Grandparents’ guide to baby essentials

Whether you’re babysitting your grandchildren once a week or once every couple of months, you’ll likely need a few baby essentials to ensure you can look after the little ones with ease. We've made it easy to sort through the essentials.

It’s mandatory that children under the age of seven are in some kind of car seat or restraint, so if you’re planning to ferry any grandchildren around in the car, you’ll need a car seat or booster seat. Which one you’ll need will come down to their age and size—car seats are required from ages 0-4, and a booster seat once they reach a height of 145cm.

See also: Car Seat vs Booster Seat: What’s the difference?

Car seats must adhere to strict Australian safety standards, so it’s best to make this purchase brand new, rather than opting for second-hand. We’ve got some below that you can compare side by side. Our number one pick for grandparents? The Safe-N-Sound SafeKeeper II is suitable from birth to four years old, with a high protection rating.

You’ll want somewhere safe and cosy for your grandchildren to sleep, whether it’s for naps or sleepovers. If you’re looking for something that will be a permanent fixture in your home, then a cot is a better option as they are higher off the floor, so it’s not as taxing on your lower back to put grandchildren in and out of it.

If you’re looking for something that can be easily transported and put away, then a travel cot or port-a-cot is your best option. They are usually lightweight, easy to set up and pack down, and don’t take up as much room. The downside is they tend to be lower down on the floor.

Note: The Red Nose Foundation has set out safe sleeping guidelines when it comes to babies, which includes a safe space to sleep. We touch on it in detail further below.

There are plenty of baby baths on the market, but you’ll want one that’s easy to empty at the end of bath time. Baths are heavy when they’re filled with water, so ideally you want something that can easily fit inside a family tub or shower so that you can drain it easily. To check the temperature of the water, you can opt to buy a bath thermometer, or get a bath that has one already built in.

You don’t need a fancy, all-the-bells-and-whistles pram, but it’s good to have something that is comfortable and easy to manoeuvre around (and bonus points if it packs up easily into the car) for strolls in the park and other outings.

Most high chairs are big bulky things, and if you’re looking after your grandchildren on the regular, having a permanent fixture in the kitchen that you can easily wipe down is not a bad idea (we recommend getting a Catchy food catcher if so).

But if you’d prefer something more portable and easy to pack down and put away between visits, then a portable booster chair is just the ticket.

The current advice of what is recommended when it comes to babies is constantly changing, so what was the norm when you were a parent might not be now. It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the current recommendations by looking up parenting best practice sites like Raising Children Network, or asking your grandchild’s parents what the current best practice is. We’ll touch on a couple of topics below, too.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is when an infant passes away from unknown causes, even after a thorough investigation, and charities like Red Nose work tirelessly to educate parents and caregivers about keeping babies as safe as possible when it comes to things like their sleeping environments. One of their safe sleep recommendations is to always put babies on their backs when putting them to sleep. This alone has seen an 80% reduction in cases of SIDS since the 1980s.

The other four safe sleeping tips relevant to grandparents include:

1. Keep the baby’s head and face uncovered.
2. Keep the baby away from smoke (i.e. from cigarettes)
3. Make sure the mattress is firm, clean and flat in a safe cot that meets industry standards
4. Have the baby sleep in the same room as you for the first 12 months

So while it might be tempting to pull out the old bassinet you used for your own children, always make sure it meets current Australian safety standards first.

If you’re looking after very young babies, you’ll most likely just be feeding them formula or expressed breast milk. But once they’re six months old, solids become part of the plan, and there are two main things to watch out for: choking and allergic reactions.

Unless given the okay by your grandchild’s parents, stay away from common allergens like peanut butter and know the signs of an allergic reaction. Mild-to-medium reactions include breaking out in hives and rashes, while severe symptoms include vomiting, floppiness, difficulty breathing and swelling of the tongue.

Always call 000 in an emergency.

The most common foods infants choke on are those which are round, firm, small and slippery according to Solid Starts—think grapes, blueberries and cherry tomatoes. These should always be cut into quarters before serving.

Solid Starts is a great resource for how to serve different foods to infants and toddlers, and correct preparation to reduce the risk of choking. And remember: gagging is normal, choking is not.