Essential products to buy before the birth

[Bunnybean]

Hi,

First of all I am v. new so I apologise in advance if this thread already exists and I am posting a commonly asked question in the wrong place (I did look but couldn't find anything.)

I have recently found out that I am pregnant and although I have yet to tell him, I know that it is very unlikely that my partner will want to be involved in any way. I am still very happy to be keeping the child.

The only issue that this leaves me with is that I currently live in a house share with friends in Highgate (N. London) which I will need to move from so money will be very tight for me at first.

I was wondering if I could borrow your experience to find out which of the many baby and pregnancy products that are marketed at you are absolutely essential - as I will need to keep purchases to a miminum.

Thanks in advance! :)

Hi there,

ebay is my friend- I bought a lot of maternity clothes there, also baby stuff- including clothes, and a cot. You can get cots very cheaply on ebay (or try freecycle) but you do need to get a new mattress. (do you have a community furniture project nearby that sells 2nd hand furniture?) I'd also look on there for 2nd hand buggys/prams. During pregnancy there's not much you'll need- you may get away with not wearing maternity clothes till your 5-6 months gone, a few maternity basics should get you through to the end.

In terms of stuff for the baby there is a lot that isn't necessary (though advertising might tell you otherwise!) some baby grows, vests, nappies, few items of clothing, muslins, cot, buggy, blanket are first essentials - if you manage to breastfeed obviously you're saving money not having to buy bottles, formula, steriliser etc.

hope this gives you some ideas.

Hi Bunnybean! So sorry to hear you'll be in this on your own, I hope things work out well for you. Are you planning on breastfeeding? It is hugely less expensive than formula and better for baby. If you do want to breastfeed, make sure you are not shy about asking for help from midwives right after baby is born to make sure you get the baby's latch right, as this is the biggest reason many women quit (incorrect latch causes pain and means your milk doesn't come in as quickly or plentiful because nipples aren't being stimulated correctly, plus baby won't be getting enough of the really important colostrum in those first few days.) Apart from that, if you drive you'll need a carseat (I think the ones that are suitable from birth to 36 months to be the most economical because from that you can just go to a booster which usually cost from around £30 when your child is 3 years old). I'd suggest looking places like Gumtree and freecycle for baby items that people are giving away or selling cheap (although I would recommend buying a carseat new for safety reasons). You may find you can get a pushchair, clothes, even a cot for a lot less that they'd cost you new...

Oops, cross post sorry SaraL77!

When is your baby due? That will help so we know what to advise on for baby basics (had a December baby so a snowsuit was essential)
As well as eBay try and borrow what you can. Especially moses basket, bouncy chair etc.
Try and buy nappies as you see offers on if you are using disposables. I managed to put away 6 months worth to cover my maternity leave but buying in bits at a time.
Join lots of web baby clubs e.g Pampers village as you will get money off vouchers and freebies. And Bounty packs have lots of starter goodies.
Congratulations!!!

Freecycle is definitely the way forward. And research local mum and baby groups in your area as they may well have second-hand clothes sales/swaps going on.

Also, join Boots mother and baby club, 10 points per pound for every pound spent on baby things (some exceptions). Hold off on any dental appts or prescriptions (where possible!) until you get your card which entitles you to free dental treatment and prescriptions.

And CONGRATULATIONS! Wishing you all the very best. x

Gosh - some very good advice already - thanks so much!

I don't actually drive or have a car so a car seat might not be such an essential purchase.

My due date is in May - so I am probably asking all this stuff really early - but I need to plan and am a bit lost really.

Thanks again for all the pointers. x

yeah sarahbuff is right- the exact reason I failed to breastfeed- latching problem- it cost me £7 a week on formula for a year after that! (I'm hoping for more luck 2nd time round)

Asda also do a 'baby event' every now and then where you can get cheaper nappies, wipes etc.

yes, sorry, Congratulations too!

Ask your friends and family. Most baby stuff doesn't wear out and often people will have put it away "just in case". Sometimes they will be happy to pass it on. We've been offered 3 cots, 4 buggies and loads of other stuff.

Freecycle is great - we got a travel system from there so that was a buggy and car seat. Obviously you have to be careful getting a car seat second hand, but as we didn't have a car (just rented one a couple of times a year) we were also wary of spending on one.

You will be given lots and lots of clothes, so as long as you've got a few basic vests and babygros you don't really have to worry.

Ikea is great - you can get a cot for £50, and a high chair for £11 (vastly superior to more expensive high chairs as well). You don't need a moses basket though I know a lot of people prefer them - babies grow out of them so quickly. We put DS in his cot from day one which wasn't a problem.

Muslin cloths are an absolute essential - shop around to find them cheaply though. We didn't buy many as they seemed expensive, but quickly realised how important they were and were rushing round trying to get more in the first week after the birth, washing the three we owned every day!

If you have a work intranet or similar, I'd put an advert on that. I give away all DS's clothes as he grows out of them to a work colleague for her son, and I always want to give away stuff as soon as he's moved on from them, cos I need the room!

Hi,

I will definately be attempting to breast-feed and also hope to use reusable nappies as often as possible so there will be some natural savings there.

I will be telling my friends about my pregnancy in due course and I know that once they have all given me the ususal lecture about my boyfriend they will probably be happy to help.

Work intranet could be a bit contraversial as the father works here too and I probably ought to find a better way to let him know...

I will definately scout ebay for things like travel cots and prams (good advice about the mattress thanks!)

Also very good advice about not needing maternity clothes for quite a while and then I guess i can get by with a few basics. Actually I might be able to pinch a few of these from friends too...

Thanks again guys. xx

bunnybean I have quite a few muslins you can have if you would like them? I got loads so they are all in excellent condition. Let me know and I will pass on my email address.
Also look in the 'for free' section here.

Congratulations Bunnybean, Im 29 weeks pregnant, and living in leggings and baggy vest tops...still havnt bought maternity clothes but I did have a lot of my friends who had lost weight/had children that gave me staple clothes in bigger sizes so I have just been going up a size rather than forking out on maternity...I also found I didnt really like any of the maternity clothes (at first they freaked me out and now I cant find anything I like) so leggings and jeggings have been my life saver!

Hold out for January sales for anything new you plan to get, newborn stuff not always reduced, but sometimes you get lucky - May is a long way off to have a stash of stuff in waiting, but put money aside in the meantime

• a serviceable reclining buggy
• somewhere to sleep + mattress, travelcot perfectly adequate as moses basket substitute if you're tight on space in your bedroom
• basic unisex clothes - sleepsuits/vests ideal at first
• borrow a carseat to get you home from hospital.
• a bath support is handy, not a babybath
• a wipe-clean changing mat / or travel one for change-bag
• couple of cot blankets
• ask for baby sleeping bag as gift - great for settling to sleep from about 8 weeks old
• nappies - maybe 3-4 packs to cover 1st week or so
• wipes/cotton wool
• a soft towel
• some very mild baby bodywash
• pack of muslins
• bear in mind you might need bigger/maternity clothes for a month or so, at least until after the birth, so in your case more summery stuff would be good
• 2nd hand bouncy chair, very useful for 6 months, then not.

Sorry for duplicates

Good luck.

Hold out for January sales for anything new you plan to get, newborn stuff not always reduced, but sometimes you get lucky - May is a long way off to have a stash of stuff in waiting, but put money aside in the meantime

• a serviceable reclining buggy
• somewhere to sleep + mattress, travelcot perfectly adequate as moses basket substitute if you're tight on space in your bedroom
• basic unisex clothes - sleepsuits/vests ideal at first
• borrow a carseat to get you home from hospital.
• a bath support is handy, not a babybath
• a wipe-clean changing mat / or travel one for change-bag
• couple of cot blankets
• ask for baby sleeping bag as gift - great for settling to sleep from about 8 weeks old
• nappies - maybe 3-4 packs to cover 1st week or so
• wipes/cotton wool
• a soft towel
• some very mild baby bodywash
• pack of muslins
• bear in mind you might need bigger/maternity clothes for a month or so, at least until after the birth, so in your case more summery stuff would be good
• 2nd hand bouncy chair, very useful for 6 months, then not.

Sorry for duplicates

Good luck.

Congrats!!

Here is my essentials list:

• 2 towels
• babygrows
• vests
• stretchy wrap sling
• possibly baby monitor if putting baby to bed without you
• nappies
• hat
• cardigan

For me we found that we didn't need pram or cot because as it worked out we co-slept and kept bubs in a sling. Although we did put the cot up against the bed with one side down, it is not necessary. A high chair is only necessary from 6 months.

My advice to anyone having a new baby is buy as little as possible until after baby is born. See what kind of parenting suits you better. You will probably have tight enough space, so non-essentials should be kept to a minimum.

Best of luck!

My DC not born yet, but:

PRIMARK: DP and I have been buying essentials like babygrows, scratch mitts etc in Primark. I feel stingy but Baby will be in them for a matter of months. Rely on friends/relatives to buy the special stuff.

We're also going down the American route and having baby shower - weren't keen at first but this is the first grandchild of the family and also first baby in both our friendship groups - you might find people are really keen on it!

Maternity clothes: hate them. Learn to love lycra. I also found a great skirt that just has a band round the stomach area, very soft, if you can find one of those might be a thought? Mine was Dorothy Perkins.

Congratulations!

If you are planning on using reusable nappies have a look on the for sale board on here and also here and here. Reusable terry or fleece wipes will also save a fortune overthe 2 odd years our baby needs them.

Clothes are obviously a neccessity but second-hand is fine; they grow so quickly anything you buy will be in good condition. eBay obviously good for that, as are NCT sales (you don't need to be a member). At first they'll be in babygros day and night (unless there's a heatwave, in which case vests) and if you don't want these second hand the all the big supermarkets do packs of cheap ones which are absolutely fine.

Our charity shop regularly has prams and pushchairs in great condition. Personally, I couldn't have managed without a sling and you can buy second-hand here. I've never had a "changing bag", just always used a normal bag, cheaper and much nicer!chair will be ver

A bouncy will be very useful. The cheaper, light ones are better imo as they're easy to carry around and they bounce better! A babygym like this is probably not a necessity but it is a safe and entertaining place to leave your baby and once again , you can get a second-hand one, or get a friend to lend you one.

Definitely a couple of celular blankets, especially in early summer will be useful. If you co-sleep,you don't need a cot at all, though I realise that's not for everyone.

Definitely don't need a baby bath and if you get in the bath with your baby as I used to, then you don't need a support either. You certainly don't need those hooded towels, a normal one is fine and my baby was nearly a year old before I cleaned him with anything other than water so no need for "products".

Babies are actually pretty cheap but your biggest "cost" will be the loss of earnings you will suffer whilst on maternity leave if you are not lucky enough to have the kind of employer who tops this up. You would be totally amazed at how little you can live on, if you put your mind to it, so my best advice would be to cut back as much as possible now so you can get some savings behind you and also get used to living on a bit less.

If you're going to be using cloth nappies (which I thoroughly recommend, I can't imagine having to find money to buy disposable nappies all the time, just chuck them in the wash!), check out if your council does any incentives or offers. Bristol council for instance offers around £30 towards the cost of buying cloth nappies, because it helps them out by reducing landfill.

Bunnybean if you don't drive how are you going to get DC home from the hospital? They won't let you out unless they can see you have a car seat if you are going in cab. You can get cheapish ones that still meet all the safety requirements from places like Argos. Other than that, you might be able to defer buying a cot or Moses basket if the pram you get has a detachable carry cot (though if you are going on public transport a lot I wouldn't recommend it). Sorry, that wasn't very helpful! They really only need nappies and sleepsuits for the first couple of months plus some outdoor clothes. Muslin clothes absolutely you need but get them from Matalan or the supermarkets rather than M&S!
If you join the boots parenting club you get a free changing bag which is perfectly servicable and some of my most useful things came free on the cover of Mother and Baby type magazines!
Best of luck with it all

Join sma nutrition even if you're not planning on using the sma milk and you get a free large muslin to start you off, as trixie mentioned the boots mother and baby group gives you a free changing bag and lots of money off vouchers, I managed to get 30 nappies and used my coupons and it cost me 50p! I love a freebie!

If you have one nearby you, the toys are us baby club is quite good if you are buying anything bigger new, as they sent coupons for 30 and 40% off things like car seats and pushchairs so this could be worth a look if you are considering buying new.

ASDAs baby fairs are fantastic as you get discounts off everything when they are on, and also at the minute breast pumps are half price in tesco if you are going to breat feed

Hi, congratulations!

I am due in may too. Only just got my BFP last week. I can tell this pregnancy is going to seem loooonnggg! May seems so far away! I've only quickly scanned through the replies so sorry if I repeat anything.

Unless you find them for free from a friend, I would def recommend ikea for things like cot, high chair etc.

Go to a few NCT nearly new sales, you can often pick up great bargains at them (have a look on their website as there are usually sales around now) if you join the NCT you get to go in 15-30 mins before they open to the public so you can grab all the good stuff!

If you get a pushchair with a carry cot the baby can sleep in there, which means you don't need a moses basket.

Will you find out the sex of the baby? I'm planning to ask at our 20 week scan. If it turns out I'm having a girl and your having a boy I'd be happy to pass on what I have left of DS's clothes. He was a june baby so they'll be the right season for you.

See if your council has a toy library, when DC is a bit older you can save loads of money by using this resource.

HTH. xx

Congratulations Bunnybean - I have nothing practical to add as am still pregnant with my first, but in similar circumstances to you. Just wanted to say good luck, and it's really not as scary as people say/think it is.