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Parenting

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Original poster

dumb questions from a first time mum to be

66 replies

thebecster · 02/02/2006 12:23

these are probably REALLY dumb questions... and a bit of a long post - sorry! I'm hoping some more experienced mums can straighten me out...

Firstly - I'm planning to breastfeed, but I'll probably want to express milk so that my DH can occasionally give the baby a bottle, and so that I can keep the baby on breastmilk after I go back to work... So do I need to buy a steriliser for bottles? Is there a way of sterilising bottles in the microwave/on the hob instead? If so, how? We have a 'kitchenette' which is about the size of one of those ELC pretend kitchens for toddlers! So anything that saves space would be good. I don't know where we could put a steriliser in our kitchen...

Secondly - do we need a nappy wrap bin - or will a metal bin outside on the fire escape do? I feel guilty for planning to use disposables but we don't have a washing machine and I think I'll be spending all my time down the launderette as it is!

Thirdly - do we really need a pram/buggy? We live on the third floor (no lift) and the thought of getting one of those huge buggies up & down the stairs... Nightmare. Do you think we'll manage with a sling for the first few months at least? Some people have said 'yes' but others seem to think that a pram is the first thing I should be buying...

Thanks all! (see, I'm still worrying after my last thread, but I'm worrying about little things at the moment rather than the 'AAAARGH! We'll never cope!' thing which hits me every now & then )

OP posts:

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edam · 02/02/2006 20:19

advice already posted is good. Just one thing to add; the reason everyone keeps mentioning Maclarens is that they make the very lightest buggies. No other manufacturer's buggies are quite as light. Maclarens are great for walking and taking on buses.

olek · 02/02/2006 20:46

maclaren techno xt is priciest but sturdiest. make sure u buy it online to pay less!

brette · 02/02/2006 22:47

For a sling, I would definitely recommend the Tricoti (or is it Tricotti?) sling. Two pieces of fabric, no need to tie them, super confy because the weight is distributed all around the shoulders. And no, I don't work for them , they are just fantastic. I used mine until DS was 7 m. My DP used to find it too womany... And he is not a macho whatsoever.

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hana · 02/02/2006 22:51

am I the only mum who has never used nappy bags? I flush the poo and then they go outside...why all the need for extra bagging?
(tho did use them at fil's place, and leave them there - he actually triple wraps any nappies from dd1 and now dd2 when we visit!)

rarrie · 02/02/2006 22:51

I'd say don't buy all three until you need them (if you live quite close to a 24hr shop!).

I intended to Bfeed and use EBF, but then the little darling refused a bottle. Never got her to take one. The whole lot (bottles, sterilisers etc) was a complete waste of money. In the end she went straight onto an avent cup at 6 months... Must have wasted over a hundred quid trying various bottles and teats etc...

Nappy bin... eugh, just stank the place out! I used cloth nappies for day and only disposables at night etc, but doing the weekly clean out of the nappy bin was far worse than washing the cloth nappies. That too, quickly ended up down the charity shop!

Pram, Wait and see. If you can wait until you can get a lightweight 3month one, then that would save you loads of money. I guess it depends on how much shopping you do!!

HTH

sweetkitty · 02/02/2006 23:16

I BF and used sterilising tablets in a basin of water when I needed bottles or hot soapy water then a rinse in boiling water just as good (I'm a microbiologist btw)

Never had a nappy bin never needed one.
I bought a travel system huge bulky never used it much, bought a Maclaren Techno XT which lies flat and you can use from birth from kiddicare.com cost £100 plus £30 for the matching cosy toes/footmuff thing. It lived in the car and I would carry DD out to it.

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 23:41

nappy bin waste of money had one and couldnt work the damn thing out! ended up with knackered back so sling only worked for first couple of weeks i found the chicco london stroller great suitable from birth lightweight and cheaper than mcclaren try ebay

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 23:42

get free footmuff + raincover for less than £100

alexsmum · 03/02/2006 00:00

i think some kind of pram is essential- a lie flat one.because if baby is a screamer then sometimes just walking them in the pram is the ideal way to get them to go to sleep.

bubblegumcheeks · 03/02/2006 02:21

save money on buying a microwave sterilizer and get a tupperware or any microwave proof plastic container a biggish one that you can fit at least 3 or 4 bottles lying down in it. Put the bottles teats etc in and fill it with water to cover the battles only half way, put it in the microwave on high for 7 min. Works like a dream thats all I used back in South Africa as baby things are so expensive there.

bubblegumcheeks · 03/02/2006 02:23

A bin outside should do a special nappy bin is a waste of money so I have been told. Just dont leave the bin in the sun trust me, I learnt the hard way

FrannyandZooey · 03/02/2006 08:20

You can do without a pram if you want to, but it is definitely useful for when you go shopping etc. Carrying the baby is fine - they don't get heavy all at once, and I was able to carry ds until he was nearly 2, but it's all the extras like your bag of food from Sainsburys that is the problem. Also if you go anywhere like a cafe you would be able to put the baby in the pram for a bit if you had one.

Don't know about sterilising but you could look around for a nappy laundering service if you want to do the cloth thing. Most areas have one now and the service compares well with the price of disposables.

foundintranslation · 03/02/2006 08:30

We have a small container clipped to our changing table for nappies. We have to empty it and take it out every couple of days, but to works fine.
We live in a 2nd floor flat, no lift, and keep our pram/buggy in the cellar. Do you have cellar space? If I need to go out alone I use the Baby Björn, as our pram/buggy is pretty bulky. For this reason we're looking into a lightweight buggy.

dejags · 03/02/2006 09:19

Re. the sling - when my DS's were newborn they were too small to fit comfortably in the sling. Then they grew at an incredible rate and by the time they were three months old they were too big for the sling - or at least too heavy to be lugging around.

A lightweight stroller which reclines fully i.e. suitable for a newborn was a saviour (we went for the MacLaren Techno XT - it's still going strong 18 months later).

FrannyandZooey · 03/02/2006 11:29

I was thinking of a ring sling which adjusts from newborn to 2 stone. Something like the huggababy.

RedZuleika · 03/02/2006 22:16

Haven't read the whole thread, but as regards bottles, I use these from Mothercare. Each bottle is its own self-contained sterilising unit. The breast pump I have thus far only washed in boiling soapy water, but I imagine you could boil or steam it on the stove.

I have a buggy, but rarely use it (not least because I need her in a sling to walk the dog). I favour the Kari-Me sling. As she gets bigger, I'll get a back carrier. Even after a Caesarean, I was using the sling pretty quickly.

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