New baby essentials for a chas-strapped and confused couple (CALLING ALL PARENTS!)

nikkit72

look at ebay for alot of your stuff, moses baskets you can get for £10 and a new matteress ofc for about £6 , they only get used for about 3 months then baby gets bigger so next for a cot , exactly the same , ebay , just click nearest first so not alot of travelling or expensive postal costs and you will pay half or even less than the shop ones , just remember to buy new matteresses:: also dont forget to look on ebay for clothes too as many people have lots of clothes which are all brand new and never used and sometime s you can pick outfits up for 99p , and dont forget most babies only wear outfits once , so they are nearly always in new condition. Babies grow so fast they are always needing new clothes

Heres my lists , dont forget if you shop online use cash back sites i.e quidco , and save even more , and look for online codes for even more savings,

Pram / buggy / car seat ( if they ahve a car ofc)
Nappies
Wipes
cotton wall
vests
sleepsuits
bibs
socks
sleepbags
sheets
covers
moses basket
cot
clothes
bibs
muslin squares
changing mat
baby bath
top and tail
If not breast feeding ( bottles , formula, steriliser, teats)
Breastfeeding ( steriliser , breast feeding pump , bottles teats )
dummies
scratch mits
hats
baby monitor
bouncy chair
rocking chair ( maybe)
mobile
maternity clothes,
breast pads
maternity pads
non bio washing powder and conditioner
baby shampoo
baby bath
baby oil
sudocreme

( thats all i can think of off top of head.

Also join all the baby clubs and get money off vouchers and free samples , i.e , bounty , emmas diary , pampers , huggies , sma, mother care , tesco baby club sainsburys little one ,

wontfallforit

Thanks again guys, your suggestions are wonderful...some things I didn't even think about (like a baby bath!!).

I'm off to have a look at some stuff online now, and will no doubt be checking this thread regularly as the weeks go by!

Thanks again...keep 'em coming xxx

Tigsteroonie

If baby is due in Spring, check out the supermarkets NOW for cheap baby clothes - many have racks of this year's summer clothes at sale prices.

Can't help you with much else as I see you want to buy new things - Andrew got very little brand new, only some of his clothes and the travel system (buggy & car seat).

kindofagilr

wontfallforit wrote: »

Dad-to-Be is my brother, and we were both raised in cheap clothes as kids, for this very reason

Thanks x

LOL me too

nikkit72

I know you want to buy brand new stuff , but to buy everything brand new i would say you would prob be looking at well over £1000 maybe even 2 , may be pram get brand new as everyone sees that , but the other big things dont last long and like i said most things on ebay are hardly used and look as new and you save a whole lot of money , and money you save you could maybe start a bank account up fo the little one

wontfallforit

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

If baby is due in Spring, check out the supermarkets NOW for cheap baby clothes - many have racks of this year's summer clothes at sale prices.

Can't help you with much else as I see you want to buy new things - Andrew got very little brand new, only some of his clothes and the travel system (buggy & car seat).

I'm totally open to buying used things, it's just that they're gifts, and I'm likely to present most of them this Christmas. My own baby (should I ever have one) will be the king/queen of car-boot sales

I'm looking to invest in some quality new stuff just so they can pass it on throughout the family, whether to their own further offspring, or to other family members

We were raised on hand-me-downs, but it's been so long since a new baby arrived, that we have nothing left. He/she will be the first family baby in 18 years! As well as my first niece/nephew, and my parents' first grandchild :eek:

Thanks xx

msb5262

Hi again OP,
I know what you mean about not giving second hand stuff as gifts, but if you buy the absolute cheapest in things like babygrows and vests, they shrink like mad - when I had my first baby, I had lots of these from kids in my class and they didn't wash at all well. Don't forget...buy cheap, buy twice. I'm glad you're looking to get things which can be passed on.
I'd suggest you either get middling quality or consider looking in charity shops etc for really good quality clothes (most small size baby stuff looks virtually untouched!), then wash and dry everything so it smells lovely and pack it all up in a basket - maybe even a Moses basket? I had lots of stuff passed on to me by a friend and it was all beautifully clean and smelled gorgeous; she put the babygrows into bundles and tied them up with ribbon. It really doesn't "feel" second hand, and the effort that's been put in was part of the present.
MsB

wontfallforit

nikkit72 wrote: »

I know you want to buy brand new stuff , but to buy everything brand new i would say you would prob be looking at well over £1000 maybe even 2 , may be pram get brand new as everyone sees that , but the other big things dont last long and like i said most things on ebay are hardly used and look as new and you save a whole lot of money , and money you save you could maybe start a bank account up fo the little one

My, it's an expensive do isn't it!

Thankfully, my parents will be chipping in also. Problem is, we're cursed (or blessed!) with a very small family. It's been 18 years since my mum did the baby thing (and she got a fair amount of help, too), and my step-dad has never raised small children

My brother (father-to-be) earns a good wage, but his outgoings (travelling to work, etc.) are very high, and he's only a young lad. Mum-to-Be doesn't work, is very young, and doesn't have the most supportive family . So whilst he'll be able to afford some things, he really won't have the foggiest as to where to look . Between him, my parents and myself, we should be able to give the baby a good start

wontfallforit

msb5262 wrote: »

I'd suggest you either get middling quality or consider looking in charity shops etc for really good quality clothes (most small size baby stuff looks virtually untouched!), then wash and dry everything so it smells lovely and pack it all up in a basket - maybe even a Moses basket? I had lots of stuff passed on to me by a friend and it was all beautifully clean and smelled gorgeous; she put the babygrows into bundles and tied them up with ribbon. It really doesn't "feel" second hand, and the effort that's been put in was part of the present.
MsB

Good idea, that'd make a lovely gift. Thanks x

tiamai_d

Here what I got and from where for my DD (who was very unexpected) she is 14 weeks old.

Crib - £25 ebay
Cot - £40 ebay (need to get a mattress (will but new so £60) but she is still in the crib anyway)
Natures nest - free! :j(instead of a moses basket)
Pram - DS2's big 3 wheeler
Carry cot for pram - £40 ebay (she is still using this and its been great when out, I hate babies left in car seats when not in the car)
Car seat - £37 on sale in Argos
Steriliser - £13.50 bargain + code from tommee tippee website
Bottles - £10 asda event
Cot bundle - £20 asda event (bmper, duvet, sheets)
More mixed sheets - £15 ebay and bargains from asda etc
Monitors - £10 asda event, never used going on ebay
First clothes (hats, vests, sleepsuits, socks, bibs) £30-40 from asda.tesco (tiny baby, newborn and 0-3month)
Most clothes - £50-£60 ebay (newborn, 0-3 and 3-6)
Breast pump - £65 expressyourselfmums.co.uk
Baby chair - £15 asda baby event
bath chair - £3 car boot
play nest + play mat thing - £10 carboot

And I know I could have done it cheaper, but I'm happy with what I got.

Breast feeding, not sure it saved me money, I developed a thing for buying pumps but sold them on ebay for what I bought them for... The new one I bought I will get about £50 for, I'd reccomend that if she were to buy one, get a double pump.