what to buy/avoid buying for a baby

[nappyaddict]

i wish someone had told me the golden list when i was pregnant so here goes .. well my version anyway. feel free to add your own items!!

things i couldn't live without:

WIPE CLEAN changing mat
sling
bouncer (one with the sturdier legs as opposed to the thin wire legs as they grow out of those quite quickly because the material droops with the weight and they end up virtually on the floor!!)
baby gym
pushchair with a carrycot
swinging crib
cot bed
v cushion
push along walker
lots of stair gates to make huge play pens
booster high chair seat
baby cutlery that changes colour when the right temperature
doidy cup
avent magic cup/tommee tippee easiflow cup/normal sippy cup but take valve out
insect net for cot/pram
fire guard
always fancied one of those dream movers when pregnant, but they are soooo expensive!!
travel sleeping bags
swaddle blankets
lots and lots of cot sheets and blankets
cot bumper (to stop baby getting stuck between bars!!)
dreamshow thingy
cot mobile
walkabout baby monitor with room thermometer and talk back so you can ask dp to bring you things when he has gone upstairs to check on baby!!ones that play lullabys are quite good too.
respisense breathing monitor (but i am over cautious cos my brother died of SADs)
dimmer switch - have you tried to put a sleeping baby to bed in the pitch black and you cant put the light on cos its brighter than blackpool illuminations?
books - to tilt the cot when baby has a cold
sleepcurve mattress
vicks vaporiser
tomy aromatherapy soother - found this great for calming ds down before bed.
prince lionheart slumber bear
top and tail bowl
nappy stacker, cot tidy helps save space in drawers and wardrobes.
fisher price cot piano and various cot toys keep
my ds amused in the morning when i want to get things done upstairs
nice toy boxes you don't mind being on show in your living room
drawer tidy for keeping little socks and hats and gloves etc in
net for washing machine for above items
car blinds if your car doesn't have them built in
UV sun shade
pram/car seat toys
day to night bottle warmer
cool bag for bottles and ice packs(an ordinary one will do)
electric breast pump if breast feeding
bottle brush, rack for drying bottles on, silicone orthodontic variable flow teats if bottle feading
dummies if using them, with covers (the silicone ones last longest and the flat teats are best)
tiny scratch mitts
bootees so socks don't fall off
snow suits
changing bag (and don't forget the obligatory carrier bag for all the wet bibs and clothes you will collect)
vegetable steamer
ear thermometer (i have the nurofen one that plays music)
comb if your baby has masses of hair like mine (i just use an ordinary one for 15p as opposed to some stupidly priced baby one. wouldn't bother with a brush as babies hair is generally too fine)
cotton wool
baby bath, baby shampoo, drapolene nappy cream
bath thermometer

things not to bother with :

don't bother with the matching nursery furniture and wallpaper. just buy ordinary chest of drawers, wardrobe, bedside table etc, paint the walls in whatever colour you fancy and buy accessories to make it look nice for a baby, then change accessories as child grows up - does anyone like decorating? much easier this way!!
pram/moses basket sheets - just use normal ones
baby toiletries other than the 2 mentioned above
anything that is meant to stick on to a high chair
blender - do baby led weaning
sun parasol
changing table
baby bath
bath support
moses basket
cat net
electric swing
baby walker, exersaucer, door bouncer
play nest
play pen
proper high chair
baby toiletry box
baby scissors
buying a standard sized cot - mine wriggled so much it wasn't big enough after a few months!

sorry this was meant to be a short list but i kept thinking of things to add. hope this helps at least a few of you out there!

[nappyaddict]

oh another thing i love is those all in one rain suits.

[foundintranslation]

Sorry about your brother nappyaddict.

Bottle warmer, bath thermometer (just stick your elbow in), alkers and bouncers not necessary IMHO. A sling, OTOH, is a real essential. We have always had ds in a warm sleeping bag rather than putting cot blankets over him. We didn't use any toiletries whatsoever on ds until he was a year - just water - and now use an all in one mild soap/shampoo.
Doesn't the sun shine where you are ? I've found a parasol really useful.

[SophieB]

I dont know if this may help but for my son i didnt buy any bouncy chair etc i brought a bean bag, its perfect because it molds around them and he feels safer in that than he does in a baby chair a friend brought him!

[CornflakeKid]

LOL - that must have taken ages! nose sucker (nasal aspirator) to suck snot out of their nose when too little to blow is a must!

Could live without top and tail bowl, monitor, baby bath and pet hates are nappy sacks and disposable wipes (cloth nappy person view!)

I like the idea about not buying carrycot sheets - thanks!

[nappyaddict]

nope i just find the uv net one better than a parasol. with the parasols you turn a corner and its all in the wrong position!! baby monitor i need cos ds doesn't really cry he just whimpers and i can't even hear him in the next room!! i agree bath thermometer not necessary but i was a neurotic 1st time mum and was convinced i would burn his delicate skin at first. i use the microwave in the daytime for bottles, but the day to night one is great for those cold winter night when you really don't want to have to trek downstairs! oooh i like the bean bag idea though thanks for that one!! and the sucker thing i've got one but can never figure out how to use it. anyone wanna give me a hand with that?
it did take ages, but i've not been sleeping recently so it gave me something to do lol.

[cece]

Interesting list. It just shows though how everyone is different. Some of your essentials I didn't use and vice versa!

[CornflakeKid]

simply works like a baster! Squeeze, stick up blocked nostril - let go - snot into ball bit - squeeze into tissue! You could sterilise it if you wanted to - but I never have bleuuurrghhh!

[nappyaddict]

ahh i was squeezing when it was in the nostril - thanks!! i've heard some mums physcially suck it out errrgh!!

[DizzyBint]

didn't bother with bedding, just got 2 fitted bottom sheets and 2 sleeping bags.

i got a sterilser but then found didn't need it, dishwasher does the job.

i got lots of bottles, dd wouldn't take any of them, got a doidy cup instead.

[tassis]

guess it's really subjective because I loved about half of what's on nappyaddicts list of things to avoid

[soph28]

what's baby led weaning? (interested because my dd is almost 17 weeks and I can't be bothered pureeing loads of fruit and veg ATM- was planning on waiting a bit longer.

[LIZS]

Blimey , my kids were very deprived by your list's standards, nappyaddict ! Somehow we managed Agree with much of your Don't Bother list except we had moses basket not a crib, used a standard cot until 2yrs plus and were given a changing table for dd.

[lazyemma]

jesus christ. Nappyaddict's list is the single most terrifying thing I've read since I got up the duff 18 weeks ago.

[shazronnie]

Don't buy a changing table - just buy something like this to save space.

Mine was great to save my back - and once they were too wriggly I didn't have a huge piece of useless furniture!

[BIGlilBUBU]

I bought a baby bath and never used it. I found the sink was easier.
I agree that parasols are rubbish. I needed mine in the summer but it never stayed in the right place. The sun would still shine directly in ds face. Maybe I just bought a crap one though.
I found my babybjorn bouncer so useful. From when ds was 3months old untill he started crawling he would sit in it for ages. He napped in it, when I first started weaning him id feed him in it. I couldnt have done without it.
I agree with the moses basket thing. Ds grew out of it by 4 and a half months, but his cot doesn't fit in my room so he just slept in my bed untill he was ready to go in his own room. Wish i'd just bought a crib instead.

[bubbaloo]

I love my changing table and am still using it 18 months on,but the best thing we ever bought has to be the Fisher Price aquarium swing-ds loved it and it's up in the loft all ready for the new baby to use.The moses basket was definately a waste of money as ds only slept in it for 2 weeks,then stayed in the travel cot in our room for a few months,before going into his proper cot.

[cece]

No changing table or mat here - used to change them on my lap

still using my baby scissors though and used the play next we had loads

[nappyaddict]

baby led weaning is where you wait till they are old enough to sit up amd put finger foods in their mouth by themselves usually between 6 and 8 months.

i no a lot of list isn't necessary, but they definitely helped make life a lot easier!! maybe i should have done a things that are necesarry section and a things that made everything much easier but you can get by easily without them list!! oh well i'm not doing it again!!

[CornflakeKid]

thanks shazronnie - been looking for one of those!

[divamummy]

lots of muslin squares they are great

[Gemmasmummy]

I wouldn't buy a baby bath, use the kitchen sink instead. A moses basket isn't strictly necessary as you can use the cot from day 1. If you do have a moses basket, don't buy special sheets - put the mattress inside a pillowcase instead. If you have any spare single flat sheets, cut them in half and hem the raw edges to make cot sheets. Single flat sheets can often be cheaper than cot sheets and you get 2 for the price of 1! If you use washable nappies, make your own wipes from cheap face flannels or tea towels cut into 8 and wash them with the nappies. Don't buy a top and tail bowl, any plastic bowl will do. Don't buy cotton wool balls, buy a roll and make your own balls. I didn't bother with a baby monitor. Don't buy a special changing table, use the top of a large chest of drawers or the floor. Avoid pink or blue newborn and 0-3 months clothes, then you can use them again if you have another baby of the opposite sex. Buy only white bodysuits for the same reason. A bottle warmer isn't necessary, you can heat bottles up in a pyrex jug or mixing bowl full of water. When you go out, take a thermos of hot water and a bowl big enough to put the bottle in. Hope that helps!

[Gemmasmummy]

I wouldn't buy a baby bath, use the kitchen sink instead. A moses basket isn't strictly necessary as you can use the cot from day 1. If you do have a moses basket, don't buy special sheets - put the mattress inside a pillowcase instead. If you have any spare single flat sheets, cut them in half and hem the raw edges to make cot sheets. Single flat sheets can often be cheaper than cot sheets and you get 2 for the price of 1! If you use washable nappies, make your own wipes from cheap face flannels or tea towels cut into 8 and wash them with the nappies. Don't buy a top and tail bowl, any plastic bowl will do. Don't buy cotton wool balls, buy a roll and make your own balls. I didn't bother with a baby monitor. Don't buy a special changing table, use the top of a large chest of drawers or the floor. Avoid pink or blue newborn and 0-3 months clothes, then you can use them again if you have another baby of the opposite sex. Buy only white bodysuits for the same reason. A bottle warmer isn't necessary, you can heat bottles up in a pyrex jug or mixing bowl full of water. When you go out, take a thermos of hot water and a bowl big enough to put the bottle in. Hope that helps!

[DebbsyandBibby]

what a brilliant thread thanks

[munz]

lol@ gem ah we went a bit poooosh then! we brought the boy his very own washing up bowl! lol - was fab can go in front of the fire to keep him warm! lol. he didn't know any better then straight into the big bath at 9 weeks

don;t get a pump till after you've had baby I got one b4 and ended up getting an electric one - sooo much better than the hand pumps. get loads and loads of pads materniyt and boobs. erm, abby towels are v cute yes but we only used them for about 3 weeks and then went to normal ones. got the sheets etc. also got bigger blankets for his cot and used them on his crib - just left them dangaling/scrunched up at the end saved buying 2 lots.

DO NOT buy the baby sleep suits which have bottons on the back - v v impratical for a NB ok from about 3/4 months thou. even thou they look sooo cute.

[Rookiemum]

Don't spend loads of money on nursing bras/tops until baby actually arrives.

I spent a shed load on nice maternity bras as they were the first semi decent pieces of underwear I had owned for months only to give up breast feeding after a week due to problems.

Oh well maybe I will get to use them next time, if there is a next time.