What to buy for first born baby

emylou

Hi all,
I was wondering if you could help me. After a difficult time getting pregnant and having 3 miscarriages I am now 14 weeks pregnant.:j I don't want to rush out and buy loads of things but appreciate I at least need to start budgeting for items we will need. Please can anyone list items that HAVE to be bought new, eg. mattresses, car seats etc and what we can happily and safely use from second hand? I have already started looking on ebay and fb pages but as I say I'm worried about safety elements.


Many thanks in advance!!

whitewing

Car seat new before baby is born.

I would actually save your money and spend most of it when baby is born. The reason I say this is because I didn't. The baby was not real to DH until she was there in front of him, and then he wanted to go and choose stuff for her, but we didn't really have spare cash.

There are always offers on on disposable nappies and wipes so no real need to get them until you know what size you need. They grow fast. Wipes of course they don't grow out of but some smell slightly different than other and I found that I couldn't bear the smell of certain ones as I'd had post natal depression before with my son and they reminded me of it.

Clothes - we got given a lot, new and second hand so just a few to start.

It is exciting but I honestly would get the bare minimum so you can splurge with the baby.

Bluebell1000

Congratulations I have to say the only thing I wouldn't buy second hand is nursing bras! The first car seat we had was from ebay as part of a travel system, it actually wasn't used but the person had changed their mind and couldn't return it. Since then we have been getting second hand car seats from someone we know as her daughters grow out of them.

The cot mattress... again we got the cot second hand. We had been thinking of getting a new mattress, but it looked and felt in very good condition, so it never happened. It's been fine, but we are going to get another one for baby number 2, because DS has given it quite a battering (he loves jumping up and down on it).

Bottles are OK second hand but I'd suggest getting new teats. If you are thinking of expressing then it depends on personal choice of new vs second hand for breast pumps. Again I found one on gumtree, which hadn't been used but it was too late for the seller to get a refund.

fireyfirenze

congratulations!

I'm pregnant (very! ha) and from all the reading iv done I would definitely recommend getting a new cot mattress and a new car seat, that's what all the websites recommend, I'm pretty sure everything else you can get second hand. with a car seat you don't know if it has been in a crash previously so I think that's why it's important to get brand new, and you don't have to spend a fortune, I think ours was £60 on special offer reduced from £100.

I'd actually disagree with the previous poster who said save your money and buy everything when baby is born, when you get further on say like 30+ weeks it will be such a nicer feeling to know you have things sorted out and after giving birth I doubt you will feel like going out buying everything! I mean things like nappies and wipes I can understand, but not everything else.

fireyfirenze

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/what-you-need-for-baby.aspx

there is a little bit right at the bottom there about car seats

rach_k

Mattresses should be new, car seats should be new unless you know its history for certain (not 'nice lady on Gumtree said it's undamaged') and breastpumps should be new unless it's a closed loop system. Many allow milk to get in around the motor which can't be cleaned so if you do decide to buy a pump, either get new or a closed loop one can be bought second hand. I wouldn't buy a breast pump in advance though - they're quick to order online, some places will lend out closed loop systems and you probably won't need one.

I can't think of anything else you would need new. If you want to save money, cloth nappies can be bought preloved

krustylouise

fireyfirenze wrote: »

congratulations!

I'm pregnant (very! ha) and from all the reading iv done I would definitely recommend getting a new cot mattress and a new car seat, that's what all the websites recommend, I'm pretty sure everything else you can get second hand. with a car seat you don't know if it has been in a crash previously so I think that's why it's important to get brand new, and you don't have to spend a fortune, I think ours was £60 on special offer reduced from £100.

I'd actually disagree with the previous poster who said save your money and buy everything when baby is born, when you get further on say like 30+ weeks it will be such a nicer feeling to know you have things sorted out and after giving birth I doubt you will feel like going out buying everything! I mean things like nappies and wipes I can understand, but not everything else.

Sorry but I disagree, I think aside from buying the basics I would advise waiting until baba is here. My reason for this is, people buy you things when the baby is born and there really is no need for 100 babygro's all in newborn size.

I would advise a new mattress, new car seat {as has been mentioned you don't know if it's been involved in a crash}. A cot, moses basket, bouncer, clothes, all can be second hands. I would advise buying new bottles {but that's just personal preference}. When I was expecting I would buy a pack of nappies with my weekly shop and some wipes, after about 4 packs of the first size I would then buy the next size up etc. This came in handy for the first few months!

HTH

fireyfirenze

Ah yes I do agree with clothes, we haven't bought many because I know I will get lots of presents and also I wasn't sure what size to buy! but other things, you would want them before the baby comes home, it's nice to be prepared!

Northern78

Congratulations!

Like others have said car seat new and matress but we didn't actually buy the cot and matress until after DS arrived. He was in a moses basket for the first 3 months. You could use a second handmoses basket but it would still need a new matress. I think Kiddicare have some on offer at the mo, we're looking as baby 2 is on it's way!

We made the mistake of buying a lot of things before DS was born then like someone mentioned ended up with loads of babygrows and also some 'gadgets' that really weren't needed. Also DS was a bit of a bruiser so he struggled to fit in the 'newborn' size clothes we bought him.

kingfisherblue

Congratulations! You must be so excited.

As others have said, mattresses should be new, for both Moses basket and cot. The car seat should also be new unless you know for certain that it has not been involved in a crash or bumped around a lot. My daughter (16 weeks pregnant) bought a new seat from Argos in the sale. It is the sort that is rearward facing for the first few months, then you flip it round and it can be used until about age 4. I had the same type for all three of my kids, and it saves buying a new seat when baby is a few months old. I think the one my daughter bought was about £50.

She has the following from Freecycle: cot, bouncy chair, bouncy chair with toy bar (for my house ), pram travel system (but not using seat as car seat due to unknown history), chest of drawers, baby bath, top and tail bowl, Moses basket, and a couple of washable toys.

Her steriliser was an end-of-line item at Tesco, and cost £3.68, but we were looking out for a steriliser on Freecycle at the time. I have bought a couple of blankets and sheets from Home Bargains very cheaply, but they are decent quality. She is going to use pillow cases as sheets for the Moses basket, as I did when my three were babies.

My mum will put together a box of stuff that she can buy over the coming weeks - baby nail scissors, toiletries, etc.

She is considering buying bottles from the Aldi baby event this week - four Avent bottles and a brush for £9.99. Otherwise she will get some from one of the supermarkets.

Pound shops sell ice cube trays and small lidded containers, for weaning. She enjoys cooking and is planning on making her own rather than buying jars or tins.

Pound shops are also good for baby spoons, soft baby flannels, and a variety of other bits and bobs, but some can be bought cheaper in Home Bargains, so look around.

Join any baby clubs you can. Boots offer a free changing bag when you buy certain nappies. Free samples and money off coupons soon build up. Bounty packs and Emma's Diary have these in, as well as many being advertised on freebie websites. Hipp have just sent some leaflets to my daughter, and there were two sheets of animal stickers enclosed, which she is planning to use in the baby's bedroom.

Family and friends will buy lots of clothes, so just get the bare minimum. You can always top up later, but you will probably find that you receive enough to last the first three months at least. There are so many things in the shops that will tempt you, but second hand are fine. Babygros can be used for longer if you cut the feet off and hem them.

A couple of things I wouldn't bother with are a changing table and baby sling. Cot bumpers are not recommended, and recently I have seen cot quilts, which I would avoid. It's far better to use several thin layers rather than one thick layer in a cot, as babies can overheat quickly.

My daughter still needs another hooded towel (she has one, but two or three are useful), a changing mat, and mattresses. My sister is buying her a changing box - I still have the one bought for my daughter, currently storing craft stuff for the Brownies! I think it might be coming down to be used in its original capacity soon, though, as I will have a few essentials at my house. She is also going to use the baby monitors that I had for her and her brothers. They might be old, but they still work.

I have bought a playmat for Christmas, and will add a few things for when the baby is age 6 months plus, as well as some books for the future.

I wish you and your family lots of happiness with your new baby, and hope that you have a stress free and healthy pregnancy.

Take care x

emylou

Thank you all so much for the information and advice of what we need and where to get things from! It's greatly appreciated, thank you!!!