Baby must-haves

fernliebee

Personally I found the bouncy chair great! You can put them in when it is your dinner time, and rock them with your foot if they start squeaking! Means you can actually eat a meal with BOTH hands! Amazing. I also thought that it was nice that they can be at the table with you watching you eat etc.. My DD is 6 months so about a month ago our's was relegated to the loft as she can tip it now! Eeeek!

I also loved our baby gym from about a month old she would be entertained for about 15 maybe 20 mins and ours is just the basic a-frame no noises or lights or anything.

Good luck, and have fun shopping!!

lynnexxxo

I'd definately say that you need a camera, and if you can afford it a video camera.

When you have a tiny baby, most days pass in a tired haze and before you know it, that tiny baby will be a walking talking person and you'll hardly believe the were soo small and gorgeous.

WestonDave

Not necessarily a must have but we discovered Mothercare do muslin squares in a pack of 10 with 5 of them yellow and five of them green. The coloured ones were useful for taking out so you didn't get confused with everyone elses at groups - green for head end and yellow for bottom end!

galvanizersbaby

Nicki wrote: »

We had one of those fancy nappy bins, and it lasted about 2 weeks! I really really wouldn't bother if I were you. They take about 30 odd nappies which they basically wrap up for you in a scented nappy sack and keep in a flip top bin. First, the cartridges cost a bomb and you can just as easily pop your nappy in a nappy sack and put it in your own flip top bin (with the added advantage you won't get poo over your hands as you use the twist and push motion the fancy one requires). Second, even with the fancy bin, having more than about 5 used nappies in an internal bin is going to stink your whole house out, and more so if you live in a flat! I'd really recommend that you just have a normal bin for nappies which you empty in an outdoor bin every time you leave your house. Third, the construction is really weird and its really easy to throw an integral part of the bin away when changing the cartridge which will make it unusable anyway. It is guaranteed that your OH will do this the first and only time he empties the thing!

:rotfl: Tee hee! - I had the same issues as you Nicki with the nappy bin! - thought I was the only one!

Good luck with your new baby OP x

Fritha_2

Another vote for sleeping bags, my dd would be frozen otherwise!

I find the swing we were lent very useful too as she'll sit in that and be swung while I eat! It often rocjs her to sleep as well which is brilliant!

Breast shells too, pop them on the other side when I'm feeding and I can collect up to an ounce a feed! Bung them in breast milk bags in the freezer and I'm sorted!

But I really couldn't do without my sling, I had to go to a sling meet to properly get the hang of it but going out is a lovely, snuggly, easy experience now!

Tinka21

For my 2 boys I would say the must haves were as others have said:
Loads of baby gros
Sleeping bag
Bouncy chair
and we have got a fisher price swing where you can take the chair off and just have it as a little rocking chair. When used as a swing it was brilliant when DS2 was newborn, I would put him in it and start it swinging while I got on with house work or sorting out DS1. Now he is 6 months he will sit in the chair and when he gets tired I just rock him with my foot!
I would also go for a bath support instead of a baby bath.

liz105

Thank you everyone, I will definately take on board about the nappy bin. We will have a moses basket to begin with and will also get a rocker chair thingy. Mum says nighties are brill, and have heard of the sleeping bags or gro bags, but Im nervous about anything overnight so will see how we are comfortable.

Have just started getting some pretty bad SPD symptoms, already have a physio for back pain so feeling sorry for myself today! Have been told I cant use a baby carrier or sling and wont be able to hold baby whilst standing up for more than a couple of minutes. Ha, and DH wants two kids close in ages......dont think I could take this much discomfort again anytime soon, labour will be a relief, seriously!!!!

starbump

My "must haves" were a sling, Lansinoh breast pads and a breast pump. Sorry you have SPD - hope you feel better after the baby arrives. Even if you don't breast-feed (I know some moms don't) you will still leak and get engorged - Lansinoh pads don't stick to your sore/wet/leaky skin unlike most other brands and a breast pump (unless you get the hang of hand expressing early on) will relieve engorgement so you will hopefully avoid mastitis. Good luck!

vetfred

Four of the most helpful things we used were free:

1) a good swaddling technique

2) a favourite song to calm our lil one down (we still sing it to him now, 15 months on and it always brings on a grin when he hears it... oh, it's Fly Me To The Moon, the gentle Nat King Cole style version!)

3) a good nappy change technique... basically we just lift his legs and place th clean nappy underneath him ready for the change while the used one is still on. Undo the old one and slip it out, quick wipe/vaseline and secure new one... less chance for them to pee on you!

4) Talk... let your newborn know what you're doing from an early age, treat them as a little person "Mummy's taking "Baby's name" nappy off now and then "Baby's name" will have a nice new clean nappy!" It sounds a bit silly but they soon attach the name to themselves and I think it makes them feel secure in hearing you describe everything even though they won't know the words just yet! We still always use Daddy, Mummy, Grandma, "Baby's name" and never you, I or we... it seems to have a good effect in letting him know who everyone is and what's going on.

A book called the Baby Whisperer really helped us in the first few weeks when you can quite easily feel overwhelmed.

We also used the cloth nappies we were given as burp blankets because 1) they were large and 2) they absorbed more than the receiving blankets heh.

Finally, I hope the birth goes well and that, even through all the tiredness etc, you feel joy when the baby comes. Best of luck and let people help if they can... get your rest etc... oh I've gone all maternal:)

Emms

I agree on the you can never have enough muslins I must have about 20 but never seem to be able to find any lol!

We have a nappy bin. You get a voucher in your bounty pack in the hospital for £20 off the angelcare one at argos so it only costs £5. I cant be bothered with going outside with a nappy every time. The nappy bin doesnt smell at all, only when you have it open to empty it.

Lots of sleepsuits but dont buy too many as you wont know what size you will need till your little one comes along. We bought one packet of newborn before our daughter was born, just to get through the first days, but shes still in the same size 6.5 weeks later. Lots of babies go straight into 0-3.

Emma