Newborn essentials

freda

We're trying to work out what the bare essentials we will need to get before bump arrives (theoretically early April but likely to be early, i.e. mid march)

As its our first, we don't want to go overboard and are planning on getting a lot of stuff after bump is born when we know we will really need and use it.

So far we have:

Crib and cot

• (donated!), plus new mattress and hm cot bumper
• 3 sleepsuits
• 3 little hats
• newborn nappies (disposable for first few days, then will try cloth)
• car seat
• 5 muslin squares
• 3 blankets

Before bump arrives, we are planning to get:

• 2nd hand baby bath
• curtains for nursery (none there at the moment!)
• baby monitor (donated)
• steriliser (donated)
• bottles and expressing thing - but won't need them till later, will I?
• Karri-me sling
• 2 x 1 tog grow bag
• hand towels to use as baby towels
• cheap flannels as baby flannels
• scratch mitts
• fold away-able changing mat that we can use at home and take out and about as well
• Cheap flannels to use as wipes at home (if washing nappies, may as well wash these?)
• Disposable wipes for out and about
• Some sort of baby wash for bathing

I'm putting a few things on a present list, i.e.

• cot mobile
• clothes
• One of those play mats that baby lies on and can see/reach things above it

We're going to leave the following till we have worked out if they will be useful/what we want:

• pushchair/buggy
• moses basket or carry cot

What have I missed out, or got in the wrong list?

aeuerby

freda wrote:

Crib and cot

• (donated!), plus new mattress and hm cot bumper
• 3 sleepsuits - probably need more than that. I had 7 at least!
• 3 little hats - Never used hats, my daughter was born beginning of April
• newborn nappies (disposable for first few days, then will try cloth)
• car seat
• 5 muslin squares - use old towels?
• 3 blankets

Before bump arrives, we are planning to get:

• 2nd hand baby bath - Don't need one, use a washing up bowl!
• curtains for nursery (none there at the moment!)
• baby monitor (donated) Not absolutley necessary unless you have a massive house? I had one and never used it
• steriliser (donated)
• bottles and expressing thing - but won't need them till later, will I?
• Karri-me sling
• 2 x 1 tog grow bag - I had lots of blankets instead
• hand towels to use as baby towels - I used normal soft towels
• cheap flannels as baby flannels - used normal flannels
• scratch mitts - I hated these, baby's hands got all fluffy. Not necessary if you keep nails short
• fold away-able changing mat that we can use at home and take out and about as well - not necessary, I used a towel on the floor.
• Cheap flannels to use as wipes at home (if washing nappies, may as well wash these?)
• Disposable wipes for out and about
• Some sort of baby wash for bathing - Johnsons baby bath is good!

I'm putting a few things on a present list, i.e.

• cot mobile
• clothes
• One of those play mats that baby lies on and can see/reach things above it

We're going to leave the following till we have worked out if they will be useful/what we want:

• pushchair/buggy
• moses basket or carry cot

What have I missed out, or got in the wrong list?

At the end of the day it's all personal preference. You will probably find you buy/acquire an awful lot of stuff you don't use!

kez1234

baby food,
gripe water although can't be used until 1 month, but still worth having in cupboard

Amanda65

Sudocreme - great for sore botties! And I can only endorse the muslin squares that you have bought as a necessity. My 3 all slept with them which I found much better than a favourite blanket as I could chop and change them regularly whereas many of my friends' children carried around an ever increasingly filthy piece of blanket as they got older lol!

demonicangel

You wont need baby bath for washing, just plain water is fine, after all young babies do very little to get dirty.

You will definately need more sleepsuits, 3 will cover one day, may two if you are lucky. If you decide on breastfeeding (which im assuming you are) you will definately need more the three sleepsuits as bf poos can be very explosive and disposables cant cope with that. Why not get a collection of cloth nappies before the baby is born so you can use them when you get home.

Get bottles before the baby is born incase breastfeeding doesnt work for you, you dont want to find that you cant breastfeed and have nothing to feed the baby with.

As for buggy, if you use the sling until baby is a bit bigger, then all you will need is a lightweight stroller, Maclarens are good and you can get them from ebay cheap.

bloomin_freezing

kez1234 wrote:

baby food,
gripe water although can't be used until 1 month, but still worth having in cupboard

Infacol was a god send and can be used from birth. We went through loads in our house! Tastes much nicer than gripe water too.

barbie_babe

You dont need a baby bath i never used mine on my last baby and if i had know before on my others (i have 4)how much easier it is to bath with your baby i would have never bought one at all. I used to run bath when other OH was at home a bit hotter than you sould for a baby get in myself have five mins intill water cooled. Then get OH to pass baby to me wash baby and have a little soak play in water and pass baby back to OH to wipe and dress as she got older i was able to do it by myself but for the first few months i found this a great way of bonding and less stressful.

freda

I'm glad you all agree about the baby bath - I wasn't going to get one either, but my mum and DH both looked shocked when I said I was going to wash the baby in the sink or a washing up bowl! (They also blanched when I said it could sleep in a drawer and we'd use the trug as a moses basket, but I think they knew I was joking on those ones...!)

I see what you mean about the bottles - I'll get some before it arrives just in case bf doesn't work. They'll get used eventually anyway, won't they?

We're getting a selection of cloth nappies from the council, for free, so I'll see which fit and buy more as and when we need them. Does that sound sensible?

I am kind of hoping we can manage with just a sling for 6 months, then get a cheaper forward facing buggy. We'll have to see how it goes.

I'll get some more sleepsuits too, then! I got some *really* cheap in the adams sale, but I think it may have finished by now. Ebay, here I come....

Moonbeam

Just a few general tips.....

What you've got sounds good for a start, but you might want to hold off on the extra sleepsuits until the baby is born so you can pick a colour - they can be picked up cheaply at most supermarkets so your partner can grab them before coming in to visit - I know I overspent on white for my son and am now expecting my second and holding off until it's born so I can get a nice colour - same with nursery curtains as baby won't be sleeping in there until it is 12 weeks old.

I'd suggest holding off on the expressing device as well - I wanted to breastfeed and had bought everything before hand, but my son just wouldn't latch on. After 3 exhausting days of trying I gave up and switched to bottle feeding and had trouble returning stuff.

Re: steriliser - if you have a dishwasher you can use the top rack instead so you don't need one.

Towels and blankets can be used, but some changing stations in public places can get a bit wet, so I prefered a small waterproof one - particularly with having a boy - who could spray for britain!!!!! Good changing mat available on https://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk - "Deluxe Mini Changing Mat" - only £10 (free delivery at the moment) and use code MM42 to get 10% discount. The other thing I like about this one is that it comes with a small baby wipes holder so you don't have to cart around a big packet with you.

Have a look on https://www.mumsnet.com for discounts and join all the nappy/supermarket clubs you can to get freebies.

Don't forget nappysacks if you are going to use disposables - you can buy them cheeply in most supermarkets...great for keeping wet/soiled clothes in too...

Keep an eye on NCT website for nearly new sales - but get there really early they are always popular - https://www.nct.org.uk

Hope some of this is useful....above all do what suits you and your baby...if it costs a bit more, but you use it every day it can be worth it - sometimes more can be less if you know what I mean.....
and congratulations - my 2nd is due around april too - really looking forward to it and have bought much less this time round - waiting until baby is born for most of it - with 24hr supermarkets and online shopping happy to take my time just now - it's amazing how little you need in the first few days.

purplepatch

I agree you don't need to bother with a baby bath. I had a baby bath for DD1 but it soon got relegated to the garage! With DD2 who is 12 weeks, I've bathed her in the bath when DD1 is having her bath, or else do her in the basin. And if you do want spend out on something to help with bathtime then I recommend this far more than a bath as it leaves you with your hands free to wash baby and they love the freedom to kick and splash about. Wish I'd had one first time around.

elliemoo

If you have friends and relatives you will be amazed how much you are given. A good selection of sleepsuits and vests to get you through the first few days/week without having to worry about washing clothes would be good.

Also essential to have bottles/newborn teats even when breastfeeding, I used to express and then let my OH feed the baby, it gives you a little break. Even some emergency newborn formula, just in case the bf doesn't go as planned.

I would think that even at an early stage a pram of some sort would be useful, slings aren't always as easy to manage as they look and it is great to get out and walk with your baby in the early weeks, stretch the legs, clear the mind and help the squidgy belly tighten up.

For me the baby monitor was essential, peace of mind, you tend to do a lot of checking the baby when it is your first.

Most important of all enjoy the baby and savour ever moment.