Right then what do I need?????

[munz]

can u tell me/point me in the direction of what i'm gonna be needing. this is our first baby, we have quite a fair few thingys but I want to make sure we have everything we need esp clothing wise, so does anyone have a good list of thingys u need for the first 6 months of a baby's life??? HELP!!!!! lol.

(know i'm being v organised but DH is away for 3 weeks in jan so need ot work out our money etc..)

(wanting to get most of it in the jan sales u see! - or as much as we can do! lol)

we're in pembrokeshire, tbh I wasn't going to bother with one (was gonna favour either a washing up bowl lol - or a bath with either me or DH, or one of those prop thingys u stick in the normal bath. just wondered if they were completely essential.

is it really tight to use a washing up bowl - naturally i'd buy a new one! lol

just make sure you take enough to hospital!

i went in with enough stuff for overnight, and a couple of extras and ended up staying for 4 days... so dp had yto go and buy more stuff when i ran out suddenly one afternoon! lol

basic boots portable ones. they work fine. the parent monitor has lights on it when noises occur. or i have some even more basic plug in ones.

ahhh you'll be fine without one! i am in sussex so can't drop round with it! lol

lol - that's it SL - I think if I sent DH to the shop he'd come back with all the wrong stuff! that's why I want to be fully prepared so he knows what to do! lol. (esp as he's away for the last 3 weeks of jan!)

munz baby bath not essential as washing bowl exactly the same. WE used a in the bath seat from lewis' think it was £8 but went from birth to 8mths and will be using it again.

nail clippers are a must
steriliser/breast pump.
infacol is a god send I remember when we discovered it..lol
In terms of having clothes etc will be happy to send you a ton of my newborn stuff as baby is in and out of it so quick.

I could'nt live without about 20 muslins and bibs and i needed shares in infacol! very colicy pukey 1st baby!

I would'nt go mad buying clothes or toys ds1 got bought so much he did'nt wear half of it.

i also would'nt bother with a bath, only used mine for about 3 weeks!

My dh is forces too so can empathise with the disappearing for weeks when they are needed. Dh went away for 10 days 1week before ds3 was due ,very scary considering ds1 was 2weeks early and dd was 3 weeks early! luckily ds2 was late!

oooh don't forget nappy bucket if you're using reusables

yes, I would say 15-20 complete changes of clothes, otherwise you could be washing very tiny little loads in the washing machine every day.

Dont buy formula if you are planning to BF. You will get so much support here. just keep asking and someone will help you. Keep persevering with BFing and once you get the hang of it it is the best thing ever!

ok my main worry is with clothes i've complied a little list of stuff - do u think I have enough of each size? (try to get DH to agree to me buying more u see! lol - mainly the ebay bargins I might add thou)
1 snow suit 0-3
1 duffle coat 0-3
1 soft fleecey light summer jacket NB
1 Cord light Jacket 3-6
10 baby grows (vest) NB
9 baby grows (vest) 0-3
3 pairs booties 0-3
1 pair booties 3-6
8 pairs socks 0-0 NB.
1 all in one (no feet) 6-9 (light cotton)
2 all in one (no feet) 3-6 (light cotton)
5 Baby grows 0-3
4 sleep suits NB
4 Sleep Suits 0-3
3 Sleep suit 3-6
1 outfit NB
countless knitted cardis - NB/0-3 (about 7/8)
5 mittens ( 2 knitted) NB
1 Mitten 6-9
16 Hats
17 Bibs Various Sizes
1 Little roo outfit - Dungarees and tshirt NB
1 outfit 0-3 with Longsleeved Vest
1 Long Dungarees 6-9
1 Long Dungarees 0-3
1 Long Dungarees 3-6
1 Long Dungarees NB
5 T Shirt - Longsleeved 0-3
1 T Shirt - Longsleeved 3-6
2 Jeans 0-3
1 Jeans 3-6
5 Short Dungarees (3 fabric 2 light soft denim)
2 Long Sleeved Vests 3-6

misdee - will come back to you on the moniters/bouncer if u don't mind - DH is having a thing for winnie the pooh right now. how much do u want for them both?

def need more nappies then, and won't get the formula. (would prefer to BF if I can do. how soon can u start to express?)

ooh and when r u ment to start antinatal classes in the hospital?? god sooooo many questions! lol - I can see me being the paranoid first mum - if I am sorry please bear with me!

(ooh nemo - J&RM offered me some of her NB bits - but I might well take some of your boy bits if you turn out to be having a girl - but we can sort it out once yours is here - if that's ok with you?)

hi thats fine with me hun. Antenatal classes I think start around 28-32wks.
expressing depends on how successful bf goes. Not recommended for first 3 wks however some people cant bf but can express so prefer to do that from start.

ok we'll play that one by ear then.

misdee will take the bouncer but not the moniters for the mo if that's ok with you?

Hey hun, just found this!

Right.... i will stock you up with a tonne of NB and 0-3 sleepsuits - because BELIEVE me, they go through them! Even on a good day, you are still looking at 2 a day and as someone else said, you DONT want to wash EVERY day.

About re-usables/disposables..... Becky has only JUST gone in to hers at 5 weeks old, she was too skinny in the legs for the wraps to be water-tight so you need at least 4 weeks worth of disposables - 6-10 per day.

Will send you some more vests too, and of course some of the little bits you sent me back to you!

Definately reccomend a sling - ive got a baby bjorn and it is fantastic, Jessica loved it when we got it when she was 6 months old, and Rebecca has loved it from day 1! (So much easier to stick her in it and carry on playing with jess/making bottles etc etc etc)

With regards to formula - your choice but I personally liked it as a back up, so no late night trips to the 24hr supermarket. Give the BF a go, and tryto perservere but if you cant, accept it and move on.... dont make my mistake and beat yourself up over it.

I think thats it for now...... if i think oof something else ill add it on later - ive rambled enough!

lol, was expecting an essay from u! lol. thanks for the offer of clothing honney - will sort you out with some money as well - and u can't refuse cos I know where u live! he he so will only post u something for the girls anyways! lol.

that was what I was thinking with regards to formula having it incase - if I can feed brill and will do that (can then let someone else have the formula) i'm thinking on mum's words - not all women can feed but as long as u try that's the main thing (along with even if it's only a drop once it's better than nothing) - bless her. do feel a bit 'expected' thou as she managed to BF both DB and I for 6 months each - we shall see.

so these sling thingys - i've got a 2 way carrier which I was gonna use when walking the dog/walking around the estate and all - would a sling be really nec for the house? - trying to keep costs down see as we're keeping our car after all couldn't get finace with our outstanding neg equity no one would do it )

did tell DH about the washing thing as well - I think i'll mention that again as I don't plan on washing every day - esp if I don't have a full load! lol - his logic is wear it one day save it up and wash it so he's wearing it 2/3 days later - lol - erm ok then! lol. is it best to do sleep suits for the house and an outfit for outside?

i always did sleepsuits at home, outfits out.... with Becky - she gets sleepsuits no matter what!!!

This is my quick list for baby no2:

sleepsuits
vests
scratch mitts
socks
4 or 5 outfits in newborn and 0-3 (from DD1)
cardigans
cuddle robes
snow suits (2 of DDs in case one gets puked on and in the wash)
hats
disposables
wipes
cotton wool (baby products useless IMO still have loads)

moses basket
plastic bath thing
pram
sling
sheets
blankets
shawl

breast pump
bottles and teats
steriliser
breast pads (approx 1000)
sanitary towels (approx 1000)
feeding bra (I would buy one and then wait and see what size you end up)

sure I've forgotten some things though

u know for reusable's do u use a special nappy bin or would any bin from wilkos do the smae job (as long as it has a lid on it??)

i have a tesco value lidded bin, big thing, cost about 2.50 IIRC.

My local council were offering a reusable nappy starter kit for £5 to reduce landfill, included a bin and 10 samples of various makes of nappy so see if your council will help, it's such a saving. Also I would suggest in your spare time pre-baby, cook some meals and freeze them. Our babe was brilliant and our first week was no hassle due to him, but with the midwives calling every day and stupid visitors (who have never set foot in your house, yet feel it necessary to ring the doorbell with just a CARD at 9am the day after you get home from hospital- oh yes) really do take up a lot of time and you do want some comfort food at that time, I wish I'd prepared more.
Also, wash all the clothing you have already and have it ready to wear. Their skin does not benefit at all from any kind of chemical in the first 4 wks especially.

Lanolin nipple cream if you're planning to breastfeed. Put it on after every feed in the first while even if you think you don't need it.

Wow Munz, you have loads! I am starting from scratch with no.4 so v.interested in lists. Just to be controversial I am going to contradict a lot of what everyone else says! These are things I wish someone had told me.

I would say forget the bath - think how you are going to lift it full of water? Get a washing up bowl instead for the first couple of months. My babies didn't much like baths at all until they were able to sit up properly, unless they are very sick/pooey, topping and tailing is fine. Also nail clippers/scissors leave babe with really sharp edges to scram their faces with - better to nibble them off yourself when you're feeding! I think scratch mits are a waste of time - they'll pull them off (ditto socks/bootees - babygros much easier) babies should be able to suck/gaze at their fingers. For a newborn (especially breastfed) you only really need cotton wool and boiled water - much cheaper than wipes! For all of us having winter babes, I'd suggest a really nice shawl/blanket as it's nice to wrap them up in, even in the house. You may need loads of bibs if baby is sicky but you may need none at all. Again this is controversial, but IME breastfed babies don't really get wind (because they don't swallow air) so you don't really need gripe water/infacol etc. DS1 did bring loads of milk back though due to a floppy oesophagous (SP?). Again, IME if you want to succeed with breastfeeding, don't buy formula otherwise someone sometime will use it and it will mess up your milk supply and baby's guts. Do give them some expressed milk in a bottle though after about 2 weeks otherwise they may never take it!

Also, nice bath stuff for you is lovely but wait till your rear end is healed (ouch).

PS remember Mothercare's sole intention is to sell you stuff!

lol@rachey thanks for the info hon.

not gonna get formula after all - if I realy need it i'll send a mate out instead (or show DH on tesco.com!)

def gonna do the esink/washing up bowl for the bathing I think. how often do u bath them?

baby's due beg of march and down here (based on last winter/spring) it wasn't warm will end of june

rear end healed?? - should I worry?? (first timer here so be gentle! lol)

god if u guys were'nt here i'd get all the wrong stuff! lol.