To ask about newborns...

[notsureifimbeingur]

I'm due to have a baby in November, and I wondered if anyone has advice of things to buy that were an absolute must have when you were giving birth/ settling into life with a baby at home?

Perhaps things that I wouldn't initially think of, but couldn't live without, and would then have to make a trip out to buy them.
I like to be as organised as possible!

(Sorry, I know this isn't strictly AIBU, but posting for traffic!)

Thank you!

If you're bottle feeding, a perfect prep is a lifesaver at 3am with a screaming baby.

Also sleep suits with built in mittens are amazing!

Oh and stock up on painkillers! And a cabbage for your sore boobs to stick leaves in your bra (this was a tip I was given and never got round to doing, although I wish I had as I would have done anything so stop the pain!)

A dumb question from another first time mum to be...what are muslin cloths actually used for?

If breastfeeding get a pump and bottle steriliser for the expressed milk bottles- I would recommend a microwavw steam one but think about what would be easier for a sleep deprived, busy you! Absolutely get Netflix or sky box sets or a kindle. BF pillow. A handy supply of birth cloths. Don't buy a load of scratch mitts- we had so many but she wore one pair! Get a baby thermometer and if you have an iPad download a white noise app to help the baby settle.

I think the amazon prime idea is great- wish I'd thought of that for the early days!

cherryontopp dealing with the inevitable puking, clearing up when they pee all over you, controlling the random spraying everywhere of breast milk that happens when your milk comes in.....

Burp cloths not birth cloths

A warm dressing gown - I had a march baby and my fleecy dressing gown was a saviour for night feeds. Even over the summer I have used it on all but the hottest nights - sitting around is chilly in the middle of the night! (I am a cold person though).

Also second the baby tracker app - mainly
useful for remembering when the hell you last fed. And learn to use it before the baby arrives - your brain will be mush after and even learning a simple thing is challenging!

I wish I'd had a zippy swaddle - traditional swaddles are fiddly, and when you want to swaddle post feed, it wakes the baby up, when in the early days all you usually want to do is put the baby down asleep after a feed.

Good luck.

A small mountain of Muslin cloths. Seriously.

I love my perfect prep machine and Milton bucket. Two things I thought I wouldn't need but turned out I did.

Ewan the dream sheep is a god send. I'm considering putting him in my will. He bloody deserves it.

We found a mini fridge to be handy for night feeds. I fed ready made formula at night (saved me trekking up and down stairs and waking the dog) and kept the open bottle in there. I had a whole little station set up, bottles, flask of hot water to warm it and the fridge. Plus I could keep snacks and a drink in it for me.

Get plenty of meals in either batch cooking or M and S or whatever. You'll find the early days just disappear, especially if you have visitors, and to have something easy to eat is essential. Good luck.

Dry hair shampoo x10

Angelcare bath seat, so much easier than a normal baby bath.

Perfect prep machine for formula feeding, sleepyhead (stops too much wiggling) grosnug (swaddle sleeping bag) grobag for older, white noise machine, video monitor (she cries in her sometimes so being able to see her I knew whether or not to go to her) small muslin squares as comforters, cheap and easily replaced plus so thin can breath through them

Agree with everyone about anything you can eat one handed. The hunger is immediate and urgent in a way hunger has never been before. I genuinely thought I would murder my husband when he burst through the door triumphant with bags of root vegetables for me to peel chop and cook for myself. They rotted. I'm actually getting a bit panicked thinking about it now. This advice should be part of the maternity pack. Think along the lines of nobody should get in the way of....open fridge door, carve lump off pie/quiche/Spanish omelette/ kilo of cheddar, post into face. Couple of frozen lasagne or other meals that can be flung into oven one handed too.

Then, make your peace with never being able to drink a whole hot cup of tea again and buy a contigo travel cup so you can sip something hot over the top of your child's head.

You need chocolate in the house. Volume and quality are both important, but don't sacrifice volume for quality as a dainty 6 artisnal box doesn't cut it. You need large bars. Accessible 24/7 wherever on the house you are. No point in fighting the need, feed it.

Strappy tops when you're at home. Means you can wipe the puke off your shoulder rather than washing three tops a day. Zippy hoodies that go in the dryer rather than wool jumpers too....if you get a refluxy baby there's a lot more washing.

Get your other half on board with the fact that you are the one to go straight in the shower in the morning or you might not get another chance. I really believe having your shower means you can cope, you feel human.

notwithout Aren't cotton wool buds what you use for ears? Don't use them on your baby's bum (or ears for that matter!) 😂

yes sorry i meant cotton wool balls. please don't use those evil cotton wool, bids why on earth they still make them is beyond me!

I had twins at the end of last November and agree with all the items that have been mentioned so far (especially Perfect prep and Muslin Squares)!

Something that happened to me that literally no one had mentioned before wasn't terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) night sweats for weeks afterwards as my hormones went wild!

So I'd advise keeping several spare pairs of PJs or night dresses on hand next robbed to swap into in case you get night sweats as badly as I did. The first time it happened to me I thought I was seriously ill as I was freezing and shivering and sweating buckets but it is just hormones.

"The hunger is immediate and urgent in a way hunger has never been before."

I think we must have had very similar experiences BigBumps. Stood in front of an open fridge with a baby in one hand, and the other shovelling whatever it could into an open mouth.

Muslin cloths! All the muslin cloths! If you are planning on breastfeeding I would highly recommend a silicone pump. You whack it on the opposite boob to the one you are feeding on at the time. It will pull off the excess without the harsh sucking action which is actually counterproductive and increases your supply further.

Probably not that PC and I will probably get flamed, but a bottle. So that you can express if BF (or just give formula if you don't want to express)

Getting your baby to take a bottle early, even if it is just occasionally will allow you to go out of you need/want to.

If you baby is a bottle refuser you are essentially tied to it (as lovely as that is) until it no longer needs your milk.

I say this as someone who BFd both of mine, but who also wanted to go out for the day/evening, and needed to be away from them occasionally (an operation, work and weddings)

Ooh and lounge pants from Primark. Excellent for being comfy in the house, but still dressed enough for the Amazon delivery guy not to blush I'd get a size or two bigger than your usual. Their multi pack bikini knickers are great too. Much nicer and just as cheap as disposables.

Tenna pads with the guards were the only pads I wouldn't immediately leak through post birth bleeding! I'll definitely get them for next time.

Even if you're breast feeding, it can be handy to have a box of ready to go newborn formula with screw on teats- my baby was jaundiced and in panicked moments in the early days when he wouldn't latch (middle of the night, no shops open, baby hadn't eaten in hours and hours), I was exhausted and crying etc), these bottles were a life saver! I had totally forgotten I'd bought them but they boosted his energy enough to latch onto me and continue breast feeding successfully. Also useful if your nipples are really sore and need a break for a few hours, stops them getting passed the point of no return! A reason why a lot of women give up.

If you're planning to breast feed- Breast pump was very handy in the early days

Ewan sheep! And the phone app with all the white noise variations, can't remember the name of it but it was great in the early days (hair dryer was a favourite here- used to stop the inevitable screaming that began with every nappy change and sick/poo/wee leak change). I didn't realise a lot of newer babies hate being changed (especially in winter when it tends to be colder!)

Swaddle blankets

Infacol- in case baby has trouble passing wind.

Vitamin D suplements for baby and you (as it'll be winter n all! Plus they helped with my mood a lot- I felt really low until I started taking them).

It's a bit of an obvious one but babygrows! Loads of them. Baby will pee and poop through lots of them, they are by far the easiest for changing and comfiest thing for baby in winter. I didn't bother with anything other than vests and babygrows until mine was 3 months!

A good pair of jammies tha open down the front and a onesie. If you're thinking of breastfeeding then breastpads, jelonet to apply after every feed and the number of a breastfeeding councillor and details of your nearest breastfeeding group. If bottle feeding then a perfect prep. Water bottle with a sports cap and mug with a lid. Lip balm for during birth and after. A little tub with a handle to cart all of your stuff upstairs and downstairs. Ewan the dream sheep, dummies and 120x120 muslins for swaddling. Lots and lots of big cushiony maternity pads - not the thin ones! A couple of packs of gigantic black pants - cheapo ones so you can chuck them if you need to. A v pillow for feeding (however you do it). Enough food to get you through the first couple of weeks.

Oh, and cheeky wipes - they are so handy! For bath cloths, wiping up sick/poo and weaning when they get bigger.

Lastly plenty of paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Tommee tippee bottle maker

I thought that when you bf the baby would kind of instinctively know how to do it. Cue second night of crying baby, crying, exhausted mum and bewildered dad. Tbe me came next day, grabbed ds head and basically shoved his face on my boob "don't worry, he won't suffocate!" It worked. Once he got it, he wouldmanouvre himself from any position on to tje boon. I am eternally grateful to her.

Robot vacuum cleaner - expensive but the grubby floors really bothered me when DD was a newborn and now she's 18 months old, vacuuming is her favourite thing to do
Also Sleepyhead, myhummy, zip up swaddle and insulated mug

Gro bags in different togs much easier at nighttime
Lanisoh nipple cream
If you can I'd get a proper pram bit on your travel system- with my first we only had buggy/car seat system and as a newborn she hated the flat buggy and they can't be in the car seat bit for too long so got a proper carry cot/ pram bit for second (this may now be standard) which meant when baby fell asleep on a walk could wheel pram into house and she would stay asleep or could nap on walks out which I never had with the other travel system
A sling would be great for a winter baby as they'll love snuggling up to in the cold months