pregnancy moneysaving

jellyhead

you could always leave the steriliser and pump purchases until after the birth, just make sure hubby takes your boots advantage card with him when he goes, and buys them is separate transactions to get the 500 extra points each time he spends £25, also printing out a 75 points when spending over £10 coupons from the machine lol! i've bought mine already, and made my purchase up to the £25 mark by buying a bath thermometer, or a packet of nappies (i'll use them in hospital, then washables when i come out). nappy liners don't seem to be any cheaper anywhere else either.

i've bought a steriliser, it's the one that's suitable for microwave or tablets, it comes with free bottles. i thought you were supposed to sterilise until a year old, so assumed i'd be sterilising teethers, toys, bowls, etc. even if i breastfeed (and some people start weaning before 6 months too). i also bought a pump but am starting to think that might have been silly, i don't even know if i can b/feed yet, no milk last time. i left it in the wrapper so hopefully i can exchange it if it's not used. i also saw in boots some microwave steriliser bags, a pack of 5 for a fiver. each bag can be used up to 20 times. or if it's just a spare bottle to keep in the cupboard for emergencies you could get a steriliser bottle, i've not used them but it looks as if you just put the bottle in the microwave with some water inside.

as for cot bumpers, i don't see the need and won't be buying one. i did buy a monitor, maws reassurance 8 for £29.99 from kiddicare, it looks good and it tells you the temp in babys room (hence no need to buy a room thermometer lol!) and also has a night light, i do remember a nightlight being essential when spud was little.

Spendless

I struggled with breast-feeding and went on to bottle feeding. The midwives would have only let me out of hospital once we'd bought bottles and steriliser (we hadn't-cos I was going to breast-feed) .In my case with a c-section I was in for a week anyway-but might have caused problems if I'd wanted to come out on a Sunday evening-when there are no 24 hour supermarkets.

My HV told me to sterilise bottles for a year -the reason she gave was cos milk goes yukky-but there wasn't any need for bowls/spoons etc after 6 months for reasons already said.

I never bothered with a cot bumper, it was a 'don't 'when I had eldest and when I had youngest they'd gone onto being those just round the head bit and as you say you put baby at bottom, so didn't see the point.

Mine are 5 and 2 though and advice changes all the time. Isn't anything mentioned in the current Emmas diary or bounty packs?

CDP

Hi

Just one point is that both Emmas diary adn Bounty packs are marketing tools used by the manufacturers. They are major money spinners. Be wary of the info they give..

CDP

s@sha

Hi again, thanks everyone for the advice re: the breast pumps & sterilizers. Went to visit a friend with a 1-year-old yesterday & discovered she has the Avent microwave sterilizer, which she says she wouldn't be without...loves it. She showed me how it works, it seemed very convenient. I also saw some product reviews on the net saying it was very good.

They were £19.99 in Boots when I saw them, so when I got home I had a browse on Ebay & managed to bag a brand new one for £5 Including the P&P!

I was going to wait a bit, but for that price I thought it was worth getting now...it comes with 4 Avent bottles which, as most of you say, I will probably need even if I manage to breastfeed.

Mother-in-law has also suprised us by giving us money to buy a cot & moses basket. I had already mentioned I wasn't really thinking of getting a moses basket as babies seem to get grow out of them so quickly....but she thinks they're gorgeous, so I feel I should get one if she is paying!

Also I was in Mothercare yesterday, if anyone is interested they have 30% off their Winnie-the- Pooh range of decor/bedding/moses baskets at the moment, as they are changing to new colours.

jellyhead

awwww, moses baskets are cute so it's lovely that she wants to buy you one. i'm going to borrow one for a while. when spud was tiny i had a wooden swinging crib, he was only in it for ten weeks - definitely a waste of money (except it was only borrowed lol!) but i was staying at my mothers house for a while so couldn't have fitted a cot in there and the crib was gorgeous! it could also fit in the living room, so all the visitors could coo over the baby if he was asleep without me having to wake him up or bring visitors into my (messy) bedroom.
i saw a review of the breast pumps in a magazine recently, avent got good reviews but it has 7 pieces, so i thought the tommy tippee one with 3 pieces would be best for me, it also got good reviews. not sure though if the avent stuff will fit onto the TT pump, i bought some avent via disposable cup things and also got the gourmet freebie. my steriliser is TT too, along with the free bottles.

Squidgy

I have used the microwave sterlising bags jellyhead and they ar not that brilliant. You are right, you put a small amount of water in and then the bottles (I think one bag takes two bottles - but be aware if you are using Avent bottles you will only get one in).

I always felt that things weren't particularly well sterilised when they came out of them, and I burnt my fingers on them loads of times!

I brought the avent microwave steriliser in the end. Much better!

spook

On the subject of sterilisers, don't forget about the Tommee Tippee steam steriliser, half price £20 at Tesco until 17/5. (See this thread)

Jay-Jay_4

Squidgy wrote:

I bought the avent microwave steriliser in the end. Much better!

Me too! no grumbles with it apart from finding it tricky to get the lid off when it's hot, just have to be careful that you don't get scalded.

Bun

Hope all is going well Sasha and Jellyhead!
Personally I wasn't going to bother with moses basket or cot bumpers - unfortunately my Mum was up all hours making the bedding, bumpers and curtains so I couldn't say no really! I wish I'd found the Tommee Tippee 'milking machine' - the avent one is a nightmare to put together. Sterilizer wise I have a Boots microwave steam/cold one, which was about £15.99 I think, with two free bottles.
Bun

keatergreyhound

Hiya
Ive read this thread with intrest this evening. Its brought back so many memories. I had by daughter last year. Asds for me was a godsend. I got my electric sterillizer for £7.50p there. Its a Linden and takens 6 bottles and does in 8 mins. It may be worth anyone whos looking for one popping to Asda. Reading about babies and noise. Last year when I was 6 and a half months gone we were at Butlins in Skegness. It was the night Rooney (sorry if Ive got it wrong I dont follow footie) scorred a hatrick. Anyway there must have been a thousand plus watching this match. The first goal I was on the floor screaming at. No joke I thougth id gone inot labour. You could see arm and legs moving inside me. A staff member ran up and got me a chair. My hustband was panicking. The 2nd goal came and baby moved totally to my left side. This looked so odd and really scared me. Enough was enough we got up and made our way to the door just as he scored again. Down I went in front of everyone. Within 5 mins of being out of that room all was back to normal. The day after a little boy stood behind us in the que for the shop and said look Mummy its that lady with the funny tummy. I didnt know where to put my face. Im certainly broody again. So dare I ask everyone what age gap they have between their children? I love being a Mum and my hustbands a fantastic Dad. We have enough baby bits to start a shop. We really would only need to buy clothes for a boy and that would be it. Gosh I better go to bed! I shall be dreaming of having a bump again, and sore boobs, and not being able to sleepzzz
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