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Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.

Adoption

Must haves for a 7month old

20 replies

skysparkle1 · 02/02/2018 21:02

Hi

DH and I have been matched with a 7 month old baby boy. We have all the usual stuff - cotbed, highchair, pushchair - and he comes with his own little bits (some clothes and toys).

I just wondered if anyone had any MUST HAVES they would recommend for a boy of this age.

TYIA x

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glovesandwoollyhat · 02/02/2018 21:48

Some ideas:
Lamaze
Vtech walk toys
Baby Einstein Play Gym Nautical Friends (mat with cuddlies)
Plastic cubes, cups, balls, pop up soldiers, something to pull, wee dog or phone on a string
Hard page books
Lovely things on CD like songs from films or nursery rhymes, or stories, you will have to listen first as some sound lovely and others not!
Play pen
Baby bjorn
Boden does nice things for boys, bright colours, warm all in ones etc
Cosy sleeping bag

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mnahmnah · 02/02/2018 21:50

Jumperoo!

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RicottaPancakes · 02/02/2018 21:53

Congratulations :-) There are lots of things you could get of course, but if I were you I'd wait and see what he is like. It'll be expensive to buy everything that a seven month old could potentially want/need.

Do you have bedding, sheets and some lovely blankets? Cute towels? I'd also buy a couple of baby books to read together and go from there :-)

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Thepinklady77 · 02/02/2018 21:59

A sling/carrier to aid attachment! Google to see if you have a local sling library that your can go along to to get specialist advice as to what type of carrier is best for you. You will be able to hire one to try before you buy. A good carrier will last you for a couple of years as he grows. I have had two babies from birth (fostering) and now have a two and three year old for adoption. The carrier I used (a lilliebaby) with the babies has had very good use with the recently placed two year old. When she is struggling she is up for belly hugs as she calls it. It is still very comfortable.

Depending on stage of development the little one is at and you can borrow one from someone I would try a chicco next to me crib for a few months. If he is already rolling pulling himself up on things then Unfortunately it would be not safe. I could not use ours after 5 months with our first child because she was pulling to knees and almost standing by then and the crib is not deep but with the second he was in until he was 10 plus months cause he has no intention of pulling himself up. Because of your very limited life span don't buy one but if you can borrow one and you even get 6 weeks from it at the beginning it would be worth it to aid bonding. Even if he is sleeping in his own room in FC I would have him back in as close to you as you can in your room for the first couple of months.

Good luck, 7 months is a lovely age.

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skysparkle1 · 02/02/2018 23:14

Thank you all.

He likes his FC's jumperoo so we managed to get one in the January sales.

We have sleeping bags, some stacking cups and other little toys, some books to read, some clothes for him to grow into...

Will look into slings, someone I know is very into it, but doesn't live locally.

We've not discussed him sleeping in our room or his own at first, but presume that will be a conversation we have at the start of introductions.

We're both happy to go with the flow - whatever he needs or is best for him. We have no preconceptions.

Just counting down the days until we meet him (5 sleeps) xx

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Cassie9 · 03/02/2018 09:04

He'll be mobile very soon so baby gates, fire guards and a play pen or travel cot. You'll want somewhere safe to put him with a few toys in to keep him entertained while you nip to the loo or jump in the shower.

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glovesandwoollyhat · 03/02/2018 10:11

In my list was baby bjorn which is a baby carrier alternative to a sling. It is personal choice I think, I wasn't confident I was doing the sling right. It is very easy to use, and can be used until the child is really quite heavy so lasts a long time. The baby can either face in,to sleep against you, great for shopping, for outwards when they are awake and on walks. Be careful of over use, some people think it leads to bucket babies!! Good luck!

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Thepinklady77 · 03/02/2018 17:09

I personally don’t like the baby Bjorn! A friend gave me hers and it was great until I tried a wife based well structured carrier such as Tula it lilliebaby! My goodness the difference in comfort was huge! Also the baby Bjorn is a narrow based so not ideal for hips! It does not give the best support! The lilliebaby or Tula is very similar in the weigh it works (buckles not hard to put on). I don’t think in terms of attachment it can be over used! Obviously for a 7 month you will not be using all day every day as they will want floor play time but when grossly/upset you will find it very useful. Also we abandoned our property very early on and used the carrier everywhere when out and about but we still have a very independent three year old now, who walks mainly everywhere but when tired jumps for a quick rest on my back. A proper wide based one will give the correct support to stop any potential damage to hips etc. Definitely check out a local sling library for professional advice.

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glovesandwoollyhat · 03/02/2018 18:09

I meant it as an alternative to the one that you tie yourself, a long bit of cloth, round and round, which I couldn't do properly and had visions of it unravelling and poor baby ending up on the ground! Although I know people who loved it. I thought you meant one of those, pinklady !

I agree it is amazing for closeness, whatever type you go for, in our case it made for very contented babies, in shops and on walks.

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bostonkremekrazy · 03/02/2018 19:22

I found having somewhere in the kitchen to put baby was a must...
we had a travel cot with few little toys in.
ours was not sitting/crawling at that point so when i wanted to go into the kitchen babe would cry if left in lounge alone....so needed to either carry in the bouncer, or put in highchair etc...
the travel cot was used as a playpen for months that way....was really handy when cooking, making a cup of tea, cleaning etc....and babe learnt that I was right there in sight, but not in my arms all of the time.

we use a lilliebaby sling - baby still enjoy being in the sling and is over 1.5 yrs now :)

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thomassmuggit · 03/02/2018 20:01

I agree with Ricotta, wait and see.

A sling is sensible, there are postal libraries you can use, I'd recommend a connecta, a Lillebaby, and Ergo, or other buckled carrier. If you're wanting to try others, then you can borrow them once you have baby.

Otherwise, children need little, and you'll only know what you want when LO is with you. Online shops deliver fast, if you need.

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BangPippleGo · 03/02/2018 20:03

A teething necklace! Pebbles and Lace do beautiful ones. They are brilliant for teething but also for bonding - wear mine every day, and every day DS climbs up for cuddles and a chew!

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whereisteddy · 03/02/2018 22:21

Do not underestimate how many baby wipes you will need. I (cue hysterical laughter) thought 1 packet would last us a week, oh how naive we had to go emergency shopping on way home from first day of intros!You can never have too many vests (George @asda do great ones) or bottles. An ear thermometer and calpol are also essential. Congratulations 🎉

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thomassmuggit · 03/02/2018 22:34

Yet we never used baby wipes, with either BC or AC, and we have friends who didn't either.

Bottles, you want to be sure to get the same as FC, in brand, type and teat.

There is little that is 'essential', it's all fluff that's nice to have, but very little needs to be in place before arrival.

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Rainatnight · 03/02/2018 22:42

Ah, joy! Our DD came home at 8 months old, nearly a year ago now. It's a smashing age.

I strongly agree with PPs who say wait and see, particularly looking out for what his life in FC has been like. For instance, DD was really pretty under-stimulated in foster care, spending most of her day in a rocker in front of the telly. Even though she's developmentally spot on, her muscle tone was pretty low as a result. She couldn't sit unaided and she was a good five or six months away from pulling herself up on anything.

Similarly, because she hadn't had much in the way of stimulation, something like a trip to the park was a BIG deal for her. She found it really exciting (in a good way!) and really didn't need any bells and whistles for entertainment.

We found a big playmat for the living room floor really useful, and spent a lot of time on it doing eye to eye contact while playing and reading.

She didn't have a playpen or anything as she didn't really tolerate that kind of separation, so in the end I got a hip seat and got used to doing things one handed!

Agree that books are terrific.

Swimming nappies would be good!

Will let you know if I think if anything else. Feel free to PM me.

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TillyMint81 · 03/02/2018 23:01

Tula baby carrier. A must for our family walks x

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skysparkle1 · 03/02/2018 23:43

Please don't think I was going to go out and buy everything that you've suggested - I was just curious as to what to expect to need or would be useful. 😊

But it's all really helpful, so thank you!

We haven't bought bottles/teats as we want what FC use.

DH has subscribed to Amazon baby wipes thingy so we will not run out!!! 😂. In fact we are already using them!

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Dontbuymesocks · 04/02/2018 10:03

I second a teething necklace - there are lots on EBay. My DS loves them so it meant he was always close to me and it promotes lots of touch and eye contact.
Good luck!

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BuffalotheGruffalo · 04/02/2018 10:36

I, like others,would say wait and see. Amazon next day delivery makes things very easy these days. I bought some little outfits, books and teddies because i wanted to buy things but nothing that was really 'needed'. We bought stuff during intros as the week went on. The only thing I would massively recommend and wish I'd had right from the start is a sling to carry in. DS was home a month before I got one and we used it lots, I had a stretchy wrap one and it was fab. If we went for a walk and he was in a pram people would fuss him and/or try and get him out/walk off pushing him whereas with a sling I'd just wear a tight vest top so he was snuggled skin to skin as much as possible so if people wanted to interfere they'd basically be flapping around with my boobs as well as DS. Worked brilliantly! DS would sleep in it and sometimes just be happy to chill out and cuddle on the sofa in it. Loved it.

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OlennasWimple · 06/02/2018 12:41

Congratulations!

Muslins! You will need loads of muslins! Ikea do some great ones, but Mothercare etc will have them too. Make sure you wash them a couple of times first so that they are more absorbent

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