first time mum wants to know what things you can't live without when you've got a new baby

[munchkinsusie]

just beginning to realise that there's a lot of stuff out there and it would be good to know what's useful and what's junk!

i would be lost without my changing table....its great having everything in one place. I don't know how I managed without it for ds1....I know i was forver looking for the open packets of wipes, cream etc....now i know where everything is. Its only a cheap one but i love it

My changing table was a godsend too. It folds down from the wall so that it's not always in the way. Soft baby gym with things dangling from the arch was good, and a little later on a bouncing activity ladybird was worth its weight in gold.

There's a whole thread somewhere where useless things that people had bought for babies were being discussed, last week, I think, that you might find useful.

whereas in contrast I have always changed DS at floor level and think you can manage without one perfectly well

once thing I would recommend rather than a baby bath is a bath support that you can put the baby onto in the bath. makes it much easier to deal with a wriggling screaming kicking baby!

in general - get as much stuff second hand as possible (except car seat!)don't spend too much on clothes - don't bother with 0 -1 month range stuff at all; if you have a big baby you'll get no wear out of it; don't bother with much by way of t-shirts/pretty outfits for babies under 3 months; babies hate getting dressed/undressed and it just makes life easier.

Baby monitor and tiny quilt for them to lie on on the floor (and/ or pampers mats so no nappie!). Well-organised changing bag for out and about.

never bothered with a changing table, my 2 dds rolled around 6 weeks so always changed them on a mat on the floor. never used babywipes till they were much bigger either, just a pack of cottonwool soaked in water, back in its pack on the side. babygym quite useful for snatching a min to go to the loo, baby sling like a wilkinet is v good, lasts much longer than baby bjorn but trickier to get used to. once they're weaning a handblender is invaluable so you can do huge vats of veg in the freezer and save money on those jars that have lots of crap in them anyway. friends had things like babywalkers and those bouncy swings you put over door opening, but they didn't use them for long. for dd2 i also bought one of those musical cot things with fish/water/lights...she still pushes the buttons to turn it on in the mornings (at 17 mths)

MUSLIN SQUARES

for putting round them when feeding, over your shoulder when burping, or to prevent sick going down back, instead of a bib, as a napkin for older child, wet as a damp cooling cloth to mop brow.

get some now!!!

When finished with children you could use them for cleaning windows or as a duster

tumble dryer

the baby

Mumsnet of course! .

buy Mums on Babies, there's a whole chapter on it

tbh, one woman's essential is another's poison. I actually dislike using cotton wool on my ds's bum because it leaves bits behind, I started with disposable wipes and now use fleece wipes.

If you have a car, you need a car seat.

Otherwise you need muslins a go-go and a few nappies of whatever sort you think you'll like. Don't sweat too much about this, or get advice from the nappy lady (search on here or Google I think).

you'll probably be given clothes but one pack of bodysuits (legless vests with poppers) and one pack of babygros isn't a bad idea, plus a hat and a blanket.

they need somewhere to sleep - in your bed is fine if that's what suits you - borrow a moses basket if you can.

I'd say a sling is essential. I'd also thoroughly recommend waiting to buy a pushchair until after the birth.

If you've got all those you'll be absolutely fine.

The new grandparents

a cordless phone, someone will always phone when you're feeding or changing nappies or just sat down for the first time in days! and muslin squares, lots of them.

Gin
Chocolate
Vodka
Cake

agree on cordless phone and soft baby gym

not essential but being bought a slimline dishwasher as a xmas present helped loads once we were bottle feeding

and i might buy myself a tumble dryer this time around!

Another vote for the cordless phone, and a sling. I always got most things I needed to done with baby attatched on front!
Helpful husband and a takeaway menu!

Managed without a changing table. Used cotton wool at first but changed to baby wipes. Never needed to buy bum cream as what I got with the bounty packs served me well and DD1 never got nappy rash anyway.

Loved changing mat from Mothercare that folds up - very useful for out and about and I think they are around £2.

Instead of buying nappy sacks, I grab a handful of the poly bags at the fruit & veg counter every time I'm at the supermarket.

Had some old sheets cut down to put under baby when changing so she could kick around for a while as they soak up any wee.

Although inheriting a pram (albeit an older one) I hated it and made do with the car seat and the chassis it fitted on to. When DD was 9 months I switched to the cheapest buggy I could find - Maclaren Volo at £40. Very light and very manuoverable.

Beware of all the junk, new mums are marketing men's dream and I cringe everytime I go into one of those baby places at the keck that is available which costs a fortune and is a complete waste of money imho.

Absolutely muslin squares - went through about 10 trees worth of kitchen towel before I realised...
Finally got a changing table after a month spent changing on floor - as I had a c-section it made the bending over MUCH more bearable.
As for sleeping we thank the heavens for the cosy combination of moses basket with lambskin - much better than the crib we used for ds. Dd slept like a dream.
And as far as cosiness goes if you're having an autumn/winter baby I loved the terry towelling bodysuits and sleepsuits from mothercare.

Soft play gym was the best thing we bought.

Never had a changing table, but did have two changing mats and two plastic boxes with nappies, cotton wool, wipes etc etc , one upstairs and one down.

25 billion breast pads, stuffed into every corner of the house, every coat pocket and every bag you are ever likely to take out with you. (you will still never be able to find one when you need it though).

Never used: crib/moses basket, muslims, mitten things, changing table, cot toys

Did use lots: play mat for floor, baby bouncer/rocker chair (one that lays flat for napping), baby bath, monitor, car seat,

Will keep thinking.

Big items that proved VERY useful were dishwasher and tumble dryer. Oh, and once weaning - a microwave.

Calpol

Another vote for muslin squares here, and the chocolate and gin proposed by mother inferior. Oh, loads of babygros too! Never had a changing table or a changing bag and tbh never really felt I needed them.
Babygym was useful and, from about 6 months I think, a door bouncer thing, my DS couldn't get enough of it, he'd have been in there all day if I'd let him!

muslin squares - got 16 of them and they are a godsend

Never used a moses basket. DD slept with us and ds stright to cot. Also never saw the point of a changing table. The floor or the top of a chest of drawers works fine for me.
Lie down bouncy chair is v useful for carting baby around the house to lie and watch you do stuff and for daytime naps. You can rock them with your foot while you read the paper .
Slings are great, especially if your baby is smallish as dd was.
We have one of those big nappy bins and it's very convenient, if not essential.

A cleaner

You won't have time to do all the cleaning

and if you can't afford a cleaner, drastically lowering any domestic standards/expectations -