To think it's not really true when people say you don't need much for a baby?

We always found cold water sterilising with milton tablets the most convenient - but I have to say we did find it handy to have a proper sterilising tub (large capacity, secure screw on lid) to do it in - otherwise you can't use your mixing bowl for cooking and you're slopping milton water everywhere.

I used my pram about twice ,obviously we got a pushchair that the baby can lie down but the pram was impractical for me.

Everyone will have an opinion on everything you do and don’t do for the foreseeable future.

It’s not that I don’t agree with you op, but if you waste energy overthinking other people’s idiotic opinions and why they feel compelled to share then, you’ll wear yourself out.

There’s no simple, straightforward way to garner other people’s respect and good opinion, once you bring a baby into the world.
So if you have a need for approval, or are a bit of a people pleaser, use this as an opportunity to toughen up.

What the hell is that lol.

Seriously, just buy some milton tablets. 20 in a box that fits in any drawer or cupboard for like £2. You don't even need to boil the water. Just bung whatever you are sterilising in a bowl of cold water, chuck in a tablet, and it's done in 15 minutes. You can even use the water again, it stays good for 24 hours.

I got told this method is too "old school". I swear people spend all this money and go to all this faff just because it's the current "done" thing. Oh well, it's their cash and their time.

Obviously not very practical if you live in a flat - when I say pram I mean carrycot/some kind of vehicle for taking baby out for walks. I couldn't use a sling for very long as it killed my back, my babies were heavy! Carrycot is useful for baby to sleep in during the day in the lounge too.

@BarnacleBeasley - we used a changing mat on a normal chest of drawers. Used for every change for 2 years until potty trained. As we use washable nappies and wipes it was far easier to have water, dirty nappy storage all in one place. And near a bathroom sink.
So the mat at about £10 was the only bought item, the drawers we already had and became Ds clothes/ nappy/ etc storage. He uses the same drawers now years on, just donated mat

I call bullshit on this. No one has ever not needed a pram.

With our second we were about to move house and were very casual. No special towels or flannels, breastfed so no equipment needed. Plus I'm mean and would take out a wet flannel in a baggy and pack a dry one too rather than buy wipes. I remember saying to the visiting midwife 'I'm buying nothing, we're packing' while the newborn was in a carrycot on an upturned box.

Most people use a pram/carrycot though, don't they? I couldn't carry mine in a sling for very long, I'm small and had big babies & it killed my back! I used the pram every day for walks and babies slept downstairs in it for naps. Could get all my shopping underneath it too!

@x2boys Thanks
the ones I looked at were supposed to be fancy electric one, tommee tippee or similar. Over €100 and took about an hour I think!
Figured I would wait incase I couldn’t bf and needed 10+ bottle sterilised and my
midwife said just wash the bottle in hot soapy water and sterilise in hot water pan once a day ( we never used more than 1 bottle a day)

like this
https://www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/products/tommee-tippee-uv-steriliser-dryer?_pos=1&_sid=b460f873b&_ss=r
‘time saving’ apparently 🙄 - I wouldn’t call an hour time saving

I always think this too, because it's one of the items people are most dismissive about. But I also have a theory that it's much easier to change an older, resistant baby on a changing table because you can kind of pin them in place a bit more and they can't crawl/roll/run away. I would also much rather take the baby to a specific location to change (near the bin and sink, with all the right stuff close to hand) than do it in the middle of the living room and then have to go and throw away the poo and wash my hands somewhere else.

My changing table has been passed around my workplace so many times that the original baby who had it is now about 14.

I think the people telling you that you don't need much are probably just trying to help out with hindsight (after having bought far too much themselves). Try to not let it bother you and take it in the spirit that it was intended.

They best advice I can give is not to listen to any of the advice you are given and to do what is right for your family.

This i do agree with. We bought a lot second hand. Not just to save, but you use stuff for such a short while, it's sort of sad to buy all new.

No one is asking you to justify anything. It’s just there is a difference between absolute ‘need’ and ‘useful and makes life easier’.
I never had a steriliser with my first, just a pan and Milton. I didn’t have a Moses basket, just cot that became a bed. I didn’t use wipes, I used water and cotton wool.
I didn’t have a changing mat or table, I did it on my lap mostly. Or on a blanket on the floor.
I used Terry square nappies.
so many of the things you don’t *have to have!

Re clothes, no way did I fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes after birth until about 12 months after that. So yes, I did also buy new clothes so I can feel nice.

The amount of hand me downs and free stuff and gifts you get means imo you really don't need to buy much. Also what you do you can get second hand.

I would also say that a changing table is essential. My back was terrible after birth for many months. Changing him on the bed was excruciating. Truly excruciating, it's a terrible angle, you're better off doing it on the floor.

I mean- in a flat a pram can be tricky to store and to use. Where does baby go while you move the pram up/down stairs? If you’re buying nappies already too- you’d only need a pack? Same for wipes. A mat can go under a sofa, blankets don’t exactly take up much room. Baby in with you for the start so a basket or bed of some sort is fair. Breast feed so you don’t need bottles or steriliser? Your clothes are not going to add any stuff to your at as you had clothes before pregnancy and pads for periods? Car seat- fair, but you could get one that stays in the car to cut down on clutter as it’s not good to leave babies in them anyway (despite most people doing so far too much!)

So sorry but I think YABU.

In comparison to all the shit you'll be buying when they're a toddler, those initial purchases are comparably very light 😅😅😅

That's not actually true about sterilizers, taking ages,both my boys were bottle fed and I had a microwave ,steam steriizer, two minutes in a microwave ,my oldest is 19 this year so they have been around for a while

I've never used or owned a steriliser but they look annoying. I just kept a few milton tablets under the sink.

Well you don’t need too much at once, especially in small space. Ie if you live in small flat, I wouldn’t buy a cot if you have a Moses basket until they are about to outgrown basket. That way you only every have one ‘bed’ in use and not storing two

We never bought a steriliser. Our kitchen is tiny so I didn’t want to waste space. I mainly breastfed, but we did buy two small bottles incase. I just put the bottles or tethers etc in a pan of boiling water to sterilise. It’s actually quicker as most sterilisers take ages and water in pan is 5 mins.

I just used a toiletry bag as changing bag. Then moved that into rucksack, canvas bag or under pram depending on what we were doing. Changing bag wouldn’t have worked with sling.

baby bouncer, buy one that folds flat. Then it’s out the way behind door or under sofa when not in use.

have a good clear out. All our baby nappies ( reusable so a drawer worth), clothing, toys to grow into, toiletries fitted in drawers or baskets we already had as I cleared out old cookery books, office stuff, old clothes. So the space was just repurposed

Once you have baby I recommend two areas of to have to out outgrown stuff asap. I had basket for outgrown but keep and bag for charity. As soon as charity bag full of outgrown donate to friend or charity

100%

Really not though. You see these as essential because of where and when you live. A mother at a different point in history or in a different country would not agree.

A sling, some cloth nappies, a few babygrows and breasts are probably essential. Everything else is just a cultural norm.

I suspect they just keep saying it because you are complaining about how much space it takes up in your flat. It is annoying though how much space baby stuff takes up - we're fortunate to have room for it but we're also hugely relieved to be done having babies and able to declutter as soon as something gets outgrown now. I recently gave away a cot, a playpen, all the sterilising equipment, breast pumps, etc., and am looking forward to toilet training DC2 and getting rid of all the nappies, changing table etc.

On another note, I agree with PPs saying you won't know what you want/need till you've got the baby. We actually bought more stuff for DC2 because we knew exactly what would work for us at that point.