months, and many seats go on longer.
A big new pushchair
Your first one may have years left in it.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Reading for 1–2 years
Nursery, childminder or nanny?
Coram's 2026 survey puts 25 hours of nursery for an under-2 at £188.75 a week in England without funded hours, and £155.28 with a childminder.
3 November 2026
When to move from cot to bed
Most toddlers move from cot to bed between 18 months and 3 years, says one NHS children's service, and climbing out is a common trigger. Here's how to plan it.
3 November 2026
Baby clothes sizes, birth to 3
A 0-3 month label means about 62 cm and 6.5 kg on the charts Kite and Mamas & Papas publish. Sizes vary by maker, so go by length and weight.
3 November 2026
Where these lanes come from
Nappies start to end, the cot may go, and some families in England, Scotland and Wales can get help with childcare from age 2, depending on their circumstances. Gear costs tail off from here.
Now
Potty training
Mostly patience and a potty. Environment Agency surveys put the average age out of nappies at 2 years 2 months.
A proper bed
A toddler bed or a cot bed with its sides off. Your child's feet and climbing will tell you when.
Soon
The funded hours from 3
Check what your nation offers before the term after your child turns 3.
A compact pushchair
For long days out, while walking still runs out.
Can wait
A new car seat
If your child still fits the current seat by height and weight, it can stay.
Replacing what still works
Pass on, sell or swap instead. Second-hand clothes are a full choice here.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Reading for 2–3 years
Potty training: what it takes and costs
The NHS says almost all children can be potty trained between 18 months and 2 and a half. The kit on the Minimum Income Standard list comes to £20.
3 November 2026
Where these lanes come from
£6,314 over three years, at a minimum
Buying new with no childcare, from the lowest prices we could confirm and the UK's Minimum Income Standard. Part of it is our own estimate, marked at each figure on the calculator. Switch to second-hand, a comfortable budget or childcare there.
Birth to 1
£1,945
1 to 2
£2,320
2 to 3
£2,049
81 products, three recall lists
Everything in our catalog was looked up at UK OPSS, EU Safety Gate and US CPSC on 3 November 2026. A live recall takes a product out. The date sits next to each one, and so does the store and date of its price.
Sleep is the one place we repeat ourselves
On the back, on a firm flat mattress, with nothing else in the cot. That is the Lullaby Trust's advice and the AAP's, so you won't find nests, bumpers, wedges or inclined sleepers anywhere on this site.