Baby Bargains thread

zebusi

http://www.boots.com/en/Britax-B-Dual-4-pushchair-neon-black_1245733

thought this was quite good - ordered with the secind seat for my toddler and new baby due may -
theres also a 10% discount so cost £247 for buggy and second seat, i know boots aren't the cheapest but they sell for a couple hundred on ebay so happy with this!

just hope it fits in the car now!!!!

sparkly_momma

Just_Peachy wrote: »

If you're planning on breast feeding, make sure you do have some formula and bottles in just incase it doesn't work out and you're stuck, also make sure you have some dummies in.
into it. .

You would be far better to establish a support network, and make contact with your local breastfeeding counsellor (this is completely free). Making a tired decision at 2am to give formula can very quickly cause a breastfeeding relationship to end. For 99% of women breastfeeding would be successful if they receive fact-based, unbiased support. And dummies can also interfere with building up a supply, so again really best avoided in the early days. If the baby is crying- it probably wants milk!

Hold off on buying the breast pump, it's quite ok to have a glass of wine and feed. Unless you need to pump vast quantities of milk off then one of the basic manual pumps is normally enough for the occasional bottle, you may find one manufacturer suits you best.

Baby monitors aren't an essential, baby should be in the same room until 6months and unless you live in a mansion you are going to hear them wake up.

If you do use formula then any of the brands' stage 1 milk is the only milk you need to use- this applies to 6m+ babies too. Hungry milks, comfort milks, toddler milks are all unnecessary and full of some unwelcome additives. Stage 1 milk is also cheaper. (Unless medically prescribed eg lacto-free milk).

Food-wise, baby rice is awful and jars are stupidly expensive. Instead either puree normal family meals if you plan to spoon-feed, or even better research baby-led weaning. Solids should be introduced from around 6mths.

pa2539

RE: double buggies. 3 of my friends have baby jogger double buggies and swear by them. One handed close and great to handle so worth looking at.

Sock ons are such a great idea. They were just coming out when my little girl was 12 months old and you couldn't get hold of them for love or money. Would recommend the white ones though so they blend in with the socks .

good luck everyone!

waddy80

If anyone is near Sheffield there is a mothercare clearance store which is well worth a look. I saw a full MY4 travel system for £85 the other day. The assistant says it is all the returns to the website / end of lines etc.

Just_Peachy

sparkly_momma wrote: »

You would be far better to establish a support network, and make contact with your local breastfeeding counsellor (this is completely free). Making a tired decision at 2am to give formula can very quickly cause a breastfeeding relationship to end. For 99% of women breastfeeding would be successful if they receive fact-based, unbiased support. And dummies can also interfere with building up a supply, so again really best avoided in the early days. If the baby is crying- it probably wants milk!

Hold off on buying the breast pump, it's quite ok to have a glass of wine and feed. Unless you need to pump vast quantities of milk off then one of the basic manual pumps is normally enough for the occasional bottle, you may find one manufacturer suits you best.

Baby monitors aren't an essential, baby should be in the same room until 6months and unless you live in a mansion you are going to hear them wake up.

If you do use formula then any of the brands' stage 1 milk is the only milk you need to use- this applies to 6m+ babies too. Hungry milks, comfort milks, toddler milks are all unnecessary and full of some unwelcome additives. Stage 1 milk is also cheaper. (Unless medically prescribed eg lacto-free milk).

Food-wise, baby rice is awful and jars are stupidly expensive. Instead either puree normal family meals if you plan to spoon-feed, or even better research baby-led weaning. Solids should be introduced from around 6mths.

I was not implying that any mother trying to breast feed would be better to just give up trying and move onto formula, I was informing the new mothers that breast feeding may not always work out, no matter what support groups or informtaion you have (as in my case) and it would not do any harm to have a bottle and tub of formula in just in case.

Your information regarding stage one formula in incorrect, sorry to put it so bluntly but going from my own experience, stating that no other kind of formula is necessary is wrong. My son was on normal stage one milk and was not able to poo regulary from 2 weeks until 11 weeks. He was quite clearly very uncomfortable, we tried absolutley everything to help him to poo and followed the health visitors advice, after 9 weeks of this, she advised us to move to the comfort milk and he was like a differnet baby instantly, able to poo, so mch happier and started sleeping through the night. I'm not sure what the unwanted additives are that you are saying is in the comfort milk but it helped my son and he was fine on it until 12 months when he went onto cows milk. I would hate another mother to go through what we did with our son, so would never say that comfort milk is unnecessary.

Hope my info helped some, I am still thinking of other tips! For my new arrival I am going to get a sling as I think a young baby would love this and will mean I can still get on with things and chase after a two year old! Any advice on slings would be much appreciated (again, I don't mind 2nd hand)

floart

i'm a mum of 3 beasties i thought i'd stick in a few extra tips

1) don't buy forumla just in case, it'll make it too easy to give up breastfeeding. the first few weeks of bf-ing my 1st were living hell but i got through it somehow with gritted teeth - if forumla had been there i could easily have given up when i ddin't need to i just just needed to persevere.

2) baby monitors are probably essential for your own peace of mind if you're that way inclined. in addition if you have pets you would expect to keep baby's door closed and if you have music/tv or other noise, guests etc when baby's sleeping you might not notice cries without a monitor

3) if you feel the need to use a dummy, you could try to stick to dummies for sleep only - worked for me, all 3 stopped bothering with them after a few months

4) most importantly, do what you feel is right for you, nobody else is 100% right, you are the only one who can work out what is the best kit for you and the best way to care for you new baby

5) for baby goods, shop around online, try out products in store, then buy them all on ebay or other cheaper places!

6) my best buy ever, which i recommend to everyone, is a fleece snuggle wrap like this http://www.boohoobaby.co.uk/prod_show.asp?prodid=165 it seems a lot of money for a wrap, though you probably can get them a lot cheaper on ebay - you can use it as a blanket wrap for baby to rest in the bouncer or on the floor, sleep in for naps, go out in the buggy and keep warm in the baby carrier! best £20-ish I ever spent because it's cosy and familiar and creates a familiar comforting environment for baby.

vic.star

Another tip: don't do what i did and buy the first pram you see! I went into a mothercare store, looked at the silvercross 3d and purchased it straight away without much help from the store assistant. After 9 weeks it was horrible, my son was quite long so had to face away from me at 11weeks and i hated not being able to keep an eye on him. Luckily as we were miss-sold we were able to take it back and bought a replacement. Money's tight but we opted for a Petite Star Kurvi Match and it's amazing! It's not as wide as the MY4 (i hated using that as the seat didn't feel very sturdy and the back wheels were very wide) and grows with your baby. Make sure you do all the research and don't be put off asking other mums when out with their prams what they think of theirs

Don't forget amazon and mothercare price match, so if you find something from a website you haven't heard much about you can always buy from amazon using their price match.

If you see something you like, never pay full price. I paid £8 for 2 bottle warmers only to find them at a baby sale a month later for £1!

Also sign up to Amazon Family - you get offers, discounts and free one day delivery on ALL orders. You get 3 months for free then its £49 for the year after. There is an option in your account once you sign up to NOT auto-renew. Make sure you select so you don't get charged

As for the formula, do what you think. If your not 100% sure on breastfeeding then get it in, you don't know how you'll cope or how your baby will. I had to give up after 10 days due to thrush on my nipples, caused from a split. My parents had to rush out whilst my son was crying for food, so not having it in was a mistake. Do what feels comfortable to you, parenting really does come naturally and you'll know what to do for your baby

Savlona

sparkly_momma wrote: »

You would be far better to establish a support network, and make contact with your local breastfeeding counsellor (this is completely free). Making a tired decision at 2am to give formula can very quickly cause a breastfeeding relationship to end. For 99% of women breastfeeding would be successful if they receive fact-based, unbiased support. And dummies can also interfere with building up a supply, so again really best avoided in the early days. If the baby is crying- it probably wants milk!

Hold off on buying the breast pump, it's quite ok to have a glass of wine and feed. Unless you need to pump vast quantities of milk off then one of the basic manual pumps is normally enough for the occasional bottle, you may find one manufacturer suits you best.

Baby monitors aren't an essential, baby should be in the same room until 6months and unless you live in a mansion you are going to hear them wake up.

If you do use formula then any of the brands' stage 1 milk is the only milk you need to use- this applies to 6m+ babies too. Hungry milks, comfort milks, toddler milks are all unnecessary and full of some unwelcome additives. Stage 1 milk is also cheaper. (Unless medically prescribed eg lacto-free milk).

Food-wise, baby rice is awful and jars are stupidly expensive. Instead either puree normal family meals if you plan to spoon-feed, or even better research baby-led weaning. Solids should be introduced from around 6mths.

Yup, I bought bottles, steriliser and some sort of steam and puree gadget - wish I hadn't bothered:o There are loads of late night/ 24hr places to get formula in an emergency, but with good support that will hopefully not be needed:money:Although I do live in a big city.
Just Peachy - The natural mamas forum has a good second hand sling sales bit, also try the ukbabywearingswap group on yahoo.
I found the sling/ single buggy combo easier than a double buggy at first - how long it works depends on the personality of your baby, I think if my eldest had been the youngest I would not have bought a double - dreadful contraptions all imho. Also consider the merits of a cargo trike - I've recently acquired one and wish I'd done it ages ago - better than trying to get a double buggy on a bus

vic.star

Came across this again on argos:

buy this -
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3769874.htm

and this -
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3769867.htm

save £10 when buying the two together. Total price: £3.98
We bought this set for my little boy and it's lovely quality. It's very bright and fits in nice with his jungle soft toys. Even if you don't need a bumper the quilt alone is worth £4. Make sure you click on the quilt and look for the special offer button. I did have problems when paying instore for mine because the £10 didn't come off, but the staff were aware of the deal and gave it to me anyway. Hope this helps someone

Mummy_Moo

Just had a quick look on the Top Cash Back website.

There is 5.05% cashback at mothercare, plus there is a discount code to get up to 50% off.

I haven't checked out the details because I'm really resisting the urge to buy more toys (we definitely don't need any more!) but if anyone needs baby stuff it could be worth a look.