Best parenting products named in Good Housekeeping awards including 75p nappies and £40 gadget that helps babies sleep
THE BEST parenting products have been named in the newly-launched Good Housekeeping awards.
The winning items include essentials such as nappies and prams, as well as gadgets to help babies sleep.
To mark its 100th anniversary, the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) has launched its Parenting Awards.
Experts tested the latest products at the GHI headquarters in London, while new parents tried them at home.
Parenting expert Sally J. Hall, who has previously reviewed thousands of products, led the testing.
The awards feature categories including pushchairs, travel cots, pregnancy and nursing pillows, baby wipes, monitors, and bouncers.
All the products were given a score of up to 100 and some were rated as high as 98.
Good Housekeeping said the best pushchair category was a tie between the Silver Cross Reef 2 (£695) and the iCandy Peach 7 (£1,149), which both received 93/100 ratings.
The Silver Cross pushchair was praised for its all-terrain capabilities, as well as its extendable hood, magnetic harness and large, wipe-clean storage basket.
The iCandy product scored highly for its sturdy, yet lightweight design that’s easy to steer over a range of surfaces, plus its ease of set-up.
The Nanit 1080p HD Smart Baby Monitor (£175) was named the top product in the best baby monitor category.
The gadget, which scored 91/100, was praised for its video quality, ease of use, nightlight, built-in sleep sounds and option to talk to your baby or receive alerts if they cry.
The winner of the best sleep aid category was the Sweet Dreamers Ewan Deluxe (£40), which was given an overall score of 96/100.
The gadget offers a range of soothing features, including white noise, lullabies and pink noise to replicate the sound of the womb.
Sounds automatically turn off after 20 minutes, but turn on again with any sense of movement.
Aldi emerged as a winner of the best disposable nappies category with its Mamia nappies, costing 75p, claiming a 93/100 score.
Testers noted the reliable performance at an affordable price, as well as the wetness indicator, double elastic at the leg openings, and the non-scented design that avoids irritating delicate skin.
Angela Trofymova, head of testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute said: “We know that it’s extremely difficult for soon-to-be parents to get their head around the plethora of baby products that are suddenly thrust upon them, and it can be hard to know where to start.
“That’s a big reason why the Good Housekeeping Institute has launched its very first Parenting Awards.
“Consumers have trusted us for 100 years to help them find the best products for their home, so we’re excited to bring this same level of expertise and attention to the world of parenting.”
Parenting Awards winners
Pushchairs
- Best all-terrain pushchair: Silver Cross Reef 2 Pushchair; From £695; 93/100
- Best for comfort: iCandy Peach 7 Pushchair and Carrycot; From £1,149; 93/100
- Best for travel: Silver Cross Jet 5 Pushchair; From £325, 91/100
- Best value pushchair: Joie Baby Versatrax Pushchair; From £300, 84/100
Travel cots
- Best travel cot: Silver Cross Slumber Travel Cot; From £195, 98/100
- Best for quick unfold: Bugaboo Stardust Travel Cot; From £225, 96/100
- Best for ease of use: BabyBjorn Travel Cot: From 249, 93/100
- Best budget buy: Red Kite Sleeptight Travel Cot; From £35, 85/100
Pregnancy and nursing pillows
- Best 2-in-1 pregnancy pillow: Babymoov B.LOVE Organic Cotton 2-in-1 Pregnancy Pillow; From £75, 98/100
- Best for hot sleepers: PurFlo Breathe Pregnancy Pillow; From £59, 98/100
- Best nursing pillow: Hippychick Nursing Pillow; From £40, 91/100
- Best adjustable pregnancy pillow: bbhugme Pregancy Pillow Kit; From £138, 91/100
Cots and cot beds
- Best cot bed (joint)
- Obaby Evie Cot Bed; From £207, 93/100
- John Lewis Wilton Cotbed; From £191, 93/100
- Best for design: Stokke SleepiTMBed V3; From £563, 91/100
- Best value cot bed: CuddleCo Nola Baby Cot Bed; From £199, 89/100
Cot and crib mattresses
- Winner and best pocket sprung mattress: Snuz SurfaceDuo Cot Mattress; From £140, 97/100
- Best crib mattress: Woolroom Kids Crib Mattress; From £70, 92/100
- Best natural fibre mattress (joint): The Little Green Sheep Twist Cot Bed Mattress; From £175, 92/100; AND Woolroom Kids Deluxe Nursery Mattress; From £230, 92/100
Bedside cribs and Moses baskets
- Best bedside crib: Bababing Bedside Crib & Travel Cot; From £161, 98/100
- Best Moses basket: The Little Green Sheep Organic Wheat Knit Moses Basket; From £135, 98/100
- Best for easy assembly: Joie Baby Roomie Go Travel Crib; From £180, 96/100
Baby sleep aids
- Best sleep aid: Sweet Dreamers Ewan Deluxe; From £40, 96/100
- Best smart sleep aid: Glow Sleep Easy; From £120, 93/100
- Best for on the go: Rockit Baby Rocker; From £45, 92/100
Disposable nappies
- Best nappies: Aldi Mamia; From 75p, 93/100
- Best for fit: Sainsbury’s Little Ones; From £3, 92/100
- Best for wicking away moisture: Tesco Fred & Flo Nappies; From £2, 92/100
- Best for potty training: Huggies Pull-Ups; From £8, 82/100
Baby wipes
- Best baby wet wipes: Amazon Mama Bear Sensitive Unscented Baby Wipes; From £14, 92/100
- Best for newborns: The Cheeky Panda Dry Wipes (pack of 12); From £47, 92/100
- Best for scent: Tesco Fred & Flo Biodegradable Fragranced Wipes; From 65p, 88/100
- Best flushable wipes: Pura Flushable Baby Wipes (18 packs); From £38, 88/100
Baby bouncers and chairs
- Best manual baby bouncer: Nuna Leaf Grow Baby Bouncer; From £250, 97/100
- Best value baby bouncer: Bababing Rockout Rocker; From £50, 97/100
- Best lightweight bouncer: BabyBjorn Bouncer Balance Soft; From £184.90; 96/100
Baby monitors
- Best baby monitor: Nanit Pro 1080p HD Smart Baby Monitor; From £175, 91/100
- Best for ease of use: Vtech RM7766HD Smart Pan & Tilt Baby Monitor; From 140, 87/100
- Best screen-free monitor: Tommee Tippee Dreamsense Smart Baby Monitor; From £200, 87/100
You can read the full list of award winners on the Good Housekeeping website.
If you’re keen to get one of these products, remember to shop around before buying anything as you might find the item you’re interested in cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Price Spy let you compare prices on thousands of products to find out where it will cost you the least.
You can also have a quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab to see how much retailers are selling a particular item for.
Also remember that if you buy anything online, you might need to pay extra for delivery, and the charge changes based on the retailer.
Money saving tips for parents
WE'VE put together six top tips to cut costs, nab freebies and to make sure you're not fined.
- Free prescriptions and dental care – Prescriptions cost £9.15 a pop in England, while NHS dental costs vary by location. You can get both for free while you’re pregnant and for 12 months after your baby’s due date. Ask your doctor or midwife for a maternity exemption certificate (MATEX) to claim the free care.
- Free milk, infant formula, vitamins or fruit and veg – Under the Healthy Start programme, you may be entitled to the freebies if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or you have a child under four and you’re on certain benefits, such as Universal Credit.
- £500 free grant – In England, Northern Ireland and Wales you may be entitled to a Sure Start grant of £500 if you’re on certain benefits and expecting your first child or expecting more than one baby – such as twins.To claim, you need to fill out the following form on Gov.uk and get your doctor or midwife to sign it.
- Register the birth in time or face a £200 fine – You need to register the birth within 42 days of your baby being born with your local registry office. This costs £11 in England and Wales.
- Update a will or update it – If you don’t have a will, in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where one parent dies, children will only inherit cash if the estate is worth more than £250,000 – otherwise all the money will go to the surviving spouse. If you don’t want that to happen, you need to get a will stating your wishes.
- Consider getting life insurance – No-one likes to think about death but if something happened to you, could the family survive without your salary? If not, you many want to consider life insurance. Use a comparison service to find not only the cheapest, but the most suitable cover for your needs.
How were the products tested?
To select the best nappies, the team used scientific output charts to determine the amount of urine a baby passes on average in 12 hours.
Synthetic urine was created and used to fill nappies with a whole night’s worth of fluid, to help assess absorbency.
Checks were made for leaks through legs and waists and any dampness was noted during testing.
When examining pushchairs, the team mimicked parents rushing around supermarkets, going around the streets in all weathers, going through kerbs, stairs, parks, hills and fields.
The team used a weighted “baby” doll, weighing the same as a one-yer-old, to see how smooth a ride each pushchair gave, while weights in shopping baskets tested the product as it would be used in real life.
The latest high-tech baby monitors saw experts connecting to apps and scrolling through hundreds of different sound and light combinations.
They sat in the dark to check screen visibility at night, made a range of high and low pitch noises to see how well the monitors picked up baby sounds and also paid special attention to the usability of safety extras, including thermometers that record the temperature in your baby’s room or devices that track your baby’s breathing and movements.
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