The Bunnie Caddie is the baby shower gift. No doubt. It looks adorable fully loaded with all the newborn essentials (and is actually a great thing to take to the hospital with you), but beyond that, how else could you use it? I had a lot of ideas, but to generate some more, I spent the weekend with the Bunnie Caddie, my toddler and several playdates. Needless to say, every parent-friend I met up with had more ideas, and I realised, when it comes to uses, the limit does not exist! Ahead, five of my favourite ways to use the Bunnie Caddie.

Baby Room in a Basket

One of my best friends, Kyla, had her second baby last week (a little boy, he’s beautiful). I went to drop off coffee, croissants and some Silverettes (ofcourse). She’d had a Caesarean and we were talking about how limited your movement is in the first few weeks after birth. At her house, the bedrooms are upstairs, and she’s set up downstairs in the lounge and kitchen. Stairs are tricky in C-section postpartum. Load up the Bunnie Caddie with everything you need to change and feed your little one: nappies, wipes, change of outfit, nipple shields, pump, bottle, bunny rug and you’ve got the baby room essentials wherever you need them. No need to go upstairs. And, as she pointed out, no repeated bending over to grab the individual items. Even if it is on the ground, you can grab everything in one go.

Night Essentials

While I was at Kyla’s, I was reminded that, even if it’s only for a little while in the beginning, most families will have the baby in their own bedroom. Usually there isn’t space for the whole nursery set up in that space, so the Bunnie Caddie could station everything you need for the night changes. Even when you're changing the baby in their own room, in the middle of the night, you want to make it easy for yourself. New baby brain fog is real - you’re operating on way less sleep, your body is going through a massive recovery - it’s not surprising. Pop the loaded Bunnie Caddie by the changing mat and you’re set. No need to rifle through drawers or search all over the room for what you need. Refresh it each morning and you’re good to go each night.

Baby Bag for the Car

Last week, when I was polling my friends on what they loved about their own baby bags and what style worked best for them, my friend Rose told me she never had one because she keeps everything she needs in the car, and where they live, they always drive. Fair play. The Bunnie Caddie makes an ideal car baby bag because of the flat bottom. Load it with a nappy wallet, change of outfit, bib, rain jacket, hat, swimmers, change of outfit, drink bottle and you’re set. Even if you do take a baby bag with you, having the Bunnie Caddie in the boot would make it a lot lighter! A great way to always have everything you could need, but carry only what you’ll use at each particular foray out of the car. Good for your back.

Portable Toy Box

I have a very busy toddler. So when we go to visit friends I try to take him an activity to do, otherwise he busies himself rearranging their bookcase or wine rack, and he’s no Marie Kondo. On Saturday we were off to see my sister so I packed the Bunnie Caddie with a puzzle, some blocks, books and a few other toys (he added his Cookie Monster). He was very occupied the whole visit: playing with what was in each section, but mainly moving things around in the sections - I think the bunnie caddie was the toy he liked the most! When I got it back home, he still wanted to play with it. I thought, what a great toy box it would make for your living area, which, no matter how much you fight it, always becomes the centre of their play. Mine is always littered with toys. When they’re done, they can play “pack away” and you can move it to a corner and it looks very stylish and adult.

Craft Sorter and Porter

The next day we had a big playdate. I love craft and so do these kids, so I loaded up the Bunnie Caddie with a heap of toddler-friendly dry craft supplies (no glue, glitter or paint. Tape and sticky dots are the only adhesives). We took the kids onto the deck, dropped the Bunnie Caddie and what happened next looked like an old fashioned in-store Black Friday sale. The kids poked into all the sections, pulled out what they liked and started making pictures which we adults taped down for them. After they were done and it was time for naps, I could chuck everything back in the Bunnie Caddie to sort out later, away from little hands. While we were doing this, my friend Nat said what a great picnic basket it would make. Genius, but at this point is there anything it can’t do?