Opinion sought: Newborn - what do I really need

[ScarletteOTara]

Evening mumnetters!

Its my first post, so please excuse any terrible faux pas!

Firstborn is due on Christmas Eve. So far I own zero baby shizz. Starting to think my laidback attitude might be a little foolish at this stage!!

I've found all the product reviews etc on here super helpful but I have a question - I'm sure someone else has probably asked this before so sorry if I'm being annoying and duplicating another thread.

What are the ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS where furniture is concerned. I'm thinking

Cot (Secondhand Stokke Sleepi)
Bouncer (considering Baby Bjorn or Bloom Coco)
Highchair (considering Tripp Trapp or Antilope)

MN seems to be a big advocate of the Ikea Antilope and Stokke Tripp Trapp. Working in architecture, I'm a total sucker for form over function so I'm tempted by a (secondhand) Tripp Trapp plus the newborn kit. Might get an Antilope as a cheapy backup cos Tripp Trapps seem pretty easy to shift on eBay if it doesn't work out. You lot have put me off a Bloom Fresco as all the reviews say its difficult to clean - which means a secondhand one from eBay is probs going to be grubby at best.

But my question is this - did you use a highchair from newborn? Shall I just pop DC in a bouncer or similar on the table while we eat? I'm a bit clueless. Or will DC just be hanging out in their crib or on my knee?

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

x

You definitely won't be using high chair until dc is at least 4 months. At new born stage, a rocker of some sort could work while you are around. Ds was either in his or in his pram which doubled as a downstairs bed or cuddled by someone. We had a baby bumbo seat when he got a bit older and he often sat in that while I made dinner etc.

You won't use a highchair straight away. They need to be able to sit up, which won't come until 5-6 months at the earliest, so no rush to buy that just yet.

Concentrate on getting a decent bouncy chair. You'll use that from the day they arrive

Hi, we started using high chair at about 5 months. Before that I think baby couldn't sit upright and kinda sloped down to the side. I had a bjorn bouncer which I liked but I thought it abit expensive for what it was.
Baby spent first month or so in my arms.

You don't need a highchair from birth. You'd be better off investing in a comfy sling, as a newborn is far more likely to hang out in one of those whilst you eat than in a highchair.

There was a thread about newborns in highchairs a while back, if you want a bit of a search.

A new born can't support their head so they are either lying down (the floor is quite good for this, but a bouncer works) or you're holding them. If you get a high maintenance model you'll be holding them while you master eating anything and everything using your one free hand. So you probably don't need a high chair until 6 months or later. You may start them on baby rice or whatever earlier, but a bouncy chair or bumboo equivalent works, as does your lap. Putting a bouncer on the table may be frowned up by the more nervous types after your baby starts to master moving their centre of gravity.

I can't comment on the cot or bouncer as we had neither (I was never sure how long they sleep in a cot so we bought a cot bed as they can be in that until 3-5 years), and I get the impression that a bouncer may only be useful for the first few months. However we have two tripp trapps and they will be used for the next 10-14 years or so. Love them. So do the kids.

There is a LOT of baby stuff on the market, and what one person thinks is the most marvellous thing, the next will find completely unnecessary. I'm trying to be a less-is-more person as we lack space. There's a WHICH guide to baby stuff which is worth borrowing from the library as it gives a breakdown of the essentials in as neutral a way as is possible. And ebay has everything you could possibly want...

OK, so you've got the message not to bother with a high chair yet.

A Bloom Coco looks lovely but you want two things in a baby rocker (apart from the obvious that it is easy to clean). 1) You want to be able to carry it easily from room to room, so baby can come with you when you go for a shower etc. Handles therefore very helpful. And 2) you want to be able to recline it and sit it up, so baby can sit up to watch you and then lie down for a nap.

If the Bloom Coco doesn't do either of those things, it's a triumph of form over function. Not to mention it's £130. I know a Chicco chair, for example, is not the most tasteful but it is v. practical.

Have you got a sling on your list?

You can actually get high chairs from birth nowadays, some of which have toy bars and are very padded / recline like a bouncer etc. I think these are quite a good idea, in that you can have baby up at the table with you when you eat and in the kitchen with you when you ar doing chores rather than on a bouncer or swing on the floor. However, they are usually hideous plastic affairs which would be a nightmare to clean once weaning starts. I don't know about the newborn kit for the Stokke, but I like the Stokke chair and think it is a good investment. We have a cheaper version which is fab for my pre schooler.
However, if you are planning to breastfeed, you may find that most meals are eaten on the sofa one handed with a baby hanging off your boobs, in which case having a highchair for baby to sit becomes a bit irrelevant.

Fwiw, I got a cheapo secondhand 'newborn' type highchair which has proved invaluable for DD2, but I bottle fed her so didn't have to feed her all evening long like I did with DD1.

The Bloom Coco looks awful! Sorry. Well, I mean it looks nice and all, but completely impractical. You need something light, easily portable, and that will lie flat.

However, I wouldn't spend too much money on the bouncer. DD really didn't ever take to hers, she wanted to be held or to lie on the floor. If you can borrow one or buy one slightly cheaper that might be better. Its the only one of the 'essentials' that I've heard newborns can really not like (they have far less choice on liking or not liking a pram!)

Thanks ladies - this is all really good info. I'm determined to buy sensibly/sustainably and try and be less-is-more so all of your comments are much appreciated.

BTW I'm intending to get everything off eBay - seems a bit mental to buy this stuff new when it costs a bloody fortune and secondhand will do just as well :)

A sling is most definitely on the list. In fact my BF keeps asking me if we can just make do with a sling and not bother with a pram.

Any sling tips while I've got your attention?

Get over to the sling board for experts! But are you open to tying? I love our didymos. Or a carrier like Ego or Manducca. Bjorns not generally well regarded despite their popularity.

Ahh: there's a slings board! Will go and swot up over there, thanks!

Ah yes. Women with a depth of -obsession- love to put me to shame. What they do not know is not worth knowing.

Damn. Got strike out wrong on phone.

Google for your nearest sling library or sling meet, where you can try out various slings before you commit to forking out for one (and subsequently discover it doesn't suit)

A lot of people are put off stretchy wraps (or other wrap slings) as they think they are too complicated to use, but with practice they become very easy, and are extremely versatile and brilliant for babies when they are very little. Otherwise there are good Soft Structured Carrier (SSC) options like the Ergo or Manduca (I think you can get a newborn insert for the Ergo?). Now DS is a bit bigger (12lb+) we've also tried a Mei-Tai type sling which was great for us - more structured than the stretchy wrap (so DH felt more comfortable with it) but still very adjustable because you tie the straps to fit you.
There are a lot of strong opinions about the Baby Bjorn, but my personal opinion is that they don't carry the baby in the optimum position of knees above bum height, they don't snuggle baby into your chest and therefore a lot of the weight is carried on your shoulders rather than distributed across your shoulders, back and waist, and it's not good for babies to face outwards for long periods as they have no way of shutting out the world if it all becomes a bit much (when facing you, they can hide their face in your chest). A bit of research will find you a really good sling which suits you.

And on the original point - a friend has the newborn set for the Tripp Trapp (and I have been coveting a TT ever since I saw it at hers) but I honestly think you don't need to buy any kind of chair until they are ready to be weaned, and instead if you want to buy something for them to sit/lie in, I would say get something like a bouncy chair that will at least hopefully entertain them a bit!

DS would either be feeding while I ate (table?! What's that?!) or in his Moses basket, and later his bouncy chair (when I could finally eat at the table). Now he isn't quite ready to sit up in a highchair, so he is mostly perched on my lap while I eat.

Don't worry about not having anything yet! We only had the crib when DS decided to make an early appearance, and managed to get everything else we needed in the two weeks before he came home (which gave us no time for dithering over choices!)

TeaandHobNobs that's most reassuring! My work colleagues were a bit horrified when I told them I didn't even own a single babygrow yet!

I had no idea there was such a thing as baby sling events. But of course there is. Its a whole new world! Signed myself up for a Nappuccino this morning. A year ago I was enjoying London Cocktail Week to the full and now its all slings and real nappies - WTF!

Ooh, real nappies. There's a board for that too...

Another vote for a Chicco chair here - good handles for carrying (although they say you're not supposed to, you always do), Good padding, easy one-handed way to switch it between sitting up a bit and lying more flat (so your baby can look around or sleep, or later, for feeding), just well designed and effortless to use.

Agree you definitely don't need to think about high chairs yet, but when you do, think about the £15 ikea one (not sure if that's the one you mentioned or if they do a smarter one too). We bought a normal highchair, then ended up buying the ikea one after using it at my mum's. Was brilliant: dead easy to clean, easy to take apart to travel with, robust. Did three children and still going. When DD was a toddler, we then just bought the tripp trapp without baby stuff. That's been great too, but for a baby rather than toddler, I think the ikea one is better than the tripp trapp with baby kit.

Do we think Chicco is better than the Baby Bjorn Babysitter then?

The babysitter bouncer seems to be listed as best seller all over the place but some Mums Netters seem to think they're a bit pants. Oh and the funny speedo trunks shaped strap on the front of the babysitter chair really disturbs me!

You can get a newborn set for the Tripp Trapp, which seems an excellent idea in principle, but if your's is anything like mine, they will scream blue murder if you dare try to put them down while you eat. So practice eating one handed now! In fact a useful bit of kit would be a fork with a serrated edge so you can cut and shovel with one hand, if such a thing exists!

Bouncy/rocking chair - we've got a Chicco (£10 from NCT nearly new sale), which has been great. But if you're planning on going away with LO during the first few months I'd also recommend getting a v basic one (we got bog standard mother are one) that disassembles down flat so you can take it with you easily. I found it really helpful to have somewhere to put her down when staying at other people's houses/B&Bs etc.

Sling - my stretchy wrap (got a Hana Baby bamboo and bottom one because had a summer baby) has been my number one piece of kit. I honestly could not have survived without it! It's been the only way I can get dd to sleep during the day and has given me hands back with my super clingy baby! I was dubious at first because of the tying, but went and got help at a sling library and haven't looked back. People do use them fully in place of a buggy, but I prefer to have the option of putting her down too and having a personal shopping trolley, but I do do short journeys with just the sling and we did a full day at the Olympics with only the sling, so it's perfectly possible.

Hth.

Erm, my sling is made of bamboo and cotton, not bottom!

Blushingmare. You need one of these

Available from your nearest outdoor shop!

The BabyBjorn bouncer is fantastic. Both DC loved ours, had to use a chicco thing a few times and it was hellish. Is well worth the price.

DS turned his nose up at the lovely fancy bouncers and rockers. The only one he would tolerate was the cheaply mothercare one that looks like a pillowcase stretched over a coat hanger! Babies know not what you spend on anything!

Sounds like the babybjorn nance! I'd definitely have gone for a cheaper version but am not in the UK and the babybjorn was the only proper old school bouncer to found.