What kit do I need for my new baby?

starjumper

Evening all,

I've done a search and can't find anything so apologies if this has been done before.

I'm expecting my first baby in November and we're busy readying the house for its new inhabitant.

I'm not daft but I'm a bit new to kitting out a house for a baby so wondered if any of you wonderful people have any suggestions as to essentials we'll need, we don't want a house full of stuff we don't need and everything really needs to be budget friendly as I work for the NHS and am bound to be unemployed this time next year.

Thanks in advance.

Glamazon

Things I didn't use much

Baby Bath
Top & Tail Bowl

Just popped LO in the big bath or some people just use kitchen sink or washing up bowl!

Next time, I would get a crib rather than moses basket as it was a faff having the cot-bed in our room.

Babies don't need much (as I've since found out)
Somewhere to sleep, something to wear, something to eat (BF is cheap but if FF will need sterilising stuff).

*off topic*

As for the job, I'm assuming your PCT staff?
I'm NHS, employed by Hospital Trust but my job is funded by the PCT, the GP consortias will still need people to do jobs that they do for the PCT like Commissioning Managers, IT, Governance & Data Quality people so most people will naturally move from working from the PCT to the consortia. GP's cannot handle it on their own (trust me, I used to work for a huge group of GP's!) they'll need the help, there will just be less jobs.

I am currently getting my face known to the local 80+ GP practices in the hope that when they do become consortias they realise how much they need me :cool:

mandragora_2

Two boobies and someone to bring you cups of tea. That's pretty much all you'll need for the first year or so. Any spare money you have, buy nappies with.

Enjoy this time, and all the very best to all of you. You'll be amazed how much stuff other people buy you. At the end of the day, if there's anything else you want, wait a week or two, and if one hasn't turned up/been give or found for pennies at a car boot sale and if you still feel you need whatever it is, THEN buy it!

Bitsy_Beans

Stuff we used:

Crib (this was mine from me and my brother were babies eek!)
Cot bed
bath support - one of those mesh or towelling ones on sturdy wire frame - easy to put into the bottom of the bath and it leaves your hands free-er to wash and bath baby (rather than doing it one handed)
Grobags - very helpful in winter and cold night time feeds. Baby wasn't being put back into a cold bed
Baby monitor - nothing fancy just one with sound was fine for us.
I FF so used Dr Brown bottlers and a steam steriliser.
Sling - I found this useful in the early days as using a front facing baby carrier made my DD's legs go purple!
Baby gym - good for entertaining my kids when they were a tiny bit older than new born
Bouncing chair - my DD loved this (it vibrated and had flashing lights but don't use the vibrate after a feed )

You can try Freecycle or Freegle for stuff. They really need very little in the early days.
Oh and I didn't bother with newborn sized clothes (good job as my second was over 9lbs!) - OK the 0-3 was a little bit big at first but they all grew into them pretty quick

justme2010

Congrats. I had a baby 7 weeks ago.
What I use:
Baby Bath
Moses basket
Travel System
i found the miscowave steriliser great
a good camera
towels
about 3 moses basket sheets
changing mat
baby chair...mine's got a swinging one and loves it.
a dummy, just in case, coz some babies love em

I started off breastfeeding, but after 4 weeks my little one was bottle fed. Therefore i'd say get some bottles and formula (just in case)
Don't by 0-3 month clothing...i bought it and my baby still doesnt fit into it.

good luck!!

JBD

I had from birth
crib/carrycot
sheets and blankets [though I think most people have sleeping bags nowadays]
Bottles/steriliser/formula [obviously not if you plan on breastfeeding, but you may need a basic steriliser/couple of bottles for expressing]
Nappies/wipes/cotton wool/baby bath. Small tub of sudocreme. Powder for umbilical cord .
Shawls [I swaddled all my babies]
Car seat [doubled up as rocker seat indoors]
Dummies
A few body vests, babygros, socks ,mittens if in winter. Babies can be quite cold at 1st. Bibs. Wooly hat/sunhat.
Pram.
Can't think of anything else.
Best of luck:T

ellay864

Pretty much ditto what everyone else says....when I was on my 2nd I always used to feel slightly sorry crossed with a hint of smug when I saw obvious first time parents in Mothercare World buying all the 'essentials' that you really don't need. I loved a Victoria Wood stand up bit talking about how you get talked into buying far too much first time "When I had my first I had the matching Peter Rabbit height chart...when I wanted to know how tall my second was I looked for the snot marks on my coat" :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

esio_trot

I'm almost a month in with my first and this is what we have/use/don't use. Sorry, after writing, I realise you just asked for the house stuff - maybe the rest will be useful anyway!

Sleeping

Moses basket (borrowed - in living room for daytime naps, used constantly!)
Crib (bedroom)
Cot Bed (for when he is in his own room)
Changing unit/Dresser in bedroom (useful storage)
Wardrobe
Fitted sheets (3 for each bed type)
Flat Sheets (3 for each bed type)
Blankets (hundreds - I got carried away! but a couple for each size would be plenty)
baby monitor (I have yet to use this - he's always in the same room as me)

Feeding (I bottle feed)

6 bottles
Steriliser
Bottle brush
Formula
Milk powder dispenser (great when out and about - stolen from a family member!)

Clothing

sleepsuits (depends how often you want to wash clothes - I have about 15)
Vests (as sleepsuits)
Snow/pramsuit as you'll be having a winter baby
Any other outfits are optional and I have to say, 4/5 times, I go for a sleepsuit/vest combo for ease. Little babies and jeans, while cute, tend to be more hassle than they're worth!

I got 0-3 in size and had a very long, over 8lb baby...they drown him still at 9.5lb, so, you might want to have a few newborn sized (I bought about 3 each of newborn vests and sleepsuits and went out and bought more as he's still in them)

Hygiene

Nappies
Change mat
cotton wool
bin for nappies (I have a loan of a nappy wrapper but really, more often than not we use a little plastic waste paper bin that is emptied at night)
Nappy bags (stops said bin from smelling!)
Changing unit for living room (on loan and wouldn't have bought ourselves - but - we found it very helpful. I had a natural birth and still find sitting on the floor uncomfortable where I was stitched)
Top and tail bowl (for quick washes)
Bath support for big bath (great to have a free hand)
Baby bath (bought for us. I don't often use it but it's nice when it's a bit chilly in the bathroom)
Sponges/face cloths/towels

Travel

Car seat (a must! Isofix or similar makes life easier - mine doesn't fit my car and I wish it did)
Travel system (I don't often use the car seat with it - I don't like babies spending more time than necessary in them. Mine is currently a pram)
Sling (great when baby won't settle on his own - I wear it round the house - bought with gift vouchers with the intention of breast feeding in public - otherwise wouldn't really bother)
Sunshades for car (I still haven't used/needed them yet as my car seat has a hood)
Change bag (any reasonably sized bag will do or the free one from Boots - I got mine with my travel system)

Fun stuff

Play Gym
Rocking/bouncy chair
Little toys to clip to pram/moses basket hood
Mobile
Baby record book (I've enjoyed filling it in so far - when I've had a spare minute!)
Camera (lots of photos)
Thank you cards for gifts (You'll get a lot!)

I think that's everything. To keep an eye on the budget, if you don't mind 2nd hand stuff, try freegle/freecycle and car boot sales. NCT also hold sales and while I've never been to one, I hear they're very good. I liked TK Maxx for getting some cheap bits and pieces like bedding and the steriliser and bottles. Also, keep an eye out for supermarket baby events (Asda's started today and runs, I think, until 08/08/10)

slummymummyof3

One of the best things we ever bought (however, this may be a little dated as DD2 is now 10) was a sponge from Mothercare that they lie on in the bath (about £5 or £6) - no need for a baby bath and you just lie your munchkin on it and you have two free hands to wash them etc. They (babies) are incredibly slippery when wet and so this was a godsend.

Bea89

You know them great big lists they hand out of the stuff you 'need'? rip it up. Honestly , you dont need 1/5 off all that stuff.

Why i bought a big box full of baby toileties i dont know , 2 years 2 months in i still got it sat in the bath room with the same not touched bottles of chemical filled poo :rotfl:

All you really need it a set of boobs or bottles/seriliser , vests , sleep suits , a place for baby to sleep be that your bed (co sleeping) or a moses basket/cot/cot bed. oh and a sling (they are fab!) or buggy.

Yes you could go out and buy millions of different outfits but babies are known to be sick and family are known to go OTT with baby outfits so your get looooads!

We bought a cot , wasnt used for 20 months and took up room in our tiny one bed flat , buggy was sold at 6 months when i hadnt used it for 4 months and it collected dust , baby products not touched, good old water.

Enjoy it , they grow up very quick!

gratefulforhelp_2

mandragora wrote: »

Two boobies and someone to bring you cups of tea. That's pretty much all you'll need for the first year or so. Any spare money you have, buy nappies with.
Enjoy this time, and all the very best to all of you. You'll be amazed how much stuff other people buy you. At the end of the day, if there's anything else you want, wait a week or two, and if one hasn't turned up/been give or found for pennies at a car boot sale and if you still feel you need whatever it is, THEN buy it!

Brilliant :T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

Nothing to add to this. People will offer you stuff, some stuff is soo useless IMHO, like a changing table - floor is much safer - and a baby bath - use the sink with towel covering the taps up. Baby walkers cause loads of accidents.

Enjoy that lovely babe.