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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

What you really need for a newborn

40 replies

MuminMilan · 30/06/2011 16:10

I'm 5 months pregnant and have yet to buy anything (or even think about buying) anything for the baby. Having spoken to a friend (due 2 days after me) who has already ordered a pushchair, cot, decorated the baby's bedroom and is preparing her bag for the hospital i'm getting a little worried. Can anyone tell me what i really need and maybe more importantly what i really don't need initially. Plus i live in Milan where baby things all come at a premium and so i need to limit my purchases where possible...

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
TransatlanticCityGirl · 03/07/2011 16:15

Yep, muslins are for mopping up sick and spills.

One thing you can save on is the moses basket. you can put them straight into the cot/cotbed. some people can't fit a cot in their room however, hence why moses baskets are so popular.

allthefires · 03/07/2011 16:17

Muslins are great for burping, dribbles, covering baby/boobs etc!

Op- if you get a carrycot make sure mattress is suitable for overnight sleeping and forgoe a Moses basket. If no carrycot get a crib or if space not an issue in your room a cot - pref bedside.

If planning on breastfeeding you don't need steriliser etc and if you do use odd bottle Milton tablets in an ice cream tub is cheap.

Six baby gros and double that in vests are what we are getting as house is warm. You get spoilt with first baby and due to our circumstances expect this will be same with this baby. If not local supermarkets are open 24/7 here.

You don't need fancy bedding except a couple of blankets/gro bags when a little bigger- mine used it from about a month.

allthefires · 03/07/2011 16:19

If you can get baby used to a shower from early on fab! If not then yes this may be one of those times a baby bath is useful.

MadYoungCatLady · 03/07/2011 16:27

I didnt use muslin really for DS. He wasn't sicky and just used bibs. But I've got some in for DC2 just in case this one needs them.

You hardly need any of the stuff all the books/websites tell you, and even once the baby comes you can go out to the shops and buy any bits you didn't think you needed but turns out you do.

Unless you want your washing machine on constantly, you need a fair amount of vests, sleepsuits, scratch mittens, bibs. A few 'proper' outfits for daytime is always nice, but plenty of people use sleepsuits as clothes for a newborn.

Trying to work out your dates - mid-nov baby? You will want a snowsuit for going out. And hats. I found a travel system better value than a car seat and pram. You will have to get them both either way. A cosy toes and rain cover is good for winter months.

Nappies, wipes, baby wash and a teeny tiny sponge, a moses basket or crib, 2 sleeping bags for snuggly-ness, 3 sets of bedding. If you've got a sink, you dont need a baby bath. I found the top n tail bowl useless too, and the changing mat, and the masses of nappy creams and baby soaps and the baby manicure/comb/brush set.

I found the baby sling and bouncy chair invaluable. I also loved popping DS on the playmat and watching him gazing at the little animals. He also had this little aquarium thing that made water noises, lit up and had plastic fishys that swam about which he loved. I spent about £60 on a mobile which he wasnt fussed by and this piano thing for him to kick in his cot, which seemed to irritate him.

If you're bottle feeding, you need about 6-8 teeny bottles, a bottle brush, a steriliser, formula. I never saw the point of bottle warmers because the water was already hot? But maybe there is and I just never found a use for it! Going out, you might like to get a powder dispenser thingy, to make up bottles on the move.

Sumi76 · 03/07/2011 22:25

Yes me too PamBeesly - what do you need the muslins for ? (embarassed)

wigglesrock · 03/07/2011 22:55

I 3dds (dd3 now 4 months) I love muslin cloths, some might say I'm a tad obsessed Grin Great for wiping up sick, wee, laying down on hard/ less than spotless surfaces when changing baby, can also be used for wrapping baby in and then make great dusters Grin Ikea do great ones.

gallicgirl · 03/07/2011 23:05

Be careful with the snowsuits as they are always huge. Our DD was due mid January so we asked for one but I think we only used it once. By the time she was large enough to fit it, the weather was warmer. We used a fleecy blanket far more.

Muslins save your clothes when you're winding baby. Our DD has reflux so we use them so often. Even used them under her head in the moses basket so we weren't changing the sheets 5 times a night.

Remember that for the first 2-3 months, the baby grows so quickly, they don't fit in clothes for long. Buy sleepsuits and get proper outfits second-hand.

(I'm a bugger for buying little things when I do the weekly shop Blush )

CBear6 · 03/07/2011 23:06

Muslins make great towels too for little babies, they're thinner than towels and super absorbent so it's easier to dry in between all their little creases.

superjobeespecs · 03/07/2011 23:18

ive went ott with DS as i did for DD so many years ago Blush still worry i need more tho!!!

basically tho all you need is -

nappies
cotton wool balls/wipes
vests
babygrows
hat
wee cardi/coat
boobs and breast pads/4 bottles and sterilizer plus formula
bibs/muslins
moses basket
4 pillowcases to use as sheets
3 blankets maximum
pram/sling

not much really Wink

allthefires · 03/07/2011 23:20

Agree regarding the snowsuits- a nightmare to put on and terrible if too padded as car seat cant tighten properly.

TransatlanticCityGirl · 04/07/2011 09:47

With regard to clothes, our midwife's clinic keeps a box in reception to either leave baby clothes or take some. 50% of my baby's newborn wardrobe comes from this box. I was amazed what good condition (almost new!) the items I found were.

Wonder if you could find something similar where you live?

moocat · 04/07/2011 09:52

muslins, cotton wool, sleep suits, car seat, some sort of carry cot
honestly, you don't need much more than that

babyonbord · 04/07/2011 10:21

they are called muslin squares, just squares of fabric that you can use to clean up when baby throws up after and during a feed (which will be often) its not a stupid question x

babyonbord · 04/07/2011 10:25

i got bought loads of snowsuits at christmas for my first (he was due in may) Even when it was cold i didnt use them he hated being in them and would scream and scream, i found them better the following winter when he was 6 months. I wouldn't bother with daytime outfits, ive just bought vests and sleepsuit i like babies to look like babies, i started putting mine in proper clothes when he was a year old.

IvyAndGold · 04/07/2011 10:31

we bought nappies now and again over the 9months whenever they were on special offer.
about 10 vest and sleepsuits, all from ebay, cost less that a fiver for the lot.
bought a few cheap muslins.
a moses basket
pram, was DP's little sister's which his stepmum kindly gave us.
car seat was from mothercare, lasted to about 5mths.
everything else really was bought for her as presents.

the summer sales are on now, and mothercare will probably have some good bargains if they are in trouble. but still, i swear by ebay, if you don't mind second hand, some of the bundles of vests i've bought for DD on there have had new ones in, and all others very good condition. it really is worth it for the money you can save.

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