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Could you please add to my list of must-haves for my yet-to-be born DC?

152 replies

1charlie1 · 16/11/2013 19:50

Following on from my 'best vests for newborns' thread, I would so appreciate your ideas of what DH and I need to add to our current purchases for our DC (due in April, but will be a Winter baby, because we'll be in Oz by then. And in Melbourne, so it's chilly. Not as chilly as Winter here, but pretty darn cold all the same.)

We currently have:

2 x 1-2 month old popper long-sleeved vests

2 x 2-4 month old popper long-sleeved vests. I know this isn't enough vests, but have no idea of the amount needed for each age group, so stopped there until I'd sought advice from Mumsnet!

2 x slings (Kangas)

1 x Ergo baby carrier with newborn insert

12 x packets Waterwipes [they were £2.25 each from NCT, and are $7.58 from the only supermarket chain in Oz which sells them - so expensive in Oz! How long does a packet last, in general? Debating whether to get loads more to put in our shipping container...but again, not sure how many we need until the baby can go on to regular baby wipes?]

That's it so far! I guess we'll need a change mat, and a car seat (will be bought in Oz, as UK car seats are illegal to fit in Australian vehicles.) Going to try to be pram free, and see how that goes. But I have no idea the amount of basics we need, or how long babies take to grow out of things. I want to buy as much as possible in the UK, because Oz is great if you're earning dollars, but pretty dire if you're spending pounds, which we will be for at least a while. Any suggestions much appreciated!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Artandco · 20/11/2013 13:30

Always try and look for things that double up/ last pat babyhood

Ie:

Sheepskin rug instead of baby play mat. Baby stays cool/ warm on the sheepskin, then it's a nice place for toddlers to sit/ play on, and then you can just use as a rug wherever for as long as you like.

I wouldn't get an amby nest personally as they are quite expensive and don't last very long. A cot bed in comparison lasts from newborn to approx 5-6 years

Little lamb all in one newborn - potty trained are currently £50 for 10 on the nappy lady I think. So £100 could get you all the nappies you need until they don't need them

earlgray · 20/11/2013 21:50

RE strappy tops, Tesco have some black vests with elasticated lace straps which I've found brilliant for feeding dd using a t shirt over the top. The elasticated straps allow for really easy access. I've stocked up as they get a bit mucky with baby dribble and milk, only £4.

Bloob · 27/11/2013 12:44

I think it's extremely unlikely that the babies size will affect what nappies you buy. Pampers size 2 is 6-13 lbs. I think it's pretty unlikely that dc will not fit into that. Even if smaller, they'll grow into it and it will save you money long term.

I'm a bit Shock at people saying 6 vests / sleep suits!! These people are clearly far more organised than me! 6 wouldn't have got us through the day, and I would have been stressing trying to get them through the wash and dry. They are so cheap second hand I would buy A LOT more than that. We had closer to 2 dozen and I was grateful! Though consider whether you're going to have more dc, we're on dc3 now and the second hand ones we had for dc1 are beginning to fall apart a bit. In hindsight may have been better value to buy new than to replace some stuff.

I would second getting a cheap pram. My ds hated the sling by 6 m and I would not be able to comfortably carry him for the day now (16m).

I loved those baby gowns too. They are great! Definitely some lovely blankets for cuddling in as well as sleeping bags. Bouncer or swing seat too. I loved my swing - saved my sanity!!

We bought an amby second hand and it was great. If cost an issue maybe not though as I dont know if its THAT great?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

fuckwittery · 27/11/2013 13:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BohemianRaspberry · 27/11/2013 13:46

This made a useful consult for us (we didn't get everything on it - a lot of it is excessive!) www.johnlewis.com/inspiration-and-advice/family/archive/nursery-checklist - we've done nearly everything you can do secondhand. The list seems lacking in the clothing - only as if you have a sicky baby they can get through sleepsuit after sleepsuit.

I third getting a pram/buggy - I want to use the sling too but recognise that with CS, back pain, increasing child heaviness, the need to stupid amounts of stuff - you need the transport.

Changing bag - I'm going to be using an overnight bag I've had for the last five years - it has all the pockets that a changing bag has, just needs a fold-up mat in it.

For warmth - you may need a snowsuit but a fleecy one might just be enough for the Melbourne winter. For cheapness - ASDA, Primark and Tescos are awesome for multipacks of suits/socks/mittens etc. Equally our stuff came from Sainsburys when they had 25% off clothing.

For wipes/wiping - when they are newborn you can/should use cotton wool and water - Asda do wipe pads for £1 for 50 or so.

Also, if you are due in April, start looking at the prices of shipping a large box of baby stuff now - may work out a lot cheaper and you have time for it to go on the go-slow. Friends now in NZ sent over a crate of their nursery stuff a month before they moved because it was cheaper. Also, start scounting our the second-hand market in Aus.

alyant79 · 27/11/2013 14:49

Lots of people have already said lots of useful stuff, but just wanted to chime in with my 2 cents worth.
We went completely pram free and also co-slept. We bought a bednest and it was WONDERFUL, but I have to say that once baby was a few weeks old she pretty much moved into our bed permanently - she'd always start in the bednest though. (before then i would move her back into the bednest after bf, but she would often wake up. so much easier just to snuggle with her) No duvet is right, but you can layer up with blankets instead. She lay on top of them in her sleeping bag (would second that you need to buy baby sleeping bags, we had two of each size - picked them mostly up at nct sales quite cheap).
I disagree about sleeping between you and the edge. I did a lot of reading, and it turns out that baby is perfectly fine between you and DH if that's the way you've always done it. It's all to do with the hormone levels making you sleep lighter (and therefore less likely to roll onto and smother baby). Some people say that those hormones are only elevated in mums, but that's not true they are also elevated in a switched-on dad who takes equal share in baby care. So he is no less likely to roll onto baby than you are. Definitely no alcohol and no smoking when cosleeping.

We had a moby wrap until DD was about 4-6 months and then we switched to an ergo. We did actually have a pram that was given to us for free, but the only times I ever tried to use it, DD ended up in the sling and our shopping went in the pram. without fail. We still use our ergo and DD is now 2.4.
My big tip is not to worry about getting a proper changing bag. We did, but rarely used it. So much easier to just use a normal backpack, especially with bub in a sling. Get a skiphop pronto changing station to pop in your backpack. Best thing ever.

SERIOUSLY consider using cloth nappies. They are very popular in Aus and there are loads of good brands. We've used itti bitti tutto one size since DD was about 8 weeks. She's just been toilet trained and they've lasted all this time. Massive saving of money. Especially if one day you have another bub you can use them again. Also I highly recommend reusable wipes. they can clean up the biggest pooplosion. My DH was very sceptical until i got him to clean up a poo and he saw the difference.

Finally - don't buy too many clothes, you don't know what size of baby you'll have. You might have the type that never even fits into newborn size, or (like me) a skinny minny who wears newborn for months and then almost overnight needs 6 month size.

sorry for essay

Scaredycat3000 · 27/11/2013 15:40

Everytime one of these essential baby lists comes up I read them thinking 99% of this stuff is not essential in any way! Then I remember it was not essential for my DC Grin My own personal essentials list would now read;

4/6 layflat sleep suits. DC1 had no neck control, if I had to try and feed his floppy body though a neck hole I didn't use it, DC2 could hold his head up from birth Confused Also no need for socks as their feet were covered. Neither of them posseted, vomited or had explosive poos to speak of.

5m of stretch jersey, cut in two down the length = two stretchy wraps. This also keeps DC warm when out, no need for blankets, snow suits etc. By the time they are growing out of this you will have a better idea of what buggy you may or may not want.

Nappies, disposable until they are big enough to fit into birth to potty washable nappies. My favourite are the cheap Chinese pocket nappies on ebay.

Somewhere for them to sleep and a couple of sleeping bags and relevant bedding.

Muslins from different shops, Ikea huge and thick, boots thin, soft and small. Both useful, in different ways.

Various pads to mop up all the things coming out of me.

Rucksack clips to change my bras to drop cup bras.

A bag big enough to hold some baby wipes, change of clothes, muslin, nappy plus usual stuff.

I had easy babies, except I haven't slept in nearly 5years!

apocketfulofposy · 27/11/2013 16:53

not sure if anyone else has said but Morrck baby hoodies are good,they are like big blankets with a hood attatched and holes in so they can go into car seats and pushchairs,i find snowsuits and coats a bit fiddly on newborns and they never look comfy in them,so i just put them in warm clothes and one of those baby hoddies,they do different warmths.

Jaffakake · 27/11/2013 18:08

I tried washable nappies but ds peed for England so I got fed up of having a wet lap in the end. I can't recommend Cheeky Wipes enough - washable wipes. They're great at dealing with the worst poop (actually grabs the poop rather than spreads it about!) and also to have later for hands & faces (& milk so lodges & Nutella on the furniture!).

I had 2 gro bags. One to wear & one to wash/have clean. Gro bags come with a handy room thermometer.

We're still using the bath thermometer & thermometer 2 years in. Don't bother with the Braun in ear one, its inaccurate. A cheap digital one from mothercare is just fine.

I found a sponge thing in the bottom of our big bath worked much better than a baby bath. Babies are very sloppy & he really liked Lyon on the mat & kicking in the water. The one I had was American though.

katy14 · 27/11/2013 19:17

Baby sleeping bags. We have used both grobags and purflo sleepsacs. The latter is better for newborns imo and have arms that zip on for colder months. our dd was born in April last year and we were actually snowed in on my due date. Thankfully she was late and we were able to get out but we had to plan for cold. We live on a farm in the pennines so always colder than the nearest town. we had lots of vests, socks abd cardigans. a couple of hats and pairs of gloves as well as a snowsuit. muslins are a must. our dd had reflux for the first few months and would have been lost without them. agree that sleepsuits will do for sometime. Hope that helps and best of luck in oz.Grin

Mumzy · 27/11/2013 19:19

I had one of these bath net support slings which you could use in a baby bath or normal bath. Newborns are small and slippery and difficult to support when washing them. Using one of these enabled me to have my hands free to wash and play with ds1,ds2and dd. the net also slips off the rack and can be chuncked in the washing machine for washing. When babies got older I use to put them on the support and shower them making bathtimes much quicker
www.ebay.com/itm/Infant-Baby-Boy-Bath-Sling-/161160361903

Swannykazoo · 27/11/2013 19:41

scaredycat can you explain the rucksack clip bra conversion? I'm intrigued but a bit baffled!

NearTheWindmill · 27/11/2013 20:26

OP, I've just skimmed through this again and there is one very important thing that has been missed although I'm sure your baby will have lots. It's a funny old thing called LOVE. It's really all any baby needs apart from food and warmth.

Scaredycat3000 · 27/11/2013 22:45

puggle My boobs shot up to a 34HH, I couldn't get a decent bra in that size. The poor support left me with a horrible under boob rash and mono boob (no wire). Then I read that you can wear wire whilst breast feeding, after your boobs calm down, so long as it fits very well and so the wires do not dig in any boob flesh. I also suspect some people are more prone to blocked ducts than others, I wasn't. I cut the clips off an old drop cup bra, cut the straps and sewed them on an underwired bra and the clip broke first wear! So I bought those plastic clips, mostly found on rucksacks, worked well, you couldn't see the lump though my clothes, a little fiddly at first but over all I was much happier.

perfectstorm · 28/11/2013 01:56

Agree on reusable wipes, but no need to buy the poncey specific kind. Cheap facecloths from IKEA do the job, and you can get a set of 12 for less than a fiver - could, anyway. For out and about I used to buy Waterwipes in bulk from Amazon or Ocado too. No chemicals at all, yet still disposable. Reading the ingredients on standard babywipes put me off using them when DS was a baby, so I agree it's worth it. If you combine with flannels then that reduces the cost. But you go through a LOT when changing a bad poo out and about, so it might be worth doubling that number.

Babies grow so fast, so I'd buy babygrows from Mothercare or a supermarket (when babies you want the kind that go over feet, NOT the footless, because the poppers are easier to do up). No need for outfits - DS never wore them as they sleep so much, and would you want to in jeans or dungarees? And a sling is all you need for a newborn unless you have serious SPD, or other mobility issues, so that's sorted too.

I'd buy second hand cashmere baby cardies from Ebay to go over the babygrows. Non-itchy and much warmer than anything else, but also not likely to overheat. Take a baby sheepskin - so useful and the exchange rate may mean even a locally produced one is cheaper here (check, though). Fleece hats for the slings are also handy.

I never bothered with vests for winter - a warm cardy and blankets were just as good and comfier for the baby than 2 of cotton, I think. What I would swear by are baby nighties - they call them bundlers - for nights. You can change the baby so much more easily when exhausted and sleep deprived and the baby isn't wailing because you're faffing with their legs. Don't buy them new, though; they show up on Ebay a lot, very cheaply. A snowsuit/teddy bear suit is good for a sling in winter - second hand off Ebay again, as they outgrow them so fast they'll be in as-new condition from all those gullible first time mums like I was buying shiny new for their PFB. Better environmentally to reuse, as well as cheaper.

NCT is expensive - you can buy muslins etc more cheaply elsewhere I think? But NCT sales are brilliant, if you look to see if one is local to you that might be a shortcut to quality items at a good price.

DS had really sensitive skin and we found NATY nappies far and away the best disposables, everything else gave him nappy rash. Cloth nappies did too, and it was only when we switched washing powder to Surcare for all his clothes that we realised what was causing his eczema, so we think washing powder was a major issue for nappies, now. Surcare you can order from the website at a massive discount over supermarkets, so I'd have some put in your container.

A bath thermometer is really handy - I was so tired I might not have checked with elbow; a floating one was easy peasy. Baby toothbrushes are cheaper here and so small you can bung in - they can start to teethe really surprisingly small. Baby nailclippers too. Calpol and Calbrufen are useful though be careful not to use as a first resort, as they're linked to asthma. But so good to have at hand when the baby is snuffly. Also Karvol drops for blocked tiny noses (drip on muslin in cot).

In all honesty you don't need much clobber for a small baby. Most people have piles of stuff they never use. The necessary clobber stage starts once they're more mobile and need toys, books, a wider range of clothes etc.

kiwee · 28/11/2013 02:30

I think most things have been covered already but if you do forget anything M+S currently have free shipping to NZ and Aus if order over 30 pounds (used to be any amount) - I guess this could change at any time but it's been going nearly a year so far!

Shakshuka · 28/11/2013 02:41

I just have to point out that it's MUSLINS not MUSLIMS!!!

Although it did make me giggle the post which said
We have so many Muslims they are coming out of our ears

I thought the thread had been hijacked by the EDL!!

worsestershiresauce · 28/11/2013 07:34

It has been mentioned before, but of everything on your list the bouncy chair was the most important for me. I didn't get one to start with, and life improved no end when I did. It is somewhere to put your baby when you eat, and most have a toy bar which keeps them happy for a least a few minutes. Ours went everywhere with us when we travelled.

ChaffinchOfDoom · 28/11/2013 09:18

can someone link to those babygown things? never heard of them, are they like the sleeping bags? my google just links to christening gowns.

thanks!

MrsBright · 28/11/2013 09:48

Babies grow whoppingly fast - literally overnight. So this means that little sleepsuits (0-3months) will only fit for 12 weeks max (and far less if you have a big baby). So it isnt worth buying expensive designer jobs, however cute they look. The basic ones from Tesco etc will do fine - multi packs of plain colours are the cheapest. If you have a baby that pukes alot then its easy to get through 3+ sleepsuits a day - but they dry very quickly on a radiator so even then you wont need any more than 6 to start with.

If its a winter baby you'll also need a couple of small cardigans to keep baby warm - again the very basic white acrylic things from Tescos will do fine.

Dont invest in 'unwashable' crib/cot blankets - soft fleece jobs are the best as they wash/dry so quickly. You'll use blankets for heaps of things other than in the cot - to lie them on the floor, block out the sun from a car window etc, so several extra ones are always useful.

If you can, get people to give you gift cards/££ rather than 'cute clothes' as a baby gift. My DD got given 19 (yes 19) 'adorable dresses' six 0-3. Since wee babies spend 95% of their time asleep in a cot, she didnt wear one of them. Accept any 2nd hand baby clothes on offer - I started with the 'I want my baby to have everything new' mentality and soon realised it was nuts given the cost of baby clothes and how quickly DD outgrew them.

Most useful pressies I received were a pack of brushed cotton baby-wraps (endless uses) and a pack of baby washcloths (essential for baby bathtime) - DD is now 13 and still wraps Teddy in one of those cotton wraps.....

Good Luck!

perfectstorm · 28/11/2013 09:57

Chaffinch they're called bundlers over here - John Lewis sell them. Brilliant things, like babygrows that just have a long (long!) skirt and then loosely elasticated at the end. But I always bought mine 2nd hand, as babies outgrow things so fast at that age that they're barely worn by their first owners.

ChaffinchOfDoom · 28/11/2013 10:15

a-ha! bundlers. great. never discovered them with my 1st 2 dc but after anything that makes it easier this time! thank you.

Fairy1303 · 28/11/2013 10:21

Nipple cream (lanolin)
Baby grows with scratch mits built in
Babygrows with poppers down the middle

Baby sleeping bags
Lots of cellular blankets
Muslins

MrsMarigold · 28/11/2013 11:00

Buy a baby bjorn bouncy chair - they are the best - pack flat and are safe when you need to pop the baby down to go to the loo/cook. Also keeps them upright so they don't puke!

principalitygirl · 28/11/2013 12:04

For you:

distilled witch hazel from any pharmacy - use to ease sore undercarriage esp after stitches or tearing. soak a maternity pad with it and put in your knickers. if v sore, put pad in fridge for a bit too. heaven!

white noise CD or phone app - soothes crying babies

even if planning to BF get a decent breast pump and a few bottles in just in case of problems.

if BF-ing, lots of vest tops with stretchy straps (from primark or most supermarkets) - you can wear them under a loose top or jumper and BF easily by pulling the loose top up and then pulling neckline of vest top down. Gives you more wardrobe options and cheaper than BF specific clothes.

for baby:

I second the eBay clothes bundle recommendation. I've had great stuff v cheap that way and even better if seller is local and you can collect in person to save on postage.

loads of cot / pram / Moses basket fitted sheets - or use normal pillow cases as pram or Moses basket mattresses will fit inside. newborns sick up loads in my experience.

a car seat snuggle / footmuff thing - wearing thick coats and snowsuits on babies when in car seats is dangerous if you have a crash and they can also overheat. I found them a faff to get on an off too. will post a link showing the kind of thing I mean.