Essentials, or just

[shinydiscoball]

Need some help preparing for our LO's arrival, I'm currently 23 weeks and want to start getting ready. Sorry in advance if this is very a bit dull but I'm on a very, very tight budget as DP has lost his job so need all the advice I can get!

So I currently have: a travel system, pushchair, cotbed, travel cot and highchair (given by a friend). Please would you cast your eye over my (extensive, sorry) list and let me know what is essential and what is a bit unnecessary? I've researched some approximate prices as well, shout if if any of them could be bought cheaper!

TIA :)

Big items

Wardrobe £200

Changing unit £60-£100

Cotbed Mattress foam £40
sprung £85

Moses Basket + stand £50-£80

Medium items

Steriliser & bottles (I am planning on BF but will need to return to work quite quickly so will start expressing ASAP - looking at Tommee Tippee stuff) Around £50

Breast pump around £10-£18 in sales.

Baby bath/support £15

Monitor £40

Cot Sheets and blankets £30-£40

Sleep bags £10-15 each

Baby carrier £25-£40

Bouncer £20-£30

Smaller items - to stock up on

Nappies - but what brand is best (there's a whole new dilemma!)
Towels (hooded) Approx £10 for 3
Wipes
Bepanthen etc
Cotton wool
Lotion/bath wash/soap
Muslin squares Approx £1 each (3pk £3 etc)

Clothes (minimum)

10 stretch suits Hat + sun hat
10 vests Socks
Light cardigans Scratch mitts
Shawl or blanket

Microwave sterilisers are £10 at Asda at the moment.

I got loads of clothing bargains at TK Maxx & the sale at Gap & picked up a baby Gap corduroy sleeping bag for £1.50 at a charity shop yesterday. I hit all my local chazzas regularly.

I've also had a look at Primark & they have quite a lot of decent baby clothes for very cheap.

I am also asking all my friends for baby stuff & have been given a crib, sling, highchair & lots of blankets & useful stuff. Ask everyone! You'll be amazed at what people have to pass on.

Bedding - I want to go for bamboo sheets & saw these online for £20ish.

I'm going to my local NCT sale at the start of March, to get any last pieces I haven't sorted.

Oh, & if you join the Boots parenting club you'll be sent vouchers for a free changing mat set. You'll also get double points on any child products.

The main expensive thing I haven't sorted is the best place to get a Maxi-cosi cabriofix carseat. I need one to fit the BabyJogger City Mini system I'm getting. I don't want to pay full price!

Congratulations! I remember being so excited when I was pregnant with DD and loving getting organised and planning her room. Have to say though that I am a big bargain hunter and it is so true, you really don't need to spend much money and still get the things that you want. Lots of baby stuff barely gets used so as long as you don't mind some things being secondhand you can pick some lovely stuff up really cheaply. Def worth having a look in charity shops in a 'nice' area, I can remember going into one with a very reluctant DP and even he got quite excited by all the lovely things we found. Also Gumtree is fabulous and Ebay although not to the same extent as Gumtree. We also got some stuff on Freecycle. If you have an IKea near you that would be worth going along to for furniture, although again you should be able to find it secondhand. I bought a cheap change table from Ikea and painted it but it really didn't get used. If you wanted one I am sure you could find one on Gumtree though I def wouldn't bother with a wardrobe, not sure what you would use it for really. Also wouldn't bother with a baby bath, we had one but it was only used a couple of times. We did get given a baby bath support thing, like a little mini reclining deckchair that they can lie on in a very shallow bath, very cute and was one of the most useful things we had. You obviously still need to keep a hand on them but it saves your back as you don't have to support them completely. Think another poster mentioned you can get on in Kiddicare for a fiver? We used it for DD until she was able to sit up in the bath. Also you could just take bub into shower with you though. If you google National Childcare Trust,you should be able to follow links to your local NCT sales, should have dates and venues listed. Be warned though they can be really hectic with lots of other determined buyers. Good to get there as early as you can and not be put off by the crowds. Also if you look in local paper you may find other nearly new baby sales listed. Also if you are into sewing or making stuff (and have some time of your hands) then there are some really cute baby toys that can be made from scraps of material etc. You could get a book of patterns from the library. I seemed to have alot of spare time (a very distant memory :o ) when I was pregnant with DD and made her lots of little toys that I know will always be precious to me if not her!

Have to say though DC2 is due in less than a week and pretty much all we have ready is a plastic tub full of baby grow's , a moses basket and a packet of what seems like impossibly tiny nappies, compared to ones we use for DD. Its all feels a bit different this time round! Happy hunting! :)

Wardrobe - prob not needed
Changing unit £60-£100 - again a chest of drawers with a changing mat on top

Moses Basket + stand £50-£80 - check gumtree as they arent used for long

Medium items

Steriliser & bottles phillip steriliser i for microwave is only 12.99 in tk maax and has bttles with it
Breast pump around £10-£18 in salesyou could get an electric one on ebay ... you sterilise it anyhoo
Baby bath/support £8 for a baby sponge thing John Lewis that you lie baby on in normal bath. my top baby buy

Monitor £40 -didnt bother
Cot Sheets and blankets - start making friends with the elderly and knitted blankets appear but home bargains have really cheap cellular blankets and sheets
Sleep bags - needed after 8 weeks so tk maaxx or ask for as gifts!

Baby carrier £25-£40 - i didnt bother
Bouncer £20-£30 check the sales

Smaller items - to stock up on
Nappies - try own brands
Towels (hooded) cheap in primark anf tk maax
Bepanthen etc - 3 quid off in boots
Cotton wool - get the large pads and they aare 2 for 2 pound in superdrug
Lotion/bath wash/soap - all in one bodywash
Muslin squares - ikea have them cheap and they are lovely large ones

clothes (minimum)

get thee to asda or any supermarket and get 2 packs vests and 2 of sleepsuits and wait for clothing gifts to arrive .. my babygros have feet and built in scratch mitts.
find the elderly again for shawls and cardies

hth

If you really want a baby bath I got one for £5 in Ikea. A lot of the furniture stuff can be got very cheaply there if you do want new. You definitely don't need a wardrobe, baby stuff is tiny so much better in draws than hanging.

We also got some big microfleece blankets for £2.99 in Ikea and are going to cut them down to be cot blankets. We picked up a few toys and play mat too.

Also your local surestart centre may have a big box of 2nd hand clothes that people cant take for free (mine does). Otherwise NCT sales, ebay or even Tesco or M&S. You only need a few cute outfits, the rest can be cheap plain white ones or other cheaper multipacks as they grow up so fast for the first few months.

If you join NCT and go to the bumps and babies group you might find people handing stuff on for free as their baby grows up, we have.

Don't bother with a baby bath - Mothercare do a sponge thing for £8 that you put in the bottom of the bath and the baby lies on. Much more comfy. Don't spill your hair dye on it though. Doesn't come out...

I'm going to go against the grain here and say the change table is amazing if you have a cs. Getting up and down on the floor had me in tears for weeks after DD1. With DD2 we had space for a change table (which we got on freecycle) and it was a different story. Also, with shelves underneath it tidied up all the change stuff into one place and organised vests/tights etc (which seemed to need changing along with the nappy alot).

Nappies: I wouldn't recommend buying many before the baby comes. Mine both went went straight into size 3 (hefty little things) and we had to give away all our 1s and 2s. Boots own are good, and the generous points (4 in every pound) mean you get some "free" if you spend your points on more of them.

Do put out a request on your local freecycle rather than just waiting for someone to offer. People often have stuff lying around they don't think of until someone brings it up. We got binliners full of beautiful clothes this way, and were able to pass them on when we were finished. No clutter!

I think the moses basket is worth having too. Being able to bring a sleeping baby around the house as you go is useful.

We used the Leksvik cotbeds for both girls and got cot and mattress for under £60. They are still using them at 2 and 3 as toddler beds and they seem to have plenty of life left.

don't bother with a wardrobe. It's less faff to fold into drawers or plastic crates when they're small.

I just received my Boots parenting club stuff in the post & I got it slightly wrong: you get a free changing bag (which has a mat) if you buy any pack of Pampers new baby or active fit nappies.

And you get 10 points per £1 spent on qualifying children/baby stuff, not 8.

It also came with some good coupons - eg 20% off pushchairs & car seats that are £75 or more.

I would say get down to ASDA's pdq if their baby event is still on. I got a really good deal on tommy tippee bottles from there last time. Their nappies are also good value. For consumables, own brands are normally just as good and much cheaper, especially if you look out for offers.

Forget the changing station, a change mat at most will do.

You'll be able to get a cheaper wardrobe - tbh I've never needed a wardrobe for DD(4.7) as her clothes have always ftted in a chest of drawers. If it's something you want rather than need, why not just put off buying a wardrobe until you've gone back to work?

My SIL who has twins never bothered with a monitor and she sleeps on a differnt floor of the house to her boys.

My mum bathed us in a washing up bowl rather than worry about a baby bath.

IF you've got people likely to be buying things, why don't you ask them if a wish list would be helpful - I know that I'd be happier buying soemthing for a new mum that I knew she really wanted - otherwise you're likely to get given loads of nice but not necessarily practical clothes!

I don't have a wardrobe for DS yet. He's nearly 2. All his clothes still fit in the chest of drawers.

I never used a changing unit, just a changing mat on the floor. They can't roll far from there as newborns.

I didn't have a moses basket.

Lots of people don't bother with baby bath. I did because I liked bathing DS in his room it felt cosier. But I never used a support in the family bath.

Don't buy all these things before the baby comes though. You will still have time to buy things like sterilisers if/as you need them.

I second NCT sales. They're brilliant.

Oh and congratulations!

This thread is brilliant - particularly as I've found it illuminating that most of you aren't fussed by monitors. I'm having my sister's old baby monitor second hand, but my BIL and SIL were really sniffy about the fact that it's not a video one and that we really ought to have one of them instead...

Has anyone mentioned the Netmums local nearly new sale boards? They are well worth looking into for bargains. Our local NCT sales only happen once in a blue moon and tend to be a bit manic- its not what you need as a heavily pg lady.

I have acquired the following:

M&P moses basket with stand and 2 sheets £15 plus seller threw in a changing mat and a box of toys for free (lovely lady!)

Very sturdy pine changing table £15

Mothercare bouncy chair mint condition £10

bedguard (will use for co sleeping) £10

yes you can manage without a changing tablen but for £15 its a handy place to change the baby and also provides all the storage space needed for clothes and nappies in the first few months.

Have to say I wouldn't do without our monitor. Our DS is 2 and I'm due with another one and am seriously contemplating getting another monitor so they both have them, and they will both be in the room next door to us (we're in the middle room).

I find I don't wake in the night when DS cries if the monitor's not on as I'm such a heavy sleeper, and we don't hear him over the TV either.

I'd try the second hand one you've got to see if you need it though, no point forking out for a new one.

So excited for you! making me broody again! I just copied and pasted below - hope I am not just repeating the other posters....

Best of luck!

Big items

Wardrobe £200

Changing unit £60-£100 - I used one that sits over the cot..takes up less room and might be cheaper,..

Cotbed Mattress foam £40
sprung £85 - go for sprung - my boys have huge heads and made dents in the foam!

Moses Basket + stand £50-£80 - just use your pram - no one I know used this for longer than a few weeks

Medium items

Steriliser & bottles (I am planning on BF but will need to return to work quite quickly so will start expressing ASAP - looking at Tommee Tippee stuff) Around £50 - Australia now advise not to steralise! I did with first born and not with second.

Breast pump around £10-£18 in sales.

Baby bath/support £15 - just go with the support...

Monitor £40

Cot Sheets and blankets £30-£40

Sleep bags £10-15 each

Baby carrier £25-£40

Bouncer £20-£30

Smaller items - to stock up on

Nappies - but what brand is best (there's a whole new dilemma!)
Towels (hooded) Approx £10 for 3
Wipes
Bepanthen etc
Cotton wool
Lotion/bath wash/soap
Muslin squares Approx £1 each (3pk £3 etc)

Clothes (minimum)

10 stretch suits Hat + sun hat
10 vests Socks
Light cardigans Scratch mitts
Shawl or blanket

would totally agree with nct sales for clothes especially they are almost new and so cheap.

I hope this doesn't come across as being harsh but I think you could do without most of the things on your list tbh. If you did want to buy all of them then I'd def look for second hand, or at least cheaper options. Obviously, if you've got the money then go for it, just going with what you've told us about money being tight.

Big items

Wardrobe £200 - Yikes!! I've got one of those canvas things from argos - think it was about £20??? But tbh DS has mostly toys stored in his, and DD has only really needed hers since starting school - it's nice to hang up her uniform and also her dressing up outfits that don't fit in drawers.

Changing unit £60-£100 I don't think you need one of these at all. Just a nice mat does the job, I had c-sections too so couldn't get down to the floor, but I just put the mat onto a table or the bed.

Cotbed Mattress foam £40
sprung £85 - no problem to go with foam.

Moses Basket + stand £50-£80 - I saw three at an nct sale last weekend they we're all between £25 and £30.

Medium items

Steriliser & bottles (I am planning on BF but will need to return to work quite quickly so will start expressing ASAP - looking at Tommee Tippee stuff) Around £50

Breast pump around £10-£18 in sales.

TBH can't remember how much I bought our steriliser etc for as it was a while ago now. They do come up at nct sales though.

Baby bath/support £15 - I have one of those plastic support things, I got it for £2.50 at an nct sale.

Monitor £40

Cot Sheets and blankets £30-£40

Sleep bags £10-15 each -def buy these second hand.

Baby carrier £25-£40 - something that you probably don't 'need' as such. I think you can easily make your own wrap ones try googling it.

Bouncer £20-£30 - look out for a second hand one. We still have our old one but I picked another up for free that a neighbour had left outside their house, going to take thins one to my parents.

Smaller items - to stock up on

Nappies - but what brand is best (there's a whole new dilemma!) - you may be able to get some washables free from your council. I personally prefer huggies, cheaper ones tend to leak and I always thought pampers smelt funny.
Towels (hooded) Approx £10 for 3 - baby ones seem to be tiny, we didn't use ours after the first couple of weeks. They are now my hair towels! I'd either buy ordinary towels or some second hand larger hooded ones, little ewe do big sizes and they seem to always come up at nct's.
Wipes - buy when they're on offer.
Bepanthen etc - wouldn't get any yet. You may not need any.
Cotton wool - buy on offer.
Lotion/bath wash/soap - again wouldn't get any for a while, plain water is fine for the first few weeks and you'll probably get given some anyway.
Muslin squares Approx £1 each (3pk £3 etc) A def one that you need!

Clothes (minimum)

Ask friends, I've just given away two bin bags full of boys clothes! Between just two of my friends and two nct's I have now bought all the girls clothes we'll need for the first six months at least. Also as someone else said have a look at your local sure start centres our always have loads of clothes, you don't need to donate any money. I think the idea is that you then give items yourself once you're done with them.

This has turned into a mammoth reply, sorry! Hope I've saved you a bit of cash though!

Why don't you get reusable nappies? Much cheaper in long run. Especially if you plan more than one DC.

And for changing/storage you just need a chest of drawers that you can pop a change mat on and keeps all your baby bits/clothes in too. Ours was £60 from Ikea (Leksvik)

Hi. In Sainsbury's yesterday I noticed they were selling moses baskets (I think with a stand) for £12, which is the best I've seen. I also got a nappy bucket (DH insists...:)) for 13.99 and they had newborn nappies reduced. I've found things like muslins cheapest in Asda.

We got our cot and pushchair on Ebay - very cheap compared with high street prices, but in good condition. And I admit I did ask around a bit for newborn clothes and am now sitting under a massive deluge of gorgeous, barely used and incredibly cute babygros etc.... which haven't cost us a penny. I think you need to let people know somehow that you aren't offended by being offered second hand stuff, and then the floodgates open...

Best of luck. :)

Avent hand breast pump is half price in Mothercare World right now - I've justed it with all 3 of mine and have it ready for 4 and it's BRILLIANT. They're also selling some bottles half price too...

You don't need changing table. Just use changing mat and bed or whatever. We had one but didn't even use the changing table with the 3rd - mainly because it was being used as dressing table but didn't really miss it!

Don't bother with a moses basket - or borrow one if you can. My 2nd was too big within 4 wks for the moses basket....

But a Wardrobe?>!! What for?! (Unless not only for baby?!) To begin with just use a chest of drawers - or (as i got for my 3rd) a set of plastic drawers...

tommy tippee stuff is 1/3 off in Mothercare at the moment.

There are brand new moses baskets (inc mattress and stand) on amazon for £30.

Wow this thread is fantastic.

I'm 24wks pg with my second child but first child DS is now 13yo and I've completely forgotten almost everything and don't have any baby bits left anymore!!

I was going to post a thread asking for help but went through the threads and founds this one. It's perfect.

Thank you to all of your for your great posts, I'm saving this one as it's really helpful.

A link to the NCT sales, just put in your postcode:

www.nct.org.uk/in-your-area/nearly-new-sales

Fantastic, thanks nomoreheels what a gem

Thanks so much everyone for all your replies, lots and lots of good advice - how I heart Mumsnet

So, I've found my nearest NCT branch and the next sale is in a few weeks - I've bitten the bullet and asked those who wanted to get us something for baby if they wouldn't mind giving us cash instead so I can spend it on lots of lovely secondhand items. Not one person has baulked at this request, which I was worried about and I've promised to let them know what I buy, I'll send pictures to the ones that don't live near me.

I've looked at the Netmums nearly new boards, nothing on there yet but will keep an eye on them. Went to an outlet centre at the weekend and got 3 outfits from Next for £2 per set :) plus I've asked around for anyone who's having a clear out and willing to give away/sell cheaply clothes, toys etc and got lots and lots of people who've said they'll have bagfuls for me.

I agree there's a lot of items I don't need, just had an "I want I want I want" moment there so have struck wardrobe and changing unit off the list for a start.

Baby on a budget is quite fun actually, I like the challenge of it all!

Be sure to share any good finds or bargains - and a massive thanks again, I needed a little rationality, I could get easily carried away if I had the available coin