Baby due - what to begin stock-piling

Smashing

I would recommend trying a few different brand of things when the baby arrives rather than stockpiling for the sake of it. There are always offers on baby things, so the chances of you missing the once in a lifetime bargain are slim.

emmaBZ

nappies but dont just buy newborn size buy a few of next size up as we got loads of newborn nappies and never used them all as dd grew to big for them !!! asda is the cheapest for pampers nappies a box of 60-80? for around £12 in tesco it was double the price for the same amount !!!

rainbowrisin

Many congrats!
Stockpile on SLEEP - make the most of every lie-in, early night, afternoon nap, after dinner snooze and "40 winks" at lunch time that you can. Once you are a mummy you will plumb previously uncharted depths of sleep deprivation - I promise!.
Would also suggest you get out to visit things, go to the cinema, go out for meals and do lots of coupley things, again because once baby is here you'll probably not have time for a few months.
Generally don't stockpile much, as you probably won't need it and nappies / baby toiletries are usually on offer somewhere.
Something that probably would be useful is to get your on-line shopping list all set up, so that you can order a week's groceries with only a few mouse clicks.
Many congrats again and hope everything goes well.

jo_b_2

First of all - congratulations!

The danger with stockpiling things like disposable nappies is that you may end up with the baby growing out of certain sizes quite quickly so you could have loads left over. If you do go with reusables as you plan to, then you will save a lot of money in the long run. Most mail-order companies let you buy a trial pack of reusable so you can test a few out and see which suits you and your baby best.

Don't go overboard on baby toiletries. Newborn skin is best left with as little as possible on it. The tiny free pot of sudocrem that I got in the Bounty pack lasted ages and ages!! Baby shampoo isn't really needed for the first few months and even then you only need a tiny amount. Buy two on BOGOF and that will be the first couple of years sorted!

Cotton wool can be used for the first few months so buy loads of that if you must bulk buy. Wipes are always BOGOF somewhere so don't feel the need to go crazy. Personally, I like Wilkos own brand which I find just as good as more expensive brands. That is very often on BOGOF at £1.24 for two.

You will need loads of baby vests, bibs and sleepsuits in newborn and 0-3 sizes. I know everybody says you will get given loads as gifts but I found that most people bought fancier (totally impractical) baby outfits like dungaree sets etc which can be a bit of nightmare when you're dealing with a newborn for the first time.

Lastly - enjoy the excitement and planning and wait for the chaos to descend. :j

Spendless

Hi
I'm a magazine junkie and if I saw a pregnancy/parenting mag, that also had a 'free gift' that I thought would be useful I would buy the mag for now and save the gift. I've had feeding bowls, spoons, cups, travel mats from this.

joolee_2

congrats
i have a 12 month old plus 14 and 12 yr old all born in dec so its a difficult time but lovely also expensive....
we boght loads of nappies all sizes cos its the only safe thing really not knowing if we get allergies etc so cant buy much cream etc.
also bought some wonderful bundles of clothes on ebay saved a fortune and was able to ask for money rather than clothes for pressies (if asked of course!!)
seriously though there are some great bargains on ebay especcially for babys and u can go on and sell again what you buy - best to keep the box though but yes baby stuff is a boom on ebay
hope this helps u as it does me

morganb

Congratulations!
My two have eczema so I bought lots of aqeous cream for them, very cheap in Boots etc., and does not provoke a reaction, can be used in the bath.
Also very handy were the packs of 10 flannels I bought from IKEA, which were very handy in mopping up sick, etc. Easy to throw over your shoulder when burping baby, etc., and I still use them now at 4 and 2 for cleaning sticky fingers, etc.
Try also to stick to cotton bedding / blankets, etc., as you can wash them at a higher temperature and they are also better for babies skin on the whole.

Have fun!

easypeasy_2

Congraulations, how exciting for you !

I agree and wouldn't get too many toiletries to start with. What I did find invaluable was muslin cloths. They are fab for throwing over your shoulder when winding the baby and catching any milk they bring up and they are good for laying baby on when changing quickly or on a cold changing mat. So if you see these on BOGOF then grab some. Wipes are also really handy for tons of things !

The cream I would recommend you buying is 'Kamilosan'. It is camomile based and very very gentle, can be used for sore bums and also helps if you intend on b/feeding and get a bit sore. HTH and the best of luck.

jellyhead

congratulations!

i bought some baby magazines with cover gifts.

i do use bubble bath and shampoo but babe is 16 months old now and we've only used one shampoo and 2 bubble bath. i don't use nappy cream so am glad i didn't buy any, i used the freebies in the bounty packs but haven't needed more so far. some babies just don't seem to get nappy rash.

i bought lots of flushable nappy liners but didn't like them and ended up buying some washable fleece liners off ebay.
i would say if you see sanitary towels on special get a few packs :eek:

i also bought his first toothbrush before he was born, but that was on special with tesco points

Ms_Chocaholic

Sorry this is slightly off topic - but join all the baby clubs you can - Morrisons, Boots, Tesco, Pampers (I don't have a baby so I don't know what other clubs there are, maybe some other MSEs will be able to help out on this one).