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

nevada_2

hi make sure that you apply for a surestart grant before the baby is 3 months old this could be up to £500 depending on your cicumstances and comes in very handy to buy baby items

hope this is useful you can get the form on the inland revenue site

Savvy_Sue

godric wrote:

May I add my congratulations to the list. However, having scanned the list of replies it seems that people have missed the most important things you will need, all of which come for free.

Sense of humour
Stamina
The ability to multitask (x10)
Loss of all sense of shame or embarrassment (Hopefully get your own back when they grow)
Selective hearing (listen out for cries, but ignore the constant chant of their favourite song)

I am sure other parents can add to the list.

The ability to convince them that you really do have eyes in the back of your head.
Willing to be cruel to be kind, especially as they get older.

And to add to the list, I had my boys in nighties to begin with, especially the eldest, as he was summer born and didn't get cold feet, and it was easier to change a nappy if you didn't have to faff about with getting legs in and out of a babygrow with 60 poppers! I think I used them less for the younger two, because by the time they were born, I was taking the eldest to nursery / school, and while no-one knows if a babygrow has been worn all night or not (ie have you had time to dress baby?), a nightie is a bit of a give-away! Although why anyone should care about this I'm not sure, but we have some pride!

And on the subject of disturbing things I've done to my boys, the middle one WOULD NOT keep shoes and socks on as a toddler, even in winter, and his feet were perpetually blue, until my friend suggested I put him in tights under his trousers. She gave me some of her daughter's castoffs for me, I avoided the lacy white ones but red and blue worked well ...

The youngest had to have mittens tied on in winter, as well, because he wouldn't keep them on when we were out and then howled because his hands were cold. It's astonishing they've still got all their fingers and toes!

bylromarha

Jess_B wrote:

I want to use washable nappies and like the BambioMio ones, which I have found are the cheapest. Our CC give us £25 back so even cheaper!

NO NO NO, not Bambinos

We bought them before our boy was born and they have been quite an expensive mistake for us as they leak, crack and are a royal pain in the backside for both boy and us!

If your CC is giving you money back, then they must be looking to promote reusables, hence they'll have something called nappicinos...basically a chance to look at lots of different sorts of reuseable nappies.

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/3B47EAF7A71879CE80256E2B0033F1BF

I was getting so frustrated with my Bambinos, I went to one of these things last week and was so impressed with the range on offer...I got duped by the pregnancy mags that bambinos were great due to the Mother + Baby, Prima Baby awards on the ads that I thought they must be good. But for the fit on my baby, they suck! The woman running the meeting said I was one of many to complain about my Bambinos. I didn't realise they huge amount of choice out there.

If I were you, I would go to one of these meetings (if they have one near you) to choose which sort of system you'd prefer, then the type of nappy within that system as there are a wide range...and go from there.

And for those of you who do successfully use Bambinos...I'm pleased for you, but they really are not too good in this house.

jellyhead

i'm glad i got my steriliser beforehand, i kept it wrapped in case i wanted to return it, i had planned to breastfeed and i hate dummies. it hasn't worked out that way though and i'm using a pump to express milk and then feed it to him in bottles. so i'm sterilising the bottles and pump all the time, am also using milk savers, i'm not sure what they're called, i was in a daze when i bought them but it's basically a drip tray for the breast you're not feeding/pumping from - others might use breast pads to catch the drips but i have a pitiful milk supply so the drip tray makes a big difference to the amout of milk he gets. i also sent my husband out to buy nipple shields, they needed sterilising. they didn't work either, but it was good to have the steriliser at home, i wasn't up to shopping and my husband would have been flustered if i'd sent him to buy it - he might have got one too big for our microwave, or a steam one (we're going on holiday when baby is 4 weeks old so we need the one that also takes tablets) or worse still not spent up to the £25 in boots for the 500 points, or got a total spend voucher from the machine :eek:

baby likes dummies too, by day 4 i thought he would suck his thumb off, you could hear his thumb sucking throughout the house, it sounded like little shop of horrors :rotfl: i hadn't bought dummies but had the freebie one from mam, not sure where the thread is about that. i was advised it's better to suck a dummy than a thumb, so am sterilising dummies now too. later on the teethers will need sterilising, and some stuff during early weaning too.

Jess_B

Thanks for the tip on BambioMio nappies, we live near Rugby although not under Wawrickshire CC so I will check out one of there coffee mornings nearer the time. We are also hoping to go to the baby show in October so we can have a good look round then and decide.

Jellyhead - hope you are all doing well, what did you buy before the birth that you have found you couldn't live without and what doo you think has been a waste of money? Also noted the time of your post, I am not looking forward to the sleepless nights I like my sleep!!

sastrugi_2

I presume that most people know about freecycle,org? Apologies if this has been written about before but I am personally amazed and so so wish I had known about it before when my boys were young. In fact though I have acquired toys for them recently. This is a website specific to your local area where people post messages about items they no longer want and need or you can ask for things too. People even post messages to borrow things too.

This started in America as a result of people not wishing to send things to the landfill and it is now operating all over the world. There is likely to be a freecycle in your area (mine is freecyclebrighton) and if there isnt one you could always start it!!

In essence you get the most amazing items for nothing (apart from collection costs). My first acquisition was a gameboy that the owner delivered to our door whilst walking his dog. I have even obtained a crosstrainer (still featured in the current Argos catalogue) that was delivered to my door and put together by the owner for me!! If freecycle.org has been written about already then apols - but it is amazing - I have a brand new composter in my garden, a new bunk bed in the boys bedroom etc check it out for baby stuff. I recently collected a 3-in-1 pushchair for someone (I really wanted one when the boys were young but it was far too expensive even secondhand) and I am so impressed by peoples generosity to give away items that are hundreds of pounds worth than they could sell.

check it out at http://freecycle.org/
this really is something that saves you money!!!!!

jo_b_2

Make the most of all the freebies that you can claim while you are pregnant!

Pregnancy and Baby Freebies HERE

I borrowed a moses basket. They are only in use for a couple of months so it is a shame to spend a lot of money on one.

Found the baby carrier that I had bought was useless and my son hated it. Wish we'd waited until after the birth to test them out!

If you breastfeed, you could manage without a steriliser (old-fashioned boil sterilising or using milton) but a microwave steriliser is a lot more convenient.

Other tips...Don't buy nursing bras too early (leave it as late as you can in your pregnancy) and don't buy too many in one size to start with, as you may find that your bra size fluctuates quite a lot during the first few months of breastfeeding.

Most importantly, enjoy being pregnant and make the most of those precious first moments with your newborn. I am so envious!

Take care. Jo.

competitionscafe

My sister is pregnant, so i have been doing a little web research for possible presents - if you sign up for the mailing lists / email newsletters of each company they will let you know when their sales are on - you can pick up loads of stuff at half price.

Ones that looked good include:

http://www.globalkids.co.uk/default.asp
http://www.tinysprout.co.uk/
http://www.freerangekids.co.uk/
http://www.cut4cloth.co.uk/
http://www.baby-o.co.uk/index.asp
http://www.treehuggermums.co.uk/shop/home.php
http://www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk/acatalog/T_Shirts.html
http://www.naturalnursery.co.uk/Specialoffers.html
http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/index.php?cName=mother-baby-child-all-baby-products
http://www.gossypium.co.uk/
http://www.hug.co.uk/
http://www.littlebluedog.co.uk/shop.htm
http://www.romperstomper.co.uk/acatalog/index.html
http://www.angelpie.net/search_cat.asp?category=2&title=SLOGAN%20T-SHIRTS
http://www.dribblefactory.co.uk/home.htm
http://www.nappyhead.co.uk/
http://www.babykind.co.uk/babykindbabyshoes.htm
http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/product_info.php?pName=organic-cotton-booties http://www.funkyfeetfashions.co.uk/
http://www.santoro.co.uk/online/index.php?action=item&id=968&prevaction=category&previd=5&prevstart=0

Philips Bath and Room Thermometer £12.95
http://www.johnlewis.com/Shopping/Product.aspx?type=SKU&Id=230200534

http://www.alotoforganics.co.uk/cats/baby.php
http://www.ohbabylondon.com/shop/styles.asp
http://www.bynature.co.uk

Babies for Beginners book £5.59 [or £5.49 Delivered at Play.com ]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0954391438/

http://www.tattybumpkin.com/shop_home.htm
http://www.seesawnappies.co.uk/

Hope this helps!

JULIE

Id just like to give my 1 pence worth.... on startin out...forget baby wipes just use good old cotton wool balls and water... much cheaper and no pongy wipes on baby's pure little bottom..... obviously once weaning starts you will need to reassess as the wiping will just become slimy smearing... i took advantage of the free avent food pots... i fill one with cotton wool and stack it in another one for water for when we're popping out although if we're out all day.. say the beach then yes i use wipes then.
Im a 3rd time mum and so many of my first time mum friends have got all these new fangled things which quite frankly are big waste of time...bumbo... to sit the baby in once it can hold its head up...WHY...a bath that looks like a tall bowl..useless for bigger babies plus they can't splash properly, wheres the fun in that!! silly vibrating chairs with god knows how many noise settings... poor child.. it'll think its been at a theme park. forget loads of noisy toys..the thing babies like best is mum's voice and the human face.. so sing lots of rhymes and songs plus pop to the local primary school's fayres where you can pick up board books to read..we came home with 9 which i disinfected they were 5p each.... good luck

jellyhead

i haven't bought any of the gubbins you describe, but i have heard those tall bucket baths are really good for tummy pains/colic in newborns. might last until baby can go in the big bath, i'm getting a bath seat thing (either sponge from tesco or plastic from babiesrus) for when i put him in the big bath, one of the hands free ones you can put them on from birth and have your hands free to wash the baby. i had one with my last baby and it was fab, although they do also like a bit of swimming around being held by you too.

jess, i found out with my last one that anything with lights, vibrations, music was a waste of money, he hated it all with a passion until he was at least 18 months by which time he liked v-tech type things, not cot mobiles, swings, chairs etc. this time around we got a swing second hand but it has the option of not having lights or music. last time i also bought lots of high maintenance clothes with prints, fiddly pockets etc. that needed ironing. my baby had colic all the time, only slept for 4 hours out of 24 and screamed the rest of the time so i was lucky if i got to eat and drink let alone iron anything. vests and babygrows (then joggers, t-shirts when older) that don't need ironing after drying are so much easier! hopefully nobody else will have such a high maintenance baby though lol! i can't think of anything else really, i only had 3 hours sleep last night.