Baby stuff - where to splurge & where to save?

[floofycroissant]

First timer, need EVERYTHING.

Please can you share which bits you found we're must have purchases for a new baby?

Especially interested in where you think it's best to shell out (like a car seat maybe?!), and the less critical stuff I could look to get second hand. Also would love to know what bits to avoid.

Car seats have to be bought new, but no need to splurge on a very expensive model as they’re all governed by right regulations. Any reputable / widely available brand will do.

Totally fine to buy cots / sidecar cots / Moses baskets second hand and worth doing imo. However the mattress must be new for every child in the family. IKEA do some lovely cots for very reasonable prices.

I would avoid anything of the dock a tot / purflo etc ilk as they’re expensive and dangerous.

Pram / buggy etc - second hand is fine, but maybe see if you can inspect first for cleanliness and wear and tear.

I got loads of clothes second hand on eBay and they were great. Babies get so little wear from their clothes before outgrowing them that second hand stuff can still be in brilliant condition for a fraction of the price.

I personally think it’s worth shelling out the upfront cost for reusable nappies as they save so much money and waste in the end. But obviously only if reusables are something you’re interested in!

Splurge - get a decent pram/buggy if you walk a lot. Cheaper ones were horrible to steer, didn’t brake well, rattled themselves apart. You don’t need to go top, top end, but don’t go cheap. If you walk off road a lot get a sling, but join a sling library first to try a few.

Save - clothes, you’ll need loads, they’ll get poo-ed and sicked- on. Supermarket, second hand, hand me downs are all fine.

Save - highchair - the IKEA Antilop is about £15 and is the best high chair in the world.

Invest - I loved my Tots Bots all in one nappies, and managed to get them half price, and they saved me a fortune.

Ooh yes I handy even thought of nappies! Def keen on reusable, any other brands or is Tot Bots the one to go for?

Splurge - good reusable nappies will last three babies and will actually save you money over time, as well as being environmentally better

Save - everything else buy second hand. Look for high quality brands and 'one user'

Everyone will buy clothes as gifts so don't buy too many clothes. I liked the Bonds zip up onesies though if you're looking for basics that wash and wear well.

No need to splurge on anything imo.
Quality is always best but buy when things are on offer. Do your research before buying, actually read individual reviews rather than going by star ratings alone and check multiple sites for reviews too.

For me a travel cot is as essential as a bedroom cot, we have tc downstairs and they are a great safe space until they can climb out of it. A bouncy chair or rocker.
Carseat and matress always buy new for a first baby, they're fine to use for multiple children of your own if they're in good condition.
I wouldn't invest in lots of reusable nappies before birth, best to get trial packs for a new baby to see how you get on with the different ones. You can always invest in bundles later.

I bought a Bugaboo second hand, used it for two babies. It was brilliant, sturdy as anything and very easy to use, which is vital. Definitely worth splurging on. But I ended up selling it for more than I paid for it anyway, so it wasn't a splurge at all.

Aside from that, do the bare minimum. Ikea cots and highchairs are the business - the Antilop is really the only highchair the world needs! Also Ikea dishes and cutlery when you get to that stage - everyone I knew had the same ones . Basically everything needs to be as simple and easily washable as possible.

It's worth spending on a good car seat. All have to meet minimum regs, but those are pretty lax here and involve low speeds. It's worth spending the extra to get a plus-tested seat or one with more vigorous testing than the bare minimum. That's the one thing I wouldn't scrimp on.

@floofycroissant

Ooh yes I handy even thought of nappies! Def keen on reusable, any other brands or is Tot Bots the one to go for?

Tots bots are good, but for some reason they seem to stain easily where others don’t! My preferred brand is baba and boo, they wash beautifully and fit really well.

There’s a great website called thenappylady.com with tons of really helpful advice on reusable nappies.

You can get really good prams second hand on gumtree in good condition. I got a near new condition bugaboo buffalo for £100 (the owner paid 1000 for it 4 years previous) I barely use it as baby always out in a sling so I am so glad I didn't splurge.

I'd really not recommend buying reusable nappies before baby comes. Sign up to your local nappy library and you can buy lots of different types. Some people spend £500 on a bundle only to find it doesn't fit their baby properly.

The reusable cheeky wipes are fantastic, if you're going down the reusable route.

Newborn clothes lasted my boy a week, I bought a bundle of 10 for £1 each on gumtree and it was all I needed.

Sling - I have second hand ergobaby 360 which haven't used yet, and got fabric sling in babybox but they're machine washable so could get 2nd hand and wash at high heat.

You'll probably be gifted lots of clothes and blankets but often these are surprises as very few people will ask if there's anything you actually need! So have some 0 to 3 month sizes. Worth keeping an eye in m and s, sainsbury etc for some really nice and often reduced vests and babygros. I personally wouldn't bother with outfits.

Baby sleeping bags are great. My boy loves them. I have 3 newborn size ones which I circulate (often wakes up with sick stains etc)

Our second hand (actually borrowed) snuzpod crib is great you could get that on gumtree.

Tbh only thing that NEEDS to be new is a carseat. I like our joie igemm, almost got the 360 but you can't detach that from the car. And the docking station was definitely worth the money as such a faff putting it on with the seat belt.

Also bought mattresses for crib and pram from little green sheep. Get plenty sheets for crib, we have 8 and go through them regularly!

I got Dr brown electric steriliser new, some random website was selling for 70 instead of 100. I really rate it.

(Re. Nappy library I meant try lots of different types, not buy!)

I agree with the other posters
Buy a new car seat
Everything else second hand

@BikeRunSki

Splurge - get a decent pram/buggy if you walk a lot. Cheaper ones were horrible to steer, didn’t brake well, rattled themselves apart. You don’t need to go top, top end, but don’t go cheap. If you walk off road a lot get a sling, but join a sling library first to try a few.

Save - clothes, you’ll need loads, they’ll get poo-ed and sicked- on. Supermarket, second hand, hand me downs are all fine.

Save - highchair - the IKEA Antilop is about £15 and is the best high chair in the world.

Invest - I loved my Tots Bots all in one nappies, and managed to get them half price, and they saved me a fortune.

I want to qualify what I said about prams. Top end, but second hand is fine. Low end and second hand is probably not.

For the price, I’d go second hand Bugaboo over new Hauk for example.

Splurge

• cybex I cloud z car seat, the lie flat function and safety ratings are worth the money.

• mountain buggy terrain - I also splurged on this as wanted an off road buggy for running and only wanted to buy once and for it to last me multiple children (within our NCT group it seems that people that spent less at the start on buggies seem to have ended up with multiple different ones as the children have got older)

• reusable nappies - you can buy second hand but I've found this a false economy as they're often not in the condition described. Personally I'd buy one from a few different brands a see what suits, sell on the ones that don't suit and buy more of the ones that do (I like close pop in, baba and boo, little lamb and motherease at various stages)

Save

• clothes - buy second hand and you'll save a fortune. I tend to go for scandi/ethical brands such as maxomorra/little green radicals/kite/Polarn o pyret but often second hand unless it's something I can see passing on to future children

• nursery furniture/cots/Moses basket/high chair etc (with the exception of the mattresses) can all be bought second hand or cheaply from Ikea

• toys can again be picked up cheaply second hand, again I tend to go for higher end toys (plan toys, heimiess etc) but second hand

The other thing I'd say is ask around - loads of people with kids will lend stuff out, e.g. baby chairs/swings/playmats etc

This is like learning a whole new language 😅

Totally agree with the above! Just the car seat and mattresses (if buying the solid bits secondhand) that need to be new.

However I did get my first travel system brand new, a very mid range maxicosi one, and I'm glad I did as it's worked it's arse off and will do the same for second baby, but still in really great condition. I'm a big fan of secondhand and my double is BUT I do still get pleasure out of the main one and the double is definitely creaky as it's obviously been well used for two kids in its last home. So if you can afford it and you want to buy something that's all new to you, especially if you think you might have more than one child, I'd go for it on your travel system or buggy (but getting a travel system works with the need for a new car seat anyway).

I’d buy only the absolute basics but hold some money back once you figure out what your baby likes.

For example, items wasted on DD1 included slings, carrycot, dummies and playmat (severe reflux, couldn’t be laid flat). We also didn’t end up using the nappy bin (sacks were easier, then reusables) or steriliser (MAM bottles self sterilise).

Things we swore we didn’t want but bought in the first few weeks of DD1’s life and used A LOT: Sleepyhead, Rockit, Snoozeshade, MyHummy white noise toy.

If I could have afforded it for DD2 the one additional thing I would have invested in would have been a car seat that can be reclined flat (like the Cybex one my sister has), then used that on the frame of the buggy instead of a carrycot. Much snugger and sleep inducing for little babies, and then means you only have to take the buggy frame in the boot, not two separate parts.

@floofycroissant don't worry - you pick it up quickly enough when you start doing the research! Lol

The only things I've bought new for babies are car seats, mattresses, some special clothes (first grows/ blanket/ toy etc) and anything that goes in their mouths (dummies, bottles etc). Everything else has been secondhand and has been absolutely fine. Car seat wise you don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent seat- for example the Joie gemm is a good seat, costs a fraction of the maxi Cosi prices and is compatible with any pram travel system that takes maxi Cosi adapters. I didn't bother with an isofix base as I preferred using the seat belt to get a better angle on the seat. Save car seat money for the next stage seat- research extended rear facing and see if that's something you'd like to do. My three have all been in Joie infant carriers and have then "graduated" to more expensive seats such as axkid minikid or britax two way elite. Glad I saved money on the infant carrier as good ERF seats are expensive!

My newborn recommends are:-

1. Decent reusable nappies- you can hire through a nappy library to cover newborn stage rather than buy new. I mainly use little lamb pockets and little love bum pockets. My favourite are the little love bum as they're super slim, really absorbent, have cute prints, resell well and have fit my son from 8 weeks to 2y and are still going strong with a rise to go- they're secondhand too and you wouldn't know it at all. If you go down the reusable route you can also use reusable wipes with no extra wash load. Either cut up an IKEA polar fleece blanket (£3- also good for DIY liners) or they also sell packs of 10 baby washcloths for £3 which are ideal)
2. Sling. I love my solarweave connecta. They're called integra now but I picked it up for £20 and it's seen me through 3 babies and has been lent out to at least 4 other mums. Lightweight, easy to use, comfortable and folds up tiny into a change bag.
3. Secondhand pram- tbh if I was to have a fourth I'd go for a mamas and papas ocarro. Decent suspension, folds all in one and does everything I need it to do. I've had loads of different prams, I have a secondhand bugaboo cam3 atm and I hate it. It's so faffy and takes up my entire boot- I drive a Mazda 5 so it has a huge boot. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I've had a co- sleeper for all of mine and again it's been lent out to about 4 other mums. It's great ... If you have a baby that sleeps and settles in it. I haven't managed to produce one of those so for me it was a glorified water bottle/muslin holder... 😂 I just followed the safe sleep guidelines and co-slept with mine. If you intend to breastfeed the best thing you'll ever learn is how to feed lying down and in a sling. Game changers. 😂

Best of luck!