What to buy in prep for newborn and from where?

[firstimer30s]

Baby due soon... What should I buy? (e.g. clothes, nappies etc) and where from? Any good, not crazy expensive places recommended for comfy newborn clothes?
Thanks!

[crabwoman]

What do you have already? Assuming you already have all the hardware (cot, pram, car seat etc.), then I'd get just the very basics.
Nappies are very much trial and error in my opinion. You may need to try different brands, sizes before you find one you like. Unfortunately this will change all the time as baby grows, so I never stocked up too much as I personally found it to be false economy. I have a few small bags from different brands to try.

Clothing wise, I would advise against buying tons of newborn stuff, as dd1 was in 3-6months pretty quickly.
I just the bare minimum of vests and sleepsuits in first sizes. You can get these in any supermarket (but take advantage of the sales too) and they are reasonable quality. Where you buy baby clothes is down to personal budget/preferences. But please bare in mind they will be in each size for a matter of a few months (if that!)
For reference, I'm currently expecting DD2 and I have about 10 vests and 6 sleepsuits in first sizes, a couple of cardies and few hats. I do a clothes wash most days, so have never run short. Also a pram suit as I walk everywhere and live by the sea in the frozen north!
I have lots of muslin squares and blankets. That's about it!
I just buy as I need, and have access to a 24 hour supermarket for emergencies!

[smilesallround247]

I'm expecting my first and I bought the buggy/car seat from mother care in the sale. a breast pump from boots on sale. various bottles from amazon. Got given a moses basket for Christmas so just bought sheets and blankets from babys are us. I bought a pack of vests, sleep suits, mittens and gloves from asda. I'm lucky in a way that I got given plenty of vests as hand me downs. that's all I have and I think im ready!
wet wipes and baby oil from pound land! hope this helps. I just bought little things each week and when people asked what to buy me I suggest useful things like changing bag or baby bath etc.
hope this helps

[MrsPatMustard]

See if your local NCT do nearly new sales in your area. Some amazing bargains to be had.

[Rosieliveson]

I found loads of muslin essential. Had some nappy leaks so was glad to have plenty of sleep suits. They are all baby wire for first month

[TooTryHard]

A few of these. Brilliant when they're still in the frog leg/ pooing stage at night.

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-baby-bundler-white-one-size/p230591844

[firstimer30s]

Thanks! I have nothing at all right now...so need to get sorted

[firstimer30s]

Thanks for the link TooTry ... I saw this and couldn't work out what it was for!
Is this better than sleepsuit?

[Ullapull]

For clothes the only newborn size stuff we got was the mothercare "starter" set. It had a few vests, a few sleep suits, etc - more than enough as baby soon grew into the next size. Nappies yes, comfy clothes for you, somewhere for baby to sleep... Buy the bare minimum now and buy what you need when you think of it in the days/weeks post-birth. Shops will be open, and you can order online for next day delivery good luck with it all!

[KatAndKit]

I recommend supermarkets for the clothes. Just the plain vests and sleepsuits in newborn size. A couple of cardigans, a hat, and that is all you need in newborn size. I found marks and spencer to be good value for money but the primark stuff is cheaper and does the job just as well. They usually come in packs of 3 so i would say 6 sleepsuits and 9 vests. You will need the same in 0-3 size and for a winter baby a snowsuit in 0-3. Once DS was out of the newborn size i got some lovely sleepsuits from next, and they have washed very well.

you will need a sleeping place for the baby, three sheets and suitable bedding. I like the gro bags, i would get 2 in 0-6 month size. The Asda or Tesco versions are cheaper than the branded ones. Tk Maxx often have sleeping bags on sale for good prices. My baby liked to be swaddled at first so i bought a couple of blankets for that purpose. Don't waste money on the pointless cot bedding sets.

nappies is trial and error. If you are trying to keep cost down, i think the aldi ones are excellent and much cheaper than pampers. Aldi wipes are fine too.

for the car seat it is best to take your car to ensure you make the right choice. Places like kiddicare will fit the seat for you. Many people choose one which is compatible with their pushchair but this is not essential. Choosing a buggy depends very much on your budget and lifestyle. Go to somewhere like kiddicare and try out some.

you will probably want other baby items but things like bouncer and playmat don't get used at first so you can buy later. My baby preferred the cheapo Argos basic bouncing chair to the fancy vibrating one. Local Facebook pages with stuff for sale are a good way to get bargains.

[Mrswellyboot]

I wouldn't get newborn. Our lad didn't fit into them at all. 0 to 3 is small enough. I love boots newborn nappies myself.

I don't use wipes, just cotton wool.

White vests and gro's are the best. Napisan and fairy non bio are worth stocking up on

Also cellular blankets and a snowsuit and little hats H&m are great for little cute hats unisex too

[KatAndKit]

I think it depends on the baby. Mine was 8lb and he spent nearly 3 weeks in the up to 1 month size. Primark sell two sizes of newborn, the up to 10lb is a better bet than the smaller one. The 0-3 was too big for DS at first. I guess if you have a 9 pounder they can go straight into 0-3. One solution is to keep the newborn stuff in the packet so you can swap it for a bigger size if you don't end up needing it.

[TooTryHard]

I found the nighties so much better at night as they're less fiddly. Some supermarkets might have them cheaper though.

[Frenchsticker]

Unless you've been told you're having a big baby, I'd get a couple of packs of newborn vests (either sleeveless or short-sleeved, to go under sleep suits) and maybe 6 newborn sleep suits (you might find yourself washing 2 a day...) DD was 7lbs and for the first month 0-3 clothes were way too big for her. Her legs wouldn't stay in the sleep suit legs and she'd get herself all in knots.

Other than that you'll just need a lot of baby wipes and muslins. Because whenever you need a muslin, I guarantee they'll be in another room/the washing machine/lost...

They say a baby should always wear one more layer than you, so if you're wearing a t-shirt and jumper they should be wearing a vest, sleep suit and a cardigan. I'd second KatandKit, supermarkets are the best place for clothes, Mothercare are useful for decently priced packs of vests, also H&M for actual clothes (ie not sleepsuits)

Blankets are fine at first, when they start kicking around at 3 months or so then a sleeping bag is a good idea.

[ZenNudist]

Adding to the list

Baby monitor. I had a BT one. See what you can get in sales. Amazon always good for reviews.

Steriliser is useful get a cheap plug in one, saw one today £24 quality save avent. I bf but had a tommee tippee hand pump to draw off milk stopped me being so engorged, made it easier for baby to latch.

I've got maxi cosi carseat, most people I know used them. Just dusting it off for dc2 together with a cosy muff thing that zips over top & keep baby warm. Rain cover also great.

Some kind of big padded mat useful to put baby on floor. I'm using mine from birth this time as before I waited til 6m to get a bigger mat than the baby gym one, used to put a blanket on the floor for tummy time.

Blankets - nice ones in mammas & papas sales!

Ds was 9lb9. Fitted John Lewis white baby Gros nicely & they lasted ages, the sleeves fold over to little mits. Using again this time.

Buy 0-3 vests they soon grow into them. Like boots mini mode stuff.

Wait to see gender & what gifts you get before buying little outfits.

Nappies- dc2 due in 3wks, bought Aldi size 1 today, trying these after loving pampers for ds. My friend said "get em, try em,everything leaks at first" I think she's right!! Will buy pampers baby dry from amazon if I don't like Aldi ones.

Cotton wool & water at first. Prob try Aldi sensitive wipes when out & about earlier than I did with ds

Nappy sacks

Bepanthen / sudocreme

Changing bag

Johnsons top to toe wash

Cheap baby bath (supermarket? Wilkos, ikea)

Cheap top & tail bowl

Cheapish changing mat (seriously you don't need bells & whistles) try matalan boots tesco I had one on changing table & one in bathroom

Don't buy silly thin bath towels with hoods. Try and get something bit thicker a hood is handy. At least 2 of them.

Best tip someone gave me for ds was to really dry him after changing. I bought white hand towels and lots of flannels from matalan (or similar cheapy) and washed frequently. Handy for mopping up pee or throwing over him to prevent sudden waterspout! Also used hand towels after bathing as he was always peeing once cleaned!!

Don't buy any silly bedding sets or cot bumpers, they're a suffocation risk. White fitted sheets fir moses basket or crib. White cellular blankets to layer, I also love colourful cotton or fleece blankets for out & about. Make a decision about gro bag / snuggle pods when baby is here. I never got on with them & always preferred blankets.

Enough! Hth

[purplebaubles]

I would hang fire buying anything in quantity until your baby is here personally!

Our little one was only 6lb. 0-3 months swamped her. Newborn swamped her. She was in premature sized clothes. Nappies, we'd bought size 2 thinking they'd be small enough..oh how wrong we were!

She wasn't in newborn size until she was over a month old!

We're due no2, and I'll get literally a couple of newborn things and some size 1 nappies (small pack) - the only thing you really need loads of are muslins! Perfect for using instead of moses basket sheets too!

[princesscupcakemummyb]

for clothes everyone will say something different about sizes it all comes down to size of baby my ds was 6 pounds 9 and newborn swamped him i didnt buy enough newborn personally

roughly things like

6-8 babygrows
6-8 vests
2-3 hats
coat or snowsuit
mits altho they constantly fall off when their tiny

blankets check out mothercare 3 for 2 they do quite often

a bed for baby so either a moses basket crib or cot
muslins plenty of them

baby bath set you can get in mothercare for like £30
changing mat

pushchair
car seat
changing bag or a over sized handbag is fine

[Monka]

Definitely a grobag as that way you don't have to worry about baby's head gettibg covered by sheets. I ebf for the first three months and only used my breastpump three times buy one if you think you will need it (but keep receipts)!

I also bought a baby monitor which I haven't used yet as my 4 month old is in the cot next to my bed.

I bought nappies and wipes through amazon,boots and local supermarkets when they had good offers on. With clothes I bought some nice outfits from mothercare, next and mamas and papas (mainly sale) and some stuff from the supermarket. I buy for the next few sizes up in the sales so keeps costs down. Also I am now finding that my little one is outgrowing her 3-6 month sleep suits as lengthwise she is long(tall) and so have been buying more pyjamas than sleep suits to get more wear out of them. I have gratefully accepted used vests and sleep suits from family. Put spare outfits (sleepsuit and a vest) and keep in the car or your bag if you are ever away from home and baby needs complete changing.

You can buy almond oil from a health store or online and use it (as it's a more natural product and I think smells better than olive oil) onto baby's skin after a bath. I use Neal yard remedies and burts bees products on the baby but almond oil is relatively inexpensive.

It is amazing how much you think you need but once the baby is here you realise you don't need all the paraphernalia.

[purplebaubles]

..but it totally depends on the size of your baby !

My DD was unable to use grobags until she was 3 months old. She was far too tiny.

[cogitosum]

Agree it depends on size of baby. Ds is still in 0-3 now at 5 months and just beginning to move into 3-6. M&s do 0-1 month as well as newborn which we found useful.

Supermarkets are great but we found h&m fell to pieces after one wear!

In terms of non clothing the single best thing we got was a stretchy wrap sling. I barely use the pran

[firstimer30s]

Is there an age minimum for gro-bags, safety wise?

[EvenFlo]

I think there is a weight minimum for grobags, definitely get one though, my little boy is a wriggler so keeping him covered with blankets is never going to happen!

I bought most of DS's first clothes from supermarkets because it meant I had large quantities at relatively disposable prices - a godsend for those first crazy weeks.

For nappies I tried all sorts and did a blind testing with DH and amazingly the cheapest (aldi) ones have been by far the best!

My best buy without a doubt has been my tommee tippee nappy bin, it's great as it means it don't have smelly nappies in my house bin but saves regular trips to the bin.

[Bakerof3pudsxx]

I have had 3 dc and never used a muslin in my life

[MyDarlingClementine]

www.mumsnet.com/reviews/nursery/cots-cribs-cotbeds/9963-arms-reach-universal-co-sleeper-bedside-cot


If I could go back with my first and not spend a penny on any other expensive stuff....I would get this cot or one like it.

Moses for down stairs, one of these for by the bed. Its been an absolute life saver second time round. I got it second time as I had a section and did tons of research into what would help me. However with my first I had a Moses and normal delivery it was still slightly painful and awkward lifting and sitting up at night to put into it, and disturbing baby whilst transferring, this cot at the side means you can co sleep with the benefits and no negatives..sleep is the one thing in short supply when your a new mum.

when i last looked there seemed to be lots on ebay and also in local ads, I got mine for 70 i think or thereabouts.

far better money spent than on buggy systmes that cots hundreds then wont fit in your boot and so on!

Baby sales.

www.babyandchildrensmarket.co.uk/

I was at one of these and saw a lovely moses for 6 quid, he had two ( twins) and I didn't actually need one, but as I walked away he said " oh alright then, 4 quid"....they were really lovely mamas and pappas ones!

people sell all maner of equipment at these sales and much stuff is actually brand new as so much stuff is brought for baby that is never ever used!By you and realitves and friends. so these are amazing...

then tk max has good baby sleep bags...about 10 - 17 pounds for gorgeous ones...( baby sales you get them for 4 - 5 )...charity shops and so on, then as people say supermarkets...boots sale...

I would urge you to be cautious of the uber expensive buggy though...

[MyDarlingClementine]

www.mumsnet.com/reviews/nursery/cots-cribs-cotbeds/9963-arms-reach-universal-co-sleeper-bedside-cot

www.babyandchildrensmarket.co.uk/

[TooTryHard]

Most say 10lbish I think.

We got a smaller one from tkmaxx with poppers by the armpit so there was no way even a tiny baby could wriggle into it.

I've never seen them like that again but noticed the little White company still had a few innsmall size in th sale today. We ummed and aahed but decided to stick with one.