Things you realised you did/didn’t need with 1st DC??

[notagoodname]

Sorry if this threads been done a lot, my sister is expecting her first DD in January so for Christmas she’s just asked for baby things. She is the first of me or my siblings to have a DC and the first person in general I know to have one so I don’t know where to start.

I’d like some info to what you found a game changer and what was a waste of money (ie what people like me would spend money on not knowing if it’s essential or not)
I have asked her but I’m constantly hit with ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’ll have a look’ (which won’t happen) Honestly, I don’t think she’s entirely sure what she needs. She has pushchair/car seat/changing table - the obvious basics.

Any help much appreciated

Lifesavers:

Baby chair/rocker (strapped in facing me whilst i showered)
Nappy Bin
This i love to put in the bath. Used from day 1 and still using (LO 16months old)
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HBR7KUI/ref=asc_df_B00HBR7KUI57279432/?hvlocphy=9072507&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=310872215750&creative=22110&hvpone&hvlocint&creativeASIN=B00HBR7KUI&th=1&hvpos=1o2&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforum-21&hvtargid=pla-562764192859&hvrand=17278373839954645606

Not worth it:

Breastpump (£70, used once, sick to death of bf THE LAST thing i wanted to do was then hook myself up to a machine)

Nappy bin refills (just put a normal bin bag in them)

Perfect Prep (Im likely in the minority here, everyone raves about them, dont get it)

Proper outfits for babies- especially dresses if having a girl...so impractical

Don't buy too much stuff would be my advice! Wait till baby arrives, pretty much everything can be bought on next day delivery and there are too many unknowns to have everything in advance (e.g. how big baby will be, will she be breastfeeding, will she want a moses basket, a side sleeper, will she use a sling.....)

If i was writing a new baby wish list it would actually be a chest freezer, a subscription to Cook (frozen "homemade" ready meals) and a cleaner for 3hrs a week till baby is 6 months old.

If you want to buy something for the baby, you could get her vouchers for baby classes? Baby Sensory is very good as is WaterBabies.

Fancy clothes. I bought jeans and shorts etc and couldn’t wait to put them on him.

Move over to real life where clothes like that are uncomfortable for babies and hard to get on. In real life he wore baby grows for nearly three months. Cheaper ones as well as the baby sick doesn’t come off. So lots of vests and lots of baby grows. A swing was a life saver for me.

Our hits

A bath thermometer is a good shout. Not too expensive but takes the worry away of the bath being too hot or cold.

Washable toweled liner for the changing mat, means baby doesn't have to lie on a cold surface. You can get packs of three from Mothercare for under £10.

A baby Bjorn bouncer chair- suitable from birth.

A thermos cup for cups of tea so they don't keep going cold!

Amazon Prime so you can get things delivered as you need them.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers I was just looking at that for the bath earlier, I’ll defo get one now thank you!
As for the breast pump glad you said that as I was considering getting one

glad to help.
Also a breast feeding pillow- didnt have one at first and by day 3 my DH had to rush out and get one.

@pinkcarpet great idea about the vouchers Sister doesn’t really know many people where she lives so will be a good way to get her to meet other mums

@Dontgiveamonkeys1350 I’ll definitely get some baby grows, guilty of already buying a a pinafore dress with long sleeved shirt, tights and shoes - knowing full well it’ll be a pain to get on (if the shoes even make it) and it will be outgrown in about 10 mins - think i go too excited when she found out it was a girl 🙈

Lifesavers -
Babybjörn bouncer
Jumperoo in a few months

Useless -
Moses basket- grew out of it in 2 seconds
Baby bath
Nappy bin - normal one does just fine.
90% of 0-3 clothes. Again grew too fast, and it's a pain to squeeze them into tight clothes, rather size up.
Outfits and shoes for non-walking babies.
Any kind of items that are just cuter smaller version of stuff you already have. Like baby puree makers when you have a stick blender or cute little baby bath towels.

Sling/wrap depends on baby - DS1 hated it but DC2 lived in it.

Oh I could not have managed without breast pump, but I went back to work before DC were weaned, so depends.

oh and for weaning, a hand blender for a tenner is a god send, a full blown baby weaning cooking set= useless.

Good presents I got/wanted:
Swaddle
Poncho for the baby - used it everyday in the car seat
Travel black out blind
Clothes in newborn size rather than 0-3 months
A book about how to play with the baby
Bath thermometer
Thermos cup
Nice cordial
An activity mat that can be zipped shut

I really appreciated a set of 1mo clothes. Everyone buys stuff for baby to grow into, but it was nice to have just two outfits that he wasn’t swimming in, for the first few weeks.

Would you be up for buying her something like an Amazon prime subscription? A lifesaver when you're on mat leave with a baby strapped to you 24/7 and want something the next day!

Baby vests, everyone buys sleepsuits, never the vests to go under them!
Seasonally appropriate future sized clothes. If the baby is being born at Christmas it’s great to get something that’s not 0-3 month but don’t make it a woollen dress in 6-9 months...!

Useful thread for me - I’m going to be in OP’s position in a few months (DD expecting first GC in June )

Can someone please explain why the babybjorn bouncer costs about £100 more than a standard one?

Ooh I remembered - best thing ever for those night feeds and wake ups - Kindle Paperwhite! Can read without waking everybody up.

Tuppence and Crumble star wraps. Cozy but thin enough to be worn in the car seat.

Basically most of the expensive trendy stuff. When DDs were born, a good few years ago, two I can think of were Bumbo and Stokke high chairs. Both expensive, both useless but I bought in to the hype. I’m sure there’s equivalents today. One thing that was worth it (though maybe not relevant to your DSis yet) was, an admittedly expensive, Mountain Buggy. I had two DDs under fourteen months and the double Mountain Buggy was lightweight, manoeuvreable with one hand, easily collapsed and stored and small enough to get through the majority of doorways unlike other double Buggy’s and big ‘travel systems’ that were really popular. Also a steamer, so easy to make healthy veg and chicken, fish etc when they started weaning. Cook all in one stack and easily cleaned after rather than using loads of separate pots and pans.

Absolutely needed:
Play mat for floor, ours had arch type things with soft toys hanging off for grabbing etc

Decent nappy bag with good changing mat for out and about - the amount of places with no hanging facilities but also apparently druggies use baby changing for their drugs so wipes too!

Many muslin squares!

Bibs galore

Ambesol for teething

Metanium nappy cream as well as sudacrem

Loads of onesies and sleep suits - mine didn't have clothes really til they were more
Mobile

Sleeping bag / growbag

Swinging chair / auto bouncing chair

Bath thermometer is a must

Good bath seat

Didn't need :-
Bottle warmer
Clothes for young babies
Shoes til they walk
Nappy changing unit - only used it half a dozen times
Moses basket - we used travel cot which had a small baby insert level which was much better when they were really small babies

I think it's so personal as some of the things people say were useless on here I couldn't have coped without and vice versa. Eg i don't see the point in nappy bins, we just put them straight in the dustbin (bagged) if soiled or in any other household bin if only wee. And liners for nappy mats are silly, just use a muslin! But that's my opinion and everyone will differ. Also i found we didn't have enough newborn sized clothes as i assumed 0-3 would fit my newborn, but he didn't get into them unto he was at least 6 weeks old. You don't want them swamped inside baby grows as it's not very warm for them and they end up getting their feet caught up in the crotch! So i disagree with the PP who said to get lots of bigger sizes instead. My son wasn't tiny either, perfectly average. So maybe get vouchers, then she can get what she needs when she knows. Mothercare vouchers always come in handy. One novel idea - we just bought a Google home and Chromecast so that i can talk to get tv shows or music on without having to use my hands, I'm expecting in a few weeks and know from last time round that you can spend hours stuck on the sofa under a breast feeding baby and there's nothing worse than not being able to get to the remote!

Oh and a Naturebond silicone (non-powered) breast pump. You put it on other breast while feeding and it catches the leaks so there's no wastage.

Also good for taking the edge off engorgement.

thank you everyone for the responses !!

agree with PP about it being a bit personal, I’ll have a good look at everything you’ve all suggested when I’m not at work

Most useful we found:
Angel care bath seat- best £20 I spent as DS screamed non stop in the bath until we got this.
Bouncey chair
Bath thermometer (I’m not the best judge of temperatures!)
Lots of muslins!!!

Didn’t work for us;
Outfits (such a faff, DS also was an explosive pooper so much easier to get him in and out of vests/sleep suits)
Changing unit, was a gift but much easier just to change him in the room we were in rather than traipsing through to the unused nursery!
Sling/wrap... tied right where my csec scar was and DS was much happier in a carrier, best for her to try out these once baby gets here!

What I didn't have but wished I had: knee pads. I wore out the knees of so many trousers doing nappy changes etc. You think you won't spend time on your knees, but you will. I did all nappy changes, clothes changes etc on the floor, as I was haunted by the story of a mum who used a changing table. She bent down to get something and baby rolled off the table, suffering significant and permanent damage. Floor is safest.

Yup everyone is different. I didn't bother with a perfect prep with my first as she liked cool milk. 2nd will not drink room temp milk it has to be warm. We started by cooling under a tap but that got tiresome in the night. Got one on offer from asda was only £40. We used a Moses basket until 4/5 months.
Baby carrier but you have to find one that's right for you/her. My friend gave me one and I loathed it. Another friend lent me theirs and it was fab. Do you have a sling library that she can use?