So confused

[Sarahjano]

Hi I'm so overwhelmed at what I need to buy for my first baby due March 19

I've heard of these baby pods to put in the cord so do these go in the Moses baskets as well? Also have been told to use grow sleeping bags as well but if all seems a bit much for a baby with both going on? Is it one or the other? I'm so confused?

I honestly wouldn’t bother with the sleeping pods to be honest, not to scaremonger but there’s been some new advice from the NHS not to use these as they could increase a risk of SIDS! Sleeping bags are great, you just need to make sure you have the appropriate tog rating (same as duvets) to make sure your baby isn’t too warm, you can get these from places like Asda, or if you want the proper GroBag ones, try TKmaxx, they’re a bit cheaper in there :)

Oh thanks so much x I work in Asda so I'll have a look .

You can't use sleeping bags until they're over a certain weight. While they're teeny and can't roll you can just use blankets anyway.

I used a pod for daytime sleeping downstairs when my baby was very little. It was good but to be honest a Moses basket would have done fine and you can pick them up cheaper and they last longer. (Haven't used the pod for about 8 weeks now and baby is 5 months)
I love the sleeping bags and give birth to big babies so could use them from birth. I think most are from 8lbs.

I usually used cellular/thin blankets for the first few weeks then swapped to gro bags. The proper branded ones were the best in my experience - you can often find them in tkmaxx.
Baby really needs somewhere to sleep near you when they are tiny so depending on where you live you might need a few sleeping options or something you can move between rooms.
Ie cot, crib, travel cot, Moses basket, sleep pod etc
We have had various set ups but with dc3 we had a travel cot with bassinet downstairs and a Moses basket upstairs. With dc1 we just used the Moses basket and moved it around the house.

Oh my god there's so much to think about Ive not bought a thing yet as it's so overwhelming and not sure if it's too soon to start buying ! X

Don't worry OP, none of it is essential as long as baby has a safe space to sleep. You will quickly work out what works best for your baby and then nothing is very hard to order online.

One thing I found useful and I think most parents do, is Muslin cloths - buy lots OP!! as people suggested above - cellular blankets, I think the design of them helps stop heat being trapped and having LO over heat, room thermometers are useful, but don’t stress if it’s slightly too warm, we had a change table which saved my back enormously (our LO got very heavy, very fast) but some people prefer popping baby on a mat on the floor, if you are planning on using bottles cold water sterilisers are great, buy first babygrows in a couple of sizes, I bought 0-3 but my DS was too small, but luckily I’d bought a couple of small baby ones, try also to get the babygrows with built in scratch mitts too! I could write a whole list, but feel free to PM if you want to ask about anything 😊

Oh thanks for all the tips it's still baby week at Asda so I might get a couple of bits this week. If I decide to bottle feed how many bottles do I need? X

I just used a cellular blanket sucked under the mattress for the first few months before switching to a sleeping bag. And my Mum always reminds me that "an empty cot is a safe cot"... Meaning no cot bumpers or teddy's etc...

Congratulations by the way!!!

Next sell gorgeous babygrows that wash really well and have the built in sleep mits! They aren't the cheapest but they aren't too pricey. The quality is love and you can buy them second hand on ebay like I did for the newborn ones.. They've usually only been worn a handful of times 😊

quality is lovely*

FWIW we were told not to use scratch mitts because touch is how baby's explore the world, and also if you keep their hands covered up then their nails will get long and scratchy, whereas if you just leave them out then their nails stay short. Welcome to the contradictory world of baby advice 😂

I wouldn't get many bottles to start with, particularly if you're planning to give breastfeeding a go. You might find baby doesn't like the bottles you've bought so you don't want to spend too much only to have to go and buy another full set of another brand.

If you have a lot of people who are likely to buy you gifts then go easy on buying clothes. We only bought three vests and babygrows in the first two sizes and she still ended up with more clothes than she could wear before she outgrew them.

Firstly stop looking at lists in magazines/on websites - they are sponsored!

You don't need much - you need a place for baby to sleep, borrow a Moses basket/crib if possible (they outgrow quickly plus blankets to keep them warm - ensure they are machine washable and can be tumble dried. You need clothes - not many in newborn size, stick to sleep suits and vests, a snow suit/coat as its winter if you don't have a car will probably be needed. You need newborn nappies, washcloths/wipes and if you are not breastfeeding, you'll need bottles etc. You need baby transport - a car seat, a pushchair, a sling - depends on your circumstances but if you drive get a pushchair that fits in your boot! Apart from a packet of muslin cloths you are done! Buy stuff afterwards, that's what the internet was invented for, next day delivery - I gave away things I never used, and the expensive pushchair was barely used.

Yeah totally.speaking to other mums now they have said they over bought which I don't want to do. I see the baby grows in next for a pack of 5 I think so might get them x thanks guys you've all been so great x x

OP if you do decide to bottle feed, I’d probably look at getting about 5 ish bottles - the newborn packs by avent and Tommee tippee are good, they have a couple of small bottles, a couple of bigger bottles a bottle brush and I think they might include some spare teats too (they’re sometimes on offer in baby events or amazon)

Also OP I wouldn't bother with the small size bottles that only go up to 4-5oz, they will only last til baby is about 4-5 months old and then they need more milk than that (if formula feeding) if I was doing it all again i'd get the large bottles that take up to 8oz.

I second @stiltonontoast there’s literally no point with the smaller bottles...the bigger ones can make the 4/5oz the smaller ones do...it’s not like the baby is holding the small bottles so there is literally no point to them and the bigger ones will last you longer. My DS is 8 weeks and we are already out of the smaller bottles