Hospital Bag- Is Mothercare the only option?

[Kitty81]

Just gone onto maternity leave at 37 weeks (this is my first baby).

Started filling the days with shopping, and am rapidly gathering stuff for the baby. Got my hospital bag list and am planning to pack it this week, but where on earth do I buy specialist maternity stuff from? The specific items I need to get are breast pads, maternity pads, nip cream etc.

There's no mothercare within easy reach of where I live, so I went on their website. I cannot bring myself to believe that they are the only option. A tube of nipple cream, three packs of own brand maternity towels and a pack of 100 breast pads is nearly £30? Really? Are there no cheaper alternatives?

On a similar note, is there a reason muslin squares seem to vary so much in cost? They are about £1 each from Mothercare, more like 50p each from Tesco; does quality matter, for something which is essentially squares of muslin for throwing up on? We're cloth nappying so was planning to use them as extra boosters too, and so I need lots of cheap ones rather than a few nice patterned ones with ducks or whatever on. Not sure I see the point in pretty patterned cloths which are literally just for pooing on.

And last question: If I buy sleeping bags for the little guy, do I also buy sleepsuits or will I just pop him into it in his vest/bodysuit? He's due in April and I live in lovely warm balmy Eastbourne so expecting nice weather. Our flat is also pretty cosy. And is one sleeping bag enough or am I being optimistic regarding how cleanly a sleeping baby can poo/vom?

Got lots to learn it would seem :) Thanks for any words of wisdom x

I've been lazy and got a lot of the things for my hospital bag on Amazon

If you're going the cloth nappy route then I would suggest going down the reusable wipes route too. We bought 2 packs of top & tail wipes from mother care (though you could cut up normal Muslins & edge them if that's cheaper) and a few packets of slim line wipes for the nappy bag. DD gets nappy rash too if we use anything other than water.

There's a huge Mothercare in Eastbourne! Opposite B&Q and Dunelm Mills.

(possibly missing the point I know)

I would second the person who said buy some proper (cheap Tesco type) knickers to take in for after the birth. Make sure you buy about 5 sizes too big as you will want something to hoick up over your scar if you end up with a c-section. I wasn't expecting a c-section at all, complete surprise, and found everything was agony against the scar. Lovely size 18 cotton granny knickers did the trick though, and I wore them for weeks.

I'd also take a pack of disposable newborn nappies in as well - just in case you find the faff of using cloth too much to cope with in first few days.

Oh and agree that Mothercare are crap. Definitely get it all in Tesco. I've seen Lanisoh nipple cream in lots of supermarkets, but it's expensive wherever you buy it (and in fact I never used it - bit of a waste of time imo)

Asda breast pads comfiest and cheapest - 2 boxs for £2! Baby must be 10lbs in weight to use sleepbag - not sure exactly why but says on all. Sleepbag invaluable!

(5 month old baby currently asleep on lap. Must wake and give other boob before it explodes )

I would actually recommend the Mothercare breastpads with wings over boots ones. The paddind is great and I never leaked.

Definitely get cheap knickers and get some in a smaller size. I deflated quite quickly and the bigger size ones kept falling down.

Boots for maternity pads, they are really good and loads cheaper than Mothercare.

Cheap big knickers.

Also, look in John Lewis for newborn sized sleepsuits and vests. The quality is brilliant, and they are a LOT cheaper than Mothercare which amazed me - wish I had known when I had DS. Agree not to go mad with clothes though, people will buy you all sorts.

Boots maternity pads are only £1 for pack of ten. Think I used 7 or 8 packs. Also tena lady knickers for the first few nights were indispensable.
I got muslins from sainsburys, kiddicare and mothercare and they're all pretty much the same apart from price.

Definitely at least 2 sleeping bags - the Grobag one comes with preststuds under the arms to make the holes smaller for younger babies.

John Lewis basics range is fabulous. I got lots of white vests and sleepsuits from there. Also Matalan have been ok.

I've got loads of stuff online from Kiddicare, which I've found to be really reliable and very good value (they also price match). They do free next day delivery (for deliveries over £29.99), and text you on the day with a one hour time slot, which I haven't found with any other online retailer- at least not without paying a premium for a specific delivery slot. So you can shop from your sofa, make the most of your time off before the baby arrives, and have it all delivered straight to your door! Sorted!