Compiling a shopping list for the baby - what "healthcare" stuff do I need?

[VegemiteSandwich]

What "health care" type stuff do I need for the baby? We think it'd be good to buy the stuff that we are most likely to need/use for the first couple of months to avoid a late night dash to Boots.

I'm not due until December but I'm compiling a "to buy" list to get an idea of how much money to set aside as we are going to have to spend a fair bit of money on renovations this autumn and also I'm off work today and bored

On my list so far is:

thermometer
calpol (I know I can't use this on a newborn, but I see it mentioned a lot so thought it's better to have it ready for when it's needed!)
lotion (I don't actually know what I mean by this!)
nappy rash cream?

Without setting up a mini-boots in my house, what other stuff is sensible to get?

Johnstons Baby Top to Toe wash.

Sudocrem.

Cotton wool balls and cotton buds.

Wipes.

Nappies.

Thats it :)

Thanks!

What exactly is sudocrem (pardon me for being dim!). I'm not english and therefore didn't grow up with it. Is it an antiseptic cream? Or a barrier? When and where does it get put onto the baby?!?

Johnson's baby top to toe wash has been added to the "bathing and changing" section of my list :) I was wondering, actually, what exactly I was meant to wash the baby with and will hopefully resist the temptation to be ripped off with some organic posh designer-y baby stuff.

OK...for newborn you won't need much:

• digital, in-ear thermometer (you will use this for years to come!!)
• metanium (the best for nappy rash!)
• a nasal aspirator
• saline drops (for nose...horrid but all you can really use on a newborn)
• olive oil (save on the moisturers/lotions...only rub on newborn skin, something that you'd put in your mouth. ie oilve or coconut (pure) oil)
• cotton wool (personally i prefer large make-up flat pads to the fluffy balls)
• alcohol based, instant dry hand wash

Down the line...

• industrial supplies of calpol
• similar quantities of arnica bruise cream
• as many wipes as you can store

Nappies, cotton wool.

I wouldn't go with Johnsons myself because their stuff's so highly scented a lot of newborns can be allergic to it - better off bathing in plain water (and they don't need proper baths for a month or so anyway).

Lotions and potions are unnecessary - to be honest the less stuff you put on a baby's skin the better. Olive oil is good for meconium (first poo - dark green and unbelievably sticky). Little pot of Sudocrem's not a bad idea, but you won't need it every change.

If you get a paracetamol solution I would get a sugar-free version and Boots' own is cheaper than Calpol. Also make sure you get a syringe for mouth-squirting purposes (getting a spoon into a small baby = impossible). You can first use it after 8 week jabs if they have a bit of a temperature. One of those forehead sticky-on ones is fine for a thermometer (and cheap) but you'll find you get pretty good at telling when they've got a temperature.

Few things are late-night-dash territory. You might find you want cradle cap cream but olive oil's pretty good for that too!

Wash your baby with water and nothing else for as long as you can (unless caked in sick/poo, in which case as mild and additive-free a product as you can find!)

Sudocrem is a zinc ointment - used to treat nappy rash and also eczema and various other skin ailments. It treats and also forms a barrier. It has a very distinctive smell but is super-effective.

Infacol, Calpol, Sudocrem, Nappies, wipes and nappy bags. That's pretty much all I have. Some hand gel is useful.

Great, thank you everyone for the suggestions! Infacol isn't one I'd thought of but I can see it'd be handy to have just in case.

tiny nail clippers

Nappies and wipes.

Never used cotton wool, and you don't need anything other than water to wash baby in

I found it easier to bite DDs nails rather than use clippers. I was paranoid I would cut her finger!

my friend did me a "first aid kit" and she included nasal spray (about the only thing you can use on a tiny baby for a cold) as well as other stuff mentioned.

I'm a podiatrist and even though my nail clippers are the hugest scariest things you've ever seen, I'm more likely to cut myself/a baby with non-professional versions!

I've had the nail-biting discussion with patients/etc and I'm afraid I'm not keen on it wannabe!

sudocrem is not suitable for every child. Might be worth considering alternatives, in sample sizes. (It made my daughter's bum worse - the skin dried out, broke and bled).

Samples aren't a bad idea! But I'll bear in mind that the sudocrem mightn't work. But if that (or the metanium that flirty suggested) is needed at least I'll have option one on hand and it'll be one less trip out in the early days. (I'd rather keep my early outings "fun" rather than "essential :D )

I do not wish to know what a "nasal aspirator" is. Please no-one enlighten me :)

For my imminent baby I have:

Olive oil, E45 cream, some flannels, nappies. I have the oil in a spray for coating bums. (I just decanted it)

There is some paracetamol suspension in the cupboard for my older DC.

Metanium is amazing stuff!

We have an in ear thermometer and it was the biggest waste of money for a newborn. They're quite expensive and have little disposable plastic cup things that you put over the end for hygiene reasons. Our problem with it was that you couldn't actually fit it in dd's ear. We've got an underarm thermometer similar to this.

DD had a cold at about 10 days old so we ended up using the saline nasal drops on her.

Yes to sudocreme and metanium. Metanium is v expensive but you don't need much of it and it works very well.

As well as calpol (paracetemol) there's a children's version of ibuprofen (calprofen or similar) that can be used alternately with the calpol. Again, I think they need to be a couple of months old before you can use them.

We also used infacol quite a bit and gripe water a couple of times (gripe water v effective but again only after they're a month old, I think - also goes off very quickly).

Personally I wouldn't use any Johnsons baby products. The oils are mineral oils - better to use olive oil or an edible oil.

Calpol, dentinox colic drops (same as Infacol but no artificial flavours or sweeteners) Infacare wash, cotton wool, nail clippers, thermometer, soft hairbrush.
You don't need baby lotions, especially not the johnsons scented ones! If your baby has dry skin, massage some olive oil instead. No chemicals in that!
Also recommend the saline nasal drops/spray and a snot extracting device.

Babies dont need much (nappies, cotton wool, ear thermometer, Waitrose Bottom Butter) You're better off getting stuff for YOU after the birth!

For perineal healing:
Witch hazel gel
Aloe vera gel (pure as possible)

For afterpains:
Paracetamol
Hot water bottle

For muscle aches and bruising:
Epsom salts
Arnica 200c potency.

As for saline drops - just use breast milk! Seriously, don't buy crazy things.

Not read whole thread but my list is:

Sudocrem
Vaseline
Infacol
Calpol
Cotton wool (not for bum - wipes for that - but for wiping eyes etc)
Teething gel

Also:

Thermometer
Baby nail clippers
Metonium for bad nappy rash
Bath thermometer
Snot sucky outy tube thing - hard to come by and when baby gets first cold you will want it right away

Badgerina is right that breastmilk can be used instead of saline drops but how you're supposed to squirt breastmilk up a newborn's nose I never figured out so we went with the saline squirter when DS had a blocked nose after the birth.

ZuleikaD You can pop a drop up there with a syringe. Collecting the BM is not the most glamorous position you're ever going to find yourself in (easier if you are expressing a little) but does the job as well as saline drops.

Also good for gunky eyes - recommended by the midwife and it worked within the hour!