What baby care essentials to stock up?

madtrekker

I really wouldn't stockpile too much as you just don't know what you'll need because different babies have different needs. If you're really worried about budgeting and don't think you can save and keep the money back until after bubs is born, why not buy gift vouchers now for various places that can be spent in the first few months after you've had the baby and know exactly what you need?

Here's why I personally wouldn't recommend stockpiling based on personal experience, in spite of others' recommendations for me to do so:

Nappies (disposable) - Different babies suit different brands either due to the way they fit or some babies react to the chemicals in the different brands. You get vouchers in Bounty packs etc and for joining the baby clubs at Boots, Tesco etc so maybe use those to get a handful of free / very cheap packs. Also until you know how big the baby is going to be, don't go overboard on size 1s as these are outgrown very quickly.

Nappies (cloth) - Again, you'll find some suit you and your baby better than others. I wouldn't recommend buying a whole load of the same type in case you don't get on with them. We use cloth and now have about 5 or 6 different types. Buy some 2nd hand ones to find out what you like or have a look at trial schemes (some are offered very cheap or free by local councils and there are quite a few commercial companies now offering trials).

Nappy Creams - You shouldn't need to use these very often and be careful if using cloth as they can clog up the fibres and affect the absorbancy of the nappy (use a paper liner if you're using any creams). You get given a sample tub of Sudocrem in the Bounty packs and this tiny tub lasts ages. I recommend Metanium cream for more serious rashes but a tube lasts ages so no need to stock pile.

Nipple Cream & Breastpads (if you're breastfeeding) - Lansinoh lanolin is the best. One tube costs about £10 and will last forever. I used it often in the first few months and only went through 1/2 tube. Buy a few different types of breastpads as you'll find some better than others. When you know which you get on with, then stock up on those.

Wipes and other toiletries - Perhaps buy a few bits and bobs but don't go mad. Toiletries last ages, espcially as they recommend you don't use baby bath / shampoo etc. for at least the first few weeks and then only very little when you do start to use it. My daughter is now almost 17 months and we've only gone through 1 and a tiny bit bottles of bubble bath and about 1/3 bottle of shampoo (200 ml bottles!). We've never used powder, baby oil or anything like that.
Wipes aren't recommended for use at first (use cotton wool and water). You will need to buy a lot of cotton wool to get through the first few weeks and then if you're using cloth nappies, why not consider washable wipes? Much easier if you're washing nappies as you bung the whole lot in the wash together rather than having to bin the wipes separately.

Medicines etc - You can't use anything until 2 or 3 months so no rush to stockpile these. It depends on your baby but we've never had to use much Calpol etc. We've gone through about 1/2 bottle in 17 months. We bought or were given colic drops (never needed), bonjella (never used), Teetha teething powders (fab and have used 1/2 the box), Karvol capsules (useful, have used some of a box).

Clothing - We wasted so much as we had lots given to us and our baby didn't grow very quickly. We ended up with loads of newborn things which were very quickly grown out of (she was 7lb 12oz born and some newborn only goes up to 9lb) but then she didn't seem to grow much at all for months and the summer clothes people had bought for us in sizes 3 - 6 and 6 - 9 months didn't fit until the following winter so were no good.
Socks don't stay on, nor do scratch mittens. Quite a few shops now (including Sainsbury's and Next) do sleepsuits with foldover scratch mits built into the sleeves which are much better.

Bibs - For small babies, I would recommend buying a load of muslins as these can be used for a million and one things, including as a bib. They can also be used for catching dribbles and sick when winding the baby, mopping up sick, laying out on the floor for young baby to have a kick around on (e.g at friends' houses / baby groups), covering up manky changing tables in public loos, emergency sunhat (knotted corners!), sunshade on buggy / carseat, newborn nappy, placemat or seat cover for horrid highchairs in restaurants, use them to cover sheet in moses basket / crib so if baby is a bit sick you can just whip off the muslin instead of the whole sheet. I still use them now and would recommend getting at least a dozen but the more the better (they're about £5 for 6 in the supermarkets).

londonlass001

"Although your planning on using reusable nappies I wouldnt dismiss getting a few packs of disposables for out and about... do you really want to carry dirty nappies around till you get home and wash them? "

You don't need disposables for out and about, just a lovely wet bag!

There's a fab thread already on this forum about reusables so won't repeat what's been said there. I did buy a lot of reusables to spread the cost whilst pregnant and I do prefer some more than others. You can always easily sell on those that don't suit. Perhaps buy a few xs/s wraps (motherease are good) and if baby doesn't fit the nappies you've got, you can use muslins with a wrap.

Have you thought about using reusable wipes too? You can make your own, buy the cheap flannels from Ikea or get some lovely ones fairly cheaply online. I would stock up on washing powder, hand wash, hand cream etc as you'll be doing more washing and I seemed to be always washing my hands!

Other stuff is tricky to plan for. I bought a super duper pram but we prefer a sling for easiness of travelling around on buses etc. Never used a moses basket or travel cot as we co-sleep. I do wish I'd bought more things second hand. It's lovely to have some new things especially for a first baby but my son grew so fast in the 1st few months that most things were hardly worn. Save the money for buying clothes when they're a bit older to replace those ruined when you can't shift the banana stains!

polejunkie

I made a late transition to cloth (6 months) and have just done my first week of full time, i wish i tried sooner, you wont regret it! i am using coloured terry squares and airflow wraps which are really good but have ordered lots of other nappies to try too. itti bitties are highly rated along with totsbots and bum genius.

I also switched to washable wipes, so much more effective than wetwipes, they tend to smear poo rather than clean it up imo. Its staggering when each wipe can cost up to 3p each too if you buy a 68 pack for around £2.

Nicki

It's really very true that you won't know what you will need or use u till after the baby is born.

By way of example a few people have recommended lanisoh cream and breast pads if you are breastfeeding. I have breastfed all 3 of my children and have never used or needed any creams (for sore nipples a small amount of breast milk rubbed in is usually enough to do the trick) and only ever needed breast pads for the first week after milk came in, after which my supply settled to meet babies needs and I never leaked. So for me, I probably used less than one box of disposable pads in total for all 3 of mine, and that was the thing I always ended up throwing away after a few months.

I second washable wipes by the way. You can use them right from the start, unlike disposable ones which can be a bit harsh for newborn skin, and just wash along with the nappies. We have a huge stack and use ours for all kinds of things, including a quick swish and swipe of bathroom sink in the morning, which keeps bathroom looking respectable, as well as bums, hands and faces (not the same wipe obviously!)

Miss_Ladybird

Every so often sainsburys do a baby event where it is 1/3 off everything in baby section (except formula maybe)- might be a good one to look out for to get your bits and bobs! (It includes lansinoh cream.)
I put a wanted on freecycle for reusable nappies and got a great set of motherease onesize.. might be worth a try?

mummystar

Hi
I had another thought...bit OT but it might be worth starting to think about childcare for when you do return to work. We didn't until it was much too late and ended up with OH having to go part time to look after our LO during the week until a nursery place became available so I'd recommend that you start thinking about it.

Back on topic, I'd echo the posters who are saying to think about stair gates and things for later on.

HTH

GPark

Sorry op, only just seen your questions about breastfeeding...

I bought loads of breast pads but found I didn't really need them after the first couple of weeks, they are useful for the first few days after your milk comes in though.

You can buy bags for storing expressed milk, but based on my experience I wouldn't recommend them if you are planning on freezing milk - I bought the lansinoh bags, and they kept splitting once frozen so loads of my milk got wasted You can buy bottles for storing milk though, although that would get a bit pricey if you buy the branded ones like medula.

I am a milk donor at the moment, and the bottles I have been given by the milk bank to express into are these http://www.pumps4mums.co.uk/axifeed_breastmilk_bottles.htm - obviously the milk bank don't reuse them, but they can actually be frozen and then reused over and over so would recommend them, they are also much smaller than the "normal" medula type storage bottles that are designed to fit to the pumps.

pigpen

As a mum of almost 10.. don't stock up on anything.. save the money for when you need stuff!!!!!

Stock piling is a waste of time you don't know hoow big baby will be or how fast it will grow or what will fit best.

Nephthys

Kira, many congratulations!

Have to agree with GPark on the milk bags - Lansinoh bags were rubbish. I had loads stored but when they defrosted milk was everywhere and some smelt a bit funny. The boots own brand ones were better but I wish I had known about the bottles! (Thanks for that link GPark - have it stored in case I have another one!)

I got a couple of boxes of breast pads but I used them up until I stopped expressing (which was a week ago!). I would see if you can try different ones. I found Tommee Tippee ones pretty good as they were slimmer and bigger (so covered more area which was useful for a larger chest!). I have to admit I would be tempted next time to try reusable ones as I went through so many.

Not sure what else you could stock up on. We had a few packets of pampers, huggies etc all bought with vouchers in packs etc as mentioned above. Huggies were awful on my DS but Pampers were good. We had a few different types of wipes as he may not have been able to use certain ones. We are now swopping to reusables as I have eczema on my hands and want to stop using the disposible ones.

Also agree with stocking the freezer. At 35 weeks I spent four days filling our 2 slow cookers and letting them do the work for me as well as doin up soups etc. Everything was put in the freezer and it saved my DH so much hassle in the beginning! (I was fit for nothing for several days and I enjoyed being looked after for a few days) Bless him - he's great at putting things on a tray like fish and chips and baking it in the oven but not good at cooking from scratch! Best four days I spent really!

I'm not sure what else to say except research! It sounds daft but I looked into every little thing we bought and while some of it could have bought cheaper etc(although I didn't pay full price for anything!) I don't regret any of it and it has all been used daily. I read reviews on most things and tried out as many as possible especially the big things like pram, car seat etc. If I hadn't then we may have ended up with some expensive mistakes which wouldn't have been very MSE at all!

pinkmexican

I did the opposite, I bought the essentials for LO. 1 pack of Pampers (to get the Boots changing bag) I pack of Huggies (to get the Mum & Baby pack from Sainsburys) 1 pack of vests and 3 packs of body suits. 1 shampoo small incase LO hated it. Same with baby bath etc.

Then I stockpiled the stuff I knew we'd use and would keep, when it was on offer dishwasher tabs, washing powder, toilet rolls (the big cost stuff) etc etc. So that the money I would have used for that could be used for whatever LO needed. I also stocked my expensive luxuries. I also put money aside for my hair cuts and colour (Vain I know, but made me feel more human).

As echoed by all, what will be your essential will be someone else's waste of money. Also what I learn't was not to overbuy until you are sure. I but LO on SMA then after a few tubs realised it didn't agree with him so had to change him. Unfortunately still had a few cartons in. Same when LO had colic, each med seemed to help, then failed to help, each time I had bought in bulk when on offer, but couldn't use them up.

At the Mo. the Bounty packs come with Bepanthen and Sudocreme. So don't buy any of that.

HTH