Baby items you couldn't live without (up to six months)
Sparkles87
Forumite 700 Posts
We're trying to put a list together for our baby shower, but there's so much out there that I'm trying to work out what we need and what we can live without.
We have organised a moses basket and a cot - both of which need mattresses but were free. That's it!
Any tips from other mums? Luckily baby will be six months around Christmas, so have 6+ stuff in mind for then.
We have organised a moses basket and a cot - both of which need mattresses but were free. That's it!
Any tips from other mums? Luckily baby will be six months around Christmas, so have 6+ stuff in mind for then.
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Comfortable breast pads (if she is breast feeding)
Grobag
Addicted to collecting Nectar Points!!
Sock-Ons
I dismissed these for ages then finally (when DD was 6months) bought some after losing yet another sock and the constant pulling up/putting back on driving me mad.. They're fab
Bouncy seat, but just a cheap one, don't bother with one that rocks/plays music or anything. Basically somewhere safe you can put baby, where they can see what's going on.
Microwave steriliser, even if you plan to breast feed it doesn't always work out, and it's also good for dummies and expressing equipment.
Pushchair, they have loads of features, but think what is most important for you. Lightweight, folds small, fits through narrow doors, handle height etc.
Car seat, even if you don't have a car you'll need it for going in other peoples.
Baby monitor, depends on your house layout if you need one. Single floor place doesn't really need one unless you will be shutting doors to stop pets getting in babies room. Only go for a cheap one though. Camera's and flashing lights are unneccessary.
Also put practical but boring stuff on the list like nappies and wipes. Not exciting but totally essential.
Breast pump / bottle / steriliser
Muslins
Blankets
Pram
Moses basket
Infacol
Sling / wrap
Changing mat
I think that's it! A lot of those you could survive without, but those were my essentials
£34/£2013
OU Student! [STRIKE]DSE141[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]SK143[/STRIKE] SDK125 SK277
The best thing I bought, though, was a microwave steriliser. It was cheap, did a great job in a short time, and used no chemicals. My middle child couldn't breastfeed as he had surgery for rare abnormalities of the digestive system, but I expressed milk and froze it for him. The microwave steriliser was a great help at the time - I had used a cold water system for my eldest child, and found it a chore to use, in addition to it always being there (you can hide the m/w one inside the m/w - tidier kitchen).
I'm also a fan of bath books and cloth books from an early age.
A box to store nappies, creams and wipes is useful. I still have the one used for my daughter (and then for my two sons), but it is used for craft stuff these days
A decent changing bag is something else I would recommend. Not necessarily expensive, but big enough for the stuff you need.
Don't forget small pots for food, maybe icecube trays for the small amounts when first weaning, especially if preparing own foods instead of using jars/packets. Soft spoons with longish handles are a must.
Metanium cream is a godsend when baby gets a sore bum. My middle child is disabled and still in nappies, and every now and then I still use Metanium on him.
Thick wipes are better than thin ones, especially for filled nappies. Huggies and Tesco are the ones I currently use. I find Pampers and Johnsons are small and thin - ok for a wee, but not much use for anything else. I only use fragrance free, as perfumed wipes can cause a rash.
1. Bebe au Lait breastfeeding cover (FREEDOM when going out.. no embarassment/frantic search for breastfeeding rooms cos youre covered up!)
2. Electronic sterilizer (now on bottles, electric one holds more bottles than the microwave one, and is faster. 5 mins vs 8mins!)
3. Baby bath holder thingy (so you have hands free to wash) plus sponges and johnsons no more tears baby wash
4. Sudocrem (magic stuff for sore bums!)
5. Tommee Tippee travel bottle warmer.. its basically just a flask with a cover over but i use it soooo often when out as my baby will only drink milk warm.. and i use the cover as a "jug" to fill with cold/warm water for cooling/warming milk/food
6. Fisher Price jungle baby gym (keeps baby entertained to give your arms a bit of a rest!)
And when a bit older... 3 months or so...the fisher price jungle jumperoo... again, arm freedom, but for longer periods of time (in fact she would happily stay in there for hours if i didnt take her out!)
7. Sleeping sacks/grobags.. now its cold, so baby cant kick off the blanket and get cold... and wake up... and cry... and wake u up!
8. Angelcare monitor (as a paranoid mum, seeing that my baby was breathing on the monitor was a godsend... but then again if youre not as paranoid as me, maybe just a normal baby monitor will do)
9. A comfy, comfy chair to sit in in the middle of the night when ur baby has got u up for the 10th time for yet another feed (unless they r sleeping in ur room with u).. breastfeeding pillow also helps make feeds comfy and allows free arms for reading books etc.
10. LOADS of vests and babygrows for when they poo/sick all over multiple times per day.
Lamaze toys also go down quite well with most babies...
washable nappies
wraps for nappies
washable wipes
Rolled over coupons 62.5/62.5 remaining (using for secondhand purchases)
One income, home educating family