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Things you didn't bother with the second time round

88 replies

SausageSimon · 18/09/2018 21:49

I saw a great thread about this ages back but can't seem to find it.
What did you not bother to buy the second time you had a baby?
And what things were better than you thought?

With DS I found I barely used his baby bath and he soon grew out of his Moses basket so I think I'd look for an alternative for downstairs naps.
I don't think I'd get a high chair again, it took up too much room and he outgrew it so second time round I'd get a mamas and papas seat that you attach to a chair that does the same job but adapts as they get older

I found muslin squares more useful than I thought they'd be!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Jenala · 20/09/2018 08:20

A cot. DS1 would never go in it so it was given away and never even attempted with DS2. I shudder at how much time some of my friends spend getting their baby into the cot

lmx0 · 20/09/2018 08:53

Things ive found most useful are a cot top changer for up stairs and a travel cot with changer on it for downstairs both life savers for after a section even the mw was impressed x

ChampooPapi · 20/09/2018 08:54

@Jenala so true. My second 7 month old is currently sleeping on a single bed, but the one that slides out the bottom of another one so shes only a few inches off the floor. It also has those sides on which I picked up from argos for like twenty five quid. Her bed now for at least the next 5 years and meant I could buy a really nice single mattress for her.

I know a few mumsnetters have said a single mattress on the floor instead of a cott, but I definitely know that wouldn't work for everyone or everyones babies

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TheGateauIsInTheChateau · 20/09/2018 09:25

An expensive white noise toy. £30 not particularly well spent. White noise does precisely nothing for my child!

I haven’t used my pram as much I expected to, we will use it again for number 2 but given the option I would get a single unit that’s suitable from birth.

Expensive changing bags are a rip off

On the flip side:

  • jungle gym play mat used almost every day from when she was about 4 weeks old
  • travelcot with changer top has been a godsend
  • ergo baby carrier has been great for walks
  • travel changing mat with pockets for nappies, wipes, bags are brilliant
jackio2205 · 20/09/2018 22:21

@Elbbob I used an angelcare thing for a while which I think is brilliant, u dont have to support them whilst bathing, then i went to shallow water in my own bath but i bought a cheap shower slip mat to put at the bottom so she cant wriggle around and now shes getting to stand up she doesnt fall over
X

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 20/09/2018 22:29

Elbbob I second the angelcare bath seat- my LO has been using it since day one- now 14months old...love it!

Elbbob · 21/09/2018 10:28

@TheBestestCatinTheLand love that photo! How old is she there?
We actually have the giant mama's and papas bath with sloping back (2nd hand) which DD loves (and I hate due to the size) so the Angelcare thing and/or non slip mat may be a good next step. Thanks all!

TheBestestCatinTheLand · 21/09/2018 12:36

She was nearly 5 months. She was a big baby. 10lb 11oz at birth. She got stuck and they cut me to get her out. Over 100 stitches were needed. Still not right down there nearly a decade later. Blush

sabrinathethirtysomethingwitch · 23/09/2018 22:15

@ChampooPapi thanks for the tip about the bed. In two minds about buying a cot for DS He sleeps in next to me crib occasionally but is seems so much happier in a bed.

I love our shnuggle baby bath. I struggled to bath my wriggly baby so this was £20 well spent.

Also second others who are glad they bought a changing table. I love all the storage underneath it too and having everything you need at hand.

sabrinathethirtysomethingwitch · 23/09/2018 22:20

Oh just thought of another "essential". A friend bought me a Morrck travel wrap blanket for the car seat. I now buy it as a new baby gift for friends. Saves faffing about with cardigans and is much safer as straps fit through holes in the blanket so you can tighten straps properly. So much easier to get out of the house quickly.

BertieBotts · 24/09/2018 20:48

Actually the Schnuggle looks great, much better than a standard bath.

dinosaurkisses · 24/09/2018 20:52

YY Bertie- we have one and it makes it dead easy to wash them. No holding on to a slippery, eel like baby and trying to open the baby shampoo one handed. Uses a lot less water as well.

BertieBotts · 25/09/2018 21:38

I've just thought to mention a few. I've had my babies 10 years apart and there are a few new products around now I don't see the point of.

Nasal aspirators - just weird and unnecessary - newborns don't need you to suck their snot out as they will deal with it quite well themselves by repeated sneezing, which is ridiculously cute as well as being probably healthier for them than a plastic tube. I don't think it's very healthy to try to remove all mucus from the nasal cavity, it serves a purpose and you should probably leave it alone. When they get stuffed up with a cold, a squirt of breastmilk or saline spray from the pharmacy does a good enough job to loosen it which helps them be more comfortable.

Buggies which convert to a double - This is madness, it won't save you any money, as you can't guarantee you'll get pregnant right on the timescale you thought plus 90% of the time you pick the wrong pram when you're choosing blind before you have the baby - it's much much easier to know what you want once you've spent a decent amount of time actually pram wrangling, and unfortunately you can't really rely on reviews because people have such different preferences and needs. It's better to pick a pram which you think will work for the one baby you have right now (or twins if you're having twins) and worry about the sibling scenario later.

On a similar line - car seats which claim to do birth to 12 years, and car seats which share a base between infant and toddler seats. Especially 100% never get one if you're planning to have a second baby within 4 years. You're MUCH better off getting either a basic infant seat (Joie) or a good deal on one which comes with a travel system, base or no base depending on your need, and then put all of your money/energy/time into researching the stage 2 seat. The later you wait to get a seat, the more (safer) options you have on the market at cheaper prices. Plus, if you buy a seat which shares a base with the next stage seat you're just basically placing your pre-order for that seat and the company has a captive market in you. Most stage 2 seats don't even need a separate base, and if you have a DC2, they'll need the base for the baby seat anyway. There are other reasons this is a bad idea, but it's a rant which goes on for too long.

Weird pillow type things which are meant to be magic sleep inducers - poddlepod, snugglenest, whatever they are, these look like absolute death traps to me, especially the home made/cheap knock off versions which inevitably come around when the official things are so overpriced. I know many would fight me to the death on this one, though :o But I'm a fan of co-sleeping and I know not everyone is, so there is that. I have found the approaches in the newer (newborn) version of the no cry sleep solution to be useful in encouraging newborns to do at least some of their sleeping not on you though, (and not in a pillowy thing) so that's another option to try, if co-sleeping isn't your thing.

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