babies, superstition and best buys on buggies

runrabbitrun

i havn't heard about tallboys before. is it a sort of wardrobe for kids?

Claudie

Congratulations! This is a very exciting time coming up - enjoy every minute as it goes way too fast.

I believe someone else mentioned the NCT sales. I have bought so much from them, our local sales are always terrific with a huge selection of everything you could ever want (and never knew you didn't need LOL)!

The website has a link to sale dates by postcode, I would say certainly worth a look

http://www.nct.org.uk/local/events

When I was pregnant a few years back I was offered a Bounty pack which had a booklet with loads of money off vouchers. I don't know if they still do them but I picked up my pack after I had already bought loads - it may be worth checking before you make any big purchases.

http://www.bounty.com/Packs/mtb/

And oh - if you are superstitious, some of the larger shops like ToysRUs will store things for you until you are ready to pcik them up.

jellyhead

hi,
a tallboy is a wardrobe for kids yes. maybe they're not popular anymore, ours is just a cheap one from argos but i can't see any on the website. it has 2 drawers at the bottom, but the wardrobe part isn't very high, so kids can reach the rails. it's at about chest height for me, so we have things on top of it such as the lamp, baby monitor, alarm clock etc.

Rachie_B

this is a tallboy http://www.additionsdirect.co.uk/AddNet/shop/Additions/LargeImage.aspx?prod_id=183480&image=Z2863KS06&brand=Additions&cat_id=2

its just a shorter wardrobe,generally having drawer storage underneath

we have one very similar to this but will yellow fronts

my son has just turned 4 and he loves the fact he can reach his own clothes

donna-j_2

I love my travel system, and don't regret buying it. Being able to clip the carseat onto the frame is brilliant, and totally invaluable IMO, as they so often fall asleep in the carseat. It's all very well to say that infants should lay flat but Thomas hated it. It was the carrycot attachment that was a waste of money for us, as he was only in it as a pram about 10 times.

He is 9 months now and 24lbs (a very big baby), and is still just fitting into his carseat, so if you have a 'normal' size of baby then you can get more use out of it. They are not too big until their head reaches the top of the seat, and are safer to be in the rear-facing seat in the car as long as you can get away with it.

Rather than a changing table, I would recommend a cot-top changer. We got a really good package on ebay - a cot bed, sprung mattress and a cot-top changer for about £170. I find it safer than a changing table, as if T ever had rolled off (he hasn't, but is really trying to now), then he would have rolled into his cot at least, not onto the floor.

jellyhead

my baby gets up and crawls away while i'm trying to change him, he's 9 months but i know babies who roll away at only a few months old :eek: not mine, he was too lazy to roll around but i stopped using the changing mat on top of the cupboard at around 6 months i think. if you had a c-section i think you'd be very glad of having a changing surface high up, but only buy a changing chest etc. if it's cheap.

i saw a cot top changer for around £30 today, with suckers for doing it over the bath, but i can't remember where. it will come to me in time

do you need a travel cot? i was looking at one that came with a cot top changer, and it also had a hanging crib bit for when baby is newborn so they could sleep higher up than the base of the travel cot. could possibly use the travel cot as a playpen later on.

BernadetteN

I didn't use a cot or pram/pushchair at all for my no1 - he just slept with us and I used a sling. I breastfed and used cloth nappies so the only big expenses we had was buying a car seat, nappies and some clothes. The biggest expense really was my loss of full-time employment!

You could always make up a shortlist of prams/buggies and just buy from https://www.kiddicare.com or https://www.babycare-direct.co.uk or some similar online discounter once your baby is born so you don't need to go to the shops yourself.

NCT sales are great for everything baby related.

I would not recommend a travel system unless you stick to the rule about leaving your baby there for no more than 2 hours. It's hardly an effort to lift your baby out of a car into a sling or lie-flat pram/pushchair.

I would recommend Britax car seats and their seat fitting database. You can find reviews of car seats done by Which? by the AA and I've read one by some safety organisation in Ireland (wish I could find the links).
I just love Britax car seats

donna-j_2

Thomas manages to flip himself over on the changer, and tries then to crawl off it towards his mobile at the other end of the cot. It will either have to go, or I will have to attach a strap to it, to stop him making a break for it.

It has been brilliant though.

And it's not an 'effort' to lift them out, but if you have a baby who does not sleep easily, then it is a god-send to be able to lift them still sleeping in the seat onto the buggy frame or into the car.

Thomas was 10lb 12 at birth so we hardly got any use of the sling. I am glad I bought one second-hand, as it was a total waste of money. By the time he liked it he was just too heavy.

ailuro2

One point to mention- second hand stuff is normally a very good price from the local paper and there's always plenty to be found in good clean condition.
Cot sheets and blankets can be found in charity shops, or passed on from friends, or even cut down and stitched from bigger old sheets.No quilts for little babies,remember.

However, you MUST buy a new mattress for each baby, and make sure it is the proper size for any second hand cot you might buy. Second hand cot mattresses have been linked to sids. Personally I'd buy the cheap one from IKEA as previously suggested.
Changing tables with cupboards underneath are a good investment. Great for keeping downstairs with clean clothes, nappies, wipes etc. and it saves a lot of wear and tear on your back in the early days.
MY 7yo dd has her changing unit as her books and craft materials cupboard now, but it was in the living room for the first year of her life.Savs times and keeps everything in one place.

One last thing- don't waste money on an all singing all dancing pram.It will be too cumbersome to lift in and out of the boot, or on and off buses and you'll end up using a 20 quid buggy after a short time.

Congratulations and good luck with the house move:j

Rachie_B

changing unit in the living room ?!!