Due June 2005, Thread 4

[Scraggyaggy]

Happy New Year everyone!

Following Katzguk's suggestion I've started up the new thread - hope no-one minds.

Well, I did absolutely nothing for New Year. I have the cold from hell so I was in bed by 9pm. I was very disappointed as we were supposed to be going to a party but I decided not to go as I wouldn't have enjoyed myself and then I'd have made dp miserable too. So, I celebrated by having a lemsip topup at 12 o'clock! (One for the books!) Hope you all had a nice time.

Have been reading your threads about what to buy and what not to buy. I started buying after Christmas as I want to start really enjoying this pregnancy now. Dp is incredibly worried that something will go wrong and we are tempting fate but I don't want to be walking on egg shells for the next 5 months .... yup 5 months already!!! Scary stuff!

Anyway, we have bought a Graco travel system as I have spent hours in the shops clipping and unclipping and puttin them up and down and I found Graco to be lightweight and really simple to use. Then I trawled the internet on boxing day and found that Toys'r'Us was doing some good deals.

Cot is going to be an Ikea special. They are so cheap, I just don't think you can argue and we are big fans of Ikea. However, if anyone has any experiences of this then let me know. We aren't bothering with the moses basket.

I've got a 2-way baby carrier from e-bay, which is still new apparently, although I haven't received it yet so I'll hold bck on judgement.

And then the mumsnet wanted and for sale boards are fantastic. I've got a bottle warmer and a travel cot through mumsnet. I'd reommend that anyone here use them.

There are three things which I need help with though:

• steriliser; microwave or electric??? Any opinions?
  
• breast pump; is there one which is comfortable and easy to use? I don't want to spend a fortune and then not be able to use it.
  
• baby monitor; I definitely want one. Am planning on sitting in the garden over the summer, and baby might not want to be moved. Should I get a normal one? A digital one? Has anyone used an under mattress sensor type one? Need big help with this one.
  
  Have bought myself some books on motherhood and new babies too. Am such a planner, I need to be having a good read now so I can put all the theory to practice in 5 months time!
  
  Hope you are all well and not being sick any more! x

[Scraggyaggy]

Oh, and regarding gro-bags / sleeping bags... what's the difference between them and a quilt? Surely, it's the same thing? I know you're ot supposed to use a quilt until they are older. Am confused!

[MrsWednesday]

Morning and Happy 2005! We're having our babies THIS YEAR!!!

I went round to a friend's house for New Year - my DH stayed at home because of his bad back so he looked after DS. My friend is pregnant, due three weeks after me, and the other couple who were there announced that they are expecting a baby in August! So it was a strangely sober evening, with lots of sparkling mineral water consumed instead of champagne (did have a small glass of proper fizzy stuff though). Came home before midnight to see in the New Year with DH, then went to bed. DS was up at 5.30 and it was my turn for the early shift! Sorry you're feeling so rough Scraggy.

For sterilising - I used some sterilising bottles from Mothercare, so you don't need a unit you just add water to the bottles and do them in the microwave. I borrowed an electric unit from my SIL and I used that for dummies, bowls/spoons etc.

Grobags/sleeping bags have the advantage over quilts (IMO) because they don't come off the baby when they wriggle around.

Right, in-laws are coming to visit today so I'd better go and sort myself out (still in pyjamas).

Hope you all have a good day, and that you feel better soon Scraggy.

[BUBBALOO]

happy new year everyone!!
i cant believe i didnt get up till 11 today.we went to my parents last night to see the new year in and got home at 3am.we were going to pop next door to the party but decided it would be better to go to bed instead-to sleep
how exciting to think our babies will be born THIS year,as mrs w said.it was the first thing i said to dh this morning
thanks for all the advice everyone.i think i will borrow the moses basket rather than waste money buying one and like pinkarjuna mentioned i've also browsed on ebay and there seems to be loads of new baby clothes which are really cheap and trendy so i might even try buying a few bits on there.
think im also going to get a couple of those sleeping bags as they look so much easier than using sheets but will the baby not be too hot to be in one in june?
we now have one thing for the baby already-a friend knitted us a little white hooded cardigan which was really sweet of them but i think as soon as we've had the next scan i shall be hitting the shops
havent felt any movements yet(only 17wks so prob a bit early)but for the last week i've had a funny sort of "ache" in my groin
dont know what this can be and its not painful just really achey.next docs appointment is on the 18th so if ive still got it i'll ask him.
has anyone else had this?
anyway ive just since the time so i think i better go and get dressed

[charleypops]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

What a weird New Year's - never had one totally sober before (after the age of 17 anyway)! Hope you all had a nice time. Poor you though Scraggy - kind of wish I'd been in bed though and not at our neighbour's house propped up on the sofa under their cat (lovely though he is) and listening to drunken bellowing until 3.30

I still cannot believe I'll have a 6 month old baby this time next year!!

Is anyone getting period type pains at all? I get mildish ones nearly every day and have been since conception. Is this normal?

[tribpot]

I've been having a groin ache as well, it's quite odd. And mild period pains, particularly around the time when my period should be. (Seems most bizarre not to be having them at the mo, still, should enjoy it whilst I can!).

Been to Mothercare today to look at car seats and travel systems, came away even more confused than before. Although the Isofix ones do look pretty good (if bl**dy expensive!).

I'm also thinking it's time to graduate from pregnancy books to new baby books! Might help me to contradict some of the crap I am hearing from the MIL for a start!

[PinkArjuna]

Yeah the crampy braxton hicks things. Thats one thing I am glad of since being pregnant - no more debilitating period pain I am told period pains can get better after you have had a kid (fingers crossed anyway) so I have great hopes of not suffering serious pain every month. The crampy things I have experienced since being pregnant are nothing compared to period pains. But then I would get pains all the way down to my knees and I would get faint and have kinda contraction pains every month Can any of the mums who have had kids say period pains improved?? I really want to know

Well I bought 54 items of nearly new unisex babywear on ebay last night for £30 quid I just bought a bumper lot and I don't actually need to buy anything else. Also £30 quid kinda doesn't really break the bank - it costs less than a breast pump and accessories.

Oh breast pumps - I hear the avent naturally is the one to buy (for the non electric) However don't buy avent sterilizers as they only fit avent bottles in them. I'm told tommy tippee is good (they fit all bottles) They do cold water/microwave or steam. I think I'll get a steam one but you can just get small bottle thingies to shove bottles straight into the microwave aswell.

I will be breast feeding I think, but I know I'm not the kind of woman to get my boobs out in public so I'll be using bottles with the breast pump for these occasions.

Is mothercare open???? I think I might pop out in the car. I need to find the way to my local hospital before I go for my scan in a few weeks so maybe I'll go for a drive and walk and have a look in there. I'll be getting quite a few things in boots though cos of the 1000 extra points!

[tribpot]

Not all the Mothercares are open, if you have a look on the website (www.mothercare.co.uk) they're listing the opening hours for the next few days. Admittedly, the hours for my own in Ipswich were wrong, website said 10-6, it's actually 9:30-5:30.

My mum told me this morning not to buy anything though as my oldest sister-in-law has a whole load of stuff to give me, hurrah!

I'm planning to breastfeed (just as well given the earbashing the midwife gives us about it at every appointment) - with dh's food intolerances and general auto-immune health problems, I really want to give the bean the best possible immunity boost from birth. MIL thinks all of his health probs are down to her not being able to breastfeed effectively (she claims "no-one" did it in the early 70s even though my Mum breastfed me and my bro). I doubt it's that simple but even so, I don't want another one like dh to deal with if it can be avoided.

Haven't really thought about breastfeeding in public, I've seen some tops with handy boob flaps in, almost worth it just for the hilarity of wearing one.

[Scraggyaggy]

Pink - Thanks for the advice on the breast pumps and sterilisers. You sound as though you've done a lot of research! I'll have another look tomorrow to try to suss out where best to buy. Where did you get your 1000 Boots points? Or are they just ones you've saved up through the year?

Tribpot - I'm hoping to breastfeed, although I want to be able to express so that dp can do night feeds and I can have time out, but baby can still get all the goodness from my milk. I hope I take to it ok.

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. I think that Katzguk has been a bit poorly with a cold too. It must be this time of year... never mind!

[walkinginawelshmumwonderland]

Happy New Year all. Hope you had a good one. We had a big party round at friends with all the kids watching Mary Poppins upstairs before they crashed out - very sweet.
I've started 2005 feeling like such a lump - guess I really am up the duff. Also have felt the baby move now - I'd forgotten just how fab that was.
Sorry haven't been around much over festive season - will try to keep up a bit now.

[katzguk]

Evening all,

Re the breastpump debate i had an avent one for DD and thought it was good. but it was the only one i used.

my periods are much lighter since DD but i didn't have bad pains before ut very heavy so that was great

[LipstickMum]

Happy New Year everyone, bumps and all!

My goodness, the questions are really beginning to roll in now aren't they!!?? It is such a minefield first time round. I can't remember any specific questions, but a few things popped into my head while I was reading.

Don't bother with baby baths (it seems most of you aren't). John Lewis sell a really good bath deck chair which is brilliant. Put it in the big bath and you have 2 hands free to bathe. It is literally a plastic frame with a flannel sling, about £5 at most?

I didn't bother with bath bubbly stuff either. My dd had quite dry skin and I think those things must only dry it out even more. Also, my no-nonsense midwife told me "Don't clean what's clean!" i.e. why bother cleaning your already clean 7 day old baby every night, are they really that dirty? Some people do like the old bath, boob/bottle, bed routine though.

I think I had Mothercare pads, for the 'aftermath'. IMO they were just awful!!! It was like stepping back 15 yrs in time and using those un-absorbant, breeze block sanitary towels I just used normal thin sanitary towels in the end. I think I 'leaked' a normal amount, not a lot.

Dd was born in May, so no grobag needed until she was 3 or 4 months. We have been using one since then and have never looked back! We borrowed the first and then invested in our own. She currently has 2, a Winter one and a lighter one for travelling (it has a zip in the back so you can keep it on in the car or buggy; BRILLIANT). They are an added expense though.
By the way, I think 'Grobag' is a trademark name? Mothercare sell 'sleeping bags' which are effectively the same thing.

We have my dp's old moses basket which is great. Obviously, the only thing about inheriting moses baskets/cots is to by a NEW mattress.

Don't know anything about sterilizers or breast pumps.

My goodness, having our babies THIS YEAR!!!

[tribpot]

Is the baby bath support this Lipstick? How does it work?

[PinkArjuna]

Scraggyaggy Haven't actually got my 1000 points yet but if you spend £75 or over by the 18th of January in boots on baby products you get an extra 1000 points on top of the points you'd get anyway. boots So I'll get a couple of things in there I think as unfortunately £75 quid doesn't go very far on baby gear. Hope it isn't a bad omen... worry well I guess it can all be sold again on ebay, along with a kidney to fund a round the world trip. Think I'll pick up a couple of essentials like breast pump, as I wouldn't consider buying a breast pump second hand just doesn't feel right. Like buying second hand gym pants or socks at a school uniform sale... makes you shudder

[Mirage]

Hi,
Haven't been around much as still suffering from the cough & cold from hell-courtesy of dd who has given it to everyone.

It is exciting reading about what everyone is buying.I said to DH last night that it feels odd not going out & buying stuff.As dd is only 16months,we already have the travel system,breastpump,microwave sterilizer ect.(I bought my breastpump from a friend who never used it).We don't even need to buy nappies as we use washable ones & have all dd's new baby ones packed away.We won't be finding out the sex,so won't be buying any new clothes until after the birth.

I agree about not buying a babybath-ours was a waste of time.The best thing I bought was the Avent microwave steriliser-it will fit other bottles in besides Avent ones,as well as the breastpump & was invaluable.
Better go,dd has got hold of the computer mouse!

[BUBBALOO]

morning,
sorry youre feeling a bit under the weather mirage-hopefully you'll be back to normal soon
so much for me not buying anything yet-ha ha.
i spent most of last night on ebay buying baby clothes and got some real bargains.much of the stuff is brand new and so much cheaper than the shops.also bought myself a couple of tops-although not maternity,they are just a size bigger than i'd normally buy.figured it made more sense than shelling out for new stuff that i'm going to wear again
that sounds like a good deal boots have on-might even pop in there myself and take advantage of the offer
i think i might also get that avent microwave steralizer as ive heard lots of good things about that one but i wont be getting a breast pump as ive decided to bottle feed instead

[charleypops]

Lipstick, (and anyone else that's got a Jane Matrix 360) Hi!

Sorry to add to the deluge of questions for you, I have been trying to resist but can't anymore... I've been thinking about getting a Jane Matrix 360 travel system because I'll be taking it on dog walks, also it's the only one with a lie-flat car seat/carrier. Thing is, I'm only 5ft 1 and I noticed the car seat/carrier is quite big - do you think it would be manageable for me? I know it doesn't fit in supermarket shopping trolleys - was this a problem for you?

Would you recommend them?

Thanks!!

[katzguk]

charleypop i'm a dog walker too and found that the easiest way to do the dog walk in the morning was to use a front sling baby carrier and used it until DD was 8 months old. Used to put her in a snowsuit (Oct baby) with joined feet and then put her on my tummy then put my coat on and did it up around both of us. I then switched to a bakcpack carrier when she was big enough.

I also had a mamas and papas 2 in 1 pushchair/pram which had chunky wheels great for the park. As your onl 5ft 1in then it will be worht looking at prams/pushchairs with adjustable handles, especailly if you DH/P is taller than you, again our mamas and papas one does.

[LipstickMum]

Hi all, hope you're still having happy new years

Tribpot, that is the deckchair I was describing (although more expensive than I remembered). You put it in the bath and lie your baby on it, with their head at the highest end. That's it! There are other types like you saw on the web page, they may also be good, but I found this one the simplest and least bulky for our reasonable small bathroom. The sling part slides off so you can dry it and wash it if you need to for any reason.

Charleypops, interesting question; would I recommend the Jane 360 to you. We loved it for the lie-flat system, it was important to us that baby was lying flat for car journeys. The other plus being you can clip it easily onto the chassis and have a traditional pram arrangement.
Also, it does pivot in the middle so when they are older (5-6 months,you can make it more like a chair and they can look around). It's also meant to work as a chair car seat for when they are older, but we didn't bother, it didn't look brilliantly comfy.

However, I found it difficult to carry and I am 5 7", it was just more cumbersome than the traditional scrunched ones, probably because it was longer. As a result I barely 'carried' dd anywhere in it. That was a dis-advantage, definitley. When I used to take dd to the supermarket I put her in one of the specially designed seats on the trolleys (making sure I had a blanket or something for her to sit on, they aren't always clean )

As for the dog walking, it will be fine as long as you are going along the pavement/park or a reasonable track. I think they are designed to be 'city 3 wheelers' rather than genuine off-road mountain buggies.

They are large, be aware that you'll need to have somewhere to put it. We have the smallest hall, about a metre square!! I ended up having to store it in the boot of the car, not ideal, but got it out of the way. It took up all of my boot space too (Golf).

Another dis-advantage was the storage underneath. There was a large bar preventing you from putting bulky change bags in there, very annoying, but I guess you were supposed to spend 50 quid on their handle change bag instead. Bad design.

Doesn't sound like I was very pleased with mine does it??!! On the whole I was, but it did have some very annoying faults which made it less than perfect for me. I would give it 7/10.

You should shortlist some travel systems and go to a shop that has them all for you to try, that's what I did. Kinda boring, but I like to do my research before spending lots of money!

PS. They are also fcking expensive!!

[teabelly]

Happy New Year everyone!

Gosh another new thread already...we are a chatty lot!

Had a great New Year at a friends (most of our friends have kiddies too) so we had a creche upstairs, and a party downstairs! and a few of us are pg so I wasn't the only one on sparkling H2O

feeling bad for those with colds - not much fun esp. when you can't take much for it.

If it's ok I'll add my two pennith about my best buys...

muslins - invaluable - use as bibs, for mopping up the icky stuff, as lightwieght sheets for summer babes etc.
microwave steamers - as fast as electric ones but can also be filled with cold water and sterilizing fluid/tablets when travelling if no microwave available.
babygrows/vests - you'll probably have them in these only for the first few weeks so don't buy too many first stage clothes - we have outfits for ds I put him in just to say he's worn it and some he never got to wear!
babyseat - the kind that bounce/vibrate or even swing are great for LO to see what you're doing but allow you to get on with things without holding them all the time.
buggy/pram - choose as appropriate - i.e. lightweight with one handed folding mechanism if you use public transport (afterall you'll prob. have bubba and shopping in the other hand!). Travel systems are good if you have a car but tend to be heavy and bulky (and are alot easier to push around when the babe is weeks old and weighs 10lbs - not so easy when they're 2.6yrs and 2st 8lbs!!) so you'll also prob. end up buying a small umbrella fold one for when they're bigger - we have 3!!

I can't advise on the brest pumps though as I bottlefed ds. I wouldn't bother with a babybath - we used the kind that Lipstick did and that was great and then later he had a bathseat which was also very good, and allowed you to have two hands free for washing hair etc.

As we have most things already from ds we won't be buying too much for this one (unless it's a girl!) but I would just say we bought a cot/bed which was great and very adaptable, however ds is still in the bed part, and obviously we'll be needing the cot part in 5 months! So I'd only get a cot bed if you're planning on having a big age gap, otherwise you could find yourself like us a bed short!

Hope this helps some firsttimers.

Pink - re the girl boy thing, most are oldwives tales/just for fun, but the heartbeat thing is quite a good indication, and according to my friend who works on Mother & Baby magazine those having girls tend to develop slightly bigger bums than before and those having boys tend to remain roughly the same - not scientific I know but it seems to work anyway, and luckily your bum is only bigger during pregnancy, it's not permanent

[LipstickMum]

Yeah Teabelly, we considered a cot/bed, but then realised that if all went to plan dd1 probably wouldn't get to use it for that long! I think we'll buy a small child's bed, although still undecided. They're about £100 in John lewi, which is reasonable compared to some I've seen.

[walkinginawelshmumwonderland]

We didn't have anything for dd in the bath except for a non-slip mat - we just laid her in there in a couple of inches of water and it was fine. We never used any products in the bath as it dried out her skin way too much.
Also (daringly) we didn't sterilise anything once she was onto bottles (on the advice of the neonatal unit) just washed everything in very hot soapy water, rinsed it and air dried it. I know this is difficult to imagine doing and we wouldn't - unless we'd seen them do it with all the prem babies stuff. We'll be doing it again.
We have a bulky 3 wheeler buggy which is rubbish for going in shops but great for walking - easy on the back etc We'll use a pouch for a bit - DH loves it (I think it's a bit of a babe magnet!)
The baby gym was great for the early bit, dd also loved sitting in her rocker infront of the baby Mozart video - gave me 10mins or so which felt like a lifetime then.
I second the muslins - I cut some up into smaller ones and hemmed them and they were useful too.
I'll think a bit more and see if I can come up with anything else.

[LipstickMum]

Hiya Welshie ~waves~ We never sterilised any bottles for dd either But she was a lot older when she began using them. I breastfed her, no expressing and it was only when she was almost 6 months (on holiday) that she would take a bottle of formula. I sterilised the bottles using a tablet, but wasn't particularly happy with all the chemicals, but it was ok in the very short term. When we got home we just put them in the dishwasher. Touch wood, dd is the healthiest baby of all her friends!!

[charleypops]

Hi Katz, hi Lipstick

Thanks very much for your thoughts. I'm pretty confused though tbh after spending a few hours on the net comparing and contrasting pushchairs, travel systems, car seats etc etc.

Katz - I will defo be buying a sling too - that's going to be my next investigation..(joy). I did like the look of some of the M and P pushchairs, (Plikos) but again, they didn't have lie flat car seat.

Why on earth aren't there more lie flat portable car seats around??? surely with all the experts advising that tiny babies shouldn't really be squashed up in the sitty-uppy (ie normal) car seats for longer than a couple of hours (now 30 mins in USA apparently), manufacturers would have marketed some new ones? There's only the Jane Matrix and that's not ideal - a lot of reviewers say that when not in the lie flat position, it's too upright so baby's head rolls forward, and like you say Lipstick, it's a bit cumbersome.

I was sidetracked today by the uber-trendy Bugaboo Frog (ala Apple Paltrow) as it seems to be more compact than the Jane, and has an optional toddler board attachment thingy should I be lucky enough to have another child in the future but it doesn't look as though the carrycot can be used as a car seat....

How long do new babies need to be kept flat for? Is it just until they can sit up (and when is that?). At what age can they go in the pushchair rather than the prammy/carrycot bit? I'd prefer to get something that will truly last for a few years especially because the ones I like are so bloody expensive.

Oh god I'm SO BORING!! I've bored myself. Sorry.


As for essential baby accessories, I imagine a good set of ear plugs might be useful?!

[LipstickMum]

Hi Charleypops! Gee wizz, you sound like stressed old me about 2 years ago trying to choose a travel system!!

Others may have other opinions, but regarding the baby sling, I would just get the Baby Bjorn, useable from birth I believe ( I was given another make, but would have bought the BB if I hadn't). The only other sling I had was the Wilkinet, which is lovely and eco-mother-earth looking, need to get familiar with the straps though. I never used it (Wilkinet) but dp did quite a bit.

I hadn't realised research was so strong for babies lying flat in the early weeks. I don't know how long babies are recommended to lie flat. I can only speak for myself and our use of the Jane carrycot which I believe we used until dd was possibly 16 weeks (rough guess). By 5, definitley 6 months she was in the Britax 0+, facing backwards. The Jane probably has weight restrictions for the effectiveness of the lie-flat cot, since baby is held in with a wide velcro strap. Also, the length of baby will affect their comfort. I think by the time we bought the Britax, dd was probably not always sleeping for the very long trips and it seemed a bit unfair to lie her down all the time when she wanted to look around, play etc. That will be a judgement call on your part, as well as what weight restrictions and everything else dictate.

A friend of mine has the Bugaboo, it does look great, very easy to manoevre. I think for those you can also get a lie-flat cot and then transfer to a 'seat' which is more like a car seat i.e. not a sling. But I can't be sure, I don't have one.

We put dd in the 'proper' pushchair bit of the Jane when she was about 7 months. But she had used her Maclaren from about 5 months.

I suggest you phone a John Lewis, find out what travel systems they have on display to show you and go in for a good look and demo. This may seem impossible to believe at this stage, but when you become a mum, you will be able to make all of the decisions you are worried about now based on knowing your baby, common sense and the equipment guidlines. I remember feeling exactly the same, it's so daunting, but don't worry!

[Scraggyaggy]

Charley - I agree with Lipstick, I think you need to go to a huge department store, give yourself at least an hour and a half or two and spend all you time taking things apart, lifting them up, clipping, unclipping etc. Then go home, have a nice cup of tea, a slice of cake and just think about it for a while. Narrow it down, then go back and play again. Finally, when you think you know which one you want put out your feelers for the best deal. The trouble is, what suits one person might not suit another. Really it depends on your lifestyle.

Teabelly / Mirage - Do the Avent Microwave sterlisers fit the breast pump too? This seems to be advertised on the electric one but not on the microwave one.

Does anyone have any pointers on the baby monitors? I definitely want one, but haven't a clue what to look for!