Essentialnew born baby list?

Anthillmob

i think GR has covered it all.

only buy a bath seat if youre not going to bath with baby. i personally found it much easier to get in the bath with chops. and you dont need a baby bath either, your bath or the kitchen sink will do nicely.

we havent had to buy anything apart from clothes and a double buggy for the one thats due in 4 weeks as we still have all of chops' gear.

Anthillmob

erm, can someone tell me when its ok to start using gro-bags on a baby. i cant for the life of me remember when we put chops into hers. is from newborn alright?

Sazere

Ok, I'll add my thoughts as a mom of 4 (youngest 13months):-

Avent electric or microwave steralizer (for breast pump, dummies, bottles, etc) usually get a few bottles in the set with the steralizer. I breastfed all of mine but still always bought this and I have tried other makes (tommee tippee, mothercare, maws) but always gone back to Avent.

Dummies (always bought but none of my babies would take them - again usually get a pk of 2 in the steralizer box).

Muslin cloths and bibs - invaluable no matter how you intend to feed.

V-shaped pillow for breastfeeding - I have tried it with pillows with babies 1,2&3 only saw sense with no.4 and realised how much easier it is with a proper support.

Babygro's & vests - lots but bear in mind once you know the sex you will buy more. Outfits can be bought once baby is home as you will get outfits as gifts and the weather/seasons change so quickly guessing the baby's size can be tricky to buy in advance as this stage.

Cotbed - bigger takes up more room but lasts longer. Buy fitted cotbed sheets much easier for a quick change. Buy some spare small sheets that you can fold up to lie just under baby as they have some yucky leaking nappies and often overfeed so let a bit of sick out to make room. This saves having to change the whole cot/your bed/moses basket in the middle of the night.

3-in-1 pram - I have bought loads of different pushchairs, prams, 3 wheelers and each time I have found that I got the most use out of a 3in1 where I could lay baby flat in a pram, use a car seat for short journeys and then convert it into a pushchair as baby got older. Personally the most practical one we have used was the Chicco Trio as it fits in most car boots. However I prefered the Maxi Cosi car seat out of all the seats we have used (incl Graco, M&P, Chicco, Britax). If we ever have another child I would buy the Maxi Cosi again!

Sling - The most useful item ever. Means you can keep baby with you everywhere. You are hands free so can get on with stuff knowing baby is safe and secure with you.

Bottled water for mum - easy to grab out of the fridge and keep hydrated, a must when feeding as you will be very busy feeding for the first few weeks.

Healthy snacks for mum - too easy to snack on crisps and chocolate as it can be hard work trying to cook something.

Don't bother with baby bath, waste of money, just pop baby in the bath with mum or dad. Or buy a baby support. We only had a bath for no.1 never bothered since. Also we have found the moses basket to be a waste of time. All our babies have either slept in our bed or in their actual cot pushed up against the side of our bed. They grew out of the moses basket too quickly.

Sazere

Anthillmob wrote: »

erm, can someone tell me when its ok to start using gro-bags on a baby. i cant for the life of me remember when we put chops into hers. is from newborn alright?

Usually from about 7lb (3.2kgs). At least that was what our's said. Saying that we haven't used grobags until about 4months when they started sleeping more often in their own bed rather than ours!

Justie

new born essentials are imo

car seat - as has been said if you give birth in hospital they won't let you go home without one and even if you don't have a car I'd still buy one anyway so that baby is safe when you're travelling in other people's cars

babygrows, vests a hat and a blanket

nappies - but don't buy lots before baby is born as different babies suit different nappy shapes and depending on birth weight will depend what size you need

you're told to use cotton wool and water on newborns - if your baby has sensitive skin then you must but we used wipes from day one (naturebabycare)

I would highly recommend slings but take advice if you end up having a c-section. I found carrying my LO in a sling was less painful than pushing the pram.

sterilising can be done with tablets or a pan of boiling water if necessary so imo it isn't an essential to spend money on a steriliser until you know you're going to use it




nice things to have:
as for clothes you'll probably be given lots and anyway it's a PITA to dress a newborn - I'd ask for 3-6 months rather than smaller and you can always buy bundles off ebay etc

swing or something that will both entertain the baby and be a safe place to be put down


breastfeeding means being in one place a lot so it's good to have:

a partner or other responsible adult to fetch and carry for you

a stack of DVDs/books etc, one of those hats that you can put cans in and drink from the pile of remotes, the phone and an extra pair of hands
snacks and pints and pints of drink


things you won't need/ won't be able to use:

your dignity
sleep
your brain (see above for reason)
anything that requires more than one hand to work
your social diary



the best advice I can give is to stock up on frozen meals that can go in the microwave (either home made or shop bought) and find some patience from somewhere... it's hard work but very very rewarding. I hope all goes well for you and try not to get too bogged down in lists etc it'll all work out in the end.


Justie (mum of a 3 month old)

Gingham_Ribbon

I forgot how useful a cheap baby bouncer was - just a plain one, not one with a motor or that swings. Useful when they want to see what's going on as they don't always want to be lying down or in your arms.

missjennipenni

I breastfed both mine, and never used my steriliser at all! Was a waste of money, and wont be buying on for the baby i am expecting. I will however buy one single bottle, and a carton of ready-made milk for emergencies only (like if something happens to me so i cant feed the baby). I never gave water or juice either.

I found my gro-bag one of the best things i bought - would definitely recommend it!

My moses basket was a waste of time, they slept better in their cot whilst swaddled.

Ive never used a baby changing table, but did have a changing mat.

Id say essentials would be - clothes, cot, sheets, buggy/travel system, changing mat, a bag for your buggy to keep nappies etc in (a large handbag would do though), a seat of some sort (bouncy chair or baby recliner) and a nursing pillow. Plus a loving & helpful OH

anything else id say were extra luxuries that are nice to have

amandada

I would definitely get a steriliser/bottles.

I fed my ds expressed milk from a bottle for 10 months as he was UNABLE to latch on

Shona_3

Huge numbers of muslin clothes!
have 2 of your nappy change things so you can change bubs in living room and bedroom.
LOTS of breast pads... I wanted to be eco friendly and started with the washable ones, because they don't have a waterproof back i leaked through pad, bra, t shirt, shirt and jumper on several occasions. Then I leart to double them up with a disposable one with a plastic back... still leaked sometimes though.
I didn't give my breast fed baby water, couldn't see the point, breastmilk is meant to provide everything and it is not as though babies have a seperate hunger/thirst mechanism. If they get too much water it will put them off their next feed. Don't want to be controversal but it doesn't make sense to me. How do you know your baby is thirsty for water and not milk?
Didn't buy a change table, bought a chest of drawers from Ikea the best height for me to change baby on.
I did buy a steriliser and used it every day for my breast pump, I had to do some pumping to relieve the pressure.

Good luck!

MissLizzie

I was suprised that no-one had yet mentioned planning for a second baby yet so I thought I would put my two-penneth in! Sorry if the idea fills you with horror at this stage!

When we were expecting our first baby, we quickly realised we definitely wanted at least 2 children so our equipment was tailored to that and the sort of age gap we were working towards - obviously this doesn't always go to plan I know!

For instance:

- Buy as much as possible in unisex colours, including furniture, buggies and clothes esp vests, sleepsuits and gro-bags. Vests esp I always think are better in white so they don't clash with outfits!

- We bought a cot rather than a cot bed as we thought #1 would be in a bed or toddler bed before #2 was born so that meant having to buy a second cot. The same applies if you use a toddler bed

- Prams/buggies/travel systems - can they be adapted to accommodate 2 children or are you happy to buy a double buggy maybe?

- Highchair - loved the ones that convert to tables and chairs but again this would mean buying a second for #2 so we had a standard model instead

Other advice I would give is think about a bouncy chair with an adjustable back as we found this invaluable as baby grew up and reached the weaning stage.

Don't buy too much of any one thing as you never know what you will actually use and what you won't use or what baby will take to. For instance ds reacts badly to a certain well known brand of baby cosmetics but is sensitive to nothing else at all and never even gets nappy rash.

Also don't underestimate the amount of presents you will get! I know everyone says it to you, but it really is true - absolutely lovely and a real godsend

Best of luck!:p