Celebrating Christmas with the arrival of BabyBloom and XmasPud - we're testing our pelvic floors through the festive season, mince pie tasting and turkey stuffing (nudge nudge), it's the JS Grads 43!

[ThursdayLastWeek]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 43rd grads thread... celebrating the success of Just Shagging in getting us viroids upduffed!

For those that don't know, a 'viroid' is from the original JSing thread 1, where someone was trying to type ladies (in reference to all the JSing ladies), but their phone decided to call us all viroids instead!

The name stuck and we've been the JSing viroids ever since.

The 42nd grads thread is HERE

The thread we have graduated from is HERE in its 56th outing. WARNING: they're all a bit kerazy not to mention randy!

There is also a Just Mumming thread HERE
for once your babies come along, or to keep up with the graduated graduates!

There is also a private facebook group (so it doesn't give the game away in your news feed!)... if you want to join to see photos of new babies etc, just ask in-thread!

HERE is the stats list, please update your own spot with any updates. (Except it's not because I don't know how to link to the stats sheet!)

Lovely summary Pud - thank you for sharing with us all.

I'm nearly 22 weeks and haven't bought a thing yet. I've got a basic list of stuff we'll need (but I mean really basic - it reads: clothes, bedding, sling etc). I don't know how many clothes I'll need - how many all in one suits, or whether they should have sleeves or not....I know nothing about slings or prams or nursing chairs. I'm feeling a rising panic. Does anyone have a list they used or have any idea of how many I need of everything?!

Oh also, I was wondering - does anyone feel oddly possessive over their pregnancy/bump/foetus/baby to be? I noticed myself getting really snarky/defensive when my ILs were talking about potential names and even talking about things they'd like to do with him/her. They're nice people (if a little annoying....) and they live a good 5-6 hours away so they're not going to be overbearing, but it really got me! I wanted to shout "S/HE'S MINE! NOT YOURS! ALL MIIIIIINE!" Like some kind of deranged teenager/toddler mix.

Feathered I know exactly what you mean.

My own mum has always used very possessive language with regards to DS, and seemed early on to have very clear ideas of how things were going to be done with him. Our own relationship has been strained since his birth because she's so determined to treat him as her own (whilst allowing him things we would never have had) I find it very frustrating.

I think she found the fact that I EBFed him til 6mo and wouldn't allow any solids until then frustrating - she's a feeder!

Sorry, mega self-moan, but yes, I know what you mean feeling like belligerent teenager in the face of everyone else's ideas!

That's understandable Feathered, ILs can be hard to deal with at the best of times. I've read so many horror stories on mn about mil snatching away the baby, I think I will be quite possessive as a pre-emptive measure.
I also don't have a clue about how to dress a baby. So far I've bought sleeping bags and a few cute clothes. I need to get some basic multipacks but I don't know if I need feet on the sleep suits and sleeves on the body suits. How many of each size? Socks or booties? Hopefully one of the wise viroids has a list.
Do you know which pram and car seat you are going to get? I thought if we get it chosen, at least if I went into labour early DH could order it and have it within a couple of days. Although at 24 weeks I'm sure that wouldn't be high on my list of worries.

Hi all. Sorry that I completely dropped off the fred! I've been finding it hard to try and keep up with everything. The time each day just seems to fly by but I really couldn't tell you what I've done! other than feed and/or stare at G

That's a lovely birth story pud Glad it was positive even if it's not what you expected

Hope everyone is ok, I'll admit to not reading the fred all the way through so hope I haven't missed anything important

Glad I'm not the only one Thurs! - and not remotely a mega self-moan, just a healthy vent. If I'm feeling like this now, prepare for more similar venting from me in a few months...

Fruit I literally have no idea on prams and car seats. Car seats in particular scare me because I have no idea what I'm looking for. At least with prams I know I want something that can be folded easily and, erm...stylish looking. So, no actually. I have no idea on prams either. I thought the Silver Cross Wayfarer looked good and the iCandy peach. I also liked the look of the ones 5hell and Pretz have gone for.

I saw some multipacks in M&S the other day and wanted to buy them. Then I realised I don't know whether Little Feather will be a "tiny baby" or "newborn size". And then the footless/armless lack of knowledge became another confusion and I abandoned the purchase in a tizz and bought some lovely silvery votives in the sale instead.

I can recommend the icandy. They are quite bulky, but easy to fold and a dream to push! Always worth checking eBay as they are crazy expensive new.

I STILL find car seats confusing.
We didn't use an infant seat with DS, which actually was fine. When he was really little one of us would just carry him, and then he was big enough to go in a sling. The only time I regretted not having one was after swimming, when I could have done with somewhere dry to put him while I got dressed.

We have the maxi cosi opal which lasts from birth til 18kg (in our case that's under 3yo, but DS is v much the exception). It fits in with just the seatbelt, which can get in the way when rear facing, but not enough to put me off buying it again if I needed too. It's easy to fit and move between cars if that's what you need.

We've gone for the icandy 3 with the carry cot and chair, it just fits in our boot with the wheels off lol! My friend gave me her cybex aton car seat so I just bought the iso-fix for it (saved me some pennies that did!) And I'm saving for the next stage car seat (ie the non removable version).

Clothes wise, I've bought a couple of packs of new born vest and sleep suits/baby grows but that's it. No outfits for new born. No idea if I have enough stuff!

Thanks Thurs - yep, the iCandy models are £££! Maxi cosi opal sounds like a good bet. Will be copying/pasting all these replies into my spreadsheet!

Lovely - thanks Jelly. Also good to know someone else is winging the clothing situation a bit!

There is a small Mothercare and a large M&S between the clinic for my antenatal appointment and the bus stop. I may have accidentally'd 20 quid worth of sale 0-1 month baby clothes and a packet of half price mince pies on the way to the bus stop...

Everything seemed to look good anyway (delayed 28 week appointment) - miniTri is head down (which I'd guessed because of the sheer volume of rib kicking and bladder pressure) and the HR is good and strong.

All of that sounds marvellous Tri

Good news Tri! That reminds me it's pretz' last scan today too isn't it? Gx it goes ok and let us know what it means for delivery pretz. I'm starting to think more about induction as micro shows no interest in leaving, and I totally understand your preference for a c-section over induction...

On car seats etc I signed up to which magazine for a few months and entirely did what it recommended on everything, which was also my approach to buying appliances for the house and in fact all other important decisions I've ever had to make!

And Gouda I'm not sure when doctors here think full term is - they don't like you going over 40 weeks and will want regular monitoring from now on, daily after 41 weeks. My doctor has once let someone go to 42 weeks! It's a private hospital, so they have no interest in rationing more expensive intervention - I'm not sure what they do in the public system. In France you're not full term til 42 weeks are you? What do they do after that?

Sounds like you definitely need one of those hot weather friendly connectas niff be rude not to! That's a shame about the lack of gas and air etc. Although being able to just ask for c section if you want one seems nice!

That sounds like a lovely place to live fruit

gouda "world's oddest spa day" Good luck with the flat cleaning, I've got so much more done since DP has buggered off back to work!

Glad your appointment went well tri.

I am currently going through scanxiety for the sixth time. 36 +1 today and going to scan/diabetes doctor/obstetrician this afternoon to see if everything's okay and if she is still breech or has turned and then they'll book c section or induction depending. EEEEEEK

For people looking for a list, I'll post carrot's one again as I found it v helpful.

jelly we have the cybex aton car seat too! It clicks onto our wheels, handily.

Cross post niff! Very sweet that you remembered and thanks for the luck.

Baby "essentials" list, mostly from carrot:

Transport

Car seat
Car seat base if needed
Pram
Sling (optional)

Sleeping
Cot/crib/moses basket/co-sleeper
Matress for the above
Fitted sheets (at least 2)
Blankets (3-4)
Baby sleeping bags if you plan to use them x2

Clothes
Sizing goes either
Newborn (7.5lbs) - Up to 1 Month (10lbs) - 0-3 Months
Or Tiny Baby (7.5lbs) - Newborn (10lbs) - 0-3 Months
Weight is your guide. Only because it says 7.5lbs doesn't mean they won't fit if you baby is slightly heavier - I found my DS still fitted into most clothes even if he exceeded weight limit.
If you know you are having a big baby you can skip the smallest size, but if unsure I would still get it. Maybe don't take it out of the packets in case it's too small.

I'd say you need:
Short sleeved bodysuits (AKA T-shirts with poppers) - 7-10 in each size
Don't buy long sleeved ones, it's hard to put 2 long sleeved layers without one sleeve riding up. They can be useful when you start putting baby in dungarees or sleeveless dresses, but you can always invest in those later if you see the need.
Babygros (onesies) - 7-10 in each size
A couple thin hats
One or two thick outdoor hats
A few cardigans
Socks - yes babygros have them but sometimes if it's chilly you might want to put a bit extra on their feet.
Something for outside - i.e. snowsuit
Don't buy any cute outfits. You'll be given loads.

Feeding
I'm sorry I don't know much about FF. I guess you'd need formula, bottles+teats and a steriliser.
If BF
BF bras
Bf pillow
LANSINOH
Breast pads
Plastic backed bibs
Muslins (we had about 20, which was about enough, but DS was a very sicky baby. You might want to start with 10 and get more later if needed)
You might get a couple of bottles jic.
I would say don't buy a pump until later on if you decide you want to express. For me expressing was a faff tbh.
Some people buy ready made cartons of formula if there are issues with bfing - I didn't though.

Changing
Changing mat (we also put kitchen roll on it so that it's not too cold for baby to lie on and also clean up excess poo)
Nappies - a couple packs of size 1 and 2
Cotton wool and cotton pads - pads are much better for cleaning their bum
Baby wipes if you plan to use them
Nappy barrier (i.e. Sudocream)
Nappy rash cream (i.e. Bepanthen or Metanium)

Playing
Bouncer
Play mat with dangling toys
Don't buy any toys, you'll probably be given loads. Newborns are not really interested in toys to begin with. If you really want to, you can buy black and white book with lines and faces - they like to look at those.

Bathing
Baby bath and/or bath support. You can wash your baby in a sink, but unless you have a huge sink they will grow out of it pretty quickly
Hooded towels - not essential but v useful. Ikea do really good ones.
Sponge (optional)
If you want to use some kind of baby wash/bubble bath, get a soap free one. Def not J&J. We use Oilatum but it's quite expensive.

Misc
Ear thermometer (optional)
Baby scissors
Brush
Dummies if you plan to use them (I would get a couple even if not, you never know, they might save your sanity)
Calpol
Infacol

FOR ME
Foods that can be eaten one handed including fruits

Thanks SO much Pretz and Carrot!!

Do I need a moses AND a cot?

No, baby could go straight in a cot. We've been given a moses basket so going to use that until she grows out of it because it fits right next to the bed and the cot doesn't.

And you're welcome! Having a cheeky Costa coffee between buses on my way to the hospital. So nervous Agh!

Hope it goes well Pretz, gx for you.
Thanks for the list.

Good luck pretz!

My tuppence worth on that list is get enough baby changing stuff for an upstairs station and a downstairs one too if you need to.
Also, might be worth having a Moses basket upstairs and the pram carry cot downstairs or something - it was a bit of a ball ache for me (quite weak and unwell) to get what I needed from upstairs if I'd left it behind!

GX for you Pretz - sure it will all be fine. It will be awesome for you to have a better idea of what kind of birth you might have!

Gx for you pretz. Hope it all goes well.

the baby shopping should be fun, but all the decision making it so hard!

jelly/pretz dont let my dh hear you've got a cybex!!!! he was desperate to get their carseat because he thought it looked so cool - esp the hood! i wasn't sure they were the best criteria to use, so narrowed it down by only looking at ones that conformed to the new i-size safety standard. I nearly went for the which approach niff ...would you recommend it generally?

I really need to go through all the second hand stuff we got the other week and figure out the things we still need/want...since we've bought hardly anything i'm thinking the list may still be quite long!

Have spent most of the day on my feet in the lab and i'm knackered and nowhere near finished yet and I know i have the same ahead of me tomorrow :( and it means i dont get to feel chubs move as much