2. Practicalities to Make Life Easier (and Parenting More Fun)

This is where you’d expect to see a bunch of sponsored product links. But honestly, the baby industry is as predatory as the insurance industry, feeding off the fears of sleep-deprived, anxious parents.

To save you stress—though you’ll still stress (and that’s okay)—just focus on whether your baby is gaining weight, isn’t listless, and is peeing and pooping regularly. They don’t need the most expensive bottles, clothes, or formula. And they definitely don’t need to be breastfed (more on that here).

To put it into perspective, my mother’s generation (1960s China) all had to be placed into childcare 56 days after birth and were all bottle fed with cow’s milk. Examples like that obviously aren’t designed to have us replicate them—that would be perversely ridiculous—but just highlight that parents need to go easier on themselves. 

But if I had to choose products that made life substantially easier it would be the following:

• SNOO Bassinet—A white-noise-playing, self-rocking bassinet that soothes your baby back to sleep. After three weeks of intense sleep deprivation (and sore backs from manual rocking), we rented one for $35/week, and it instantly won us 90+ minutes of extra sleep per person every night.

• Babybjorn Mini Carrier—Easy to use (i.e. doesn’t require a PhD in quantum physics to assemble), comfortable, and a lifesaver for babies who only nap while being carried. From four weeks onward, our boy would only sleep through daytime sleep cycles in a carrier (aka my ‘momb’—man womb). This bought me and mum precious minutes during the day to tend to ourselves, catch up on sleep, attend physio appointments or just temporarily live a block of time that had some semblance of our lives BC (before children).

• Pigeon Super Slow Bottle—The best bottle for mix-fed babies, preventing choking or overconsumption. If you don’t want to waste hundreds cycling through brands, just get this one.

• Huckleberry App—This free app helps you track everything - poos, pees, bottles, sleeps. Before you cast judgement about going over the top just think: what other things do we track now that our parents didn’t? Do you track your runs on Strava? Do you wear a watch that measures your heart rate and oxygen levels? Do you get a kick out of tracking savings on your electricity or grocery expenses or accruing Qantas points? Move along, nothing to see here: tracking basic baby things will save countless arguments over ‘when did we feed him’ or ‘has he been awake too long’? The app is free so you have nothing to lose.

• Emma Hubbard’s YouTube Channel—An Australian pediatric expert with concise, well-produced videos. When you’re spiraling on Google or Reddit, she’ll reassure you that your baby is normal and give you actionable advice.

Are there any resources or products you’ve used/heard about that have been lifesavers? Let me know in the comments!

-Will

Where was I writing this?

24/3/25 Master of None ($6.59 large almond cappuccino—robust, smooth, very hot)