Everything you need when having a baby? (No negativity please)

CompKB

Spendless said:

if you think of it this is what baby needs to have
something to drink
something to wee/poo into
somewhere to sleep
something to wear
somewhere to store what they wear
some way to travel.
something to wash them

If you go by those categories, you can go from the cheapest item or free to the most expensive and additional items under that category.

It's also impossible to say, my most used and wouldn't have done without item for my eldest was a travel cot. I never used it for my youngest. That's because we'd moved closer to family and friend by baby #2 and were more restricted in where we went anyway due to also having a toddler with  us.  

Fantastic, thank you!

Drawingaline

Somewhere to sleep
Cot, crib, cosleeper. Second hand is fine, but NEW mattress. 

Something to wear
Some vests and baby grows, everything else will be bought for you.

Something to eat
If planning on bf et some decent nipple cream, muslin cloths, decent bf cushion and be prepared to pay for a lactation consultation.
If bottle feeding, bottles and formula, steriliser.

Someway of travelling
Pushchair, pram, travel system. 
Decent sling, look at some baby wearing websites if planning on buying one, dont just buy one from a baby shop without research. 

NEW car seat. 

Nappies
Cloth ones are fab once past the first month. Again do research, lots of different types, I used them for all four of mine and kept it cheap, but you can literally spend hundreds! 
Changing table. Getting one with drawers for the clothes is helpful. 

That's it. Anything else is extra and will depend on your child. I needed lots of extras with number 4 that I hadn't needed for the others, although I could have ditched the moses basket and crib seeing as he never really slept anywhere but with me! 

CompKB

Drawingaline said:

Somewhere to sleep
Cot, crib, cosleeper. Second hand is fine, but NEW mattress. 

Something to wear
Some vests and baby grows, everything else will be bought for you.

Something to eat
If planning on bf et some decent nipple cream, muslin cloths, decent bf cushion and be prepared to pay for a lactation consultation.
If bottle feeding, bottles and formula, steriliser.

Someway of travelling
Pushchair, pram, travel system. 
Decent sling, look at some baby wearing websites if planning on buying one, dont just buy one from a baby shop without research. 

NEW car seat. 

Nappies
Cloth ones are fab once past the first month. Again do research, lots of different types, I used them for all four of mine and kept it cheap, but you can literally spend hundreds! 
Changing table. Getting one with drawers for the clothes is helpful. 

That's it. Anything else is extra and will depend on your child. I needed lots of extras with number 4 that I hadn't needed for the others, although I could have ditched the moses basket and crib seeing as he never really slept anywhere but with me! 

Brilliant! Thank you!

fred246

We used second hand car seats. There is a website here with a lot of technical aspects.
https://thecarseatlady.com/used/
Even the NCT agree that they can be re-used
https://www.nct.org.uk/baby-toddler/getting-out-about-your-baby/car-journeys/checklist-for-choosing-child-car-seat
Just need to be careful.

Mrs_Soup

If you are not over fussed about clothes then definitely go with supermarket multipacks of vests and babygros. though I don't agree about being given loads- we certainly weren't (we were given big ticket items by grandparents but not loads of clothes by anyone). First baby really liked the bouncy chair and nod off in it- second child not impressed at all, so you can never have a definitive list.  Some people swear by their nappy disposal bin for disposables- I couldn't bear the thought and just put them straight in dustbin in nappy bags. If you are looking to save money though and especially with more than one child definitely look at disposables but don;t get so obsessed you spend a fortune.

It's often nice to have a smaller bed eg moses basket or crib to start with as baby will be lost in a cot or cotbed, also will be in your room so it depends what you can fit in alongside your own things.

When you get to that stage high chairs- either spend big and get a Tripp Trapp or spend small and get the Ikea one.    Or both.  I have just sold my 10 year old Tripp trapp for 75 quid (about 50% of new cost).  Ikea ones I sold long ago for  a fiver so they also hold value well.  

Bluebell1000

We found for the first 6 months we mostly just used vests and sleepsuits all the time. Cute outfits just weren't worth the effort except for special visits etc. We still get bundles of clothes rather than buying new (via Facebook or ebay) and generally sell them on for a similar amount afterwards. Don't buy vastly expensive baby blankets. We cut up a full size fleece blanket and it worked perfectly. Baby sleeping bags worked well for us too - but not all children like them do don't get loads. 

Also invest in a decent washable mattress protector - for your bed and the baby's bed - to keep the mattress vomit and poo free!  

Breast pads are essential if breastfeeding, I used washable cloth ones and they were great, kept the cost down as well. 

Fireflyaway

I agree with the comments about not stockpiling nappies because you need to see which brand works for you. I found that huggies didn't really fit my baby, they kept riding up. Pampers were good but then i found Aldi nappies were good and cheaper. An old colleague of mine had a grandchild whose mum was on a low income and thought she got a good deal on nappies. The baby got such bad nappy rash that got infected they ended up having to go to the GP. Turned out the nappies didn't soak the wet away so the baby got burns from being sat in its own urine. Ouch! There are some things not worth saving money on. 

Rambosmum

You really shouldn't buy a second hand car seat unless you know its providence, I'd be happy getting one from a family member or good friend that I trusted but not off a nearly new sale of someone off a facebook selling group. Start saving for the second stage carseat now - if you have a child who is above 75th centile you will need one which goes up to 25kg and they are at least £195 (car seat advice UK is a brilliant facebook page for car seat safety advice).

Second hand prams are definitely worth it. New prams are like new cars, they loose half the value as soon as they are out the shop, second hand they go for a third of the original price, sometimes less. 

You don't need a baby monitor until they are a bit older, as they should sleep in the same room as you for the first 6 months. 

Rambosmum

If breast feeding, just use the pull down, cross over type feeding bras initially, until your milk settles then you can buy some good bras, otherwise you'll likely waste your money on bras which only fit for a week or two. 

Reusable breastpads save money, you can often buy them second had and then machine wash and sanitize them. 

Don't buy specific breastfeeding friendly clothing, top and skirt/ trousers works fine. Once you get the hand of it you can breastfeed in most clothes. "Can I breastfeed in it" is a good facebook page for that sort of thing. 

CompKB

Rambosmum said:

If breast feeding, just use the pull down, cross over type feeding bras initially, until your milk settles then you can buy some good bras, otherwise you'll likely waste your money on bras which only fit for a week or two. 

Reusable breastpads save money, you can often buy them second had and then machine wash and sanitize them. 

Don't buy specific breastfeeding friendly clothing, top and skirt/ trousers works fine. Once you get the hand of it you can breastfeed in most clothes. "Can I breastfeed in it" is a good facebook page for that sort of thing. 

Thanks for all the great info!