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Parenting

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Original poster

What rubbish DO/DONT you need to buy for a new baby?

75 replies

MyselfandI123 · 27/06/2015 23:37

I'm 28 and 24 weeks pregnant with my first child and I'm looking at all the bits for sale that you can buy for your baby. Call me old fashioned but do you need all this rubbish??

Baby bath... What's wrong with the sink, your own bath?
Nappy disposal system....errr bin??
Changing table.... Floor, bed, table with a mat on? Etc etc

I have the basics: crib and bedding, clothes, muslins and cloths, steriliser, bottles, breast pump, play mat, few toys, bouncer seat, nappies, wipes, toiletries, pram. That's it really. Myself and my two siblings survived on nothing really as my parents were young and skint and and we all turned out ok.

Is there anything you brought and really regretted it or anything that was a life saver??

Thank you ????

OP posts:

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annandale · 27/06/2015 23:41

Baby gym was amazingly good.

Apart from that I agree that the baby bath is a hangover from when few people had bathrooms in their houses so you bathed the baby like everyone else in front of the fire.

sleepyhead · 27/06/2015 23:42

Both times I cracked and bought a baby bath.

With ds1 I got a Tummy Tub, used it maybe a dozen times, got some cute pics and then it was used for toy storage.

With ds2 there was a big enough gap that we'd passed on the Tummy Tub, so I got a bog standard Boots baby bath. Used it once and then ds2 went in the normal bath with ds1.

Do not buy a baby bath! A washing up bowl would do a grand job if you want something smaller so you don't have to bother running the bath when they're tiny.

Twinklestar2 · 27/06/2015 23:44

You don't need a gro egg.

I like the bath supports rather than the baby bath.

Can't live without my Aden and Anais muslin swaddle blankets. Worth every penny!

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sleepyhead · 27/06/2015 23:45

A sling/carrier can be very useful, but get one off ebay.

HaleMary · 27/06/2015 23:45

You've got it covered. If slings seem like something you might use, try a sling library after your baby is born - it's imposible to choose in advance. My expensive waste of time and cash was a changing bag (way too cumbersome, and imo, you end up just firing things in a big handbag almost immediately) and various vibrating or bouncing seats, none of which my crying baby deigned to sit in for five minutes.

sleepyhead · 27/06/2015 23:48

I swear by Grobags (supermarket own label are just as good) after the first few weeks (they have to be a minimum weight). It means they can't wriggle out of their covers and you can top up with a blanket if it's really cold.

Snuffle Baby for colds.

Erm. I think that's about it.

Stinkersmum · 27/06/2015 23:49

Changing tables are a requirement for me. I dont want to be getting up and down from the floor every time a nappy change is required. Yes, if you're in a room that has a table etc you can use them great. Bit otherwise not.

Woooooohoooooo · 27/06/2015 23:49

You don't need much really. A sling, push chair, blanket for the floor, nappies, wipes, clothes.

Baby gym was unessessary but useful. Toys can just be random household items rather then anything plush

We didn't bother with toiletries (chemicals), changing table, Moses basket, cot, baby bath, baby shoes

Original poster

MyselfandI123 · 27/06/2015 23:50

I hate the fact retailers/companies make you feel like you have to buy this to be a good parent.
Carrier I was gonna get when baby gets here as like you said don't know what one you want.
Loving the bath stories haha!

OP posts:

HeiressesGiltnor · 27/06/2015 23:54

We found all those things very useful actually.

My son wouldn't have fit in the sink for long (!) and bathing him in our bath until he could have sat in there unsupported would have been a pin. We had a baby bath, he loved it. Quick to fill and he was well supported so we all enjoyed it.

Nappy disposal - again for me a godsend as it kept the smell in. An open bin certainly wouldn't and ours only cost about £10 plus a few quid a month for cartridges.

I also wouldn't want to bend down every time I changed him. Half the time he would probably wriggle off and wipe poo on the carpet. Much more control when they are up higher.

He also loved his swing and bouncy chair but every baby is different.

Stinkersmum · 27/06/2015 23:56

One thing I have no intention of bothering with for at least the first year are outfits. Sleep suits and baby grows will do just fine.

beanandspud · 28/06/2015 00:01

The one thing that I wasted money on was bedding.

As it turned out we used gro-bags for 3 years with a couple of fitted cot sheets. I have a cupboard full of cellular blankets, sheets, fleeces, pram blankets, shawls etc. that were never used.

And if you get given clothes as presents don't take the labels off. I thought we would use all sorts of things but ended up taking a lot of baby 'outfits' back for exchange/credit notes.

LovesYoungDream · 28/06/2015 00:02

We used a sling a lot more with dc2 born in Spring than dc1 born in Winter. A rain cover for over the buggy is useful. Rear facing car seat also important when travelling by car.

clary · 28/06/2015 00:03

I never understood a changing table either. If the baby will wriggle off the mat on to the floor you are in a lot more trouble if he is on a table! I was always on the floor with the baby anyway, so I agree with you on that one OP.

Nappy disposal was also a puzzler - yy just put in black bin. I guess if you are in a top-floor flat it might be useful.

I never had a steriliser either but I was luckily able to breastfeed all my 3 which doesn't work out for everyone. I agree a sling is a wonderful thing. We used a tummy tub actually and liked it but it was a bit heavy when full and really only used for a few weeks.

Don't buy masses of baby toiletries. Babies don't need moisturiser, mummies do but not babies. Boots just sell it to make you think you need it!

goshhhhhh · 28/06/2015 00:05

I found a Tripp trapp high chair worth it - my ds aged 8 still uses his (obviously converte) & I've put away dd's for her for when she is older.

LovesYoungDream · 28/06/2015 00:11

A thermometer is useful to check if lo has a temperature. If getting pain relief (calpol/nurofen etc) try to get the packs with the syringe, much easier to give to a wriggling baby than off a spoon.

Hoodedmoron · 28/06/2015 00:12

Agree you don't need a changing table, i changed DS on a cheap mat on the floor.

Baby gym would be good, they are often for sale on the Facebook selling groups - check out a local one to you.

Agree with a pp re bedding, grobags/sleeping bags are brilliant.

Don't bother with too many outfits, they are a faff to get on and off half the time! Oh and shoes, no point until they are walking and I could never get them to stay on anyway!

Magicalmrmistofeles · 28/06/2015 00:13

You do not need a baby bath, a too and tail bowl or a bottle warmer.

Personally I needed the nappy bin - twins and a dog that likes to raid the kitchen bin...

Woooooohoooooo · 28/06/2015 00:13

Tripp trap high chair was a good investment and grows with the child

cruikshank · 28/06/2015 00:19

Baby baths are handy for when they poo in the bath. Which they all go through a phase of doing, eventually.

Never did find out what the point of a top and tail thingummy was. It's been a planter out in the yard for years now.

goshhhhhh · 28/06/2015 00:24

Yes to not needing bedding - get grobags

Kinsman · 28/06/2015 00:26

I bought a Tippitoes bath and love it. DD can support herself and it frees up my hands to bathe her with.

Wipes were a nightmare. Bought a stack before she was born and it turns out her super sensitive skin simply can't cope with them.

Sleepsuits with built-in mittens were a godsend.

MeltchettsLovelyMoustache · 28/06/2015 00:29

Sleepyhead is an expense but utterly worth it. DS hated his cot and it made cosleepikg very safe, and he loves it. It's in his cot now and he has great naps in it too.

If you're bottle feeding the Perfect Prep machine is essential.

MissBelleTragic · 28/06/2015 00:55

My MIL wanted to get us an electric bouncer for £320!!! That's more cash than I have to spend for two months after all my bills! Thankfully I got DH to talk her out of it and she is now buying the bedroom furniture instead. We got a bath and top and tail at a Mum2Mum Market for £4 saw it in mother care for £60! Also managed to pick up a high chair for £15 that retails at £90! Would recommend trying second hand baby markets for things you are unsure of and don't want to spend a fortune on!

HarrietSchulenberg · 28/06/2015 01:24

The most useless thing I had was a Sangenic nappy wrapper. They smell rank as they are perfumed and when you finally get round to emptying them the stench is unbelievable. Just put the nappy in the outside bin straightaway, or use cloth ones like I ended up doing eventually.

Baby bath was used for 3 kids once they'd outgrown the sink (matter of weeks). Used it inside the bath to make emptying easier as I could just tip it up.

Ring sling was an unexpected necessity for velcro DS3 but not other 2. Wait and see on that one.

You def do not need to rush out and buy a monstrous 4x4 .

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