July 2015 - more and more beans are seen on scans

[StoneBaby]

Here's the new thread

Please come and feel it!

number we will probably get a travel system, but are planning on trying out ones we like in shops and then looking out for the same one we like second hand on eBay. (Unless parents offer to buy us a new one!) this is our first, so ideally we want one that will last us through all our babies :) definitely not £700+ though, the new ones we were looking at were approx £400 but if we get on eBay could be between £100-200

Thank you Bust. Can I ask where you got the monitor on sale ? It sounds like the angel baby one that I want to get.
It's the January sales that have piqued my interest too and since having my scan I have felt ok to buy some things here and there.

Previous pg I was too superstitious and would never have bought a thing before the baby arrived. My parents had bought some big items in the past and left delivery of said items until after the birth Little :)

In terms of essential clothing Little, i'm sure there was a discussion, however here is some things that will be useful; vests, socks, scratch mits, booties, sleepsuits, bibs/muslin, hats.
In terms of amount, I'd say about 10 vests, socks and sleepsuits. You have to factor in people gifting you them and/or passing stuff along to you and how often you are going to have your washing machine on !
I would also suggest getting a few items newborn and more of 0-3 months.

Having summer babies means for me that he/she will hopefully be able to be in vests and hat during the day. Unless we are going out which I cant see happening much in the beginning baby will be living in variations these clothes :). Hope this helps you.

Well it certainly looks like the breathlessness has kicked in for us all now charming! I was reading out about being bloated to DH last night and mentioned the wind, his face was a picture, pg is certainly not glamorous in this house atm

Pip, I feel for you

m.direct.asda.com/Motorola-MBP25-BabySense-Bundle/002609400,default,pd.html here it is, it's got good reviews and with me having cats I thought it would be a good idea to have a camera monitor xxx

I'm not sure if that link works but it's on asda direct and it's the Motorola bundle which has a camera with it xxx

Right Ladies, I found this page and give or take a few things thought it would be good to share;

www.todaysparent.com/checklists/newborn-checklist/

And if one of you lovely ladies would turn it into a clicky thing, that would be even better

Breast pads..... Must remember them,,, that is another discusion, toiletries and hospital bag !!

Number I'm singing from same hymn sheet in terms of pram, only thing I do know is we will NOT be spending funny money. I'm thinking along the lines of Want, second hand for our needs.
Though there are some great travel systems out there for your budget Little. Im going to check my email then I will post the make model.

ah Thank you Bust xx

Thanks everyone

Ah thanks arete that link is really helpful xx

number for DS we got a travel system costing £150 new 5 years ago. I'm aiming to reuse it (unless it got damaged while stored in the attic). We also bought an small foldable buggy (used from 18 months old) from Amazon for £30.

I am also short of breath mix with mild asthma.

My 1st scan is this coming Tuesday and I can't wait!

11+1

Want I'd probably get a pack of Newborn to be on the safe side - I would keep them in the pack and take them back if they don't get used (baby might be too big)

My son was 9lb and 57cm long, he was too big for Newborn, so straight in to 0-3.

You can always send someone out to the shop.

I am the same, don't want too much stuff that doesn't get used.

I remember giving away so much unused stuff before it was ridiculous!

A couple of 0-3 hats is fine. If you have one already i'd probably just get one more depending on how often you manage to get a wash on.

Another tip for first time Mums - no one warned me about the 'milk' coming in - I was in hospital for 7 days after DS and on day 3 I woke up looking like I had breast implants. Mum brought me a tapemeasure in and ran to the shop for a new bra for me!

Take a tapemeasure in your baby bag just in case, we all go in planning to be out the same day but it doesn't always work out like that.

StoneBaby

Yes! Amazon! I need to look on there.

Little the one I was thinking about, does not actually have the car seat with it ! I know you will have shopping about to do, here is one I had liked
venicci.co.uk/shop/vento-2014/vento-denim-grey-maxicosi/ just for you to have a look at and see what you can get. I know the choice is massive though so good luck :)

I thought so Bust. That monitor is also exactly what i'm looking for so thanks for that. I do think the video element is useful if not needed for yourself with the cats. I've saved one to show to DH before going ahead & buying. the tech side is his

arete, you're so kind. I'm really sorry to hear of your friend. I hope you're ok

pip, I'm with you and not buying anything yet.

Re clothes. People love to buy new babies clothes when they're born so my advice would be along the lines of number's and not to go crazy (oh and I'm totally with you on the whole Nike thing - wtf?!?!) Babies poo and sick a fair bit and so id plan for possibly two outfit changes a day (by outfit, I mean vests or babygros, not jeans and tshirt - that's what others will buy). You'll be washing and drying a lot so I'd go for decent quality like Next and Mothercare but don't rule out asda, sainsburys, morrisons and primark as they all have great ranges too. Asda tend to come up a bit big which would be good for our summer babies as they won't thank you for close fitting clothes in the heat. Cellular blankets are also a must for cots/side cars/prams to keep any chill off (remember they can't control their body temperature like we can so they can and do get chilly even if it's blaring sunshine).

One thing I would also definitely recommend is a proper UV protection parasol for when you're out and about. It will just give a peace of mind that littlie won't be getting those nasty rays.

Oh and save money for decent car seats - immediately and the next stage! Money well spent to keep your bundle safe IMO. Maxi cosi and Cybex are our preferences.

Sorry ladies, that turned out to be a mammoth post!

arete that's the pram my mum really wants to buy us, she wa sure it came with everything other than the car seat base. We are going to try it out at the weekend so I'll see what they say but it all depends on what fits in our awkward car!

Said awkward car is due in for a service in Feb so I'm thinking of asking them where we stand on swapping it for an estate or small 4x4. Love the car but it's just not practical!

Also ladies, I nipped in to a Gap retail outlet the other day and got some lovely baby bits with a whopping 60-70% off

Re car seats - if you buy a travel system with a newborn carseat, save money and buy a Britax Evolva 1-2-3. We got one for DH's car and it's great. I may buy another one for that DC.

arete is this the same one? venicci.co.uk/shop/vento-2014/vento-denim-grey/ x

Thanks Broody had a wobble yesterday ! Not allowed under her orders though :) xx

Yes Little how strange is that ! Very small variation but tis the same model I think it is excellent and has passed all tests etc.

Please let me know how it is in real life, I can test it vicariously through you :)

arete all the reviews are fab so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it will fit in the bloody car! Probably going next weekend so will keep you posted

Had a busy few days with family visiting so I'm knackered.

If people are planning on reusing car seats from previous babies make sure you check the use by date on the seat. I think most of them are 7 years but I do think they can vary.

It's worth spending a bit of time looking for a pram/travel system, it's not necessarily about how much you spend but making sure you get the features that are important to you. Make a list of the things that you want and start from there. We were the same as a lot of you saying we weren't going to spend much but ended up spending a bit more to get what we wanted and to ensure quality, but it was worth it as we always intended on using it for a second. It will end up saving us money though as it can be adapted for two seats so we don't have to buy a new pram to accommodate this one.

My recommendation for bras for when milk comes in is to get some soft cup sports bra type tops. You can get some from asda for about £6. Easy to feed in and gives you room to expand when your milk comes in. You may find your boob size decreases again after a few weeks and milk supply has settled so it may not be worth getting fitted for nursing bras until then unless you can get some inexpensive ones. Mine cost £25-30 each because of the size so I didn't want to be buying multiple sizes!

Oh and I can highly recommend reusable breast pads. I use little lamb ones and they are brill. Much kinder on sore nipples than disposables (also look better under tops as some disposables are really pointy and obvious) but they are much better at containing leaks especially if you have an over - supply issue.

That was an epic post - sorry about that!

Sorry not been on in a couple of days so trying to catch up! Hope everyone is OK and Happy New Year!

fleur I'm jealous that you have someone to give you things, I don't have anyone, so everything is having to be brought new But great idea to keep a record of what your sister has given you!

purple I probably will tbh, I'm such a control freak. It's the only way I'm getting through these past few weeks of feeling crap - i.e. concentrating on spreadsheets! Lol

number my asthma is going crazy the past few weeks or at least it feels like my asthma I've barely needed to use my inhalers over the past few years, and the only time I usually need the preventor (brown) is when it's super cold or super pollen-y outside. Past few weeks I've had to start taking it again, constantly feel out of breath and tight chested, not to mention getting what I call, "heavy air" where it feels like you have to work double time to get a good level of air in. I was going to mention it to my mw in a few weeks, see if she thinks I should get an asthma check-up anyways.

bustherb I was really worried about doing it at first, but decided just to take the chance and just make the most of the Jan sales... I've got enough clothes and accessories to last me from birth to 9m (spent £200), Tommy Tippee starter kit (£50), some bibs and muslins (under £20), and finally yesterday we bought a cotbed from Mamma's & Pappas. Was reduced to £150 in the M&P Outlet store in Braintree. The mattress unfortunately was almost as much as the cotbed, but they gave us £20 off the mattress and £20 off the matching cot-top changer for buying the bed, and we only had to pay 25% now, the rest we pay on delivery which we've booked for mid-May (EDD 07/07 - done it earlier in case of prem-arrival!)

Me & DH made our announcement to the world well on facebook yesterday and got some lovely comments. Feels so much better to have it out there. DH announced to his team at work NYE and I will be annoucing to my team on Monday, though still not sure how to do it. His Manager got all his team into a meeting for him to announce, my team however are scattered across Europe and the US, so I suppose I need to write an email... It's just what to write! I've been off work for almost a month, so I suppose I have some explaining to do!

Sorry for long post!

Doom merchant Zampa here ...

Anyone buying big ticket items on eBay needs to be aware of scams. There was an item on Rogue Traders about the number of fakes and dangerous items out there for babies, including prams and car seats.

And obviously don't buy a 2nd hand car seat - you don't know if it's been in a crash.

I found the asda babygros with pictures so no poppers down the front, a hassle yo get on and also an odd size always short on legs/back.

We have the maxicosi cabriofix which was good.

Travel system is worth it if your baby doesnt sleep, apart from in car/pushchair as its easy to transfer.

Miss you have made a lot of purchases! Good job taking advantage of the sales :) We don't yet know what furniture we will need to buy, as there is a moses basket and a cot in the family, but as my cousin is due within a week of me not sure who will get what or if she even wants any to use either... My preference would be for us to gave the cot as moses baskets are cheaper to buy You have also inspired me to make a spreadsheet! So far I have bought curtains for nursery (£35 in sale), lampshade (£7 in sale), elephant shaped clock clearly a necessity (£15), 0-3m set incl sleepsuit, bodysuit, hat and bib (£15 in sale) and been given some scratch mitts as a present. Also bought a double pack of maternity/nursing bras as needed some new ones so thought be best to get those than normal ones (approx £20 for 2). Am hoping blankets will be free as we have some in family and the older generation are super-knitters . I will also borrow steriliser/breast pump from family when time comes when I go back to work etc.

It is amazing that such a tiny human being needs so much stuff

I haven't bought anything yet - too scared.

My DD put a snow suit (!! yes I know, she is only 7 haha) in the basket in Tesco without me and OH noticing the other day and I had to put it back on the rail. I was so embarrassed!

She means well, but I am not ready to buy anything yet.

Need to get my next couple of scans out of the way first, but I wish I was buying stuff now as it is the best time in the sales!!!

Zampa thanks that is really useful info. I hadn't thought about car seats - think we will be buying a new one of that at least as as you say, you don't know!