Due Feb 2019 - we’re halfway!

[MakeLemonade]

Thread 8, let’s do this...

@welshweasel nice to see another carseat geek. Something I feel pasionately about. Having done courses with maxi cosi, cybex and besafe on carseat safety etc. It was enough to have me in tears some of the crashtest dummy videos. I cant imagine seeing the real thing.

If anyones interested and feeling strong willed look into coats and layers in a carseat crash test videos. Trust me you will never want to do it again. Even briefly in minus tempertures.

I have settled on the new cybex cloud z for my carseat as the lie flat option for outside the car was important for me. Its also slightly more reclined than others.

Carseats though only have to be tested to the minimum its scary the differances in tests performed.

There is a campaign at the moment for carseats to have a star system related to tests displayed on them. So its easy to read at first glance for people.

Ive had extensive training as its been part of my career for years and even I get confused about some things. So an easy to compare at a glance method is very much needed.

If anyone wants to sign heres the link.

you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/car-seat-safety-stars

Ha ha love a car seat geek friend. Most people are very willing to take on board advice - it’s just that good info is hard to find. Pretty much all my friends do extended rear facing now, which is brilliant, and the message about not moving to HBB until at least aged 4 seems to be getting there. My husband was really against rear facing until I showed him the evidence and now he’s more into it than me! Even my parents have got over themselves and conceded that perhaps it’s not as cruel as they thought!!

The star system seems like a great idea.

No I’m defintely more educated now re the costs thing! I’ve always been an advocate of ERF - DD is now FF at the insistence of DH although I’d have been happy to keep her RF for longer. Happily we’re not in the car much either so the 30 mins drive time is a non issue for us.

Anyone here done or planning to cloth nappy? We didn’t last time but DH has suddenly become a bit of a plastic zealot and is keen to have a go. I like the idea of it but not really sure where to start! Also committing to using fewer wet wipes and using resusables instead - we potty trained DS quite early but I’m still terrible for using wet wipes to clean up after mealtimes etc.

I'm such a car seat geek 🙈

Never let DD have a coat on in the car. We have blanket that stays in the car and use that.

Also on the infant carrier yes check the manual as the handle acts as a toll bar for many of them.

Also don't forget to check the fit list!!!! Not all car seats fit in every car and remember that seatbelt and isofix are as safe as each other when installed correctly.

I love the idea but in practice... I just can’t. We have a stock of face cloths for downstairs for dinner etc so we don’t use many wet wipes except out and about. DD has been potty trained since the summer so that’s helped. I know friends that have started with cloth but couldn’t stick to it given the work involved and having to size up with clothes etc or buy extenders etc...

Did anyone else react badly to their flu jab? I know it’s a possible side effect but today I feel like absolute crap (headache and feverish) after having my jabs last night. Currently wondering how i’ll make it through the afternoon of teaching and a long drive home and feeling pretty sorry for myself.

I mentioned cloth nappies to my DP but he really isn't keen and I think he probably does have a point tbh. Maybe for number two?!

@welshweasel I am hoping to use cloth nappies. However I have said I wont for the first month. As I really want to exclusively breast feed and being my first and being a single mum. I want establishing feeding to be my main priotity. With out one more thing to worry about.

Plus the thought of the first few weeks of poo after poo id fear I was making myself a glutton for punishment.

Any 2nd time mums here who have cloth bummed before? Feel free to correct/reassure me contary.

I am debating getting a laundary nappy subscription. But alot of the services locally have been scraped so im still lookintg into it. Crazy as you would think now days they would be promoting it more rather than less.

Tbh i think it’s more work with #2 given the volume in terms of washing etc... just my view! Not for me I’m afraid but I think there are some supportive Facebook groups

Oops welshweasel I didn't actually read the link, didn't realise it was 2 hours once they reach 4 weeks. Yeah, I can probably get on board with that! Don't think we went anywhere for very long in those first four weeks. Luckily we don't actually drive long distances ever, DS is lucky in that sense.

I can't do cloth either, it's just one more thing to do! I totally get it, and it does make me feel a bit guilty in terms of the environment, but I just can't! I tell myself I help the environment in other ways, as we only have one car, don't eat beef all that often, don't buy loads of milk (well DS goes through 6 pts a week including his cereal, but I only have soya!).

@notquiteagandt that seems sensible plus you don’t know what you’ll get. DD rarely needed a clean nappy overnight and she was never ever sick either - I had no idea how NOT normal this is till a friend with a newborn told me how she averages 3-4 bedding and clothes changes a night and 6 a day - poo and puke. That’s a lot of washing!

On the subject of nappies, what's the new advice on wipes? We definitely used the old cotton wool and water when DS was tiny, but I can't remember when we started using wipes. I can't imagine it was late, we probably only did the cotton wool and water for maybe a week or two max? We're lucky that he has lovely skin which has never been sensitive or barely had a rash.

Might order a box of water wipes this time round, they're too expensive to use all the time, but can they be used in the early days instead of cotton wool and water?

@Lookingforadvice123
I'm pretty sure I've always heard that wipes can be used from birth. Them water wipes are really really good. I am a nanny and the twins I look after have had water wipes and Asda little
Angles wipes from
Birth and we've never had a problem :)

I'll prob buy a few packs of diff wipes and also have some cotton wool handy too

@Since2016 exactly I figure id be doing so much laundry the water and power usage would outlay the environmental benefits of washable nappies.

For the first few weeks though I have been looking at kit and kin nappies though. Eco friendly/bio degradable. And do a subscription service.

So my concious is a little clearer slash one less thing to worry about.

Thanks for the heads up on the bed changes though appears I may of been a little nieve and need to buy more sheets and matress protectors 😂 currently got 3 of each. Then one in pram size.

Talking of leaky messy babies. What do people do for carseats? Is there such a thing as a "matress protector" for them? I worry about something perferating into the fabric and into the foam.

We never even got round to mattress protectors until DD moved into a bed this summer! Have never needed them! I’m doomed for #2 aren’t I?

I think we did a combo of cotton wool and water wipes - DD has/had ultra sensitive skin so we used them a lot longer than we may have done otherwise. Will buy a couple of boxes and a new stash of super soft face cloths.

Ps. I definitely wouldn’t use anything other than cotton wool or water wipes in the early weeks though. Babies skin is too sensitive!

Thanks Alicejjx that's good to know! Think I'll just get a stash of the water wipes, don't want to faff with cotton wool and water past the first couple of days really! I always used the Little Angels unfragranced/sensitive wipes for DS when he was a baby and they were fine too.

We used waterwipes for he first couple of months with DS - I’ve just seen that Aldi have brought out their own version. Identical other than about a quarter of the price. Their baby range has expanded massively. They have loads more baby food etc. and their own brand formula which we will definitely use if we need it this time round.

I had a reflux baby first time round - we used to put a muslin under his head whenever he was in the pram or cot - that way when he brought milk back up we only had to change the muslin rather than the sheet. We got through very few changes of bedding actually, occasionally we’d get a wee leak but that would usually just need a change of babygrow and sleeping bag. It rarely soaked to the sheet. Never had an issue in the car. If he puked it would go over him rather than in the seat!

Thanks welshweasel an Aldi has just opened near me!

Does anyone have any website links for shit you NEED to get, eg for first few weeks/month? I’m totally overwhelmed by all this bottom wool and sheets and wipes chat! Feel like I need a serious excel spreadsheet to budget for this :(

59p for the Aldi water wipes compared with £2.50 for the real thing!

I’m a huge fan of Aldi nappies too.

@powkin please don’t stress. There’s really not that much you need to get. Get the absolute bare minimum so that baby has somewhere to sleep, something to wear (including nappies) and a way of being transported (pram/car seat/sling). Then wait and see what you need. Amazon prime and 24 hour supermarkets mean you can get anything you need pretty quick. Babies need cuddles and milk, not much else.

Thanks @welshweasel for the heads up.

I bulk bought water wipes from costco that worked out £1.60 a pack. If anyone shops there.

Planning to only use wipes outside the house. So hoping the box of 20 wipes I have will last a bit. But be interesting to see how the aldi ones compare at that bargain price!!