Expert Reviews Parent and Baby Awards 2023: Parenting essentials, tested by us

Whether you’re expecting your first or you’re a seasoned parenting pro, one thing will be abundantly clear by now: babies require a huge amount of stuff. Some of that stuff will last for many years to come, and some of it will be on your shopping list each and every week. Either way, you’ll want to know you’re buying the best thing both for you and your baby; after all, the right products can help make the first year of parenthood just that little bit easier.

We’re here to help. Every year, we put the latest parent and baby essentials to the test: we assess key traits such as durability, effectiveness and ease of use, as well as whether they represent good value for money and how they stack up in relation to the competition. 

From prams, pushchairs and travel systems to nappies, wet wipes and thermometers, our parent testers have spent countless hours trying hundreds of products to ensure you’re putting your faith (and your cash) in the right places. The result? Our definitive guide to this year’s best parenting products across 23 different categories.

Welcome to the Expert Reviews Parent and Baby Awards 2023.

Expert Reviews Parent and Baby Awards 2023

Baby product of the year

Winner | BABYZEN YOYO² | £450

Ultra-light and thoughtfully made, the BABYZEN YOYO² is a masterclass in pram design and a thoroughly deserving winner of our overall baby product of the year award. Despite the low weight and compact build, the BABYZEN YOYO² feels expensive to the touch, with a soft fabric seat and a sturdy metal frame. And thanks to a wide range of seat options (including a bassinet), this pram will see you through from birth to age three, making it a great investment. This pram’s party piece, however, is an ingenious folding mechanism that requires virtually no effort to operate – ideal for parents who are fed up with struggling to fold/unfold a pram while carrying their child.   

Best stroller

Winner |  Mamas and Papas Ocarro | £849

Rightly described as the Ferrari of strollers, the Mamas and Papas Ocarro is an exceptionally luxurious mode of transport for your little one. Characterised by a supremely durable design and a surprising amount of flexibility for such a substantial pushchair, the Ocarro is brimming with thoughtful touches, including soft foam cushioning, dual suspension, puncture-proof tyres, reflective wheel rims, mesh pockets and an adjustable handlebar. Pick up one of the carrycot bundles and the Ocarro will last you from birth to around 22kg – and it will do so in style, too.

Best travel system

Winner | Bugaboo Fox 5 | £1,115

Bugaboo’s latest travel system is far and away its best. The Fox 5 spares no expense, providing absolute comfort for your baby and a good amount of extra value for you. We loved its one-handed folding mechanism and effortlessly smooth glide; even on rougher surfaces, the Fox 5’s dual suspension and hefty tyres keep things moving. Endlessly customisable and available with enough optional extras to put many car manufacturers to shame – including a cup holder and a matching baby bag – the Fox 5 is a high-end travel system that we feel delivers everything you and your child will need to get around in comfort.

Best pram

Winner | BABYZEN YOYO² | £450

This compact pram will see your baby through from birth right up until they’re three years old. Simply switch the pram from its rear-facing baby nest to the front-facing main seat and you’re good to go. It couldn’t be easier to fold away for storage either – with practise, you’ll be able to do it with one hand and it folds down small enough to put in an overhead compartment on a plane as hand luggage. There’s even a carry bag to allow you to carry it around with ease, especially since it only weighs 6.6kg. Essentially, the BABYZEN YoYo² is perfect for busy parents who want to travel with ease – and a deserving winner in this category.

Best value pram

Winner | Nuna Triv Next | £600

Looking at its brown leather finishes, high-quality materials and practical design, you could be forgiven for assuming that the Nuna Triv Next was a luxury option for a pram. However, it can’t be beaten in terms of value. With a retail price of £600, it’s not a budget option by any stretch of the imagination, but this pram is suitable for all ages up to 4 so it is built to last, and it’s got a basket big enough to carry around shopping, school bags and lunches with ease.

It’s got a breathable mesh seat to keep your baby cool and comfy no matter the season. Thanks to its thicker wheels and wider frame and wheel base, the pram is smoother to manoeuvre on and off pavements – no more accidentally jolting your baby awake on a walk. It only weighs 8.72kg, so you’ll be able to cart it around without breaking a sweat. In terms of value and practicality, the Nuna Triv Next can’t be beaten, making it a worthy winner of our best value pram award.

Best baby walker

Winner | Little Tikes Fantastic Firsts 3-in-1 Activity Walker | £50

Baby walkers don’t just have to support your little one in taking their first steps. Not with the Little Tikes Fantastic Firsts 3-in-1 Activity Walker, at least. This nifty little walker transforms between being a standard walker, standing activity table, and a sit-and-play activity centre. That gives your baby loads of options for play, including over 70 activities and songs. No doubt this will save you from buying heaps more toys, or bringing loads with you when you’re on the go. 

It’s not your average walker either. When it’s moving forward, it projects a little light show onto the floor to encourage your baby to keep going. And when the fun’s over, it folds down flat for easy storage. Throw into the mix its easy wipe-clean surfaces and you’ve got a pretty perfect walker and an easy pick for our best baby walker award.

Best baby rocker

Winner | Nuna Leaf Grow | £250This beautifully built, stylish baby rocker has a smooth pendulum-style rocking motion that can be activated with a gentle push and lasts up to two minutes. Parents will be pleased to learn that the fabric covers, available in five different colours, are all machine washable and the mesh backing of the seat provides cooling airflow so that your baby won’t overheat. When your baby is young, you can use the secure three-point harness to ensure they stay cooped up safely in the rocker. The rocker comes with a toy bar to keep them entertained while they rock side to side. 

While there are pricier options that use automatic motors on the market, we loved the Nuna Leaf Grow because it grows with your baby. The toy bar and the three-point harness is removable so that your child can still use the rocker when they’ve grown a little bigger. It’s suitable for use up to 60kg, so it’s likely to last them many years to come. That’s why the Nuna Leaf Grow is easily our favourite baby rocker this year.

Best baby carrier

Winner | Babybjörn Harmony | £209

The Babybjörn Harmony is a delightfully made, soft-structured carrier that will carry baby from newborn up until the age of three. The ergonomic design, made from wonderfully soft, breathable mesh features a pressure-relieving waist belt with padded back and shoulder support to provide ultimate comfort no matter the length of walk. It’s also incredibly straightforward to put on and tighten, making for a hassle-free process when preparing to leave the house with your tot.

The Harmony is impressively lightweight yet sturdy enough to keep your little one safe and well-supported at all times, while the flexible nature of the structure means it can be easily folded down and slipped neatly into your changing bag when not in use. What’s more, the carefully designed carrier caters for parent and baby as they grow, with adjustable height and belt positions for improved weight distribution and long-lasting comfort. Ticking every box across the board, it’s no surprise to see the Babybjörn Harmony take the number one spot in our best baby carrier award.

Best high chair

Winner | Stokke Nomi | £264

The Stokke Nomi is a streamlined and highly adaptable chair that can be used from birth all the way up to adulthood. For young babies, Stokke offer a newborn set which provides a secure and cosy spot for baby to watch, play and interact with you in every room. From six months onwards, the baby set includes a scooped-out seat with outstanding back and side support for your little one to join you at the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, as your child grows, the Nomi becomes an easily adjusted and super-comfy chair perfect for desks, activities, reading and much more.

The Nomi is made from wipe-clean, recyclable plastic, and, with no fabric, pockets or corners for food to disappear into, can be wiped down with absolute ease – making for a straightforward cleaning process. The lightweight chair also sits on anti-tilt wheels to prevent it from tipping over, regardless of how excited your little one might be. When it comes to adaptability, quality and value for money, it’s clear to see why the Stokke Nomi is an exceptional investment, and the worthy winner of our best high chair award.

Best travel cot

Winner | Silver Cross Slumber | £165

Silver Cross’ lightweight Slumber is the perfect companion for trips away. The contemporary pop-up design can be assembled in seconds, making it ideal for an overnight stay with your little one, and can even double up as a comfy playpen. It features a padded top rail, zip-down side and like all Silver Cross products, is pleasing to the eye. The Slumber also comes with a newborn insert that sits at bed height, helping you to keep costs down.

Providing a practical, safe and cosy solution to family travel, it’s easy to see why the Slumber is the deserved winner of our best travel cot award.

Best baby cot

Winner | Stokke Sleepi Bed V3 | £563

Designed to last, the stylish Stokke V3 cot bed will see your little one through from birth up until five years old. Its unique oval shape not only gives it a modern look, but saves space in a small nursery while providing for maximum air circulation. As your little one grows, the V3 can be adapted into a cot bed by releasing the side and adjusting the height of the mattress, with the addition of lockable swivel wheels to allow for easy manoeuvrability.

High-quality and built to last, the Stokke V3 is a cut above the rest and the champion of this year’s best baby cot award.

Best cot mattress

Winner | Silver Cross Quilted TrueFit Premium | £229

The Silver Cross Quilted TrueFit Premium is a well-constructed, high-quality cot mattress that offers parents excellent long-term value. This dual-sided mattress is suitable for use from birth, with the firmer side perfect for babies up to 18 months old and the softer side designed for use between 18 months and four years. Designed for a standard sized 140 x 70cm cot bed, the ‘TrueFit’ design also means it will slot into place without any perilous gaps. In terms of the mattress’s construction, the Quilted TrueFit Premium has 220 pocket springs for comfort and even weight distribution, as well as Thermo+ fabric designed to regulate temperature. Adding to its list of pluses, it is also hypoallergenic, water-resistant and has an easily-removed, washable cover.

Best baby sleeping bag

Winner |  Love to Dream Swaddle Up Bamboo Sleeping Bag | £30

A uniquely shaped baby sleeping bag, the Love to Dream Swaddle Up allows babies to sleep in their natural, arm-up position, making for a better night’s kip. As well as allowing free arm movement, the Swaddle Up’s T-shaped construction prevents your little one from wriggling out in the night or sliding down too far into the bag. 

Made with 97% viscose from bamboo, as well as elastane, the Love to Dream Swaddle Up Sleeping Bag is soft, breathable and has just enough stretch to allow your baby to adjust their body without feeling too tightly swaddled. The Swaddle Up is also machine washable and comes in three sizes suitable for newborns up to six months old.

Best nappies

Winner | Aldi Mamia Ultra Dry | £2.99

Punching far above their weight at just 6p per nappy, Aldi’s Mamia Ultra Dry nappies have beaten out more well-known brands by offering tip-top performance at a budget-conscious price. Outside of its great value, this nappy’s quality material and clever design have also helped it bag our best nappy award. The Mamia Ultra Dry nappies are soft, flexible and highly absorbent. They also have a handy wetness indicator, taking the guesswork out of changing time. Dermatologically tested and hypoallergenic, Aldi’s Mamia Ultra Dry nappies are suitable for even the most sensitive of baby bums, allowing your tot to remain comfortable,dry and free from rashes and other irritations.

Best reusable nappies

Winner | Bambino Mio Miosolo | £17

Convenient, eco-conscious and handy for cost-cutting, reusable nappies are currently a better option than ever. Our top pick for this emerging category is the highly-impressive Bambino Mio Miosolo. Suitable for use from birth to potty-training age, the Mio Miosolo has a one-size-fits-all design, utilising adjustable fastenings to adapt to your growing baby. Inside, it has an effective absorbent core, which stays feeling soft after every wash. If your baby is an especially heavy wetter, you can even add in a booster liner – a perfect option for nighttimes, naps and long car journeys. Outside of these practical concerns, the Mio Miosolo also scored points for its cute range of designs, coming in a number of brightly coloured patterns featuring zebras, whales, clouds and raccoons.

Best nappies for newborns

Winner | Kit and Kin Eco Nappies Size 1 | £8

As kind to the environment as they are to your child’s skin, Kit and Kin Eco Nappies promise 12-hour protection, using channelling technology to evenly distribute dampness and avoid sagging. On the eco side of things, the nappies are plant-based, can be paired with biodegradable wipes and nappy bags, and they even arrive in recycled paper packaging. They proved a snug fit in our testing and impressed with their absorbency, but our favourite thing was the animal prints – as well as being cute, they help you to see that the nappy is on the right way round.

Best nursing bra

Winner | Cake Maternity Tutti Frutti | £43

Who said that nursing bras can’t look good on top of being functional? This seems to be the mission statement for the Cake Maternity Tutti Frutti nursing bra, with the subtle lace and stylish racer back making it the best-looking nursing bra we’ve ever seen. But it’s not all sizzle over steak; the bra is made with bamboo viscose, simultaneously feeling soft and breathable, while also accommodating your expanding ribcage. The cups themselves are memory foam, and so comfortable that falling asleep wearing the bra isn’t an issue. They’re drop-down cups, too, meaning easy access for feeds at any time of the day or night. 

Best steriliser 

Winner | Milton Combi | £23

It can be tricky deciding if you want a microwaveable or cold-water steriliser, so why not just get both? The Milton Combi, as the name suggests, is a combination steriliser that can use cold water or be microwaved, depending on your needs. The lightweight tub is BPA-free and comes fitted with a sturdy carry handle, which helps to make up for the fact that the Combi is quite chunky. The solution in the steriliser remains sterile for up to 24 hours, so you can store it overnight, while the microwave method takes just two minutes, giving you a speedy option when you’re short on time.

Best breast pump

Winner | Elvie Stride | £269

The Elvie Stride isn’t as silent as its predecessor, but that’s just because it offers hospital-grade pumping, hitting -300mmHg of suction power in testing, compared to the original’s -270mmHg. Paired with that strength is a wealth of expression and stimulation modes, which can be cycled through either with the provided remote on in the Elvie companion app. Also packaged are two different-sized breast shields and cups that can be easily slid into a nursing bra. The powerful suction can get a little sore after a while, but that doesn’t detract from what is overall an effective and thoughtfully designed breast pump.

Best baby monitor

Winner | Sense-U Video Baby Monitor | £130

The Sense-U Video Baby Monitor is affordable, easy to set up and does an excellent job of helping you keep a watchful eye on your little ones. Its camera captures crisp 1080p images and has a 140-degree wide angle along with a 4x zoom, enabling you to see most of the room it’s installed in and get a close-up view of your newborn when necessary. The night vision is superb, ensuring crystal-clear footage after dark, the free companion app is user-friendly and simple to navigate, while the two-way talk functionality works very well. It may lack the bells and whistles found on more expensive models, but it’s a top-notch monitor with a delightful design that outperforms similarly priced rivals.

Best baby thermometer

Winner | Withings Thermo | £90

This no-contact smart thermometer uses 16 infrared sensors to take temperatures and is extremely easy to use and highly precise. Once linked to the Withings app on your smartphone, you’re able to check your baby’s thermals by scanning its forehead, with the device vibrating to confirm a reading has been taken. That reading is displayed clearly on the LED interface and there’s a colour-coded fever indicator to notify you if your little one is poorly. Data from each measurement is stored in the Thermo app, and you can set up multiple profiles to gain quick access to the temperature histories of your whole family. Hygienic, non-invasive, accurate and smart, the Withings Thermo ticks every box.

Best baby wipes

Winner | Waterwipes | £2.50

Waterwipes are the best way we’ve found of keeping your baby’s skin clean and fresh without aggravating it or risking an allergic reaction. Their fabric is made from a renewable, plant-based fibre that’s very soft and the wipes consist of 99.9% purified water, meaning they’re both hypoallergenic and kind on new skin. A drop of grapefruit extract helps moisturise your little one

but the wipes remain fragrance free. Removing the wipes from their packet is easy to do one-handed and they won’t tear under stress, two crucial qualities that help provide parents much needed peace of mind when out and about with their babies.

Best pelvic floor trainer

Winner | Perifit | £119

This app-controlled pelvic floor trainer is highly unusual but works remarkably well. Rather than using a weighted system, the Perifit trainer has you play contraction and relaxation games on your phone while you have a Bluetooth–enabled device inside your vagina. That may sound strange, but the device is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and recommended by more than 1,000 physiotherapists worldwide. Two sensors inside the device track the strength of your squeezes and the app provides biofeedback and graphs to help you chart your progress over time. Fun, informative and effective, this option from Perifit is the best way to strengthen your pelvic floor we’ve come across this year.