As a first-time parent with a obsession with product ratings that I realise should be questioned, I spent an absurd amount of my pregnancy researching baby gear. I needed the most reliably secure swaddles, the perfect newborn bathtub and a musical mobile that was guaranteed to change my life.

Infant walkers, those wheeled contraptions that give babies who can’t yet walk the sudden ability to walk, are bad. This has been long established. But parents keep using them and so paediatricians are renewing the call for a ban.

It’s hard to know what sizes you need to keep a baby properly clothed. Maybe you’re a new parent who doesn’t know, well, anything; maybe you’ve had a bit of a gap since the last kid and you need a refresher. Or you’re a childless person who is about to go to a baby shower with half a dozen newborn-sized ball gowns. Put them down and read these tips for picking out baby clothes first.

Video: You can't exactly blast your favourite tunes when you're supposed to be listening intently to the baby monitor. This custom build from popular DIYer Ben Heck will let you listen to your music until your little one starts to make noise.