Early years

As soon as a baby can sit unaided, you can consider a babywalker. Harriet Coates has had great fun in the Ziggy Rocker Walker from Tippitoes.

Not all swimming pools are heated to a temperature comfortable for babies. Swimbabes stocks wetsuits for babies to keep them warm in cooler water. Harriet Coates seems happy in her Extra Warm Baby Wetsuit by Splash About.

The days of struggling to lift a slippery baby out of the bath and into a towel are over thanks to the Cuddledry baby apron towel as Olivia Coates discovered when she tried one out on baby Harriet.

We all know that breast is best but what if you are going back to work or in the case of Olivia Coates, full-time study? The Lansinoh Electric Breast Pump comes into its own for working mums who want to continue with breastfeeding and supplying breast milk in a bottle.

A doorway bouncer was one of Olivia's favourite toys and the Tippitoes version has been a great success for her daughter Harriet as Anne Coates reports.

Lynda Harding, creator of the easidream® system, gives her top five tips for helping newborns to sleep at night.

Breast is best and Medela have come up with a solution for breastfeeding mothers who need to leave a bottle of expressed milk: Calma the bottle with a teat which makes a baby replicate the action of breastfeeding. Anne Coates was impressed when she fed Harriet using the Calma bottle while Olivia was working.

For children who are too young to count sheep to get off to sleep, easidream has the answer: ewan™ the dream sheep. Olivia Coates put his expertise to the test.

From Close Parent, the makers of The Pop-in reusable birth-to-potty nappy, a changing mat with a difference which gets a glowing review from Anne Coates.

Oliva Coates has been trying out the Britax B-Lite stroller described as the perfect pushchair for city-dwellers and public transport.

The transition from nappies to pants can be time-consuming so Alex Bell was happy to try out Close Parents training pants on Pippa and was delighted with the product.

Baby gyms have come a long way since Anne Coates had one for her own daughter. Here she – and Harriet – test out the Silver Cross Homefrown 3 in 1 Playmat and Gym. Harriet's appreciation is shown by the smile on her face!

Mamas and Papas have solved the problem of one parent carrying the baby in a sling and then wanting to pass to the other parent: one baby pod, two harnesses and you have the Morph Baby Carrier. Olivia Coates tried it out for Parenting Without Tears.

Baby monitors are becoming more and more sophisticated and offer additional features for today's parent. New mum Oliva Coates now has peace of mind when she is in another room to baby Harriet, using the Tommy Digital Plus TD350 monitor.

The first time a mother expresses milk is often a strange experience but the Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump makes the process very easy and comes with everything you need for easy collection and storage, as Olivia Coates discovered.

Books about bringing up babies are two a penny, but Penelope Leach's The Essential First Year is in a class of its own and is highly recommended by Parenting Without Tears for all new parents.

No one likes the full blaze of lights if you have to get up during the night – and for some small children the reassuring glow of a nightlight keeps nightmares and fears at bay. Olivia Coates tried out OXO's Candela Tooli nightlights and was very impressed with their versatility.

Having a baby? So which buggy should you opt for? For baby Harriet, Oliva Coates is currently using the Graco Symbio Go carrycot with the Logico S Deluxe car seat – both using the same One-Click system Symbio frame. The package is stylish, easy to use and exudes safety.