Having a baby Old Style???

snookey

If the following have been mentioned I apologise but the thread is long;
If you use cotton wool for baby bum put in a few drops of baby oil in water and soak. Keep in airtight container and you have nice soft bum wipes.
Use pillowcases in moses baskets. When stained by baby dribble just turn the mattress over and its clean on the other side. Ie put the mattress inside the pillowcase.
Buy large baby bibs as they cover more of baby when feeding.
Baby teething, freeze a piece of soft fruit, when frozen wrap in a piece of muslin and knot at either end.. Baby will have a cool teether.
Dont buy pre made baby food, cook without salt family dinner and put some to one side for baby. When cool put into icecube containers and freeze.
Buy as much second hand quality baby goods as possible.
Buy white hand towels for baby and you can use them when they no longer needed.
Forget baby mitts, buy some little white baby socks instead. Duel purpose.

diddly74

I have just found this thread and read it for research (I plan to train as a Midwife next year). I am not a new Mum (mine are 8 and 12yrs) but I would just like to add - terrys nappies. Even if you aren't using reusables then these are a godsend. A pack of 24 was the first thing my Mum bought me when I told her I was pregnant. They have been used to cover the moses mattress to catch dribbles, wrapped around pillows during colds, wipes of all description, faces, bums, worksurfaces, a warm layer on a changing mat, and most useful - extra large bibs. They are brilliant at catching possetting or sick, covers all or most of the child - even into toddlerdom.

I still use them now, they are going strong, they are used to wipe, dry, polish, mop up spills and even wrap up fragile things when moving. All go happily into the washing machine and come out gleaming. I get a few funny looks every so often when I have a line of gleaming white nappies fluttering on the line. Makes me smile and think of my Mum who passed 5 years ago.

ginnyknit

I read on mse about baby bandanas, they are a bib lined with fleece that keep dribbly babies dry. SO I bought one for Dgs for his birthday, boy can he dribble. I was really impressed and bought some more this week, they look fab and work well. Im sure you could make your own if you have an overlocker, then just add snap fasteners which you can buy in a little kit. I rinsed one out the other day, squeezed the water out and it was dry next morning!:)

natlie

Hi

I am trying to have an OS pregnancy now - but it does cost a bit more than just the baby! there's maternity clothes - I tried to go as cheap as I could and wore my own clothes for a while but I think you definately need a pair of maternity jeans, work trousers, casual trousers, a tracksuit of something for lounging around the house, PJ's for hospital, a range of tops at least 5 and bear in mind when you will be pregnant for things like coats/jumpers etc my baby is due Aug so avoiding buying a coat or jacket and had my nan crochet a poncho for me instead. You can get good maternity clothes from ebay.

Try NCT sales for bigger items. I had loads from a Boots clearance after xmas they had all sorts of items reduced by loads. Don't buy from the main baby retailers esp places like m*m*s and p*p*s to expensive do price comparisons online and buy through quidco for cashback.

When baby comes definately breastfeed, I have got real nappies and cheeky wipes all washable and reusable.

What not to buy - you can get away without a moses basket this is my 3rd child and I have never had a moses basket, second hand car seat - don't do it - its not worth the risk - you need to be safe in the car. Pram - make sure the fire safety labels etc are attached, mattress for cot - get a new one - secondhand cot is fine but not mattress. Clothes - sleepsuits are fine, I am sure a newborn who has been floating about naked for 9 months does not appreciate jeans.

I have worked full-time after having my children, they are all healthy and happy if I didn't go back to work we would all be homeless and starving - I think children benefit from pre-school education like ay nursery - there were children in school when my daughter started age 3 who couldn't talk, couldn't hold a pen, didn't know the alphabet etc

sparkle76

Brilliant tips everyone, please keep them coming. I love the idea of using little baby socks as scratch mits and also have some of the nappy cloths from freecycle which I am sure will come in handy in a million ways.

My mum has always said that cloth bibs are not great as food spills from them onto clothes so I am going to get an inexpensive silicon type one that actually catches spills, using that combined with terry nappy cloth should help.

There are some things like nappy changing mats etc that we don't want to buy ourselves so will get people to get as a gift, but clothes etc we can only hint that we have enough up to 3 months so they get clothes from 3 months up sort of thing. I am also wanting to ask family etc to get things like washable wipes, I like the Cheeky wipes set you can get.

I am planning to take 9 months maternity leave but this may extend to a year, I work full time right now and am also freelance in evenings and weekends, every penny counts. We have no family that could help with childcare so I would just have to see if it's worth nursery costs when the 9 months are up, seems so much money...

miecherox

It would be great to bump this thread up a bit. It always really amazes me the amount of 'stuff' mums and dads to be are told they need by various large companies. This is my third baby and mine and OH's fifth between us. I haven't bought a thing for it yet and i'm nearly 27 weeks but i'm not concerned because experience has taught me it really doesn't need much!

We have a phil and teds pushchair left over that was used for the last two, I have all the reusable nappies from the last two as well - they were called cotton bottoms at the time and I got them off e-bay even back then for about £75 I think, they're the foldable ones with wraps and I found them great even when I had two in them. I will also breastfeed so have a V pillow for that (invaluable!!)

We will replace the first car seat because I had to throw the last one after it went mouldy in the garage (v annoying). However I've seen a kiddicare one for £27 which I personally think will be fine, we don't do long journeys and in my experience they aren't in them very long. Also I know some people find the travel system a godsend, I really don't. For those who are pregnant if you can ask someone with a small baby if you can carry it in its car seat for just a few minutes. I find it impossible and would much rather just lift the baby out but that's just personal preference.

I'll use a piece of pashmina/scarf to carry baby sling style - I did get given a baby carrier with my first DS but didn't find it very supportive and used to use the scarf to carry him one way or another until he was about 2!!

Sleeping wise I'm just investigating this my first DS had a moses basket and hated it, we borrowed a swinging crib for the second and he hated that too! I love co-sleeping and found it came naturally but was scared off by health visitors and midwives. I am seriously considering it this time though. I will research it properly and make a decision nearer the time. Either way it will need some sort of bed, OH used a baby hammock with his first two and swears by them, they are expensive but it may be the one thing we decide to invest in....

Anyway a long first post so i shall stop there!

Good luck and I look forward to following other OS baby ways!

m x

Sarahsaver

planned, INTENDED co-sleeping is safe, as long as the baby is breastfed, because yours and babys sleep patterns will be different, and baby will look for food when it wakes, and if its mummy milk theres only one place that baby's going to look.

sparkle76

Miecherox thanks for your post, we're considering co-sleeping or at least him being in the same room with us, but still researching really. I have a moses basket for now which we would use with us in the bedroom so baby is close. After 6 months we'd move him to his nursery.

I have some prefold nappies and planning to use disposables for month 1, then move onto the prefolds and wraps, but i think it all sounds fine as a plan, let's see what reality is like!

Re: car travel, we have been given a maxi cosi, hopefully this is ok to use from Birth / from the hospital - is this the case?
I think this is the one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Maxi-Cosi-Citi-Car-Seat-funky-Zebra-Print-/270745638695?pt=UK_Baby_CarSeats_EH&hash=item3f09b29727

missminx007

sparkle76 wrote: »

Miecherox thanks for your post, we're considering co-sleeping or at least him being in the same room with us, but still researching really. I have a moses basket for now which we would use with us in the bedroom so baby is close. After 6 months we'd move him to his nursery.

I have some prefold nappies and planning to use disposables for month 1, then move onto the prefolds and wraps, but i think it all sounds fine as a plan, let's see what reality is like!

Re: car travel, we have been given a maxi cosi, hopefully this is ok to use from Birth / from the hospital - is this the case?
I think this is the one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Maxi-Cosi-Citi-Car-Seat-funky-Zebra-Print-/270745638695?pt=UK_Baby_CarSeats_EH&hash=item3f09b29727

if you are looking into co sleepng there is a great book called "3 in a bed" that might be worth reading. I co slept on and off for the 1st year of my dd's life and will probably do the same with the one I am expecting in 6 weeks. As long as you follow the guidelines and dont go to bed drunk as a skunk or of your head I dont think you can go far wrong. Other cultures bedshare as normal, probably think we are quite strange for wanting to pop newborn baby into a crib!

carlislelass

did co-sleeping with ds 2(now 27), ds 3(now 24) was in a cot in our room