Definitive new-baby-buys list..HELP!!

[SuperheroYuki]

Right ladies help needed!! Im 21 weeks and have decided its time to compile a list of everything needed for babies arrival (first one..) 'cos I don't want to buy everything all at once otherwise we'll bankrupt ourselves and have to live off tins of soup :)

This is what I reckon we need:
Bottles
muslins
baby bouncer
moses basket
cot
pram
changing matt
nappy bin
baby monitor
bibs
Car seat

Firstly have i forgotten anything?? Secondly brand tips on everything welcomed, money wise I'm happy to spend proper money on things that need it like cots and prams, but really don't want waste money, buying needlessly expensive bottles or muslins or something silly?? Heeeeeeellllllllllllllpppppppp

My son hated the borrowed moses basket. He lived in the foldup crib for the first 4 months til he outgrew it.

I absolutely LOVE my nappy bin, its so easy. No nappy bags. No smell.

I've got a sling which I and Boy love, but I would not want to be without the buggy. They both have their uses.

metanium nappy cream is amazing gets rid of rashes in hours, but beware dont rub excess off on your clothes it stains!!!
i nstead of a moses basket i got a swinging crib for the same price once youve bought a stand etc, i prefered it as my ds would have lasted in a basket for a month but he was in crib for 6 months also you can see through the bars instead of having to peer over top into a basket (may seem trivial now but checking on him while head still on pillow was essential when i was so tired i struggled to lift head!!!)
a bouncing chair i found fantastic wasnt an expensive one had vibrate and this helped relieve his colic had a toy bar but he didnt even attempt to play with it until he was technically too big and heavy for it!
blankets and lots of them ds was sick on them a lot so were always in the wash, from birth eventhough he was born in July wouldnt sleep unless he had a blanket next to him or on him
sleeping bags are great from about 3 months but they tend to sleep better swaddled at first

My most essential item is an iphone/ipod for night feeds. The screen provides enough light to see what you are doing and you can mumsnet in the night while feeding. Maybe not the most obvious baby item but I had one with DD2 and not with DD1 and it is what made the most difference!

Oh, and some sort of boxset of DVDs to work your way through while evening cluster feeding is happening.

Mothercare stuff I got was all pretty rubbish quality - muslins scratchy, babygros shrink on first wash etc.

John Lewis was a little bit more expensive but the quality made it well worth it IME. Muslins still being used (DTs are 2) and they have stayed soft and almost white!

Have you got any baby charity shops near you? We have a FARA one that is great for bargains like bouncy chairs.

We had a vibrating snoozy chair from mothercare, a swing chair with rainforest mobile and music from fisher price and bouncy chairs from chicco. Yes that is a lot of chairs! But most 2nd hand or borrowed.

You'll need a few babygros but you will get lots of 0-3 and 3-6 months ones as presents, I'm sure.

We used swaddling blankets for the first bit, then into grobags. Merino ones are more expensive but at least you don't need to worry about different weights / togs for different weather, just wear same one all the time.

A mobile is nice once they can see above their cot, get a nice bright one not the neutral 'tasteful' ones that babies can't see so easily. I think the one our DTs liked best was the island dreams one.

iphone! wispa you are so right about that :)

NCT nearly new sales are well worth trying. Freecycle also worth considering if you're broke - you might not get anything, but it's worth a try.
The big supermarkets are cheapest for basic babygrows and vests I think.

Congratulations! I started the shopping spree with my first when I had reached the halfway point as well. I found the product reviews on MN really good for prams and stuff so don't forget to look at those. Here are my thought on your list with a few things added-

Bottles- If your DH is going to do the night feeds he can go get the bottles when the time comes. Also, don't get carried away, my DD never took a bottle and now I've got a big bag of bottle related crap in the loft awaiting DC2

Baby bouncer/swing- Go and have look at all the ones in the shops but don't buy one until you meet your baby. You'll get a good idea if they'll suit them. Then you can order online.

Moses basket- Nope

Changing mat- Yep, but go cheap here and I'd skip the changing table if you were considering it.

Bibs- No, but I have an unreasonable dislike of them.

Lanolin cream- Yes, yes yes! Don't forget to put it in you hospital bag.

Sling- Not only a baby carrier, but also a baby put-to-sleeper! Many a night did my DH come home to find me walking around then green with the baby in a sling trying to get her to sleep. I think they do parties where you go a try on a lot of them, so you can do as I did and buy 10 different ones.

And if I had to do it all over again the one luxury I would allow myself is a few newborn sleepsuits. It would have been nice to dress the baby in something that fit in the early days when I didn't know what the hell I was doing.

Re changing mat, we had our babies sleeping in our room. With baby n.1 I had a changing mat/table in the bathroom next door.
With baby n.2 I used to change him on a towel on our bed. Much easier and if there were any leaks the towel could go straight in the wash.
You can get cheap plastic changing mats for when on the go, they're definitely useful.

I second Lansinoh cream if you're breastfeeding and use it every time even if it doesn't hurt!

I had a nice night light for night feeds in bed than was then moved to the nursery when the babies were older.

Buy loads of muslin cloths and babygros- there will be plenty of BFing leaks, drooling and of course poo/pee leaks.

Hi
You can get bedding in mothercare (currently they have a buy one get one half price offer) or some of the big supermarkets do them, much cheaper too. I got sheets from both asda and mothercare and there is no difference in quality imo. john lewis also have a big range.
the big supermarkets and places like matalan have very good value baby basics - vests, babygros, muslins, sheets, blankets etc. I got a load of basic neutral baby clothes plus sheets, blankets, muslins, and a sleeping bag from a mixture of asda, sainsburys and matalan as don't know the sex yet. Also have friends who had big babies who didnt fit in any of the newborn stuff they had bought so I was advised not to get too much to begin with as could be a waste of money! Will go bit upmarket once baby arrives and I know the sex and size! (have invested in some nice towels and blankets from the white company tho as these will be fine regardless of size and sex and a coming home outfit from jojo)
happy shopping! x

I think I may be on my own here but I would disagree about the Lanosil nipple cream - I have two tubes of the stuff (bought one and one was a gift) and I've never needed it. Although it is good for my hooves dry heels.

KittyChat Swaddlepods are fab. But I'd only get one just incase you get a baby that hates to be swaddled.

Biggest waste of money we had was a big box of Johnsons products. DS has excema so we can't use any of it.

You can never, ever have too many muslins. Especially if you get a puker like I did!

Lansinoh not Lanosil

Bottles - If your BF'ing I would personally go for the tommee tippee closer to nature. They are far better IMO being extra wide neck for combining breast and bottle. Get one or 2 to start and you can cold water sterilise.

muslins - I hate muslins and find they are overpriced. Cheap hand towels from tesco did the same job for me for less money. I may be alone on that opinion though.

baby bouncer - Yes I loved mine. If you have a clingy baby though you are better of with a sling. I borrowed mine from a friend so didn't invest any money. DS1 was clingy and I didn't use it very often. Nice to have somewhere safe to put him though. DS2 loved it.

moses basket - Probably not essential but nice to have or a crib if you can afford it. Again I was given mine.

cot - Yes!
pram - Yes!
changing matt - Not essential but again nice to have. I mainly used a towel with DS2 and am not buying one for DC3

nappy bin - As PP said unless you live in a flat not really nec.

baby monitor - I would get a cheap one that allows you to hear the baby. Don't see that is nec to be able to see or talk to the baby but just my opinion.

bibs - I have never really used them but my mum and granny thought them essential. Don't buy too many to start with, maybe 5 to see if they get used. Ones with a waterproof back stop milk/sick soaking through on to clothes but make sure the fronts are absorbent otherwise everything runs off!

Car seat - Yes

Sleeping bags/swaddle blankets are not essential really. A standard blanket can be used for swaddling. My SIL swaddled my DS1 in a pillow case once!

Lansinoh - I have never used nipple cream of any kind. Wait and see if you need it before buying. It is not cheap!

I bathed DS2 in a sink for first few weeks but I would recommend a bath support for time between when they are too big for sink but too small to sit up in bath.

Can't think of anything else to get.

hiya, everyone is different-has different lifestyles, budgets etc.
you dont NEED (but it doesnt mean theyre no good)...

1. moses basket (i had one with our 1st 2 and have one this time, this time we also have a rocking stand to put it on so im hoping to b able to use it at night by the bed and during the day in the lounge)
2. sleeping bag (we found it handy with dd so she couldnt kick covers off and with ds because he kept pulling the covers over his head, BUT we didnt use tehm as newborns partly due to the hassle of sorting it out with constant and often leaky nappy changes)
3. swing/bouncer (we just liked having a bouncer, and this time i plan to get a swing-if i can chose 1!!)
4. nappy bin (we used one for a while, but personally i wouldnt reccomend, tho this may just b due to which one we had)

5.bottles (i breastfed but was able after a few weeks to express and daddy could feed, also continued to use when i returned to work and babies were partly breastfed aprt formula. daughter happy with avent bottles, son would only use tomee tippee-currently on offer at asda.com) 6.steraliser-you could just use a pan of boiling/hot water (its handy tho, quick, easy and can keep items sterile) 7.baby monitor -you may not need this until babies a few months old and not sleeping in your room 8.cot -if u have a crib or moses basket u may not need this for a few month either-more time 2 find a bargain/chose one u want? cot beds can b a good choice, no more expensive and can b used up to age 5years ish

pram-think about what u use it 4-do u need it 2 fold small enough to fit in your boot/ a space in your home? would you like it to be lightweight? britax and maclaren r good, we've just brought a mothercare excursion but havent yet used so cant review.

nappies-we found different makes better at different stages and depending on shape of baby (with dd we loved huggies and boots own brand, with ds they were rubbish and we used pamapers, this time i have small packs of various brands to c what works best rather than feeling desperate 2 use a huge pack of ones i cant wait 2 get rid of)

wipes-boots own brand, pampers and huggies-generally whichevers on offer (at the mo a box of 6packs johnsons r £4.98 at asda.com)

hope that helps-AND it is just my opinion, others may disagree

Thanks jimmijam and rightontime so helpful!

ooh and lansinoh cream i found to be AMAZING!! it is pricey, but personally i found the couple of others i'd tried almost useless. and it lasts 4eva! will definately b buying again.

ooh, breast pads. i think trial and error 2 find wot u like. i have brought lilypadz 4 this time around, not tried them b4 so cant comment tho. some brands of disposable ones i found 2 b itchy, others fab

I seem to be in the minority here but I would put a Moses basket on the essentials list. In the early days (first 12 weeks or so) babies don't have a bed time, esp if you are breastfeeding as they are latched on so often - I had 2 stands, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, then when DS was asleep he was in the basket and I could carry him between rooms so he was always near me. Much easier IMO than having to trek upstairs to the cot all the time if they're napping. In the evening he had a pattern in the early days of cluster feeding/napping/feeding and I'd have been running up and down stairs all night if I hadn't had the Moses basket in the living room! He would eventually fall asleep about midnight for a few hours and I used to carry the basket upstairs with me then. Well worth it if you've got the room for one I reckon (don't buy the fancy ones with loads of frills though - just a PITA to wash when the baby pukes everywhere. A basic one will be fine!) Plus they make good toyboxes when baby moves into the cot - that's what ours is currently being used as...

I would say get a playmat of some description - it's good for babies to spend time on the floor. I have a dog so didn't want the baby directly on the carpet inhaling dog hairs when he was tiny, so this was very useful - you might be fine just putting a towel on the floor if you don't have this issue! Again, I wouldn't bother with the fancy ones with loads of toys to bat at - babies move quickly from batting at toys to grabbing them and putting them in their mouths, so the period of time in which he can wave/hit toys without wanting to be able to hold them is too short to get value out of those fancy baby gyms I reckon.

A bouncy chair in the bathroom is very useful if you're home alone with the baby and need to have a shower!

In terms of wipes, I use reusable ones - don't knock it til you've tried it! They are MUCH better than babywipes and work out cheaper (and less faff) than cotton wool and water - I use cheeky wipes. They are brilliant and I can't recommend them enough - the initial starter kit is expensive, but I haven't bought a single pack of wipes since, and they do a fab job. Totally recommend them even if you're planning on using disposable nappies (I do).

Have a supply of snacks for those long nights of breastfeeding, and if you're organised enough, a few meals in the freezer makes the early days easier. Good luck!

Oh, and I second the people saying nappy bins are a waste of money - a normal small pedal bin is fine. Line with carrier bags, empty every night once baby is in bed and give a quick spray with antibac spray (more to keep niffs down than anything) and you're sorted. I think a changing mat is a good buy - useful at bathtime as well as changing, and if baby has nappy rash and needs a bit of airtime to his bum you can put a towel on top and let him have a bit of naked time without worrying about wee on the carpet. A basic one is fine though - don't get one of those with a towelling liner on it, it's just more to wash! You want a normal plastic one you can wipe down to clean.

I would buy a crib not a Moses basket- lasts longer!

But you can't carry a crib about, which for me was the main virtue of the moses basket...

I never carry Moses basket about- ds slept in bouncer.

have you considered washable nappies? they will save you money in the long run