Baby lotion/ baby oil? - what toileteries to I need for new arrival

[SalBySea]

do you actually need baby lotion? I'm 34 weeks and trying to get everything I need stocked up so dont have to do too many shopping trips when LO arrives if I dont feel up to it so wondering if you actually need / use baby lotion?

what do you really need in the line of toiletries?
I have:
top and tail bath
baby bath (and newborn insert)
cotton wool
cotton pads
sudocreme
a baby hair brush and baby nail cutters
nappies
towels
flannel clothes
sponges
hooded towels

what else do I need for LO grooming

Even better than taking a bath with you is taking a bath with your DH/DP, if practical -- they get good one-to-one 'bonding' time and something special that they do together (particularly helpful if you are bf) and you get ten minutes of peace to yourself.

Waitrose baby bottom butter only has olive oil, vanilla and chamomile in it. I've been using it on my DDs excema and cradle cap and it's fab!

Also, i've just bought Burts Bees baby wash and that is lush.

I'd say olive oil in case of cradle cap (just rub over scalp, leave for the day and then wash off in bath) and some of the bottom butter from waitrose/john lewis and we found sudocrem didn't suit DS but BB does. It smells lovely too.

If you need to use wipes when you go out the only ones that DS can have on his bottom without getting a rash are Pampers sensitive wipes. They're fab though expensive.

You'll find your own way though. Good luck! x

but you don't need anything in advance, theshops don't close just cos you've had a child.

Baby oil is a no-no. Not dangerous with an infant but if a toddler gets hold of it and spills then inhales it it can coat the lungs and cause severe problems.

Nature Baby and Green Baby are good wipes when out and about, too - no alcohol, which is surprisingly unusual. Waitrose bottom butter is a great moisturiser, but not a good barrier, iyswim. It's lovely for baby massage, though, smells gorgeous.

You can get a free prescription for a giant tub of aqueous cream BP for the baby's neck - they almost all seem to get a dribble rash from feeding.

Muslins are essential IMO. We had 12, and bought another 12 after he arrived!

I'm sure non-hooded towels are fine, I didn't plan on getting hooded, but the gift ones are pretty nice/handy if you're a klutz like me. I swaddle beautifully as long as the head's not in the equation.

My son has pretty sensitive skin, so normal nappies gave him a sore bum. Nature Baby have no bleach in and are made of corn husk or something, so he's fine with them, though their green credentials make me a bit as they have absorbant gels in and are still landfill.

Skin to skin with Dad is great, but if you plan to bf, s-t-s with Mum can apparently be really helpful in establishing that. (Says the woman who failed, despite copious s-t-s - that baby was barely dressed his first month, and nor was I!). Also Dad in our house was squeamish, after being crapped on their first ever bath together. (He's not done it to Mummy. That's my boy.)

so to summarize: you need cotton wool and olive oil. That's it!

You'll no doubt be given lots of stuff by friends and family, but if you're in a stocking up mood, what about YOU?! The baby will be fine, but what if you run out of something and your dh has to go out and he gets the wrong thing . So deffo stock up on mummy stuff!

Are you able to return any of what you bought?

top and tail bath - not necessary. Just use any 2 random dishes/bowls that you have and fill with water and cotton wool.

baby bath - not neccesary. baby baths are a PITA to fill and empty unless you leave them inside the big bath which is a bit pointless you might aswell just use the big bath with a small amount of water in the bottom.

newborn insert - the foam ones are rubbish. they can roll off them at any time. the seat ones are rubbish as they are so high they keep them out of the water.

we had one of these which meant DS could lie in the big bath without getting water in his ears but the rest of his body could kick and splash about in the water.

cotton wool/cotton pads. i find the cotton wool pleats the best. that way you can tear off as much or as little as you need.

sudocreme - rubbish and sometimes irritates them further. the only nappy rash creams that work on DS are morhulin and antiseptic bepanthen cream (weirdly the actual bepanthen nappy cream didn't work). You can get boots to order both of these in for you. My friend found orabase and conotrane worked aswell.

Some natural remedies that worked with him are:

rooibos tea
cornflour mixed with water or vaseline
emu oil
grapefruit seed extract
egg white
manuka honey
vegetable glycerine

a baby hair brush - baby hair brushes are rubbish they just fluff the hair up imo. just get cheapo 15p plastic comb from the chemist instead.

baby nail cutters - a glass nail file is really good. i found i got jagged edges with scissors and emery boards and i was too scared of cutting ds with clippers.

nappies - obviously very necessary!!

towels - the poncho towels are best and last
a long time

flannel clothes - i just used my hand

sponges - i used a sponge for squeezing water out for hair washing rather than using a jug which most kids hate.

hooded towels - as above

baby toiletries - the only ones necessary are unfragranced baby shampoo and a bar of unfragranced soap. Soap bars have less chemicals in than liquid soap.

actually flannels are good for wiping bums and faces. ikea sell them cheaply.

sainsbury's sell flannels for 20p each or you can get baby wash clothes from poundland - 6 for 99p which is a bargain.