Baby on the way...what are the essential buys?

pupsicola

One thing I wish someone had told me was to buy some very sensitive washing powder. Both my two suffered very badly with eczema from one month old. The oldest was past a year before we considered changing washing powders. It helped the situation loads. After trying a few we settled on surcare. Just an idea in case it effects either of your families.

Indie_Kid

JodyBPM wrote: »

I also used the sink rather than the baby bath, and don't be fooled into buying huge amounts of baby powder, baby oil, baby lotion etc before baby is born

Do babies really need to be washed that much?

delain

pupsicola wrote: »

One thing I wish someone had told me was to buy some very sensitive washing powder. Both my two suffered very badly with eczema from one month old. The oldest was past a year before we considered changing washing powders. It helped the situation loads. After trying a few we settled on surcare. Just an idea in case it effects either of your families.

I second this. Bounce tumble drier seets are out as well for baby stuff IME.

I use te fairy non bio gel, it's always on offer in one of the big supermarkets.

stumpycat

When I was pregnant, someone told me I needed to get cotton wool for the baby... I never quite worked out what it was for and we used it to make Chrismas decorations this year (my son is now 7! :rotfl:)

It's amazing what people give you, so you will probably be inundated with lots of baby clothes, which is great as you can't believe how many bodysuits a baby can soak from either end each day!

I had cloth nappies which were great, and a Coorie sling from
http://www.brightsparkslingsshop.co.uk/store/Default.asp
Even if you have a pram, a sling is fantastic to use in the house, if you need both hands, or out & about.

I used a daysack for changing etc - wet nappies went into bags & kept in the external mesh pockets.

The only 'gadget' I'd recommend is the bath slope thingy that someone mentioned, that keeps your baby propped up so you can use both hands. Oh, and muslins - lots of them! Even if you don't use cloth nappies, they are so useful - I still have mine for cleaning the floors...

Owain_Moneysaver

sh1305 wrote: »

Do babies really need to be washed that much?

They do tend to poo a lot.

Owain_Moneysaver

Get a new washing machine if you're old one's getting old.

Tigsteroonie

stumpycat wrote: »

When I was pregnant, someone told me I needed to get cotton wool for the baby... I never quite worked out what it was for and we used it to make Chrismas decorations this year (my son is now 7! :rotfl:)

That's nice to know - I've got one open pack (used a little bit when Andrew first came home, but only for a couple of days before I got wise) and I found a second unopened pack beneath his cot today. I was wondering what I might use it for in the future :rotfl:

Highway61

When you are expecting there are always people happy to offer advice. I prefer to say what worked well for us. Now they may not be 'essentials' as such but having had 3 (1 girl and twin boys) I can recommend 2 things; 1) a baby sleeping bag - basically a sleeping bag with arms and a zip that goes up under one of the arms. This stops the baby from getting cold by kicking off the bed clothes. 2) battery powered swinging chair - fantastic for getting them off to sleep and also for relaxing them during the day.
As I say they may not be considered essentials but having a happy sleeping baby will make happy parents.

madtrekker

A car seat - Before buying, CHECK this fits in your car (or cars if you and DP drive separate cars). You may or may not want to also get one to fit with the pushchair (to become a travel system).

Pushchair. There are so many out there. Have a good, serious think about what YOU want it to do. Lightweight and folds easily (good if you use the car a lot) or bigger / heavier but comfier for baby (good if you do a lot of walking). 3 wheels (for off-roading) or 4 wheels that swivel (good for around the shops). Have a good look in pram shops, but don't rush into buying something, even if they have got a special offer on. I'd say 80% of mummies I know have changed their pram in the first 9 months because they made the wrong choice. If you can get to an independent shop, they generally have bigger ranges and more useful advice than the likes of Mothercare / BabiesRUs.

Clothes. Don't buy too many because a) you won't know how big baby is going to be and b) people will give you loads anyway. I found that 5 babygros and 5 vests were plenty for starters. I live near a big Tesco that sells clothes so knew I could always fall back on that if we suddenly ran out. We didn't! Scratch mits are rubbish and fall off - some shops including Sainsburys and Next now sell babygros with sleeves that turn over to act as mitts. Highly reccommend these. A little cotton hat is good for the very first few days - I was advised that baby didn't need it after that (January baby). A cardigan or two was useful (knitted by my mum!).

Somewhere to sleep - We used the carrycot from the pram as a first bed (check when buying as not all are suitable for overnight sleeping). Moved baby into a cot quite early on (about 3 months I think). Didn't bother with cot-bed as we're planning on having another baby so will need cot for them so will put first baby in a proper bed when the time comes.

Sheets and blankets At least 2 of undersheets, top sheets and cellular blankets for whatever size bed you're using (you can get small ones for moses basket / carrycot and big ones for a cot / cot-bed).

Muslins - Cheaper in the supermarkets than the baby shops. Get as many as possible (we had 12!). I've used them as bibs, burp / sick cloths, breast pads (!), sun hats, cover-up for breast feeding, put them on sheets so if baby is sick and you're quick you only have to change muslin, lie baby on it on the floor if at a friend's house or somewhere, used to cover changing mat in public changing room when I forgot portable change mat... the list goes on.

Morrck Hoody. Quite expensive but an absolute lifesaver for us. They're a type of blanket that you use with the car seat - saves you needing a snowsuit and makes it so much easier for getting baby in and out. Google them and have a look on Ebay for a cheap one! I bought the first size one and LO is 11 months now and we're still using it although it's a bit small for her!

stumpycat

Highway61 wrote: »

When you are expecting there are always people happy to offer advice. I prefer to say what worked well for us. Now they may not be 'essentials' as such but having had 3 (1 girl and twin boys) I can recommend 2 things; 1) a baby sleeping bag - basically a sleeping bag with arms and a zip that goes up under one of the arms. This stops the baby from getting cold by kicking off the bed clothes. 2) battery powered swinging chair - fantastic for getting them off to sleep and also for relaxing them during the day.
As I say they may not be considered essentials but having a happy sleeping baby will make happy parents.

I was going to recommend the baby sleeping bags (wonderful if you've got a wriggly child!) but had it in my mind that they're not suitable from birth? I may be imagining that though!