First Baby on way, what to do ...........?

Murphy_The_Cat

Top advice Ssaver

Judging by the date of the first posting and todays date have events taken us over ?

Hopefully you will be innundated with offers of help, these will mostly be genuine and don't be backwards at saying yes please.  Someone helping with the ironing, washing, shopping or even helping to tidy up with you will be a god send - just don't let them take over !


Also if you think you may be needing a Nursery place see them NOW, as they are about as rare as hens teeth in our neck of the woods.

and start saving up now !
MTC

jellyhead

sorry to hijack this thread but can you really wash bottles in a dishwasher? does this mean i don't have to buy a steriliser?

Caterina

In the USA and Australia apparently it is common practice.

I once asked a local midwife about this and she said that she would not recommend it.

I shall ask my mentor at the ABM and get back to you with the current recommendation.

Sterilising can also be done by boiling the equipment in a clean pan for at least 5 minutes, making sure that the equipment is fully covered by the boiling water, then remove from hot water with clean tongs - as long as your fingers do not touch the teats or the inside of the bottle, it is ok.

A lot of people sterilise with Milton fluid but I always wondered whether it is ok to use chlorine - based stuff for babies' feed so I never used it (this is just my personal preference, not professional advice!).

Caterina

KK

Supersaver has given you some great advice. I wish I'd done washable nappies as my daughter wasn't potty trained until she was 3 (little madam). A cordless phone is a great investment (and a phone deal where you get all your calls for a fixed price - I spent hours on the phone while I was feeding!) My main advice is to save up now as much as you can afford, while you (presumably) have 2 salaries, to get used to living on one salary. My child benefit and child tax credit add up about £100 per month and I believe you have to have a combined income of over £58K to NOT get this benefit. I save my daughter's child allowance every month for her future, as I don't actually need it as such. Second hand clothes and equipment are a brilliant idea, most people are more than happy to pass clothes onto someone they know rather than take them to a charity shop. Your local NCT nearly new sale is a gold mine for equipment, toys and clothes (contact the NCT for details). Look in local papers for items for sale. Lots of people buy lots of unecessary equipment when they are expecting a baby that hardly gets used as they read the magazines which say you must have this and that. Ebay is also a gold mine for baby stuff. I have a friend whose daughter is exactly a year older than mine and my daughter was dressed in her clothes (not exclusively as our tastes weren't exactly the same!) until she was at least 2 and formed her own opinions. You can also hire baby equipment - I hired a swing for the first 3 months. I did lots of research in my pregnancy and wasted very little money on things I didn't need. I don't know if Babyworld.co.uk is still in existence but similar websites for parents to be are brilliant for the discussion boards. There was lots of discussion about equipment and where to buy thigns for the best prices. Have fun and good luck! Oh - and get a Boots advantage card and use the points to buy boring things. If you can get a digital camera and camcorder and take loads of pictures.

HB

bargainbunny - I had the same question too when we were expecting our first.

My suggestion - get a steriliser. Washing 4 bottles a day in a dishwasher can be expensive, especially if you have nothing much else to wash in the dishwasher.

We use a steriliser that you stick in a microwave for 5 minutes. Job done.

Also we use Milton fluid for the teats 'cos you can't sterilise them in a micro or dishwasher. Best teats ever (in my very humble opinion) are from NUK. They don't have the hole at the tip of the teat, its at the top. So when baby is sucking on the teat, the milk doesn't shoot down the throat, it squirts to the roof of the mouth so that baby can swallow.

In answer to the original posted question - make sure you sign up for free prescriptions (NHS) card, which mother and baby are entitled to.

Caterina

Hi

Here is the reply from my mentor about the question whether you can sterilise bottles in the dishwasher - it looks like if the baby is fed formula milk there is a need for full sterilising - anyway here it goes:

Washing in a dishwasher doesn't in effect 'sterilise' stuff, however any bottles/teats/pumps etc soley used for breastmilk (by the same woman!) only requires occasional 'sterilisation' by Milton/Steam/Microwave etc. approx once or twice a week, at all other times being washed in a dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water is perfectly adequate and safe. This is referenced from a Trial in April 1997 at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral and published in MIDIRS Midwifery Digest (September 2001).

Hope this helps.

Caterina