I went pram shopping today- so overwhelming!

[Izzy82]

So, I have refused to do any baby shopping so far as I am only 20 weeks. today was my first ever venture into Mothercare. Have you seen how many different types of pram/ carry cot/ push chair combinations you can get- and I saw a pram for £1200!!! Seriously - I could get a second hand car for that! And don't get me started on sleeping arrangements for baby! There's about 12 different varieties of things to put baby in! How on earth are you meant to know what you need to buy and what is a load of marketing nonsense. I wish someone would give me a list!!!!!

[Rockchick1984]

You need to decide what is important for you on everything, so for the pram do u walk everywhere, do u need to fold it to put it in the car a lot, do you need to take it on public transport? Do you want baby facing you or are you not bothered? Etc. There's no one best choice, depends entirely on what you need. Same with sleeping - it's recommended you have baby sleep in your room for 6 months so you need something that fits in your room, and you need something that will last until baby is 2/3 and can go into a bed - you can start with a cotbed that does it all, or can have something smaller to start with.

[Matildasmam22]

I got my pram and cot second hand but bought a new mattress. Some people like new but It just depends on what money you have available. I think your recommended to buy a new car seat so you know it hasn't been in an accident and new mattresses. I had mine in a Moses basket for 3 months (she was prem and tiny) and then just a cot and I had a second hand silver cross pram the old fashioned ones to nap in.

[talulahbelle]

I've hired an NCT bednest for the 1st 6 months, have a 2nd hand moses basket for downstairs, and a 2nd hand travel system. The only thing we are getting new is the car seat and mattresses.

Best thing to do - ask your friends who have babies what they recommend.

[QueenOfThorns]

We went for a crib rather than Moses basket and I found a second hand one cheap on ebay. They only need it for a few months, so it's not worth spending a fortune.

[Mrswellyboot]

I know! It's madness

We went fr a mid range travel system - carrycot, car seat, pram

Carrycot only lasted for months

We borrowed a Moses basket. I was a big, old style one and bought a new matress. Cot the cot in ikea and set up a nursery with expedit, huge chest of drawers etc.

Baby lasted in Moses basket (was a godsend and think they are worth getting and so cute!) until four months. After that we set up a travel cot in our room and moved him into nursery at five and a half months. My SIL has a cradle and I think that would last longer than a Moses.

One thing I regret is not buying a pram that will convert into a double. I have a six month old and am six weeks pregnant, it's a waste.

[Matildasmam22]

QueenOfThorns iv just been looking at cribs are they any different than Moses baskets or was it just a personal preference thanks

[Cariad007]

I hired a Bednest but wish I hadn't as 7 week old DS has had maybe 4 naps in it as he prefers to cosleep at night and naps in our arms during the day. The one thing we (or rather DP's parents) spent money on was a Babyzen Yoyo pram as we live in a first floor flat and take public transport so need something light and easy to fold.

[Scotmum83]

I went to mothercare and didn't know where to start. Mamas and papas customer service is amazing and although they had a much smaller range in store it was far easier to make a decision. They don't pressure you to buy so you can go and check prices elsewhere. They also price match which is good. Definitely recommend them.

[Heatherbell1978]

I know what you mean. I'm 22 wks and just started buying stuff now. First baby and clueless! I've spent a lot of time on the internet though and decided just to go with the number 1 rated pram on Mumsnet, the Uppababy Vista. It's not cheap but everyone seems to like it. Job done. As far as sleeping goes, a lot of mums I know had babies that didn't like the Moses basket and ended up shoving their cot against their bed for first 6 months. So I've gone for Chicco Next to Me crib so I can do that. Then will get a cot bed too for when he's a wee bit older. I'm lucky in that I have a decent budget for baby stuff but trust me, if you just spend some time googling everything, you'll get some good advice and find some cheaper options!

[WhatsTheWordHummingbird]

Try John Lewis - so so helpful!

[QueenOfThorns]

matildasmam, the main reason I went for a crib was that I thought it would be easier to clean than a Moses basket (because it was second hand). However, the added bonus is that while all her friends of the same age are growing out of their baskets, DD still has room in her crib (she's 12 weeks, so needs to be in it for a while yet).

On the other hand, a Moses basket is easier to carry about the house, but if you have a decent pram for day sleeps downstairs, it doesn't matter if the crib stays in the bedroom.

[Writerwannabe83]

I remember this trauma!! There is actually a forum on MN that is dedicated to pushchairs so I headed over there for advice and ended up even more confused that I'd been before I was also totally go smacked at the price of some of them - just ridiculous.

Me and DH got our travel system (pram/pushchair/car seat) of eBay. It had never been used and I got it for about £250 cheaper than it was in the shops.

In terms of sleeping we have a Moses Basket and a crib. Baby wasn't fond of the Crib and to be fair, it was probably too big for him when he was first born, he just looked lost in it and probably felt quite scared and vulnerable. As a result we changed over to the Moses Basket and he was much happier. He's 3 weeks old now and is still in the Moses Basket but at the rate he's growing he'll be out of it in a month I reckon and then we'll bring out the crib again which will be much more size appropriate for him.

Have you got a Kiddicare near you?? Me and DH got all our baby stuff from there - it's brilliant!! I was like a kid in a sweet shop!!

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Baby in your bed, and buy a sling...simples :)

[GoooRooo]

When I was pregnant I went to a large Mothercare at about 20 weeks pregnant. I walked in and walked straight out again. There is a RIDICULOUS amount of choice. I felt quite tearful about it.

In the end I made a list of everything I wanted in a pram and then searched online, looked at reviews, and then bought one second hand. It was brilliant and I've never regretted my choice.

I had a moses basket given to us and we used that.

When we bought our kitchen from Ikea they gave us £200 vouchers so that paid for the cot and changing table.

[Alb1]

I could have written this myself, my latest major confusion - car seats, why is it so confusing? Every time we go to buy somethin we leave empty handed and have to buy online later cos it's so overwhelming

[DGLLB]

We brought a Moses basket for our first she was in it for 6 weeks.....brought a swinging crib for our second he was a bigger baby but lasted him 6 months! Currently pregnant with dc3 & defiantly getting another crib

[Matildasmam22]

Think I'm leaning towards a crib if fingers crossed this one comes on time. I'm due end if October but we are planing for August just in case. Lucky I still have most my lo's old stuff so just new mattresses and a crib too buy.

[Dovetale]

I remember the fear of the first trip to mother care!

I have a fifteen month old and if I were doing it again this is what I would do:

Buggy - Babystyle Oyster, we went for the Mamas & Pappas Zoom, it's fine but every time I am out with my friend I envy her Oyster, it's more compact, has an inbuilt sunshade, better newborn support liner, better footmuff.

Sleep - Bed nest, hire from NCT. We had a moses basket, our whole NCT group emailed within days saying the baby will only sleep on me and hates the moses basket. Some of them went for the best nest and swore it made life better.

Sling Kari Me sling for the hospital, I was too tired to hold her and she cried every time I put her down, next time I will put the baby in the sling and go to sleep sitting up. (My friend tied her baby to her with her dressing gown cord!) Later on Ergo Baby, I love mine, started off with a borrowed Baby Bjorn, everyone I know who used the baby bjorn said they got really bad back pain.

Swaddling Some babies love it, some hate it, my friend swore this was much better than the ones that keep their arms by their sides - Love to Dream Swaddle.

Changing Bag Skip Hop Pronto changing station, this was recommended by our brother in law and it's so useful. You don't need a proper changing bag, I have a backpack. (think you can also get a free changing matt with the boots bounty bag)

Celular Blankets Only if you have a tumble dryer otherwise they go hard and scratchy, we replaced all ours with fleece ones.

Earplugs Seriously! Buy a big pack from Ebay, use them in the hospital, when you're trying to nap in the day when someone else takes the baby for you, when the baby is screaming to take the edge of so you can think clearly.

These are the things that would have made my life easier at the start, hope this helps.

[RiverTam]

these were my requirements:

1. had to be narrow to fit in narrow hallway and also on bus/tube/train
   
2. Had to have parent-facing option
   
3. Had to be suitable from birth
   
4. had to collapse small enough to fit in tiny boot of car
   
5. Had to have adjustable handles as I'm short with a bad back
   
6. had to be a travel system, though in fact we only used the car seat bit once or twice so could have forgone that one
   

got a Bugaboo Bee. Nothing else ticked all my boxes. One think that I didn't think about but was very handy is a buggy with a single handle is much easier once you have a toddler who is in and out of the buggy - pushing a single-handle buggy with one hand is much easier.

[Minions]

Which online is helpful - articles, reviews and best buys. I used that to work out what I need and best one to get. I think you can get a month long trial of their online site for £1

[Iwillorderthefood]

I was taken in by bugaboo (long time ago now) had the frog (precursor to a chameleon), it was great when the baby was small, but both times my children were out of it by 2 years old as it was too wide to fit down a bus, too heavy, a pain to get in the car as it folds in two separate parts and it kep getting punctures. We ended up with a maclaren, that suited us for the last year and a bit more. We got rid of our bugaboo, then lo and behold I am pregnant with DC3. So have had to go back to the drawing board. We went for a silver cross reflex, as it can be parent facing for the first six months, and can take a car seat (unfortunately just one silver cross style one). To be parent facing it needs a baby set to convert it, and this currently does not include a raincover, as they do not appear to have made one for it yet (which is silly). I have a raincover that will do for the time. However, the pram will then go forward facing, and looks as practical as a maclaren, am hoping we will get away with just having the one pram this time.

Look at what you need and not what manufacturers say you need if you see what I mean.

[FancySpaceGloves]

I bought a cheap pram off eBay that I thought was perfect for us. Turns out it was all wrong for us, which was great.

Huh? Because after 6 weeks using it, I had worked out what I really really needed:

• easy to put up / down (none required a degree in brain surgery but sleep deprivation does terrible things to me),
  
• can be carried up steps with baby in it if no-one available to help (I am unusually strong but many prams are unwieldy and I took the train a lot when I felt unsafe to drive due to sleep deprivation),
  
• lots of space for shopping,
  
• fitted between the bottom of my stairs and the front door without blocking anything,
  
• wheels that don't get jammed by leaves and mud too easily,
  
• adjustable height handles (I am taller than average, we spent a surprising amount of time walking outdoors because it helped him sleep and it helped me stay sane and DH is tall too),
  
• tight turning circle (shops!),
  
• easy clean upholstery,
  
• colour/style to my taste (shallow I know but the pram was a giant accessory and I didn't anticipate how much it would matter to me).
  

Didn't care about matching cosy toes, drinks holders, parasols, click in car seats (DS1 hated car seats), totally lie flat (DS1 had reflux and preferred to be slightly upright), suspension, face the parent option (turns out other people/dogs/pigeons/bin men/clouds are more interesting) .

We reBayed the pram and bought ourselves a nice new one from John Lewis which served us well for 3 DC and was never regretted.

[januaryJump]

Like others have said, think about what your needs are and then also consider your wants. Once you have an idea of those you can quickly start to narrow down your search. With your list you can ask on MN, friends, Google to get recommendations that meet it.

When pg with DC1 it went a bit like this:

Pushchair Had to feel sturdy/well built, we were surprised by the number of ones we saw that seemed to wobble and creak a lot, even expensive models. Also had to be light (under 10kg), easy to fold, birth to infant, suitable for city walking and public transport. I liked a parent facing option and high up pram, but those were in the want bracket. We went for the BJCM as it met all of our needs perfectly, we got the deluxe carrycot as a want because the chair is suitable from birth but the carrycot is lovely and high and faced me, so that was how I satisfied my preferences. Tbh I have my moments when I see a Joolz and think, "Ooh, it looks nice!" but it would be so impractical for us, whereas the BJCM has been great. We live upstairs with no lift hence it's essential to have a light and easily folded pushchair butI just I wasn't keen on Maclaren from birth (purely aesthetic preference!).

Cot Considered a cotbed but couldn't actually fit one in our bedroom. Wanted something practical that would go at least 6-12mo so cribs and moses baskets were out. American friend told us about Pack n Plays - perfect size, can be travel cot, very light and easy to move, raised bassinet for newborn to around 4mo, changing table attachment, vibration and music (whih really helped for refluxy DS), folds for storage... about £80 on Amazon! Brilliant, friends and family all now think it's great, we used it until DS was about 15mo, it says it can be used until 3yo but I'm now pg with DC2 and want to use it with this one, so we wanted to make sure DS would be settled a new bed long before baby gets here. He's just gone into a cotbed that apparently can be used until 6yo, we will take the bars off when he's around 3yo or starts climbing out, whichever comes first! For our bedroom, an average sized double, the Pack n Play is a good fit but still big enough for a growing baby. DS is in his own room, a single, and tge cotbed fits very nicely in there.

We don't drive so travel systems and car seats weren't important to us though we have the option of clipping a carseat into the BJCM as the adaptors are the same as for the carrycot. We borrowed a friend's Maxi Cosi to come home from the hospital whivh we'll do again this time. I also found that I used a carrier much more than I expected so we're buying a better one now that we know more anout them. See the Talk product boards for more info on things like buggy makes.

And congrats!

[summerbaby2014]

I second the John Lewis tip. They are really useful, book an appointment with their nursery advisor and they will take you round and explain everything. There's no obligation to buy