First baby - what do we need and how much will it cost?!

MrsE_2

onlyroz wrote: »

By the way, I've got a maxi-cosi isofix base going free, if anybody wants it...

Where are you?

My daughter wants one. She would be happy to pay for one.

leos-mummy

Congratulations

Babies need not cost lots of money and often you buy things and think with hindsight that u didnt really need them

I think moses baskets are a waste of money ( i have one because i thought i should get one but my son was only in it 3 months and done most of his sleeping in his pram anyway)

Dont waste money on small nursey furniture... it wont grow with the child. a large set of drawers will probably be suitable for all there clothes at the minute and u can always change them on it aswell. No need for a changing station and i still change my 22 month old on my knee (much easier IMO)

As for bottles i would recommend spending that wee bit extra on a good brand, we used cheap boots brand bottles and they were useless when Leo had colic, ended up buying a set of philips avent bottles which help reduce colic and they were briliant, he still uses them... just buy new teats when they need a greater flow of milk although i did read u are planning to Bfeed so probably a few bottles will be enough no need for loads if u take to Bfeeding easily

As for the pram dont make the mistake i did and buy a lovely big expensive pram that is bulky and awkward... i ended up using mine for 6 moonths switching to a stroller and selling it but there are some good deals on travel systems were you get the carseat aswell

Dont bother with first size clothes you probably wont get the use out of them. dont be scared to ask people for money or vouchers as baby gifts. i had a mountain of clothes aged 0-3m when my son was born, only used a few of them and then was lost when he had no clothes to fit, at least with vouchers you can buy as you need. clothes need not be expensive either, a lady at nursery gives me clothes her grandson has outgrown and aslong as there clean and not worn out im quite happy for my son to wear them... ul find when they start crawling that the knees wear out of trousers so no point in puttin anythin fancy on. also bibs are useless when theyy are tiny and seem to vomit everywher! i used terry towellin cloth nappies wrapped around my son, covered him better than a bib and lasts a lifetime. also stock up on napies when on offer and dont dismiss supermarket brands either... cheaper than pampers and do the same job

Lastly (sorry long post) it doesn't cost anything to love your child... the best thing you can do for it.

All the best

lauren_1

Everyone says don't worry about buying first size outfits as you will be inundated with gifts....that didn't happen to me first time and the only person to buy the baby outfits got them all in 0-3 months, everyone else said I would have too many for the baby to wear so they didn't bother buying any.

emsywoo123

lauren_1 wrote: »

Everyone says don't worry about buying first size outfits as you will be inundated with gifts....that didn't happen to me first time and the only person to buy the baby outfits got them all in 0-3 months, everyone else said I would have too many for the baby to wear so they didn't bother buying any.

:rotfl::rotfl: Taht happened for me too........was all set once he could fit into 3-6 month bits though

flowergirl77

Congratulations!
My advice is car boots sales!!! Theres tons of stuff for new borns out there, all barely used because they grow so so quickly. I made the huge mistake of buying most stuff from well known VERY overpriced high st store. Not with my second tho, he got supermarket stuff and i found it was half the price and exact same quality. Shop around definately, especially for baby vests and basic baby grows blankets etc etc. As i said Very overpriced for the amount of time they are in them. Also i found that the ages on the labels don't match. Go by the weight, ignore the age. My little boy is 17 months and he is in 9-12 months clothes!
Also if for example there is a sale on (George at asda have them regularly) buy stuff for when he/she is older but try to work out if it will fit and be in season - don't buy a big thick coat if it will be july! (Although who knows with our weather!)
As for changing tables dont bother we had one and we never used it. after the 5th nappy change of the day you don't really feel like running up to the nursery. We bought a change mat and i used to hide it under the sofa and use it on the floor when i needed to. Now i just do him on lap.
As someone else said don't get too many 1st size nappys, stock up on 2nd size definately.
Also shop around for a travel system, thats about the cheapest option, we paid £180 for ours and it was perfectly fine. As ours got bit older we just got them a cheap buggy because i found the pushchair from travel system was too bulky in the car. Like someone else said take advantage of the free gifts/vouchers etc that companies throw at you. especially the bounty packs etc and join all the clubs for freebies.
Also tell me why you're coming back to dreary England! I'd give my high teeth to be in Oz. x

Janepig

Personally I wouldn't bother with a baby bath - far too big and heavy to carry when it's full. We had one for DD (because we knew no better!) and DD hated bathing in it from day one. When we had DS we got a washing up bowl (as we'd given away our baby bath to my aunty to put koi carp in - don't ask!!) and DS loved bathing in it from day one! Which I put down to it being smaller and therefore he felt a bit safer in it.

You may find you can borrow a moses basket from someone - we borrowed one from a work colleague of DH's for DD, then when DS was born, as he was five weeks early, born on boxing day, I was waiting for the January sales to buy one, so I didn't have one, and was subsequently given one as a present. Which I then passed on to a friend after DS grew out of it and I had no further use for it.

Also, I disagree with not buying first size clothes - alright if you have a big baby (around the 10lb mark) but DD was 7lb 6oz and even 0-3 was huge on her. DD was 5lb 12oz born, 5lb 1oz at his smallest, so DH had to find somewhere open on Boxing Day to kit him out in some teeny tiny clothing. It does seem to be a generally accepted thing that people buy clothes as presents in anything other than newborn/0-3 size anyway.

I can never understand people's fascination with expensive pushchairs/prams and the need some people have to go through many different ones. We bought a £120 travel system for DD which lasted for DS to use, and as soon as they were big enough they went into an umbrella fold buggy which was so much easier to use.

Finally, I would just like to say that I've used the Kiddicare website and found them to be excellent.

Jxx

Blue_Monkey

Thanks all - some great tips here!

It seems that there is an awful lot of stuff you see in the baby shops is just a marketing ploy and not really needed at all - moses baskets being a prime example.

Loving the changing mat idea - I reckon I'll want the convenience of changing baby anywhere rather than traipsing to the bedroom each time.

We've saved quite a bit of money that we're prepared to spend, so I reckon we'll splash out on the buggy/pram/travel system thing (that seems like it would be a thread in it's own right!!). Plus it's not often we treat ourselves (again another thread probably, but we seem to do a lot of saving, but then get the guilts about spending it) so I feel there are certain things we would happily enjoy buying.

Now I just want to get home and get shopping!!!

Thanks again everyone xx

keelykat

Hello everyone's given great advice, so can't add a lot to it to be honest.

On the subject of clothes and sizes-we had the opposite problem and had a small baby (6lb 8oz) and the clothes we had were too big to begin with! So this time around i'm not sure what to get yet.

Breastfeeding/bottles-i had expected to bf and so didn't have anything at home for bottle feeding, we had problems and had to get my hubby to go out and get me a few bottles and formula. So this time-i do plan to try again, but will be more prepared just in case with a few basics.

Moses basket-we did have one-but it was passed on to me from my sister. I sold it. So this time I am planning on just getting a cot straight away instead. My son was only in the basket for 3 months max from what i remember.

I wouldn't bother with changing stations to be honest-they don't get enough usage. To begin with i put a mat on my bed and changed my son there, then when he started rolling around i moved into the floor (although i appreciate that some people don't want to lean over too far).

Don't forget you'll need some things for yourself too-ie lots of maternity pads and possibly breast pads if you leak a lot (like i did-some don't at all). Also cheap big pants that you are happy to throw away if they get mucky after the birth!

Keely.

tomhann187_2

Congratulations!!!

I'm due in November and I'm also a mega-planner! Here's the list I'm working from:

10 vests/body suits
10 x baby grows
2 x outfits
Socks, scratch mitts and hats
Pram suit/snow suit
Set of re-usable nappies
Cotton balls, rash creams
Bath support (not baby bath - one that goes in big bath)
Bath and room thermometer
Nail clippers, other first aid stuff
Muslins
Breast pump, bottles and steriliser
Nursing bras
Cot bed with NEW mattress
Travel cot with basinet
Room clothes storage (chest and wardrobe)
4xsheets, 4x blankets, 2x sleeping bags
Baby monitor
Night light
Pushchair with carry cot, car seat and ISOFIX base
Sling / carrier
Bouncer / swing
Toys

We've already saved a tonne of money. The biggest expense by a mile has been the pram. We spent £550 for the carrycot and pushchair BUT we live out in the sticks on a farm track with dogs so it'll be doing miles on rough ground on a daily basis. Car seat and base also a big expense but for safety I don't mind spending more.

My mum bought us the cot bed which we got off eBay (never used) for just £50! I need to buy a mattress. Some family members have asked if they can help out with money so I've said they can get Amazon vouchers if they want to. Much cheaper than highstreet retailers. I'm planning to buy the mattress with these vouchers.

Dad bought me the cloth re-usable nappies. Birth to potty complete set for a bargain £100 at the Baby Show (check it out - there's one in September and great for bargains). I'll never need to buy nappies now.

My friend kindly sent off for a free breast pump and steriliser via the Nuby Facebook campaign for me which came with bottles too.

Not bothering with a moses basket. Can sleep in travel cot downstairs, or pram carrycot, or own cotbed upstairs.

Blankets and sheets are on 2 for £10 at Asda.

I filled in an online survey for Ikea a few weeks back and got £20 in vouchers as a thank you! That will buy muslins and blankets too.

I use Netmums Nearly New board for some things too. I got a Mamas and Papas Starlite swing (still in shops for £100) for £15! Baby was put in it once, screamed the place down and she didn't try again. It's immaculate. Also got a pregnancy/birthing bouncy ball for £1!

eBay too: GAP fleecy 0-3month pram suit brand new with tags for £0.75 and £1 postage! Get on eBay NOW for clothes etc. We're having winter babies and everyone is selling off their things from last year. Plus people aren't as organised as us and are not looking for winter things! Real bargains to be had.

I'm the first of my friends and in my family to have a baby so there's no hand-me-downs on offer.

Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys for clothes all the way.

Good luck and congrats again! xx

SparklesJD

Hi and congratulations!

My first post on MSE! Had my DS last June and spent sooo much more than I needed to...

With hindsight I could've got away with:

1. Somewhere for baby to sleep - I was given a used Moses basket & stand, but had to buy new mattress and sheets. It only lasted 3 months before he grew out of it, but I liked it as I could take it round the flat with me during the day and it fit in our bedroom. We got a 2nd hand cotbed from eBay and just had to get a new mattress (from a great eBay shop) and sheets. Between the two, he slept in a borrowed travel cot, as the cotbed didn't fit in our room. Sleeping bags are great (as long as the baby is big enough) and vary wildly in price. The best one we got was from Sainsburys on a 25% off clothing day (usually around bank holidays).

2. A way of feeding baby - none of my beeswax whether you intend to BF or not, but it is much, much cheaper. Milk formula costs around £7.50 per tub, plus bottles and steriliser. If you bottle or combination feed (like me), try to borrow some bottles until you know what suits you (I didn't like the first bottles we bought, DS didn't like the second lot!), then wait until they're on offer before you buy. For example, Tommee Tippee seem to be on offer at Asda and Tesco and Avent are half price at Boots a lot. I bought a manual expresser, but it was a false economy and I upgraded to an electric one when it was on offer, I got quite a lot of use out of it.

3. Cleaning the baby - we didn't bother with a baby bath as our flat's too small, they're heavy and they don't seem to fit in them very long, but other parents love them. We used a fabric bath support or I got in the bath with him. If you join baby clubs you'll get sent loads of vouchers for nappies and wipes, but don't go mad before the baby's born, as we found out to our cost that not every nappy fits every baby! Own brand wipes and nappies can be just as good, we like Asda Little Angels and Pampers Simply Dry (their 'budget' range) for nappies/wipes, depending what's on offer, but use Asda Smartprice and Sainsburys Basics wipes too.

4. Clothing the baby – you may or may not get loads of clothing from friends/family, but whatever you do, don’t unwrap and wash it all like I did! We ended up with so much Newborn and 0-3month stuff I would’ve needed quads to use it all! If you keep it in the packaging, you can exchange, resell or regift it if you have loads. As previous posters have said, eBay and supermarkets are excellent for clothes. I also buy lots from charity shops, it's usually in excellent condition.

5. Transporting the baby – these are by far the most expensive bits of kit you will buy. I got a Mamas & Papas travel system from eBay in good nick for much less than I would’ve paid. Unfortunately, car seats need be bought new, just in case they’ve been in an accident and they are not cheap. We also got a babycarrier, which was probably the best purchase we made, as he loved being in it and it was great when you couldn’t use the pusher or just round the house to settle him; probably not worth getting a cheap one though as you could damage your back. We got a front pack from John Lewis for c£70 using our last wedding vouchers, but it’s still in great condition, so we’ll use it for any more, then sell it on. We've now borrowed a backpack one, also good, but not suitable until they're a bit bigger.

Good luck with everything, I love being a mum, (though it's so much harder than I ever imagined it could be it's worth it).