It’s been a while since I’ve had a baby - what do you recommend buying?

[smarSarah]

It’s been 6 years since I had a baby and so much is new and different, we also got rid of almost everything so will be starting from scratch.

please let me know your favourite newborn /baby items if you’ve recently had a baby.

partially feeding - with my last baby I breastfed for over a year and hope to do the same again, I’d love a hands free pump for when I go back to work (I’m self employed so will go back at about 4 months for very few hours). What is best for combo feeding bottles, warming up the milk, sterilising etc etc.
ive also heated silver nipple shields are great, not a thing I’d heard of last time.

Also carsear recommendations - safe but affordable.

thank you!

I would say Sudosalve nappy rash cream. The amazing yellow Mentanium stuff is now discontinued so Sudosalve seems to be the next best thing.

It’s been even longer since I had a new baby. Just thought I’d give your post a little bump

Love to dream swaddle bag.
White noise machine
Boots cheapy travel changing mat, we've used this so much.
An infant car seat (lots of good recommendations on the car seat thread). DONT do as we and all my friends did and be fooled by the 0- 4/7/12 years car seats. The multiage seats are safe in a crash but not at all comfortably or good for back and airways for infants. Go to a decent supplier and actually get some advise
Ardo sterilising bags, so quick and easy and don't take up loads of space if you don't need to sterlise loads of stuff (bring)
Silver cups
The purple nipple cream

The nuby rapid cool is great for combo feeding. We also had the UV steriliser by nuby and I liked that- it’s fast and efficient.
I loved the ergobaby embrace for the first six months, it’s so easy to get on and off.
I was also a big fan of the baby bjorn bouncer for my second.

For pumping:

• Elvie stride for car rides, or if I needed my hands totally free and to get up. HOWEVER it's for ocasional use, it doesn't get milk out as well as a proper pump. Do not try to use this to pump more than once a day.
• for pumping at work several times a day, I used the Spectra. Buy a pumping bra so you can be hands free while sitting at desk.

Don't forget to measure nipples (most flanges that come with the pump are too big on purpose, so you have to buy the other parts) and use nipple cream when pumping.

I had Phillips Avent glass bottles for feeding and some glass bottles for pumping that were compatible with the Spectra (I read a bit too much about microplastics).

The Love to Dream swaddle bag is excellent.

Also highly recommend:

• the baby bjorn bouncer, see if you can get it second hand.

-baby Einstein baby gym.

We’ve always had maxi cosi car seats, it’s the one thing I’d never scrim on. Otherwise you don’t need much - something for them to sleep in, nappies; clothes, a decent sling - Ergobaby are great. I’d wait and get pumping / bottle stuff once the baby is here, it’s best to establish breastfeeding for 6-8 weeks first anyway.

Don’t buy things until you need them. The amount of things we were told were “must haves” yet we held firm and only had clothes, the cot and the essentials when he arrived.

We’ve purchased a few things along the way but nothing has ever been urgent enough to be needed right there and then and with Amazon next day delivery and supermarkets open 24.7 it’s easy enough to get things pretty quickly.

You don’t need every single gadget on the market. Just wait and see along the way.

This is great advice!