What do I need/don't need for new baby?

Lillibet_2

Toilteries :
Tons of cotton wool (Toys R Us is the cheapest place I've found, in their babies r us section) Use it for washing/cleaning bum/wiping noses/everything!
Nappies : a couple of packs of new born & a couple of packs of the next sizes. Don't get too many in advance in case babe is not a regualr size.
Thats about it. Current advice is no soap, bubble bath, talc etc until at least 6 months old & then only if you really need it (i.e if baby has been rolling in a muddy puddle!). (My son is 8 months & we don't use anything except occasional wipes & cream for thrush on him.)
In her hospital bounty bag she'll get a full size bottle of J & J baby shampoo if she needs it, but not necessary after the first couple of washes to get all the birth-gunk off. She'll also get pleanty of samples & full size packs of wipes (not recommended but most of us use them to some degree) & sudocream should she need it.

Bedding :
3 or 4 towling type fitted sheets for whatever bed she is going to use. Mattress should have a plastic wipe clean cover anyway.
A couple of lightweight blankets for warm summer nights/out in pram/swaddling etc: Primark are the cheapest place I have found, around £2.50 each
Baby sleeping bag : Safe once over 8lbs, dead easy to use/wash/dry. Check out the boots.com clearence section first, she'll need a 1 tog one for the summer months & she'll need a 2.5 tog bigger one once the winter comes. If Boots don't have any then they are so fashionable then the world is your oyster, although Mothercare tend to be very expensive.

HTH;)

sammysmum

Hiya, some good advice so far. Be careful on the toiletries front though as new born babies skins are notoriously delicate. I have found my son does not need them, even at 2 as water cleans him up a treat, apart from shampoo and i used Boots infant care dermetalogica shampoo which is a lot milder. grobags are brillliant as it takes the worry out of how many blankets to use. Plenty of bibs and muslin clothes are a must as well, especially if you have a baby more likely to "upchuck" at times. Save money on new outfits as it is guarenteed friends will buy them for you. :T

Karnam

i agree with the baby toiletiries thing, think v v carefully what baby needs to bath. mine only needs some shampoo, softwash and bubble bath.

jellyhead

there are large notices up in my GP surgery saying don't use anything until baby is at least 8 weeks old to avoid causing eczema. the health visitor tells mums not to use shampoo or bubble bath. i use a tiny bit occasionally but only when baby has vomited and is really smelly, and wouldn't use shampoo and bubble bath/wash in the same bath - if there's already bubble bath in the water the hair will be gently cleaned no matter how much food baby has rubbed in and if you use shampoo then the bubles can be used to wash under the nack, arms and nappy area quickly with one hand before shampoo is washed off. she'll be given this advice no doubt.

sleeping bags are the best buy i've made but they come in 2 tog ratings and i've never noticed it being clearly displayed. most bags are 2.5 tog rated and they're not suitable for the middle of summer. you can buy thinner bags, i've had them from vertbaudet (a french catalogue company) that are 1 tog rating. in colder weather i use a blanket too for his arms, but it has to be a cellular one otherwise it can sufficate or overheat him when (not if!) he pulls it over his head.

current advice about cot quilts is not until baby is a year old, and advice about buimpers is not to use them at all, but if you do it has to be removed by the time baby can sit up or pull himself up, usually 6 months i think i read somewhere. so i never used either. they always match, but what's the point when one's for a tiny baby and one's for a year old plus?

somebody bought me an avent new mum pack, it's a little box of miniature baby toiletries costing around £10. massage oil, liquid talc, magic cream (a soothing cream, i really like it) and i forget what else, probably body wash kind of things. that was good. i use the massage oil when he has tummy ache and the magic cream for rashes, although lane's tea tree cream is the best i've found.

congratulations, enjoy the baby

purple-smartie

My best buy was a musical baby swing, not exactly money saving at £80 but it was well worth the money when it came to making life easier. I never had to deal with a crying baby when I sat down to eat or wanted to take a nice long bath.

I only dressed mine in baby grows if I was staying home and just put outfits on if we was visiting someones house. You can usually put baby grows in the same wash so saves doing lots of different loads of colourful tops, pants etc plus easy to put all in one coats over if you just need to nip out to the shop.

I also bought lots of scratch mittens as all mine pulled thier faces to pieces in the first couple of weeks.

Congratulations and happy baby shopping

jellyhead

my swing was a good buy too, i got it second hand from the paper, it was in new condition, only used for one baby and has now been passed on.

pdoff

bibs, bibs & more bibs! facecloths & old towels for mopping up sick / putting under baby when changing (mats are cold & towel absorbs accidents - if u have a boy cover his willy - he will wee when exposed! the cheap changing mat we got for ds1 lasted till he was 3 (was on bathroom floor for after bath) but the cheap one for ds2 (nearly 5 months) from the same place (wilkinsons) was destroyed in weeks! haven't bothered with another as travel one in free huggies bag from boots parenting club is fine when covered with old towel.
vests & sleepsuits - can't be bothered with anything more complicated. if people buy clothes in advance check the season - friend bought tshirt & shorts set in 3-6 months size. i think not!
orthodontic dummies from home bargains. keyrings with spiral thread on to clip dummy / taggy / toy to pushchair when out. big panic if they drop bedtime bunny (in ds1s case!) or whatever & don't realise straight away!!! not for use in bed obviously.
cot. sleeping bags - spare in case of sick or leaky nappy.
we have loads of snowsuits but rarely use cos if in car seat i put him on blanket, straps hold it round head like hood then i wrap it round. easily removed without waking baby when u get inside. we have £99 graco travel system so no need to move him from car seat to pushchair - much better than with ds1 who woke when u touched him then screamed for ages! coats for babies are pointless imo as legs get cold, unless in pushchair cosytoes.
both boys not keen on baby sling so hardly used. borrow 1 first to see if baby likes it!
bouncy chair also good for when 1st weaning as they can't sit in highchair properly. ours vibrates etc but ds1 hated it. didnt bother putting batteries in for ds2!
we use shaped terry nappies with velcro during day - seconds from ebay - new but the odd dodgy seam - work just as well. cheap boots plastic pants on top. disposables on night though as otherwise would have to change him a lot more - he wees a lot!
don't buy nappy cream - u get trial pot of sudocrem in bounty pack i think & it lasts years as u don't need much.
oh, neither of mine kept scratch mitts on so we use socks instead.
i hated cotton wool for wiping as i got frustrated with smeared poo so i use either wipes or bits of fleece - buy a metre for £3 & cut it up - also doubles as nappy soakers.
bottles & steriliser if bottle feeding, breast pads if breast feeding (take spare top out in changing bag for when / if u leak aswell.)
ready prepatred food in freezer cos u won't want to cook for a while! people to do housework 4 u. sign for door saying please do not disturb, mum & baby sleeping.
think that's it!
most of all enjoy it, they grow so fast. & if u feel down & like u r a bad mum remember u r not & chat to health visitor or gp before pnd takes a hold.

hollydays

Thanks for the reply to my post-have read the other one too.Going to buy her a whole crate of cotton wool from toys r us, and just bought 2 packs of 10 bibs from Ethel Austin fore £3 per pack (dont know if they have this cheap clothing chain everywhere),going to take her shopping soon, stock up freezer with easy to prepare foods.Still looking for a 1 tog sleeping bag(baby due May?) ok?Found a factory shop that sells cheap fitted sheets and those little baby towels with the hood.And as someone suggeste got a pack of 10 white flannels from ikea £3.oo instead of muslin squares.Couldnt believe how much more expensive Mothercare was. oh and ikea baby bath £4.50 . Also due to the new dept of health advice re making up infant formula- a thermos flask has been essential,as have varios temperatue gauges.Cheers thanks everyone.

jellyhead

this is the sleeping bag i bought for my baby (born july) http://www.redoute.co.uk/redouteuk/sBoutique/1,1170,,00.html

maybe other posters can find cheaper ones. i think redoute have offers for new customers, it's a catalogue company.

pozalina

DH and I are planning to start trying for a baby in the near future, and want to get our finacnces in order. We have a grand saved to buy initial items, but I want to know how much extra it will cost us a month once baby arrives, so I can start putting that away now.

I know it will vary according to how MSE we are, but a ballpark figure would be nice.

Soooo... what do *you* spend?

Ta,

P.