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!

I loved my bath and room thermometer. It's a star shaped Tommee Tippee one and I still use it a lot. Makes a nice bath toy too when they're bigger.

I have a Braun Thermoscan thermometer, which was recommended to me by my dr. I found it really set my mind at ease whenever I was concerned that the baby might be ill. It's expensive but worth it.

Lots of nice baggy new pjs - you'll be wearing them a lot and it's nice to have fresh ones to change into in the morning!

Definitely swaddling blankets. Next time around I'll be buying a GroSnug, which is like a cross between a swaddle and a grobag.

Oh and a SnoozeShade (from amazon) - it's a shade that fits on any pram. It protects the baby from the sun without making them too hot and is great for getting them to nap as well.

Another useful tip: if someone makes you a drink while you're feeding, make sure they put it far enough away for you to reach. DH always brought me a drink then put it so close that I couldn't reach it with one hand. A bit random I know but still a useful tip. Congratulations btw. Wish I was back there (DS born November 2002)

Loads of muslins, a zip up swaddle, white noise app on phone, Prince Lionheart Slumberbear (I think that was what it was called!), really comfy pants and lots of pads, a nightlight (so you can see what's what in the middle of the night!), a separate kettle if formula feeding, a GroEgg, some of the Lamaze toys (all babies seem to love them!), a really fab bath towel called a Cuddle Robe, a changing mat for each floor of your house for ease, Infacol and a Sophie The Giraffe!

Oh, and portable black out blinds - an absolute godsend!

I always wondered what muslins were for too! We were given some in a gift hamper on week 2 and I thought "I'm never going to use these". But I actually never go out without them.

1. If you BF, in the beginning your other breast will drip milk all over your baby. So you use a muslin to catch it. DS had a tongue-tie and used to dribble milk everywhere during feeding, so I used the muslin for that too.

1. Mine went through a silent and unpredictable vomiting stage at around two months. Not just after feeds, at any point you might think "why is my arm wet?" and look down and find vomit running down your arm. Muslins can be used to mop this up, and to put over your shoulder when carrying the baby to protect your clothes.

1. At three months they discover that their hands fit in their mouths and start drooling everywhere. Huge amounts - their whole front gets wet. Muslins can be used to mop this up and dry their hands off.

1. Handy groundsheet if you take your baby to the park and want to lie them down on the grass. Or to baby yoga and need to protect the yoga mat. Or during tummy time to catch the drool.

1. Light sheet if they're napping in the buggy or car seat. In the heatwave, DS slept in just his vest with a muslin as a top sheet (tightly tucked under the cot mattress). Far cooler than his sleeping bag.

1. Sunshade for the pram/car seat/buggy.

1. Neck support if they fall asleep in the sling at an awkward angle (roll it up and prop their neck up like a neck travel pillow).

1. Drool pad for the sling - tuck it in and they can chew on that not the sling itself.

1. Lovey/comfort blanket to chew on/play with.

You could just use a normal cloth, but muslins are big, thin (so fast drying) and cheap enough to not care if they get stained. They come in multipacks so you can wash them frequently. They are cotton so can be boil washed if poo gets on them. You could probably cope without them and just use a combination of teatowels, kitchen roll and baby blankets, but you will definitely use them if you have them.

I'm due in November too & have found loads of useful stuff on this thread already so thanks for posting OP & everyone for your advice!

The only things you definitely need are:

Moses basket (cheap Asda ones are as good as Mamas and Papas ones) just get cellular blankets they're safer than soft fleece baby blankets, easier to clean, easier than struggling with sleeping bag with a newborn (newborns hate being zipped into a gro bag)

Stretchy sleepsuits and vests - lots as newborns puke loads

Nappies - I don't care what anyone says Pampers are the softest for new bums and keep them dryer. Supermarket nappies are ok but can feel damp to the touch after an hour or two. You'd buy the best for yourself so get the best you can for baby. Also buy water wipes for the newborn period too.

Infacol

Emergency formula

A baby bath is useful if not totally essential. Don't bother with hooded baby towels the ones you already have will be perfectly fine.

Car seat is a must.

Everything else can wait until you decide how you're going to feed and so on - breast pumps, slings, perfect prep machines - all useful but don't let anyone tell you they're a must have. I hate the sling personally.

And I was going to recommend a long cosy cardigan and a soft blanket for cold night feeds.

I used to do skin to skin with DS while he was feeding (hence the cardigan, it kept my arms warm but was fully open at the front), both snuggled under the blanket on the sofa. I used to watch old Time Team episodes on my phone (via headphones). DS had tongue tie and took about an hour for each feed before it was snipped so I spent quite a long time on that sofa, and it was bloody freezing at 4am.

The YouTube video of a diesel truck engine sound. It has gotten DS off to sleep many a time! Wish I'd known about it with DD1 and DD2.

Cereal bars for the hospital. You may end up staying longer than you thought esp if you need a section. A stash of bars got me through the all night cluster feeding first few days on the ward after a c-section.

What I didn't need:

Loads and loads of muslins (4 was fine)
Loads of big granny pants (the ones I had were fine)
5 packets of maternity pads (used 1)
2 boxes of breast pads (hated them horrible itchy things)
Nipple cream (my nipples didn't get sore but get it anyway if you like in case yours do and you can use it for other things if not)
Any 0-3 clothes - people give you LOADS of them
Ditto any newborn/first size as baby was too big - up to 1 month is the best size to get
Special nursing chair
Sidecar crib
Huge stockpiles of nappies in size 1 and 2 - he was out of them in a few weeks

What people tell you is essential is often what they found essential. You and your baby are different. Take it as it comes.

Also the milk stage doesn't last forever, actually it's a really short time, keep repeating this in the early days. It'll be over in no time at all.

Oh yeah and get dummies. Cherry or almond shaped, not orthodontic, unless your baby is going to be born with an orthodontic shaped mouth (it won't)

Someone mentioned above about bundlers, M&S have them in.

The Bright Starts Beaming Buggie - a hanging toy with chewable wings that change colour, wave sounds and lullabies. I am in an online group of about 50 Mums who had their babies at the same time and this was a huge hit with about 75% of the babies. It's only about 8 quid. We are still using it for naps and in-pram entertainment almost a year later.

A mirror to go above the car seat so you can see the baby when driving. I hated not being able to see my som the first time I took him out by myself in the car, kept stopping to make sure he was still breathing! The mirror really put my mind at rest.
A simple bouncer so you can put them down safely and have them in the bathroom when you shower etc.
Dummies. I was adamant that I would not use one but they made a huge difference to my son's ability to settle.
Nipple shields. Just in case, not to be used without trying first to feed without them. Some are against them. However they helped my baby latch after almost 2 days of trying and failing. I was able to breastfeed without them within a week.
A good thermometer. You'll become obsessed with your baby's temperature as it is important to check it if he or she seems unhappy and it's a nightmare if you don't trust the thermometer. We have a n in ear digital one, same as the GP uses.
While you have the time, if you are thinking of a Sleepyhead look for a second hand one as they are v expensive but quickly grown out of.

We didn't get a Moses basket - we used the pushchair bassinet for downstairs naps, and had a Chicco Next To Me crib for night-time.

DS grew out of the bassinet at about four months (he was about 7.5kg then, and 65cm. He still fit in it but was cramped widthways and he didn't like it any more). He is still in the Chicco crib at five months, with plenty of space. I love the mesh in the side - I can see him what he's up to at night if he makes a noise.

Pregnancy pillow, shaped like a banana. Saved my hips in the last few months, and great for breastfeeding when baby was born. I bought another as it was so good.

Lots of muslins in case of a sickly baby ( we didn't have enough to start off ) Sainsbury's ones are lovely and soft .
Water wipes (cheapest in bulk on Amazon) no hint of a nappy rash and so soft compared to regular wipes .
Car seat base (if you drive and it's not too expensive ) complete life saver you just click on instead of struggling getting the belt round every time .
Good luck

If breastfeeding:
Decent large water bottle to carry around filling up.
Lanolin nipple cream
Lansinoh breast pads
Paracetamol
YouTube to show flipple technique (saved me from painful latching).
Decent electric breast pump.
Comfortable feeding bra for bed. Too many of them have seams over where your nipple sits! Ouch! JoJo maman Bebe have a great one.

Lots and lots of muslins
Newborn sleeping bag X 2
Changing mat/nappies/wipes beside your bed for night time changes
Netflix to keep you awake during those middle of the night feeds.
A nursing chair in your bedroom, if you can fit it - helped to stop me falling asleep during feeding as I had to get out of bed and into that.
Gro-egg to stop you stressing about temperature/clothing on LO.
Comfy PJ's/housecoat and slippers.
Leggings and baggy tops for once you want to get out of PJ's.
A good wrap/carrier for getting out for fresh air (having baby close to you out walking is lovely).
A big oversized warm jacket to go zipped up over you and baby in the wrap when outside. This saves having to faff with putting tiny arms and legs in snowsuits, disturbing the baby.
Getting fresh air when possible - stops the cabin fever :)
Plenty of tea/coffee/biscuits

Congratulations!

Sorry, not sure where my paragraphs went!!

100% agree with breast pump!
And lots of muslin cloths
More bibs! My child was a dribbler and seemed to be constantly soaked! (Has grown out of it now thank god)
Bouncer chair/Rocker chair/Electric swing! (These were a god send, I could actually get things done while she slept)
Ready prepared meals in the freezer! I made my own and froze them in sandwich bags/ plastic tubs, that way I didn't feel too bad for not home cooking!
I also bought that ready made baby milk for night feeds but you can get machines that make the bottle to the correct temp and correct measurements these days.
Good luck and enjoy it!

I bought Ewan the wonder sheep as everyone said how amazing he is... biggest waste of money I've spent as DS hates him! We didn't bother with a Moses basket (used pram carrycot/ bassinet) either. Also breast pads can be itchy but if you pick nice soft ones in the beginning for sure nipples, then once you've got out of the first few months and don't feel like a zombie switch to washable, they're much softer (but more effort due to needing washing - got to ensure you've got some clean! So better to have disposables for the beginning!)

Speaking of noises, newborns make all kinds of weird snuffly noises at night. We thought he was choking at first and were scared to death that he would stop breathing (he was premature, PFB, we were anxious), but it is apparently quite normal and just a stuffy nose. DS stopped doing it at about three months, I think.

Same with sticky eyes. Their tear ducts are very thin and get blocked easily. Goes away on it's own, just gently clean the affected eye with water and cotton wool until it clears up. It's not infected unless the white of the eye is red.

*sore nipples not sure

There's so much stuff you really don't need. Aldi's great for nappies and their baby & toddler sales are every 4 months (see dates online). Get 12-16 muslins & cellular blankets from there as way cheaper than anywhere else. I'm loving their sleep bags but don't think they have them at next sale. ALDI THURSDAY 17TH AUGUST IS NEXT BABY STUFF DAY. You can also order online.
We got a sleepyhead last week which has been helpful.
Cheeky wipes are brilliant and save you money long term.
I bought a multipack of 6 sleep suits, newborn/first size & this has seen us through the 1st month (just getting too small now for daughter). We've spent a lot of skin to skin time so neither of us got dressed for about 70% of 1st 3 weeks.
I love our Chicco next to me cot - I put sleepyhead in this. We use pram or sleepyhead downstairs for naps. Maternity pads (Mothercare) were great for first week as much more padded than sanitary towels, so more comfortable sitting!
I have 3 nursing dresses from jo Jo mama bebe- bought online & wore last few months & now for feeding when out.
People will give you stuff. So don't over do it. You don't know what size/how fast baby will grow so buy as and when needed. I got a multipack of 0-3 month baby grows from Asda.
Stock your freezer with batches of food. We told friends the ticket for entry to meet baby was food for mum & dad. Good friends asked what present to buy & we just said bring us dinner & they've done so 1/week.
We use a basin to bath baby.
Pram, cot, nappies, sleep suits, maternity pads, nursing dresses, muslins, cellular blankets, sleep bags, cheeky wipes. These are mostly what has seen us through first month.
Lots of toys & clothes given as presents so haven't bought any.
Google things you don't need - eg scratch mitts as they'd build into the sleeves of sleep suits as a cuff that folds over.
Top tip- recently found out the yellow line on nappies turns blue with urine!😮
Soda crystals get muconium (baby's first poo which us like tar) out of clothes when used to soak & generally great for any biological stains, eg sick, poo, sweat...
Pillows/cushions needed to support you when feeding.
Oh, steriliser's been used a lot - my milk didn't come in until day 5 so have to use formula for couple weeks. Now fully breast fed, but so glad we had it already- planned to express milk from week 6 so dad can o some bottle feeds & if I wasn't able to breast feed we'd be using bottles for formula anyway. We bought a breast pump on 3rd day (still in hospital & had tried different ones there so new what was most comfortable to use).
You can hire breast pumps from family centres and baby slings from other places (local chiropractor has a sling library so can try different types before buying). These things can be expensive and you might not need/like them which is why we bought later.
I said I wanted to stay in a couple nights so I was as comfortable as possible with breast feeding before going home as heard majority of new mums struggle for various reasons. Initially wasn't too bad (took while to get latch right so not painful/nipples to get used to it) the about to go home day 3 & realised colostrum finished & no milk yet. Stayed 4 nights/5 days total, returned 3 times to see lactation midwife & had 2 visits from them at home before things settled. I was given the support only as I kept asking & determined to bf. Definitely one of the most challenging things I've done, took 2-3 weeks for us both to get used to it but so glad now.
Right, that's enough of my brain farts for now. Been typing with one finger while feeding & little Miss is ready to sleep now (I was ready to sleep 6 hours ago!).
Wishing you all the very best for your amazing adventures as mums! Xx

Sleepyhead, Ewan the dream sheep, angelcare Bath support