Newborn- What to get/ not to get?

GLM71093

Hi everyone,

I am currently 24 weeks pregnant with my first child :j and have only brought a few things in preparation when I have seen some really good deals on.

I know we need a moses basket (or something similar), car seat, pram, cot etc, but is there anything that people would recommend definitely buying before I have my baby? Or anything that people think really is a waste of money?

I would like to be prepared and have what i will need for the first month or so as my OH wont be able to have much time off work once baby is here however I don't want to waste my money on things I don't need.

Any advice or tips would be appreciated so much.

Thank you in advance x

AndyBSG

Most of the things I bought before my first LO arrived ended up not getting used and most of the things I used the most were things I never thought to buy!

- Don't go OTT on clothes. For 0-3 months you may well find you only need a dozen vests and similar amount of baby grows. Nice outfits may seem like a great idea but are really not practical until 6 months+

- Don't bother with shoes until nearly a year. We got a lovely pair of newborn pink converse as a gift... Never got worn!

- Muslins and bibs are better than gold. You'll be amazed how many you go through.

- A baby bath

- A carry sling. This is down to personal preference. we didn't bother for our first child but did for our second and my wife found it very useful

- A decent changing bag. You'll need one with a changing mat and plenty of room for wipes, nappies, bibs, nappy bags, muslins and a spare change of clothes.

- Baby monitor. Again, personal preference on this front.

- Scratch mittens as it's amazing how much they'll scratch their face to ribbons. Also a set of nail scissors and a nail file

- Baby bouncer chair. No need to bust the bank, a cheap one does the job just as well as some of these all singing, all dancing, motorised ones.

- Car window shade.

- Thermometer. We found the plastic hologram style strips you just put on the forehead to be best as babies don't like the in ear ones!

- Bum cloth. We had several soft microfibre cloths specifically to wipe the bum area dry at each change. Nappy cream is well and good but making sure the area is dry after each change if you're using wet wipes works much better

Last but not least, Ewan the sleep Sheep! This really does help a baby settle.

Also, when it comes to clothes, be aware of what season the clothes are for. Lots of people bought us 6 month plus clothes rather than newborn but our first was born late spring. By the time she was big enough to wear them it was winter and they were all summer clothes.

GLM71093

Hi Andy,
Thank you!! that is a great help

Mojisola

GLM71093 wrote: »

I don't want to waste my money on things I don't need.

Borrow or buy second-hand as much as possible. Some baby stuff hardly gets used at all before baby has out-grown it.

sweetilemon

If you are planning to breastfeed, I would suggest a breast pump. If you don't use it, keep the receipt and take it back. If you need it you might not have time to wait for delivery. ..and a breast feeding cover or giant muslin are a must for modesty.

I'm a fan of euan the sheep too! My daughter loved him, I've bought another for my unborn (22weeks pregnant).

I bought from 0-3 size, my daughter was 8lbs 6oz and everything seemed massive on her!! I was pleased with some up to 1month gifts, I've bought more of this size this time.

A thermometer is good to have although be aware a sick baby doesn't always show a high temperature. Stock up on hand gel for visitors and Milton wipes for a quick wipe down. Last time I bought the tommee tippee steam steriliser but I've bought the milton combination microwave or tablet sterliser this time.

Lots of sheets for the moses basket, I only had 2 at first and it was a nightmare for washing xx

Sarastro

I know this is going to be a bit off message, but have you thought about Junior ISA's and stuff like that? You will get inundated at Christmas with a whole heap of plastic stuff that you dont' want and the baby doesn't even understand. We diverted a lot of this into a Junior ISA and it it's doing really well - I'm hoping it will be an amazing fund for an 18 year old to go to University or whatever.

freyasmum

99% of the 'essential items you see youtubers and bloggers touting is actually quite the opposite.

We used our carry cot as a Moses basket for naps and just bought a stand from aldi. We've not used Muslims and are just starting to use bibs, but my son isn't a sicky baby.

Asda baby event - I have bought most of my son's vests and grows from here. I recently got a pack of 3 grows for £4 and a pack of 10 vests for £7. They're ideal, comfy and wash well and they don't need proper cloths for at least the first 6 months (ideally 1st year). Plus, how ridiculously difficult is it to keep socks in a baby!

I agree about a bouncer, they're so handy and the little ones love them.

I chose a rucksack for our changing bag as I travel a lot and I'm able to have my hands free for handing over documents, etc. It's also quite a nice bag for my OH to carry. I also chose a Moby wrap for my sling as, again, I can have my hands free for whatever I need to do, and my son can sleep happily while wrapped up.

My son was bathed in the kitchen sink for months and has recently graduated to being in the shower with either OH or me and he loves it. I don't bathe him every night as it's not great for his skin.

It's so easy to spend a fortune and think that you need everything, but you really don't.

We've never used Euan the Sheep.

Keep and eye out in the sales, but be careful about sizes.

The biggest con out is the nappy wrapper. What a lot of rot - a pack of supermarket value nappy sacks is perfect. Speaking of nappies, I can only recommend the aldi nappies, they're fab!

I let my son have lots of nappy free tummy time (before he started moving around the room :rotfl: ) and would lie him on puppy pads, rather than the huggies drynites. They're exactly the same thing, but about a quarter of the price! Pets at home are good for a constant supply but Aldi get them in from time to time.

P.s. in the event of an explosive nappy, fold back the shoulders on the vest and pull it down their body, rather than over their heads.

Also, congratulations! How exciting

Spendless

Your basics are the baby needs:

somewhere to sleep

something to carry them around in

something to feed (if/when not breastfeeding)

something to wear and somewhere to store these items

something to wee/poo in

If you think of these needs, then you can go as expensive or cheap or as many of the items within these catergories as you wish.

I had a baby monitor with both mine, but looking back, until my eldest was 21 months we lived in a 2 up, 2 down with a staircase in the middle of the living room and could hear the baby anyway without it. With youngest we'd moved to a larger house and did need one in order to hear her when she was upstairs and we weren't.

GLM71093

Thank you all for your advise and tips, its super helpful to hear things from different people to compare!
Mojisola- unfortunately I don't really know anyone who has had a baby recently, therefore unable to borrow much, however I have been looking around lots for second hand bits, i don't want to buy stuff (even if its a bargain) if I don't really need it.
sweetilemon- i am hoping to breastfeed so I will look into buying a pump a bit closer to the time so i can take it back if needed. I hadn't thought of a cover, thank you! I have never heard of Ewan the sheep so I will look that up. Hand gel is also a great idea, one I hadn't thought of.
Sarastro To be honest I haven't thought of that however once the baby is here I will look into this for sure.
freyasmum I will keep an eye out for baby events, sound like the perfect time to get the bits i will need, and i think i will look into a bouncer. Also, thanks for the tip on exploding nappy!
Spendless thanks for the info on baby monitor, i have been looking at them, however we are in house similar to what you said so maybe we wont need one

Thanks again everyone!!!

AndyBSG

Another tip, look for local mum to mum markets.

It's amazing what you can pick up there for a fraction of the price brand new.

GLM71093

AndyBSG- thanks, I've never heard of these but will look them up, sound like a fab idea!